Degüello

Degüello is the sixth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in November 1979. It was the first ZZ Top release on Warner Bros. Records and eventually went platinum. It was produced by Bill Ham, recorded and mixed by Terry Manning, and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

This article is about the ZZ Top album. For the bugle call, see El Degüello.
Degüello
Studio album by
ZZ Top
ReleasedNovember 1979 (1979-11)[1]
RecordedApril-August 1979
Genre
Length34:03
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerBill Ham
ZZ Top chronology
The Best of ZZ Top
(1977)		 Degüello
(1979)		 El Loco
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [2]
Christgau's Record GuideA–[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Smash Hits8/10[5]

Returning from a two year hiatus, the band began to showcase the influence they have collected during the time away; Gibbons' time in Europe introduced him to punk music and psychedelia,[6] the influences of which seeped into the creation of the album.[6] The band also consciously tried experimenting with technology: Gibbons saw an episode of The Phil Donahue Show where a person's identity was protected using silhouette and a pitch shifter; liking the sound, he asked engineer Manning to call the show and find out what the effects unit was. Manning eventually convinced a reluctant show producer to reveal it, and the effect was used for both vocals and guitars on songs like "Manic Mechanic".[6]

Meaning of the title

"Degüello" means "decapitation" or, idiomatically, when something is said to be done "a degüello", it means "no quarter" in Spanish (as in, "no surrender to be given or accepted—a fight to the death"). It was also the title of a Moorish-origin bugle call used by the Mexican Army at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."I Thank You" (Isaac Hayes, David Porter)3:23
2."She Loves My Automobile"2:24
3."I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide"4:46
4."A Fool for Your Stockings"4:15
5."Manic Mechanic"2:37
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Dust My Broom" (Robert Johnson)3:06
2."Lowdown in the Street"2:49
3."Hi Fi Mama"2:23
4."Cheap Sunglasses"4:48
5."Esther Be the One"3:31

Original LP pressings of Degüello credited authorship of "Dust My Broom" to Elmore James.

Personnel

Production

Charts
Chart (1979/80) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 100
United States (Billboard 200) 24

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[8] Gold 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[9] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Edwards, Eyries and Callahan (2004). "WB Album Discography, Part 9". Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  2. link
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: Z". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 9, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "ZZ Top". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 907-8. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. Hepworth, David. "ZZ Top: Deguello". Smash Hits (March 20 – April 2, 1999): 31.
  6. ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas. 2019.
  7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 348. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ZZ Top; 'Degüello')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  9. "American album certifications – ZZ Top – Deguello". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 9, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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