ZZ TOP

[muthagoose]

ZZ TOP: Signs To Rick Rubin's American Recordings

According to Jonathan Cohen from Billboard.biz, ZZ TOP has signed a new record deal with Rick Rubin's American Recordings imprint through Columbia, Billboard can reveal.

The veteran rock trio is planning to hit the studio with Rubin producing (BW&BK reported here in May), for an album more in keeping with La Grange-era ZZ Top than its pop-friendly '80s sound, according to manager Carl Stubner.

The band recorded for Warner Bros. for the first 20 years of its career before shifting to RCA in the mid-1990s. ZZ Top's last album, 2003's Mescalero, has sold 103,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Stubner, who began managing ZZ Top a year-and-a-half ago, has worked to increase ZZ Top's visibility via an increased focus on licensing and TV appearances, including the finale of "American Idol" this spring.

"We thought this was a great brand that was kind of dusty," he says. "My goal was to polish it and do certain things they hadn't done before."

To that end, Eagle Rock earlier this month released the first ZZ Top live DVD, Live From Texas 2007, which debuts this week at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Music Video chart.

[muthagoose]

ZZ TOP Collaborating With BLACK KEYS On Material For New Album

ZZ TOP singer/guitarist Billy Gibbons spoke to John Soeder from Cleveland.com recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Q: I've heard you'll collaborate with Akron's BLACK KEYS on material for the new album that ZZ Top is recording with Rick Rubin.
A: "Oh, yeah. In fact, I talked to Dan (Auerbach, Black Keys singer-guitarist) day before yesterday, and he's pumped up. I'm a big fan of what they did from Day One. David Lynch, the filmmaker, is the guy that brought my attention to them. Ever since that first record came out, I've kept a keen interest. I believe that with this reputation that ZZ Top maintains as having this raw and gritty edge, they certainly resonate on that level. Having this mutual admiration [for] what they do and what we do combined, it'll be an interesting fit. At least we'll see."

Q: The 25th-anniversary 'collector's edition' of Eliminator just came out. Why did the original album connect on such a grand scale?
A: "Musically, they were interesting compositions. But I think the backbone was solid tempo. We were focused on . . . making sounds that we liked, and making sure that we kept it in a groove. We met what we referred to as Mr. Time. So it was the three band members and this mysterious, unflagging, unwavering, clocklike imaginary image that we named Mr. T