Day 97: April 7: Steamroller

"a hefty hunk of steaming junk."

Fake bravado and cool blues make this one a winner.  It's a crowd favorite but early recordings are the best. In later years James sacrifices much of what makes the music work to emphasize the silly.  While the over-improvising is somewhat amusing, when it gets in the way of the cool riff and the chance for the players to do what they do, it's a step in the wrong direction.  This clip is from '79 when the balance between goofy and groovy was just about right.

Elvis Presley covered this- an odd choice but certainly interesting.

Steamroller

ZZ Top goes for the same vibe from this track off of Deguello.  This was a team song for us when I was teaching in Florida.  We were posing as heard as these Texas boys are.  

I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide