Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Original Mix Is Finally Restored, March 6, 2006
After years of only being able to get the bogus remixed and re-recorded versions of the first 6 ZZ records on CD, Rhino has finally begun issuing the Top back catalog (Tres Hombres and Fandango so far) faithfully restoring the original mixes of these classic records. The fact that these fine records were altered to begin with is a complete travesty. I had to resort to burning the original vinyl as CDs because of the previous butchery and doctoring of these vintage 70's recordings. But now the original mixes are finally available and they sound incredible. I hope Rhino doesn't delay releasing the other 4 albums along with Deguello in original mix, remastered form. I can't wait to hear them. So if you are considering buying any of the first 7 ZZ Top CD's, only buy the 2006 remastered, original mix version of Tres Hombres and Fandango, and wait until the others get released in the same format. You'll be glad you waited and saved your money, I can't emphasize enough how terrible the previous releases of these CD's sounded.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great album, great remaster, March 6, 2006
Finally... this fantastic album gets the treatment it deserves.
The echo is gone. The drums are dry (in a good way) and the vocals are right up in front along side the Reverend's holy guitar tone. To sum it up, this remastered copy of Fandango! sounds brilliant.
The cd artwork is great as well- faithful to the old LP artwork and complete with lengthy and interesting liner notes. The addition of 3 bonus live cuts at the end is excellent. In particular,the live version of Tush is INCREDIBLE. I personally was hoping they would include the entire live recording from which Side A of this album was taken, but I really can't complain with what is here.
The songs are great (Billy's slide playing on Mexican Blackbird is worth the price of the album itself) and the sound quality is perfect. This copy of Fandango is the complete package. Buy it and throw out your old cd copy if you still have it.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet, sweet Texas boogie, March 17, 2006
Though Fandango isn't ZZ Top's best album, (that honor belongs to Tres Hombres), it does represent the band at the peak of their powers. This is ZZ Top at their raw, bluesy roadhouse boogie best. No synths, no drum machines, just drums, bass, vocals and guitar. Lots and lots of guitar. Billy Gibbons is a guitar god. Every note he plays sounds Divinely inspired.
The first half of Fandango is a superb live set recorded in New Orleans which starts out with the fiery rocker Thunderbird, then on to a groovy cover of Elvis' Jailhouse Rock. Finally a lengthy medley of several tunes including Backdoor Love Affair (from ZZ Top's First Album) and Little Walter's Mellow Down Easy which showcases Gibbons' vocal prowess more than his guitar. The second half consists of studio records beginning with the excellent riff-rocker Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings. Next is one of my favorite ZZ Top tracks and their best slow blues number, Blue Jean Blues, which features some of Gibbons' finest blues guitar playing. The barroom rocker Balinese is an especially tasty album cut, however Mexican Blackbird, though not a bad song, grates my nerves due to Gibbons' singing in an exaggerated twangy southern accent. Great guitar as always, though. Closing the album are two ZZ Top classics, Heard It On The X and Tush. The former being a favorite among fans of the band, and the latter being one of Top's biggest chart hits and a rock radio classic. A great album, overall and an excellent slice of ZZ Top's meaty Texas blues-rock.
The new CD is, of course, noteworthy for restoring the original mix the way the album was intended to be heard. Completely remastered from the original tapes, the album sounds better than ever. The sound quality is excellent and the mix is just the way it was heard in '75. To augment the package, three bonus tracks were included: live versions of Heard It On the X, Jailhouse Rock, and Tush. Heard here, Heard It On the X is very hard-rocking. It almost sounds like a heavy metal song in this version. The live version of Tush is also excellent, and thankfully longer than the way too short album version. The live version of Jailhouse Rock, however, is not much different from the one on the original album. A very cool bonus for fans overall.
These tracks are most certainly welcome, however I'm disappointed that there are only three. There is certainly room for at least a dozen such bonus tracks. I'd like to hope that live tracks are being held back for a future live release. ZZ Top obviously was and is a hot live band. It's a shame that the live cuts on Fandango are the only representation of Gibbons, Hill and Beard in concert.
Still, this remastered Fandango CD is highly recommended to old and new fans alike.
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