ZZ Top Live in Germany presented on DVD.
Live in Germany was filmed at the Grugahalle in Essen, Germany for the
Rockpalast TV series.
Hot on the heels of their classic ‘DEGUELLO’ album (it features 9 of the
10 songs from it) the show finds ZZ Top before sequencers and synthesizers
epitomising their “lil’ ol’ blues band from Texas” nickname.
Complimented by tracks drawn predominantly from their ‘TRES HOMBRES’ and
‘FANDANGO!’ albums this is a true best of ZZ Top in the seventies.
ZZ Top Live in Germany Review
“Interestingly, while always priding themselves on being a kick-ass live
band, ZZ Top never got around to issuing a full-length live album during their
1970s/1980s peak. But as they say, it's better late than never, and
2011 finally saw the arrival of an archival live ZZ Top recording, Live in
Germany 1980. Featuring half of the audio portion of their 2009 Double Down
Live DVD, Live in Germany 1980 does a fantastic job of displaying all of the
group's pre-Eliminator classics in a concert setting. And as expected, the
tunes take on a life all their own throughout – "Jesus Just Left Chicago,”
“Precious and Grace,” and “Cheap Sunglasses” sound even more muscular
and strut-heavy on a concert stage. The word “explosive” springs to mind
upon coming in close contact with “Heard It on the X” and “Beer Drinkers
& Hell Raisers,” and the hits that made ZZ Top synonymous with classic
rock radio are included as well – “La Grange,” “Tush,” etc. Shortly
after this concert was recorded, ZZ Top got a bit handcuffed by gimmicks (long
beards, wacky-looking guitars) and electronics. But in 1980, ZZ Top were one of
the (if not the) most powerful trios in all of rock, and Live in Germany
1980 helps confirm this claim once and for all." AllMusic