Bring 'Er Back To Just Dog And Pony

When I read that in 2008, Rick Rubin may be taking ZZ Top back into the studio to whip those boys back into Tres Hombres era gut-bucket, I was a little geeked. I have a soft spot for those guys, even though the soft spot appeared during Tres Hombres then disappeared shortly thereafter.
After reading that, I started fantasizing about how Rubin would talk them into going on the road and doing the Stones at El Macombo thing. Stripped down and bare-knuckled in 500 seat clubs, opening, guns-a-blazing, and all sexy like to the slow chug of Jesus Just Left Chicago. No hoopla. No Barnum and Bailey. Just Billy, Dusty and Frank reminding us how they never took their foot off the gas.

Now rumour has it they do have a new studio something coming out this year but whether Rick Rubin is attached to it remains to be seen.
Just might have to bite the bullet and hobble down to Muskegon this June to see 'em. Circus or no circus.

Give It To Me

As a kid, I didn't know any more about blues artists than I did the dangers of a Pinto gas tank. I remember the Stones' album cover of Out Of Our Heads as much as I remember one brother continually picking up the tone-arm and dropping it back down on Satisfaction. But being an 8 year old, in all fairness, I did not pick up on who influenced the band.
Moving ahead a year or 2 into the seventies, thanks to my banjo picking other brother, I was pretty well steeped in the whole folky, singer/songwriter heyday. Until my buddy Jacques turned me onto Full House from The J Geils Band. From that time on, I remember a distinct line being drawn from mild, clumsy, over-the-shirt make out parties to Budweiser fueled, look at the white boy dance style hoe downs.
Dang, I'd never heard Chuck Berry licks come from a harp player before. Hell, who was Chuck Berry?
By this time, I was able to surmise that, while the Beatles and the Stones were from diverging planets, the Stones and the J Geils band were first cousins once removed. They just took different streets away from home. One went juke-joint-house party shuffle and the other went
drunkin' gospel swing.

Photo From bbc.co.uk