After years of talking about, and recording, new music with producer Rick Rubin, ZZ Top are finally sharing some of it with fans.
Next Tuesday (June 5), ZZ Top will release “Texicali,” a four track digital collection of the first new studio recordings from the band in nine years.
The four new songs offer a preview of the group’s full-length album, as yet untitled, that will be released late this summer or early fall. Fans purchasing the four songs will benefit from a pro-rated discount on the purchase of the full album when it is released.
All four tracks will be previewed through an audio stream at Rollingstone.com for one day only, Monday, June 4.
These four tracks that comprise Texicali were produced by Rubin and the band’s Billy F Gibbons, and include “I Gotsta Get Paid,” “Chartreuse,” “Over You” and “Consumption.”
The first of these is heard in a just-launched campaign for the Jeremiah Weed line of malt beverages that has generated tremendous on-line buzz for the video that depicts Billy, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard performing - to the delight and amazement of the patrons of a convenience store - in a walk-in cooler. “I Gotsta Get Paid,” based on the underground 1990s rap song “25 Lighters,” is also heard on the soundtrack to the international box office hit, "Battleship."
The title of the collection is a reference to the locations where the album was recorded. founding of ZZ Top more than 42 years ago and an acknowledgement that the band’s line-up has remained constant ever since.
“Based on the visibility of the ‘Gotsta Get Paid’ song, we decided to make available more of a taste of the album than just the one song,” said Rubin. “That’s the beauty of the new digital landscape; we can put out what we want when we want, in the best service of the artist.”
“We were itching to get some new music out before the full album release,” added Gibbons. “Making available these four tracks seems like a good way to accomplish that most expeditiously. Dusty, Frank and I are happy with what’s been accomplished in the studio so we figured we’d provide some hot and tasty ‘hors d’oeuvres’ before the main course is served this fall.”
The band embarks this week as the headliner for a six-week “Gang of Outlaws” tour that includes bills shared with 3 Doors Down and Gretchen Wilson; following that, ZZ Top departs for Europe where they will be playing concert and festival dates in Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Norway in July. Additional North American dates are planned for August and September.
ZZ Top See also:
VIDEO: ZZ Top debut new single in Jeremiah Weed ad
ZZ Top announce spring tour
VIDEO: ZZ Top guitarist provides update on new album
VIDEO: ZZ Top guitarist jams with Johnny Depp
VIDEO: Corey Taylor goes acoustic at ZZ Top fest
Billy Gibbons raves about ZZ Top tribute album
ZZ Top tribute album due in October
Hear new ZZ Top - Flyin’ High
ZZ Top: New album is ‘loud, fast’
ZZ Top debuts new song in space
ZZ Top: Billy Gibbons named Texas State Musician
ZZ Top: new album due in 2011
ZZ Top to receive Texas Medal Of Arts
ZZ Top, Extreme guitarists help launch new Pushking album
Steven Tyler to appear on new ZZ Top tribute album
ZZ Top to record with Rick Rubin
