| Rio Grande Mud | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 4, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | September 1971 – January 1972 | |||
| Studio | Robin Hood, Tyler, Texas | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:51 | |||
| Label | London | |||
| Producer | Bill Ham | |||
| ZZ Top chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Rio Grande Mud | ||||
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Rio Grande Mud is the second studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in 1972 by the London Records label. The album title was inspired by the Rio Grande, the river that forms the border between Mexico and Texas.
ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons said of the album:
It was the first record that brought us into step with the writing experience. We started documenting events as they happened to us on the road; all of these elements went into the songwriting notebook. As we went along, we were keeping track of skeleton ideas as they popped up. The craft was certainly developing. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C [4] |
| Rolling Stone | Mixed [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| The Daily Vault | A− [7] |
The only single released from the album was "Francene", which peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100. The A-side was the album version, while the B-side featured the song with the vocals re-recorded in Spanish. [8] Another 45 version was released in the UK and Germany backed with "Down Brownie". Various official ZZ Top releases throughout the years, beginning in 1972, have used the alternative spelling "Francene", especially on the various 45 releases both within and outside the United States as well as the first edition of the LP.
In 1987, the album was remixed for CD release. On January 11, 2011, Rhino released a remastered version from the original 1972 mix on vinyl only. This album was put up for download on Amazon's MP3 store and iTunes as a digital download in 2012, and features the original mixes of the tracks that are on Chrome, Smoke & BBQ , and the 1987 remixes of the tracks that are not from that box set. The original mix of the album was released on CD in June 2013 as part of the box set The Complete Studio Albums (1970-1990). [9]
AllMusic retrospectively gave the album 3.5 stars, stating: "With their second album, Rio Grande Mud, ZZ Top uses the sound they sketched out on their debut as a blueprint, yet they tweak it in slight but important ways." [2]
The album peaked at number 104 on the Billboard 200 in June 1972. [10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Francene" | Billy Gibbons, Steve Perron, Kenny Cordray | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Just Got Paid" | Gibbons, Bill Ham | 4:49 |
| 3. | "Mushmouth Shoutin'" | Gibbons, Ham | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Ko Ko Blue" | Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard | 4:56 |
| 5. | "Chevrolet" | Gibbons | 3:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Apologies to Pearly (instrumental)" | Gibbons, Hill, Beard, Ham | 2:39 |
| 2. | "Bar-B-Q" | Gibbons, Ham | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell" | Gibbons | 7:39 |
| 4. | "Whiskey'n Mama" | Gibbons, Hill, Beard, Ham | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Down Brownie" | Gibbons | 2:53 |
| Total length: | 38:55 | ||
| Chart (1972–1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [11] | 85 |
| US Billboard 200 [12] | 104 |
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For 51 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section. They are known for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who wore sunglasses, hats and long beards.
Afterburner is the ninth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1985. Although critics' response to the album was lukewarm, Afterburner was a commercial success, eventually going platinum five times and launching one hit single: "Sleeping Bag" which peaked at No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, equaling the peak of their previous single "Legs". The album yielded three other Top 40 singles in the United States: "Stages", "Rough Boy", and "Velcro Fly".
ZZ Top's First Album is the debut studio album by American rock band ZZ Top, produced by Bill Ham and released in January 1971 by London Records. Establishing ZZ Top's attitude and humor, the album incorporates styles such as blues, boogie, hard rock, and Southern rock influences. "(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree" was the only single released from the album.
Tres Hombres is the third studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released on July 26, 1973 by London Records. It was the band's first collaboration with engineer Terry Manning. The album would be ZZ Top's commercial breakthrough in the United States charts. It peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in 1974. Its lead single "La Grange" reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is the first of many ZZ Top albums to incorporate the use of Spanish terminology in their branding. "Tres Hombres" means "three men" in Spanish.
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.
El Loco is the seventh studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1981. It foreshadowed the band's extensive usage of synthesizers on Eliminator, Afterburner, and to a lesser extent, Recycler, by way of employing a synthesizer on a couple tracks, played by an uncredited Linden Hudson.
Mescalero is the fourteenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in September 2003, as the band's final release for RCA Records. While the band still retained their foundation in blues rock, Mescalero explored genres like country and Tejano. Recording sessions took place at Foam Box Recordings in Houston, with Billy Gibbons as producer.
XXX is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in September 1999. The album's title commemorates the band's 30th anniversary.
Tejas is the fifth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in late November 1976, on the London label. The title is a Caddo language word meaning "friends", which is the origin of the name of the band's home state, Texas.
Eliminator is the eighth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records, and rose high on the charts in many countries. Four hit singles were released—"Gimme All Your Lovin'" which reached the American Top 40, "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and their most successful single, "Legs". Eliminator is ZZ Top's most commercially successful release, with sales of 11 million and diamond certification in the US.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1992.
Rhythmeen is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1996. It is their last album with longtime producer Bill Ham.
Chrome, Smoke & BBQ is a 4-CD box set by American rock band ZZ Top. Released in 2003, it is a compilation album of material from the band's tenures with London Records and Warner Bros. Records, recorded from 1967 to 1992. An abbreviated 2-CD version of this compilation, Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top (2004), was released the following year.
The Best of ZZ Top(10 Legendary Texas Tales) is a greatest hits album by American rock band ZZ Top, released November 26, 1977. Spanning the years from 1971 to 1975, this compilation album does not contain any songs from Tejas, which was released the year before.
"Legs" is a song by the band ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. The song was released as the fourth single in May 1984 more than a year after the album came out. It reached number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and the dance mix version of the song peaked at number 13 on the dance charts.
"La Grange" is a song by the American rock group ZZ Top, from their 1973 album Tres Hombres. One of ZZ Top's most successful songs, it was released as a single in 1973 and received extensive radio play, rising to No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1974. The song refers to a brothel on the outskirts of La Grange, Texas. The brothel is also the subject of the Broadway play and film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
"Velcro Fly" is the fourth single off ZZ Top's 1985 album Afterburner. The song peaked at #15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986, the band's last ever top 40 hit.
Fandango! is the fourth album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1975. The album's first side consists of selections from live shows, with the second side being new studio recordings. A remastered and expanded edition of this album was released on February 28, 2006.
The Six Pack is a box set released in 1987 by the American rock band ZZ Top. It comprises their first five albums, plus their seventh album, El Loco (1981). All the albums except El Loco and the live side of Fandango! were remixed with new drums and guitar effects for a more "contemporary" sound, similar to ZZ Top's eighth album, Eliminator (1983). Until 2006, these remixes were the only versions of the albums available on CD. British musician and producer Alan Parsons had also remixed his first 1976 Project album Tales of Mystery and Imagination in the same manner to achieve the same sound, which was also released in 1987. The band's sixth album Degüello (1979) was not included as it was already available on CD individually.
"Francine" is a song recorded by the American rock band ZZ Top from their 1972 album Rio Grande Mud. It was their first chart hit.
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