I Just Got Paid (RiP Dusty Hill)

[StephenM]

Goodbye to one of my all time favorite musicians, band members, singers....Dusty Hill RIP you will be missed...

This was a fun song to do... I used the drums played off a practice track from the Alesis.  I recorded 2 rhythm guitar tracks.  1 lead guitar.  guitars are harley benton through the zoom ME-25...
Shecter bass...
recorded and mixed on the Zoom L-20 (I am starting to dig the deck alot...but if you want just a recorder this probably isn't for you...)
love the onboard effects too... mastered by LANDR

and happy new year too

[64Guitars]

I've added this to the festival jukebox. However, in the interest of ensuring that everyone understands what the Lost in 2021 fest is about and to get the fest off to a good start, I must point out that this was not a good song choice for this fest. Lost in 2021 is meant to be a tribute to the artists who died in 2021, not the bands they were in. "Just Got Paid" was written by Billy Gibbons and Bill Ham, and the lead vocals were sung by Billy Gibbons. I listened to the ZZ Top recording on their 1972 album "Rio Grande Mud" and found that the most prominent parts in this song are Billy Gibbons' vocals and guitars. But Lost in 2021 isn't meant to be a Billy Gibbons fest, nor is it meant to be a ZZ Top fest. It's meant to be a tribute to the specific artists who died in 2021, one of which is Dusty Hill.

According to Wikipedia, Dusty Hill sang lead vocals on all of the following ZZ Top songs:

"Goin' Down to Mexico" (from "First Album", 1971)
"Balinese" (from "Fandango!", 1975)
"Tush" (from "Fandango!", 1975)
"Ten Dollar Man" (from "Tejas", 1976)
"Hi Fi Mama" (from "Degüello", 1979)
"Party on the Patio" (from "El Loco", 1981)
"I Got the Six" (from "Eliminator", 1983)
"Can't Stop Rockin'" (from "Afterburner", 1985)
"Delirious" (from "Afterburner", 1985)
"World of Swirl" (from "Antenna", 1994)
"Antenna Head" (from "Antenna", 1994)
"Deal Goin' Down" (from "Antenna", 1994)
"Loaded" (from "Rhythmeen", 1996)
"Piece" (from "Mescalero", 2003)
"Drive by Lover" (bonus track from deluxe edition of "La Futura", 2012)

Any of those songs would have been a much better choice to pay tribute to Dusty Hill than a song written and sung by Billy Gibbons. Sure, Dusty Hill played bass on "Just Got Paid" (as he did on all of ZZ Top's tracks) but his bass playing is unexceptional on that track and the least prominent part of the recording. So it's really not a good song choice to pay tribute to Dusty Hill.

[StephenM]

64:  I figured you and likely others might have a problem with this as a tribute.  I respect your opinion and frankly it carries much more weight than mine on this site.  So if you really don't think it's right I will remove it from the fest but first I am going to explain why I disagree.
Dusty Hill the bass player is what I pay tribute to.  For me this is a great tribute and regardless of the outcome of all this it will remain as such.  Dusty was the bass player in 3 piece band.  Cut that off and it's like me losing both legs... I still live but I would not be the same... and ZZ will not really go on without Dusty (they will be a cover band, again just my opinion and I realize many would not agree).  50 years of great bass playing, as he did on the song I chose. 
This tribute is to Dusty Hill the bass player and I worked really hard on this to honor him.... the song doesn't have to be part of the fest...it won't change anything on my part.  I would not have picked any other song...
Happy New Year and thanks for all you do...the last thing I want to do is make your job hard....

[Blooby]

I admire your take on cover songs. You make them your own. I have always wanted to do "Cheap Sunglasses" in a band. Oh well.

The world needs some more wah right about now.

Blooby

[Zoltan]

You're doing it good! Not an easy task with this one. The world certainly needs more wah. There's never enough wah...

[Pete C]

i don't know much by ZZ Top apart from their UK hits but I was getting some of that Billy Gibbons tone in there. Some nice guitar work !

Pete

[bruno]

More wah, and more pedals! Yessssssirrrr

This is fearless, keep the goodness coming Stephen.
B

[kenny mac]

Nice one Stephen,Dusty was indeed a force in ZZ top.
That  sound your getting with the new gear is superb.
Some nice guitar in there as well.

[Jean Pierre]

nice guitar cover on it, Stephen ...I don't know the song I will have to read the lyrics

[guitarron]

My favorite type of covers are ones that completely reimagine the original,  making a new song. This does just that. Nicely done Stephan.
I used to cover this in a band when I was a kid. It was one of my favorite ZZtop songs