Tres Hombres

ZZ Top: Billy Gibbons (vocals, guitar); Dusty Hill (vocals, bass); Frank "Rube" Beard (drums).
Also available with FANDANGO on 1 cassette and as part of the ZZ Top 6 Pack.
On 1973's TRES HOMBRES, everything came together for ZZ Top. While it was near inconceivable that the trio could better its superb previous effort, 1972's RIO GRANDE MUD, here ZZ Top somehow found a way to make the riffs tastier and the blues boogie more lethal.
One of classic rock's most identifiable standards, "La Grange," resides here, borrowing liberally from John Lee Hooker. But there's even more great blues-rock to feast on--the moderately paced "Waitin' for the Bus," the 12-bar blues of "Jesus Just Left Chicago," and the party-hearty anthem "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" (a tune Van Halen has covered live from time to time). Elsewhere, the thick rocker "Precious and Grace" easily gives Led Zeppelin a run for its money.