Degüello (Redirected from Deguello)

Degüello
ZZ Top - Degüello.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1979 (1979-11)
RecordedApril–August 1979
Genre
Length33:54
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerBill Ham
ZZ Top chronology
The Best of ZZ Top
(1977)
Degüello
(1979)
El Loco
(1981)
Singles from Degüello
  1. "I Thank You"
    Released: 1979
  2. "Cheap Sunglasses"
    Released: 1979
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Christgau's Record GuideA−
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Smash Hits8/10

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.

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, the influences of which seeped into the creation of the album. 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".

The album marked the first time that ZZ Top featured cover versions on a studio album: "I Thank You" by Isaac Hayes/David Porter and "Dust My Broom", credited on early editions to Elmore James but subsequently credited to Robert Johnson who recorded it in 1936. Elmore James had adapted and popularized the song in 1951.

Meaning of the title

"Degüello" means "decapitation" (literally, a slashing of the throat) 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)3:22
2."She Loves My Automobile"2:22
3."I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide"4:45
4."A Fool for Your Stockings"4:15
5."Manic Mechanic"2:36
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Dust My Broom" (Robert Johnson)3:06
2."Lowdown in the Street"2:49
3."Hi Fi Mama"2:22
4."Cheap Sunglasses"4:46
5."Esther Be the One"3:30

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) 100
United States (Billboard 200) 24

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI) Gold 250,000^
United States (RIAA) Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


This page was last updated at 2023-01-31 01:12 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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