Concrete And Steel

The Zoo Crew is spinning Concrete and Steel by ZZ Top from their 1990 album Recycler, and the Zoo Freaks are loving this gritty blues-rock anthem. One juicy piece of trivia about the song comes from its raw, back-to-basics vibe, which was no accident. In a 1990 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Billy Gibbons revealed that the band, while recording in Memphis’ Beale Street blues district, started “jamming the same three chords we always use,” rediscovering their roots. This led to Concrete and Steel becoming a standout track, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for four weeks. The song’s lyrics, with lines like “Hard and cold, like a street of gold,” reflect the band’s knack for blending gritty imagery with sly humor, a hallmark of their style.

Another tidbit ties the song to the album’s title, Recycler, which nods to the band’s love for rebuilding classic cars. According to a German Wikipedia entry, the album also marked a rare moment of environmental commentary from ZZ Top, with drummer Frank Beard pushing for a note on the album stating there were “only 10 years left to save the planet,” inspired by his desire to preserve the world for his young twin sons. Fans on sites like Swinetunes have called Concrete and Steel a high point, with one reviewer admitting they’re “an absolute sucker” for its heavy, driving rhythm, comparing it favorably to the band’s earlier work while noting its modern polish.

ZZ Top got their start in Houston, Texas, in 1969, when guitarist Billy Gibbons, fresh from the breakup of his psychedelic band Moving Sidewalks, teamed up with bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard. Gibbons, influenced by blues legends like B.B. King and John Lee Hooker, wanted a raw, blues-driven sound. The trio’s name came from Gibbons’ nod to bluesman Z.Z. Hill, and their early gigs around Texas honed their tight, boogie-rock style. Their 1971 debut, ZZ Top’s First Album, laid the groundwork, but it was 1973’s Tres Hombres, with the hit La Grange, that made them stars. By the 1980s, albums like Eliminator and clever MTV videos for songs like Legs turned them into global icons, blending their blues roots with synths and sequencers.

You can keep up with ZZ Top on their Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts, where they share tour updates, whiskey releases, and nods to their Texas roots. Fans gather at sites like The Record Album for vinyl collectors and on Facebook groups like the ZZ Top Fan Club, where Zoo Freaks can swap stories, rare photos, and love for the band’s bearded legacy.