Tres Hombres Songs Ranked
Tres Hombres is the third studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released by London Records in July 1973 and was the band’s first collaboration with engineer Terry Manning. It was the band’s commercial breakthrough; in the US, the album entered the top ten while the single “La Grange” reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the height of ZZ Top’s success in the mid-1980s, a digitally remixed version of the recording was released on CD and the original 1973 mix was no longer issued. The remix version created controversy among fans because it significantly changed the sound of the instruments, especially drums. The remix version was used on all early CD copies and was the only version available for over 20 years. A remastered and expanded edition of the album was released on February 28, 2006, which contains three bonus live tracks. The 2006 edition is the first CD version to use Manning’s original 1973 mix. Subsequent releases on digital platforms such as iTunes have used the original mix as well. Here are all of Tres Hombres songs ranked.
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10. Sheik
“This song doesn’t appeal to me much. It is too long and just doesn’t do anything that makes me find it very interesting. Not to mention the 30 seconds of bass combined with bell ringing at the end. Featuring vocals by Billy Gibbons.”
9. Hot, Blue, and Righteous
“Hot, Blue and Righteous” is a unique song with a nice smooth sound. The drums are clear and the guitars are silky smooth. Very lovely track that reminds me a bit of The Dark Side of the Moon. At one point in this song there are layered vocals, and this moment is one of the highlights of the album.”
8. Precious and Grace
“This song is an obvious influence for the 1994 ZZ Top song “Pincushion,” though not quite as good. The singing isn’t as quite as good as that in “Pincushion,” and the tune isn’t quite as good either (Though the tune is pretty good, just because this song doesn’t match the quality of “Pincushion,” it still is pretty good.) Featuring vocals by Billy Gibbons.”
See more: ZZ Top Albums Ranked
7. Have You Heard?
“Have You Heard?” is a very underrated track in my opinion. Perhaps the most memorable track on this album (besides “La Grange”, but it’s only memorable because it’s so overplayed).”
6. Master of Sparks
“In this song, Billy resumes his singing voice that he used in “Jesus Just Left Chicage,” but this time it uses a good tune and is put to a good song. This song is actually some pretty good rock. Featuring vocals by Billy Gibbons.”
5. Move Me On Down the Line
“This song is a lot more lively than the song before it, which makes it pretty appreciative. Featuring vocals by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard.”
See more: ZZ Top Songs Ranked
4. Waitin’ for the Bus
“Waitin’ for the Bus” is an excellent opener. It really made me look forward to the rest of the album. It’s got the classic blues rock sound but takes it a step further with the powerful smooth guitar on the last bar of the verse.”
3. Jesus Just Left Chicago
“Jesus Just Left Chicago” is another unique and wonderful track. The clean guitar on this track is really gorgeous. The bluesy guitar solo at the end is wonderful also. Great lyrics here, too.”
2. Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
“Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” is a wonderful energetic track. The vocals on the chorus are effortlessly cool. By the way, Billy Gibbons is probably my favorite southern rock and blues rock vocalist of all time.”
1. La Grange
“This song appears to be very popular for movies; it was featured in SHANGHAI NOON, ARMAGEDDON, and LORDS OF DOGTOWN. It gives a very different experience than the rest of the album, because we hear Frank Beard’s voice for the first time not as backup, instead as lead singing. And we also see why he sings fewer songs than Billy and Dusty. Okay, the singing is pretty bad, but the rock music is great. And anyway, who never got a kick out of the “Ah haw haw haws?” This song may have been an influence for the 80’s ZZ Top song “My Head’s In Mississippi,” as the tune is fairly similar to the tune of that. Featuring vocals by Frank Beard.”