ZZ Top: 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. The album hit the top ten while the single “La Grange” hit number 41 on the singles chart.

During the height of ZZ Top’s success in the early 1980s a digitally remixed version of the recording was released on CD and the original 1973 mix version was discontinued. The remix version created controversy among fans because it significantly changed the sound of the instruments, especially drums. The remix version was used on all early CD copies and was the only version available for over 20 years. A remastered and expanded edition of the album was released on February 28, 2006, which contains three bonus live tracks. The 2006 edition is the first CD version to use Manning’s original 1973 mix.

Allmusic gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating: “Tres Hombres is the record that bought ZZ Top their first top ten record, making them stars in the process. It couldn’t have happened to a better record.” In 2003, the album was ranked number 498 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2012, the album ranked at number 490 on a revised list. The album peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200.

The only single released from the album was “La Grange” which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, but on album rock stations “Waitin’ For The Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago” were very popular and played as much as “La Grange”, and since “Waitin’ For The Bus” segues into “Jesus Just Left Chicago” they are usually played together.

Track listing