ZZ Top’s First Album by ZZ Top, album cover

Album · 55 years old this year

ZZ Top’s First Album

Released16 January 1971

LabelWarner Bros. Records

Popularity59.0

rock blues rock boogie rock hard rock southern rock

Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗Deezer ↗Podcast cover

ZZ Top's First Album is the Texas band's debut, produced by their manager Bill Ham and released in 1971. It sets out the group's attitude and humour from the start, mixing blues, boogie and hard rock with a Southern rock swagger. "(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree" was the only single to come from it.

It's the first entry in a studio catalogue that runs through Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres and Eliminator, so it's the place to hear the trio before the later records made them famous. If you like your blues rock loose, wry and rooted in the boogie, it's a good place to begin.

ZZ Top’s First Album: tracklist and credits

10 tracks · 35:16

Tracklist

1(Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your TreeBilly Gibbons2:32
2Brown SugarBilly Gibbons5:22
3SquankGibbons, Ham, Hill2:46
4Goin’ Down to MexicoGibbons, Ham, Hill3:26
5Old ManBeard, Gibbons, Hill3:23
6Neighbor, NeighborBilly Gibbons2:18
7Certified BluesBeard, Gibbons, Ham3:25
8Bedroom ThangBilly Gibbons4:37
9Just Got Back From Baby’sBilly Gibbons and Bill Ham4:07
10Backdoor Love AffairBilly Gibbons and Bill Ham3:20

Produced by: Bill Ham
Recorded at: Robin Hood Studios, Robin Hood (Tyler, Texas)
Recorded: June–October 1970
Engineered by: Robin Hood Brians
Labels: Warner Bros. Records, London
Length: 35:16

Line-up

Frank Beard · drums (drum set), percussion
Billy Gibbons · guitar, lead vocals, electric guitar
Dusty Hill · bass, background vocals, lead vocals, bass guitar

Singles

“(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree” · January 1971

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

59.0

Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)

1.7k

ListenBrainz listeners

89k

Wikipedia views, last 12 months

581

Deezer fans (all editions)

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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date sources disagree on the year (1970, 1971)

Source	Date	Note
MusicBrainz	1970
Wikipedia infobox	January 1971
Wikidata	16 January 1971
US release	16 January 1971	earliest US date

19 editions

Date	Country	Label	Barcode	Kind
—	XE	Warner Bros. Records	075992737920	other
1970	US	Warner Bros. Records		original
1971	US	London Records		other
1971	US	London Records		other
1971	US	London Records		other
1971	CA	London Records		other
16 January 1971	US	London Records		other
1980	DE	Warner Bros. Records		other
1987	US	Warner Bros. Records	075992737920	other
3 November 1987	US	Warner Bros. Records	075992737920	other
15 November 1990	JP	Warner Bros. Records	4988014739801	other
1991	XE	Warner Bros. Records	075992737913	other
2 April 2013	XW	Rhino	603497923595	other
7 June 2013	XW	Rhino	603497921447	other
11 June 2013	XW	Rhino	603497921157	other
11 June 2013	XW	Rhino	603497921157	other
28 August 2013	JP	Warner Bros. Records	4943674147571	other
17 October 2013	XW	Rhino	603497923595	other
23 August 2024	XW	Rhino	603497823949	other

Cover art sources

coverartarchive · upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)

Source	Size	Verdict
coverartarchive ✓	1425×1425	upscaled: minor: best source 1425x1425, upscaled to 1500 (x1.05)
deezer	1200×1200	upscaled
fanarttv	1000×1000	upscaled