Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers
Encyclopedia
"Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" is a song by American
blues-rock
band
ZZ Top
, originally released on their 1973 album Tres Hombres
.
Dusty Hill
, who trades off every line with guitarist
Billy Gibbons
. Such a vocal style was repeated on certain songs on their later albums, such as "Heard it on the X", from Fandango!
, "Pan Am Highway Blues" and "Avalon Hideaway", from Tejas
, and "Don't Tease Me", from El Loco
.
It became a frequent song in the band's live set around the time of its release, and has been played sparingly over the years. It was, however featured on the compilations The Best of ZZ Top
, Chrome, Smoke & BBQ
, and Rancho Texicano
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, originally released on their 1973 album Tres Hombres
Tres Hombres
Tres Hombres is the third album by American blues rock band ZZ Top and was released in 1973. The album marked the first of many times the band worked with engineer Terry Manning which proved a successful combination as the release was the band's first commercial breakthrough...
.
History
ZZ Top first recorded their song in 1973, and was a minor radio hit, despite not being released as a single. It is the only song on the Tres Hombres album to feature lead vocals by bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Dusty Hill
Dusty Hill
Joseph Michael "Dusty" Hill is the bassist and vocalist with the American rock group ZZ Top.-History:Hill was in Dallas, Texas and grew up in the Lakewood neighborhood of East Dallas...
, who trades off every line with guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Billy Gibbons
Billy Gibbons
William Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
. Such a vocal style was repeated on certain songs on their later albums, such as "Heard it on the X", from Fandango!
Fandango!
Fandango! is the fourth album by American blues rock band ZZ Top, released in 1975. Half the cuts are selections from live shows, the other half are new songs from the studio...
, "Pan Am Highway Blues" and "Avalon Hideaway", from Tejas
Tejas (album)
Tejas is the fifth album by American blues rock band ZZ Top, released in late November 1976. The title is the modern Spanish word for Texas, the band's home state....
, and "Don't Tease Me", from El Loco
El Loco
El Loco is the seventh studio album by American blues rock band ZZ Top, released in 1981 . The title means "The Crazy One" in Spanish. Guitarist/singer Billy Gibbons has stated that the recordings of this album was the first time the three members of the band were isolated from one another in the...
.
It became a frequent song in the band's live set around the time of its release, and has been played sparingly over the years. It was, however featured on the compilations The Best of ZZ Top
The Best of ZZ Top
The Best of ZZ Top is a greatest hits album by American blues-rock band ZZ Top, released in 1977.- Track listing :All songs by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, except where noted.- Side A :...
, Chrome, Smoke & BBQ
Chrome, Smoke & BBQ
Chrome, Smoke & BBQ is a box set by American blues-rock band ZZ Top, released in 2003. This box set is notable for using the original mixes for all of the tracks from the band's first 5 albums for the first time on the CD format...
, and Rancho Texicano
Rancho Texicano
Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top is a best of album by American blues-rock band ZZ Top, released in 2004 . The title is a portmanteau of "texan" and "mexicano", meaning "Tex-mex Ranch". The compilation is essentially a pared-down version of the box set Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, released the...
.
Personnel
- Billy GibbonsBilly GibbonsWilliam Frederick "Billy" Gibbons is an American musician, actor and car customizer, best known as the guitarist of the Texas blues-rock band ZZ Top. He is also the lead singer and composer for many of the band's songs. Gibbons is known for playing his Gretsch Billy Bo guitar and his famous 1959...
- guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals - Dusty HillDusty HillJoseph Michael "Dusty" Hill is the bassist and vocalist with the American rock group ZZ Top.-History:Hill was in Dallas, Texas and grew up in the Lakewood neighborhood of East Dallas...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Frank BeardFrank Beard (musician)Frank Lee Beard is the drummer in the rock band ZZ Top. Beard was formerly with the bands The Cellar Dwellars, who originally were a three-piece band, The Hustlers, The Warlocks, and American Blues before starting to play and record with Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill as ZZ Top.Beard was born in...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Covers
- The song was covered by EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Motörhead in 1977, being released in 1980 on their Beer Drinkers and Hell RaisersBeer Drinkers and Hell Raisers (EP)Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers EP is a 1980 release of a 1977 recording session by the English band Motörhead.- Overview :The songs were recorded during the Motörhead album sessions but, considered outtakes, they only saw a belated release as the band's popularity was at a high with the commercial...
EP. - TeslaTesla (band)Tesla is an American hard rock band formed in Sacramento, California in 1984. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States.-Formation and Mechanical Resonance :...
covered the song for their Real to Reel sessions. - Van HalenVan HalenVan Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
played the song live in the 1970s and 1980s. - Vince NeilVince NeilVincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
covered the song for his album Tattoos & TequilaTattoos & TequilaTattoos & Tequila is the third solo studio album by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil. It is Neil's first solo release in 7 years since the live album Live at the Whisky: One Night Only in 2003 and the first solo studio album in 15 years since 1995's Carved in Stone.The album is largely made up of...
. - Coheed and CambriaCoheed and CambriaCoheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York. Formed in 1995, the group incorporates aspects of progressive rock, punk rock, metal and post-hardcore....
recently anounced they were recording a cover for Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers.
- Coheed and CambriaCoheed and CambriaCoheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York. Formed in 1995, the group incorporates aspects of progressive rock, punk rock, metal and post-hardcore....
recently anounced they were recording a cover for Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers.