By this time the cut loose attitude that had been propagated by the punk rock genre signaled to ZZ Top that it might do the same. “Cheap Sunglasses” is from the trio’s sixth album Deguello released in 1979. This time when they appeared and gave the keys to Billy’s 1933 cherry red 1933 Ford hot rod to the protagonist couple it resulted in the vehicle’s death, burial, and resurrection like the mythological Pheonix rising from its ashes.

The lyrics sing about sleeping “beside the pharaohs in the shifting sand.” It was the first single released from the album and once again the video featured the same three female goddesses. “Sleeping Bag” is the radio hit from Afterburner and was inspired by an actual sleeping bag. The song itself is about simply pointing out that “every girl crazy ‘bout a sharp dressed man.” This time he’s a valet at a ritzy night club where he’s being disrespected and the band is playing. Once again, the protagonist is transformed Cinderella style by three hot chicks that drive up in Billy Gibbons’ cherry red 1933 Ford Hot Rod. “Sharp Dressed Man” is from 1983’s Eliminator and was a continuation of the story of the gas station attendant in their “Gimme All Your Lovin’”video. It was their most commercially successful album and they won multiple awards for their music videos and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. They only released three albums during the 1980s but Eliminator which was released in 1983 had five hit singles with MTV videos that increased ZZ Top’s popularity worldwide exponentially as the album went “Diamond” in the USA and sold ten million copies. ZZ Top’s manager/producer/image maker Bill Ham was instrumental in the creation and production of their albums until his death in 2016. The 1980s began with the potential for an entirely new audience with MTV and their 24 hour a day music video programming. By the end of the 1970s, the trio had released a half dozen albums coupled with relentless touring that catapulted them to arena sized concerts after Tres Hombres produced the national hit “La Grange” in 1973. The rhythm section was comprised of Dusty Hill on bass and drummer Frank Beard that both came from “American Blues” and Billy Gibbons from the “Moving Sidewalks.” The trio released ZZ Top’s First Album in 1971 and their sound was established as a combination of blues, rock and boogie.

ZZ Top evolved from the Texas psychedelic rock scene during the 1960s in Houston.

Zz top greatest hits