Who is Linden Hudson? Here are some press clippings for starters:

CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ELIMINATOR album.”

FROM THE BOOK "SHARP DRESSED MEN - ZZ TOP" By David Blayney (ZZ Top's stage manager of 15 years): (page 227): “In the song LEGS Linden Hudson introduced the pumping synthesizer effect."

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "Linden Hudson in a fair world should have had his name all over “Eliminator” and gotten the just compensation he deserved. Instead he got ostracized.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "I find it hard to believe that the boys intentionally set out to do a number on Linden, but sometimes you tend to forget where you came from. It’s very easy to get both greedy and self-serving in “show bidness”.

FROM THE BOOK “SHARP DRESSED MEN – ZZ TOP” (BY DAVID BLAYNEY): “Linden found himself in the position of being Billy’s (Billy Gibbons, ZZ TOP guitarist) closest collaborator on “Eliminator”. In fact, he wound up spending more time on the album than anybody except Billy. While the two of them spent day after day in the studio, they were mostly alone with the equipment and the ideas.”

Here is an excerpt FROM THE BOOK: “TRES HOMBRES — THE STORY OF ZZ TOP” BY DAVID SINCLAIR (WRITER FOR THE LONDON TIMES): “Linden Hudson, the engineer/producer who lived at Beard’s house (ZZ’s drummer) had drawn their attention to the possibilities of the new recording technology and specifically to the charms of the straight drumming pattern, as used on a programmed drum machine. On “Eliminator” ZZ Top unveiled a simple new musical combination that cracked open a vast worldwide market”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “After his quantitative revelations, Linden informally but instantly became ZZ Top’s rehearsal hall theoretician, producer, and engineer.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Linden remained at Frank’s (ZZ Top drummer) place as ZZ’s live-in engineer throughout the whole period of “Eliminator” rehearsals, and was like one of the family… …as he (Linden) worked at the controls day after day, watching the album (Eliminator) take shape, his hopes for a big step forward in his production career undoubtedly soared. “Eliminator” marked the first time that ZZ Top was able to rehearse an entire album with the recording studio gadgetry that Billy so loved. With Linden Hudson around all the time, it also was the first time the band could write, rehearse, and record with someone who knew the men and the machines. ZZ Top was free to go musically crazy, but also musically crazy like a fox. Linden made that possible too”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Probably the most dramatic development in ZZ Top recording approaches came about as ELIMINATOR was constructed. What had gone on before was evolutionary; this change was revolutionary. ZZ Top got what amounted to a new bandsman (Linden) for the album, unknown to the world at large and at first even to Dusty and Frank.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “He (Linden) went back with the boys to 1970 when he was working as a radio disc jocky aliased Jack Smack. He was emcee for a show ZZ did around that time, and even sang an encore tune with the band, perhaps the only person ever to have that honor.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): But with the release of their ninth album, Eliminator, in 1983, these hairy, unlikely rock heroes had become a pop phenomenon. This had something to do with the discoveries of a young preproduction engineer (Linden Hudson) whose contributions, like those of many associated with the band over the years, were never acknowledged.

FAMOUS101.COM: “Eliminator” is a studio album of the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983 and topped the charts worldwide. Its lyrics were co-written by the band’s sound engineer Linden Hudson while the band denied it. After a five-year court battle, Hudson proved that he held the copyright to the song “Thug” included in “Eliminator.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “the boys (ZZ Top) were trying to explain to Bill Ham (ZZ Top Manager) that Linden was the studio architect and integral to making the whole electronic concoction (ZZ’s Studio) work properly. He had built it; moreover, it was his direct technical assistance that had produced what “Eliminator” was proving to be.”
++++++++++++
++++++++++++
LINDEN IS IN WIKIPEDIA (Linden Hudson appears in the following wiki pages)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_plagiarism
+++
As you can see, Linden was never given credit or paid for his valuable creative work on "Eliminator". Read more about Linden's shitty ZZ Top experience at: www.lindenhudson.com/fa-2
+++++++++
+++++++++
ZZ Top spent 30 years denying that Linden Hudson was involved with the "Eliminator" album, even though Linden actually owned a copyright to one of the songs on the famous album ("Thug"). Finally, in early 2013 Billy Gibbons began to break his silence about Linden's involvement with ZZ Top in an interview with rock journalist Joe Bosso of MusicRadar-Dot-Com, Billy Gibbons said: "We had befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. Linden had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record." (end quote)
+++
This track, the song "Raylene" is by Linden Hudson of Texas. See the music video of "Raylene" (caution, tasteful nudity) at: https://vimeo.com/34801340 . Linden played all the guitars and other instruments and sang the vocals. He also engineered the sound and wrote the song. 
+++
Linden Hudson (Texas, USA)


"RAYLENE" - An Indie Song By LINDEN HUDSON (copyright)

SEE OTHER "ELIMINATOR" PROTO-TYPES AT:
"Legs" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/legs-song-by-zz-top-pre-release-proto-type-recording-clip 
"Dirty Dog" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/dirty-dog-song-prototype-from 
"I Got The Six" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/i-got-the-six-original
"TV Dinners" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/tv-dinners-original-zz-top-song-prototype-sample-clips

CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ZZ Top ELIMINATOR album.”

(ZZ Top never gave Linden credit for his contributions nor did ZZ Top management opt to share royalties with him for his work on ELIMINATOR) ++

LICKLIBRARY DOT COM (in 2013) ZZ TOP'S BILLY GIBBONS SAID: “the Eliminator sessions in 1983 were guided largely by another one of our associates, Linden Hudson, a gifted engineer, during the development of those compositions.” (end quote) (Gibbons admits these facts after 30 years, but offers Linden no apology or reparations for lack of credits/monies) ++

MUSICRADAR DOT COM (in 2013): Journalist Joe Bosso interviewed Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top guitarist). Gibbons broke 30 years of silence about Linden Hudson introducing synthesizers into ZZ Top's sound. Gibbons said: “This was a really interesting turning point. We had befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. Linden had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record.”
++
Read about Linden's shitty "Eliminator" album experience at: lindenhudson.net/press/ and at lindenhudson.net/lindens-fame/

Linden tells his story 30 years later. Although Linden is still living, he's like a ghost returning to haunt Billy Gibbons. The internet made that possible. 
+++
Make note: The ZZ Top "Eliminator" album achieved the rank of "Diamond" which is multitudes above "platinum" (Diamond status begins at 10 times platinum, it's huge). The album was nominated for a Grammy and was chosen by Rolling Stone magazine as being in the top 500 albums in history. Half of the songs on the "Eliminator" album were chart hits. However, remember, Linden Hudson received no recognition (a travesty).
+++
 LINDEN HUDSON IS IN WIKIPEDIA (do a "find" on each page for Linden)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure


"Dirty Dog" Original ZZ Top Song Prototype From Houston Sessions

"Got Me Under Pressure" Song - Original ZZ Top Prototype Sample Audio Clip

HEAR OTHER ZZ TOP PROTO-TYPES RECORDED BY LINDEN HUDSON AT:
"Legs" at: https://soundcloud.com/texasman-1/legs-song-by-zz-top-pre-release-proto-type-recording-clip 
"Dirty Dog" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/dirty-dog-song-prototype-from 
"TV Dinners" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/tv-dinners-original-zz-top-song-prototype-sample-clips
"Under Pressure" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/got-me-under-pressure-song 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This clip contains 3 short pieces of a proto-type of a famous song (this proto-type is the absolute original demo recording of the song). It's the proto-type of "I Got The Six" which appeared on the incredibly famous ZZ Top "Eliminator" album. This album went beyond Platinum, as it was rated "diamond" which starts at ten times platinum. Rolling Stone Magazine rated "Eliminator" as one of history's top 500 albums of all time. The proto-type of "I Got The Six" that you are about to hear was the developed concept track meant as a guide pattern for the final production. You will hear a wild harmonica test at the end (played by Billy Gibbons) that did not appear in this song on the final album production. This demo is historical and interesting. Sadly, & historically, Linden Hudson was deeply involved in the creation of this album, but he was never given credit or willfully paid monies by the band for his creative & technical efforts. In fact, mild mannered Linden was ostracized & treated like dirt by ZZ Top management for politely requesting credit. Rock & roll, it's not a business, but just a fucked up jungle.
++++++++++++
++++++++++++
The slivers of the prototype that you hear in this clip have been unheard in Linden Hudson's closet for 30 years. 
Who is Linden Hudson? Here are some press clippings for starters:

CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ELIMINATOR album.”

FROM THE BOOK "SHARP DRESSED MEN - ZZ TOP" By David Blayney (ZZ Top's stage manager of 15 years): (page 227): “In the song LEGS Linden Hudson introduced the pumping synthesizer effect."

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "Linden Hudson in a fair world should have had his name all over “Eliminator” and gotten the just compensation he deserved. Instead he got ostracized.”

FROM THE BOOK “SHARP DRESSED MEN – ZZ TOP” (BY DAVID BLAYNEY): “Linden found himself in the position of being Billy’s (Billy Gibbons, ZZ TOP guitarist) closest collaborator on “Eliminator”. In fact, he wound up spending more time on the album than anybody except Billy. While the two of them spent day after day in the studio, they were mostly alone with the equipment and the ideas.”

Here is an excerpt FROM THE BOOK: “TRES HOMBRES — THE STORY OF ZZ TOP” BY DAVID SINCLAIR (WRITER FOR THE LONDON TIMES): “Linden Hudson, the engineer/producer who lived at Beard’s house (ZZ’s drummer) had drawn their attention to the possibilities of the new recording technology and specifically to the charms of the straight drumming pattern, as used on a programmed drum machine. On “Eliminator” ZZ Top unveiled a simple new musical combination that cracked open a vast worldwide market”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “After his quantitative revelations, Linden informally but instantly became ZZ Top’s rehearsal hall theoretician, producer, and engineer.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Linden remained at Frank’s (ZZ Top drummer) place as ZZ’s live-in engineer throughout the whole period of “Eliminator” rehearsals, and was like one of the family… …as he (Linden) worked at the controls day after day, watching the album (Eliminator) take shape, his hopes for a big step forward in his production career undoubtedly soared. “Eliminator” marked the first time that ZZ Top was able to rehearse an entire album with the recording studio gadgetry that Billy so loved. With Linden Hudson around all the time, it also was the first time the band could write, rehearse, and record with someone who knew the men and the machines. ZZ Top was free to go musically crazy, but also musically crazy like a fox. Linden made that possible too”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Probably the most dramatic development in ZZ Top recording approaches came about as ELIMINATOR was constructed. What had gone on before was evolutionary; this change was revolutionary. ZZ Top got what amounted to a new bandsman (Linden) for the album, unknown to the world at large and at first even to Dusty and Frank.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “The integral position Linden occupied in the process of building “Eliminator” was demonstrated eloquently in the case of the song “Under Pressure”. Billy and Linden, the studio wizards, did the whole song all in one afternoon without either the bass player or drummer even knowing it had been written and recorded on a demo tape. Linden synthesized the bass and drums and helped write the lyrics; Billy did the guitars and vocals.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: (page 199): “The next day, when Frank and Dusty were actually in the studio instead of out and about, Ham (ZZ Top manager) arrived just to hear “Under Pressure” played in the flesh by ZZ Top. When he asked them to play it, Frank and Dusty looked at Ham like two bulls at a bastard calf. What in the hell did he mean, play under pressure? ZZ Top always played under pressure! Neither of them had the faintest idea what Ham was talking about until Billy and Linden filled them in later. It was quite a while before Ham discovered that Frank and Dusty had not been around for the demo recording of “Under Pressure”, if he ever learned the true situation. (end quote: this further describes that fact that Frank and Dusty were not involved at all in the construction of the song “Under Pressure”. It was constructed the day before by Billy and you-know-who).

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “He (Linden) went back with the boys to 1970 when he was working as a radio disc jocky aliased Jack Smack. He was emcee for a show ZZ did around that time, and even sang an encore tune with the band, perhaps the only person ever to have that honor.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): But with the release of their ninth album, Eliminator, in 1983, these hairy, unlikely rock heroes had become a pop phenomenon. This had something to do with the discoveries of a young preproduction engineer (Linden Hudson) whose contributions, like those of many associated with the band over the years, were never acknowledged.

TEXAS MONTHLY MAGAZINE (Dec 1996, by Joe Nick Patoski): “Hudson floated the notion that the ideal dance music had 124 beats per minute; then he and Gibbons conceived, wrote, and recorded what amounted to a rough draft of an album before the band had set foot inside Ardent Studios.”

FAMOUS101.COM: “Eliminator” is a studio album of the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983 and topped the charts worldwide. Its lyrics were co-written by the band’s sound engineer Linden Hudson while the band denied it. After a five-year court battle, Hudson proved that he held the copyright to the song “Thug” included in “Eliminator.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “the boys (ZZ Top) were trying to explain to Bill Ham (ZZ Top Manager) that Linden was the studio architect and integral to making the whole electronic concoction (ZZ’s Studio) work properly. He had built it; moreover, it was his direct technical assistance that had produced what “Eliminator” was proving to be.”

FROM THE BOOK “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, BY DEBORAH FROST): “Sharp Dressed Man” which employed Hudson’s 120 beat-per-minute theory. The feel, the enthusiasm, the snappy beat and crisp clean sound propelled “Eliminator” into the ears and hearts of 5 million people who previously could have care less about the boogie band of “Rio Grande Mud”.

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP — BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): “Eventually they decided to use the song (“Thug” by Linden Hudson) on “Eliminator”. They (ZZ Top) and Bill Ham (ZZ’s manager) refused to discuss the question of royalties or album points with him (Linden). They didn’t deny he wrote the song”.

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Feb 1984: “Houston songwriter and producer Linden Hudson has joined Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) as a songwriter affiliate. The former University Of Houston student had his song “Thug” recorded by ZZ Top on their recent ELIMINATOR album.”

CLASSICROCKREVIEW.COM: Sound engineer Linden Hudson researched popular song tempos, and suggested that 120 beats per minute was the most popular tempo in rock music, so most of the recorded Eliminator album was recorded at that tempo. This has since become known as “the people’s tempo”.

++++++++++++
++++++++++++
Unfortunately Linden Hudson's experience working on the "Eliminator" album was a sad one. See Linden's story at: lindenhudson.com/fa-2
+++
ZZ Top spent 30 years denying that Linden Hudson was involved with the "Eliminator" album, even though Linden actually owned a copyright to one of the songs on the famous album ("Thug"). Finally, in early 2013 Billy Gibbons began to break his silence about Linden's involvement with ZZ Top in an interview with rock journalist Joe Bosso of MusicRadar-Dot-Com, Billy Gibbons said: "We had befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. Linden had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record." (end quote)
+++
LINDEN IN WIKIPEDIA (Linden Hudson appears in the following wiki pages)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_plagiarism
+++
The final release of the "Eliminator" album featured almost totally digital drums and electronic synthesizer bass.

Billy Gibbons once made a ridiculous statement to ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE about the ELIMINATOR album, in which he stated: "We still sometimes wonder what exactly did transpire to make those sessions dramatically different, I suppose it might have been a return to playing together as a band in the studio as we did onstage." (end quote). ++ Of course the pop world is beginning to realize, a little at a time, that such statements are not true and are in fact ridiculous, since many folks now understand that Frank and Dusty were just barely INVOLVED in the ELIMINATOR recording and writing process. Billy has fought and fought for many years to cover up these facts, likely fearing a "Milli Vanilli" flavored backlash. Ok, whatever. It is what it is, truth is truth, you cannot change truth, it will eventually knock at your door. Right Billy?
+++
TVTROPES.ORG said: “for all intents and purposes, Eliminator is a Billy solo album with contributions by pre-production engineer Linden Hudson, who contributed drum machine programming and keyboard sequencing, and was alleged to have co-written most of the material."
+++
Linden Hudson lives in a suburb of Houston, Texas USA.



"I Got The Six" Original ZZ Top Song Prototype Sample

Recorded by Linden Hudson in the late 80s

Beautiful- Copyright 2004

Who is Linden Hudson? Here are some press clippings for starters:

CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ELIMINATOR album.”

FROM THE BOOK "SHARP DRESSED MEN - ZZ TOP" By David Blayney (ZZ Top's stage manager of 15 years): (page 227): “In the song LEGS Linden Hudson introduced the pumping synthesizer effect."

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "Linden Hudson in a fair world should have had his name all over “Eliminator” and gotten the just compensation he deserved. Instead he got ostracized.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "I find it hard to believe that the boys intentionally set out to do a number on Linden, but sometimes you tend to forget where you came from. It’s very easy to get both greedy and self-serving in “show bidness”.

FROM THE BOOK “SHARP DRESSED MEN – ZZ TOP” (BY DAVID BLAYNEY): “Linden found himself in the position of being Billy’s (Billy Gibbons, ZZ TOP guitarist) closest collaborator on “Eliminator”. In fact, he wound up spending more time on the album than anybody except Billy. While the two of them spent day after day in the studio, they were mostly alone with the equipment and the ideas.”

Here is an excerpt FROM THE BOOK: “TRES HOMBRES — THE STORY OF ZZ TOP” BY DAVID SINCLAIR (WRITER FOR THE LONDON TIMES): “Linden Hudson, the engineer/producer who lived at Beard’s house (ZZ’s drummer) had drawn their attention to the possibilities of the new recording technology and specifically to the charms of the straight drumming pattern, as used on a programmed drum machine. On “Eliminator” ZZ Top unveiled a simple new musical combination that cracked open a vast worldwide market”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “After his quantitative revelations, Linden informally but instantly became ZZ Top’s rehearsal hall theoretician, producer, and engineer.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Linden remained at Frank’s (ZZ Top drummer) place as ZZ’s live-in engineer throughout the whole period of “Eliminator” rehearsals, and was like one of the family… …as he (Linden) worked at the controls day after day, watching the album (Eliminator) take shape, his hopes for a big step forward in his production career undoubtedly soared. “Eliminator” marked the first time that ZZ Top was able to rehearse an entire album with the recording studio gadgetry that Billy so loved. With Linden Hudson around all the time, it also was the first time the band could write, rehearse, and record with someone who knew the men and the machines. ZZ Top was free to go musically crazy, but also musically crazy like a fox. Linden made that possible too”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Probably the most dramatic development in ZZ Top recording approaches came about as ELIMINATOR was constructed. What had gone on before was evolutionary; this change was revolutionary. ZZ Top got what amounted to a new bandsman (Linden) for the album, unknown to the world at large and at first even to Dusty and Frank.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: (page 199): “The next day, when Frank and Dusty were actually in the studio instead of out and about, Ham (ZZ Top manager) arrived just to hear “Under Pressure” played in the flesh by ZZ Top. When he asked them to play it, Frank and Dusty looked at Ham like two bulls at a bastard calf. What in the hell did he mean, play under pressure? ZZ Top always played under pressure! Neither of them had the faintest idea what Ham was talking about until Billy and Linden filled them in later. It was quite a while before Ham discovered that Frank and Dusty had not been around for the demo recording of “Under Pressure”, if he ever learned the true situation. (end quote: this further describes that fact that Frank and Dusty were not involved at all in the construction of the song “Under Pressure”. It was constructed the day before by Billy and you-know-who).

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “He (Linden) went back with the boys to 1970 when he was working as a radio disc jocky aliased Jack Smack. He was emcee for a show ZZ did around that time, and even sang an encore tune with the band, perhaps the only person ever to have that honor.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): But with the release of their ninth album, Eliminator, in 1983, these hairy, unlikely rock heroes had become a pop phenomenon. This had something to do with the discoveries of a young preproduction engineer (Linden Hudson) whose contributions, like those of many associated with the band over the years, were never acknowledged.

FAMOUS101.COM: “Eliminator” is a studio album of the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983 and topped the charts worldwide. Its lyrics were co-written by the band’s sound engineer Linden Hudson while the band denied it. After a five-year court battle, Hudson proved that he held the copyright to the song “Thug” included in “Eliminator.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “the boys (ZZ Top) were trying to explain to Bill Ham (ZZ Top Manager) that Linden was the studio architect and integral to making the whole electronic concoction (ZZ’s Studio) work properly. He had built it; moreover, it was his direct technical assistance that had produced what “Eliminator” was proving to be.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP — BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): “Eventually they decided to use the song (“Thug” by Linden Hudson) on “Eliminator”. They (ZZ Top) and Bill Ham (ZZ’s manager) refused to discuss the question of royalties or album points with him (Linden). They didn’t deny he wrote the song”.

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Feb 1984: “Houston songwriter and producer Linden Hudson has joined Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) as a songwriter affiliate. The former University Of Houston student had his song “Thug” recorded by ZZ Top on their recent ELIMINATOR album.”

CLASSICROCKREVIEW.COM: Sound engineer Linden Hudson researched popular song tempos, and suggested that 120 beats per minute was the most popular tempo in rock music, so most of the recorded Eliminator album was recorded at that tempo. This has since become known as “the people’s tempo”.
++++++++++++
++++++++++++
As you can see, Linden was not given credit or monies by ZZ Top for his creative work on "Eliminator". It was a terrible experience. Read more about Linden's shitty ZZ Top experience at: www.lindenhudson.com/fa-2
+++
LINDEN IN WIKIPEDIA (Linden Hudson appears in the following wiki pages)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_plagiarism
+++
This song "Sunshine Came Down" was recorded in 1971 by Linden Hudson when he was 23 yo.
Recorded in a small San Antonio Texas recording studio where Linden worked as the engineer. Often, after sessions, the studio musicians would hang with Linden, drink beer and jam. This song is a simple after hours jam just for fun. Linden jotted down some quick lyrics, then sang the vocal and engineered the sound. The guitar is played by Linden's friend Van Wilks, a great Austin Texas guitarist.
+++
Linden lives in a suburb of Houston Texas USA.

"SUNSHINE CAME DOWN" - Indie Song By Linden Hudson (copyright)

This is the late Lanier Greig being interviewed by L Hudson.

Lanier Greig Talks About Writing Waiting For The Bus June 84 C

Who is Linden Hudson? Here are some press clippings for starters:

CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ELIMINATOR album.”

FROM THE BOOK "SHARP DRESSED MEN - ZZ TOP" By David Blayney (ZZ Top's stage manager of 15 years): (page 227): “In the song LEGS Linden Hudson introduced the pumping synthesizer effect."

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "Linden Hudson in a fair world should have had his name all over “Eliminator” and gotten the just compensation he deserved. Instead he got ostracized.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "I find it hard to believe that the boys intentionally set out to do a number on Linden, but sometimes you tend to forget where you came from. It’s very easy to get both greedy and self-serving in “show bidness”.

FROM THE BOOK “SHARP DRESSED MEN – ZZ TOP” (BY DAVID BLAYNEY): “Linden found himself in the position of being Billy’s (Billy Gibbons, ZZ TOP guitarist) closest collaborator on “Eliminator”. In fact, he wound up spending more time on the album than anybody except Billy. While the two of them spent day after day in the studio, they were mostly alone with the equipment and the ideas.”

Here is an excerpt FROM THE BOOK: “TRES HOMBRES — THE STORY OF ZZ TOP” BY DAVID SINCLAIR (WRITER FOR THE LONDON TIMES): “Linden Hudson, the engineer/producer who lived at Beard’s house (ZZ’s drummer) had drawn their attention to the possibilities of the new recording technology and specifically to the charms of the straight drumming pattern, as used on a programmed drum machine. On “Eliminator” ZZ Top unveiled a simple new musical combination that cracked open a vast worldwide market”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “After his quantitative revelations, Linden informally but instantly became ZZ Top’s rehearsal hall theoretician, producer, and engineer.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Linden remained at Frank’s (ZZ Top drummer) place as ZZ’s live-in engineer throughout the whole period of “Eliminator” rehearsals, and was like one of the family… …as he (Linden) worked at the controls day after day, watching the album (Eliminator) take shape, his hopes for a big step forward in his production career undoubtedly soared. “Eliminator” marked the first time that ZZ Top was able to rehearse an entire album with the recording studio gadgetry that Billy so loved. With Linden Hudson around all the time, it also was the first time the band could write, rehearse, and record with someone who knew the men and the machines. ZZ Top was free to go musically crazy, but also musically crazy like a fox. Linden made that possible too”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Probably the most dramatic development in ZZ Top recording approaches came about as ELIMINATOR was constructed. What had gone on before was evolutionary; this change was revolutionary. ZZ Top got what amounted to a new bandsman (Linden) for the album, unknown to the world at large and at first even to Dusty and Frank.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: (page 199): “The next day, when Frank and Dusty were actually in the studio instead of out and about, Ham (ZZ Top manager) arrived just to hear “Under Pressure” played in the flesh by ZZ Top. When he asked them to play it, Frank and Dusty looked at Ham like two bulls at a bastard calf. What in the hell did he mean, play under pressure? ZZ Top always played under pressure! Neither of them had the faintest idea what Ham was talking about until Billy and Linden filled them in later. It was quite a while before Ham discovered that Frank and Dusty had not been around for the demo recording of “Under Pressure”, if he ever learned the true situation. (end quote: this further describes that fact that Frank and Dusty were not involved at all in the construction of the song “Under Pressure”. It was constructed the day before by Billy and you-know-who).

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “He (Linden) went back with the boys to 1970 when he was working as a radio disc jocky aliased Jack Smack. He was emcee for a show ZZ did around that time, and even sang an encore tune with the band, perhaps the only person ever to have that honor.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): But with the release of their ninth album, Eliminator, in 1983, these hairy, unlikely rock heroes had become a pop phenomenon. This had something to do with the discoveries of a young preproduction engineer (Linden Hudson) whose contributions, like those of many associated with the band over the years, were never acknowledged.

FAMOUS101.COM: “Eliminator” is a studio album of the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983 and topped the charts worldwide. Its lyrics were co-written by the band’s sound engineer Linden Hudson while the band denied it. After a five-year court battle, Hudson proved that he held the copyright to the song “Thug” included in “Eliminator.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “the boys (ZZ Top) were trying to explain to Bill Ham (ZZ Top Manager) that Linden was the studio architect and integral to making the whole electronic concoction (ZZ’s Studio) work properly. He had built it; moreover, it was his direct technical assistance that had produced what “Eliminator” was proving to be.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP — BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): “Eventually they decided to use the song (“Thug” by Linden Hudson) on “Eliminator”. They (ZZ Top) and Bill Ham (ZZ’s manager) refused to discuss the question of royalties or album points with him (Linden). They didn’t deny he wrote the song”.

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Feb 1984: “Houston songwriter and producer Linden Hudson has joined Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) as a songwriter affiliate. The former University Of Houston student had his song “Thug” recorded by ZZ Top on their recent ELIMINATOR album.”

CLASSICROCKREVIEW.COM: Sound engineer Linden Hudson researched popular song tempos, and suggested that 120 beats per minute was the most popular tempo in rock music, so most of the recorded Eliminator album was recorded at that tempo. This has since become known as “the people’s tempo”.
++++++++++++
++++++++++++
LINDEN IS IN WIKIPEDIA (Linden Hudson appears in the following wiki pages)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_plagiarism
+++
As you can see, Linden was never given credit or paid for his valuable creative work on "Eliminator". Read more about Linden's shitty ZZ Top experience at: www.lindenhudson.com/fa-2
+++
 After 30 yers of denial, in 2013, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top guitarist) began to break his silence about Linden's work with ZZ Top in an interview with journalist Joe Bosso of MusicRadar-Dot-Com, Billy Gibbons said: "We had befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. Linden had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record." (end quote)
+++
This song "Whack Girl" written by, vocals by, musical instruments by, sound engineered by: Linden Hudson. One man, it's true indie. Linden recorded this song in his house on a laptop pc using one microphone. The sounds were layered one at a time. See a music video of this song "Whack Girl" (caution nudity) at: https://vimeo.com/46941754
+++ 
More about this song recording: The intro sound effect & laughter were recorded by Linden in the Yucatan of Mexico in a small village at a religious celebration. Young guys were firing very large, home made, bottle rockets out of their hands. The rockets had cherry bombs in the nose which would explode in the air (if all works correctly). Linden was recording these guys shooting rockets using his stereo zoom recorder when suddenly the cherry bomb part of the rocket exploded prematurely in a teen boy's hand. He fell to his knees in pain and all his friends laughed (big ouch). He was ok after a few minutes of being on his knees, but it was a hell of a burst in his hand. Linden decided this short recording was perfect to put on the front of this song.
+++
www.lindenhudson.com
Linden lives in Houston, Texas USA America

WHACK GIRL - A Song By Linden Hudson - Copyright

Who is Linden Hudson? Here are some press clippings for starters:

CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ELIMINATOR album.”

FROM THE BOOK "SHARP DRESSED MEN - ZZ TOP" By David Blayney (ZZ Top's stage manager of 15 years): (page 227): “In the song LEGS Linden Hudson introduced the pumping synthesizer effect."

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "Linden Hudson in a fair world should have had his name all over “Eliminator” and gotten the just compensation he deserved. Instead he got ostracized.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "I find it hard to believe that the boys intentionally set out to do a number on Linden, but sometimes you tend to forget where you came from. It’s very easy to get both greedy and self-serving in “show bidness”.

FROM THE BOOK “SHARP DRESSED MEN – ZZ TOP” (BY DAVID BLAYNEY): “Linden found himself in the position of being Billy’s (Billy Gibbons, ZZ TOP guitarist) closest collaborator on “Eliminator”. In fact, he wound up spending more time on the album than anybody except Billy. While the two of them spent day after day in the studio, they were mostly alone with the equipment and the ideas.”

Here is an excerpt FROM THE BOOK: “TRES HOMBRES — THE STORY OF ZZ TOP” BY DAVID SINCLAIR (WRITER FOR THE LONDON TIMES): “Linden Hudson, the engineer/producer who lived at Beard’s house (ZZ’s drummer) had drawn their attention to the possibilities of the new recording technology and specifically to the charms of the straight drumming pattern, as used on a programmed drum machine. On “Eliminator” ZZ Top unveiled a simple new musical combination that cracked open a vast worldwide market”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “After his quantitative revelations, Linden informally but instantly became ZZ Top’s rehearsal hall theoretician, producer, and engineer.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Linden remained at Frank’s (ZZ Top drummer) place as ZZ’s live-in engineer throughout the whole period of “Eliminator” rehearsals, and was like one of the family… …as he (Linden) worked at the controls day after day, watching the album (Eliminator) take shape, his hopes for a big step forward in his production career undoubtedly soared. “Eliminator” marked the first time that ZZ Top was able to rehearse an entire album with the recording studio gadgetry that Billy so loved. With Linden Hudson around all the time, it also was the first time the band could write, rehearse, and record with someone who knew the men and the machines. ZZ Top was free to go musically crazy, but also musically crazy like a fox. Linden made that possible too”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Probably the most dramatic development in ZZ Top recording approaches came about as ELIMINATOR was constructed. What had gone on before was evolutionary; this change was revolutionary. ZZ Top got what amounted to a new bandsman (Linden) for the album, unknown to the world at large and at first even to Dusty and Frank.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: (page 199): “The next day, when Frank and Dusty were actually in the studio instead of out and about, Ham (ZZ Top manager) arrived just to hear “Under Pressure” played in the flesh by ZZ Top. When he asked them to play it, Frank and Dusty looked at Ham like two bulls at a bastard calf. What in the hell did he mean, play under pressure? ZZ Top always played under pressure! Neither of them had the faintest idea what Ham was talking about until Billy and Linden filled them in later. It was quite a while before Ham discovered that Frank and Dusty had not been around for the demo recording of “Under Pressure”, if he ever learned the true situation. (end quote: this further describes that fact that Frank and Dusty were not involved at all in the construction of the song “Under Pressure”. It was constructed the day before by Billy and you-know-who).

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “He (Linden) went back with the boys to 1970 when he was working as a radio disc jocky aliased Jack Smack. He was emcee for a show ZZ did around that time, and even sang an encore tune with the band, perhaps the only person ever to have that honor.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): But with the release of their ninth album, Eliminator, in 1983, these hairy, unlikely rock heroes had become a pop phenomenon. This had something to do with the discoveries of a young preproduction engineer (Linden Hudson) whose contributions, like those of many associated with the band over the years, were never acknowledged.

FAMOUS101.COM: “Eliminator” is a studio album of the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983 and topped the charts worldwide. Its lyrics were co-written by the band’s sound engineer Linden Hudson while the band denied it. After a five-year court battle, Hudson proved that he held the copyright to the song “Thug” included in “Eliminator.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “the boys (ZZ Top) were trying to explain to Bill Ham (ZZ Top Manager) that Linden was the studio architect and integral to making the whole electronic concoction (ZZ’s Studio) work properly. He had built it; moreover, it was his direct technical assistance that had produced what “Eliminator” was proving to be.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP — BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): “Eventually they decided to use the song (“Thug” by Linden Hudson) on “Eliminator”. They (ZZ Top) and Bill Ham (ZZ’s manager) refused to discuss the question of royalties or album points with him (Linden). They didn’t deny he wrote the song”.

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Feb 1984: “Houston songwriter and producer Linden Hudson has joined Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) as a songwriter affiliate. The former University Of Houston student had his song “Thug” recorded by ZZ Top on their recent ELIMINATOR album.”

CLASSICROCKREVIEW.COM: Sound engineer Linden Hudson researched popular song tempos, and suggested that 120 beats per minute was the most popular tempo in rock music, so most of the recorded Eliminator album was recorded at that tempo. This has since become known as “the people’s tempo”.
++++++++++++
LINDEN IS IN WIKIPEDIA (Linden Hudson appears in the following wiki pages)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_plagiarism
+++
As you can see, Linden was never given credit or paid for his valuable creative work on "Eliminator". Read more about Linden's shitty ZZ Top experience at: www.lindenhudson.com/fa-2
+++
 After 30 yers of denial, in 2013, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top guitarist) began to break his silence about Linden's work with ZZ Top in an interview with journalist Joe Bosso of MusicRadar-Dot-Com, Billy Gibbons said: "We had befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. Linden had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record." (end quote)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This song "A Dark Street" was recorded in Linden's house using a laptop pc, one microphone, one usb interface. Linden often sat with the pc in his lap and played or sang every track, stacking them one at a time. When he sang vocals he just held the mic in his hand. There was no involvement of other persons, it's all Linden. It's true indie. The software used to make this recording is Sony Vegas Pro recording software. See the music video of this song (warning, tasteful nudity) at: https://vimeo.com/80751279


A DARK STREET - An Indie Song - Copyright 2013 - By Linden Hudson

"TV DINNERS" - Original ZZ Top Song Prototype - Sample Clips

SEE OTHER "ELIMINATOR" PROTO-TYPES AT:
"Legs" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/legs-song-by-zz-top-pre-release-proto-type-recording-clip 
"Dirty Dog" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/dirty-dog-song-prototype-from 
"I Got The Six" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/i-got-the-six-original
"TV Dinners" at: soundcloud.com/texasman-1/tv-dinners-original-zz-top-song-prototype-sample-clips

CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ZZ Top ELIMINATOR album.”

(ZZ Top never gave Linden credit for his contributions nor did ZZ Top management opt to share royalties with him for his work on ELIMINATOR) ++

LICKLIBRARY DOT COM (in 2013) ZZ TOP'S BILLY GIBBONS SAID: “the Eliminator sessions in 1983 were guided largely by another one of our associates, Linden Hudson, a gifted engineer, during the development of those compositions.” (end quote) (Gibbons admits these facts after 30 years, but offers Linden no apology or reparations for lack of credits/monies) ++

MUSICRADAR DOT COM (in 2013): Journalist Joe Bosso interviewed Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top guitarist). Gibbons broke 30 years of silence about Linden Hudson introducing synthesizers into ZZ Top's sound. Gibbons said: “This was a really interesting turning point. We had befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. Linden had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record.”
++
Read about Linden's shitty "Eliminator" album experience at: lindenhudson.net/press/ and at lindenhudson.net/lindens-fame/

Linden tells his story 30 years later. Although Linden is still living, he's like a ghost returning to haunt Billy Gibbons. The internet made that possible. 
+++
Make note: The ZZ Top "Eliminator" album achieved the rank of "Diamond" which is multitudes above "platinum" (Diamond status begins at 10 times platinum, it's huge). The album was nominated for a Grammy and was chosen by Rolling Stone magazine as being in the top 500 albums in history. However, remember, Linden Hudson received no recognition (a travesty).
+++
 LINDEN HUDSON IS IN WIKIPEDIA (do a "find" on each page for Linden)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure


"LEGS" song sample by ZZ Top - Pre Release Proto Type Recording Clip

Some slow rock and roll, with vocals and loud electric guitar. This is an excerpt from a copyrighted Linden Hudson song. All vocals and instruments performed by Linden and recorded at home. Sound engineered by Linden. Recorded completely on a laptop pc using Sony Acid recording software and one microphone.
++++
Who is Linden Hudson? Well, for starters read the following:
CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ELIMINATOR album.”

FROM THE BOOK "SHARP DRESSED MEN - ZZ TOP" By David Blayney (ZZ Top's stage manager of 15 years): (page 227): “In the song LEGS Linden Hudson introduced the pumping synthesizer effect."

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: "Linden Hudson in a fair world should have had his name all over “Eliminator” and gotten the just compensation he deserved. Instead he got ostracized.”

FROM THE BOOK “SHARP DRESSED MEN – ZZ TOP” (BY DAVID BLAYNEY): “Linden found himself in the position of being Billy’s (Billy Gibbons, ZZ TOP guitarist) closest collaborator on “Eliminator”. In fact, he wound up spending more time on the album than anybody except Billy. While the two of them spent day after day in the studio, they were mostly alone with the equipment and the ideas.”

Here is an excerpt FROM THE BOOK: “TRES HOMBRES — THE STORY OF ZZ TOP” BY DAVID SINCLAIR (WRITER FOR THE LONDON TIMES): “Linden Hudson, the engineer/producer who lived at Beard’s house (ZZ’s drummer) had drawn their attention to the possibilities of the new recording technology and specifically to the charms of the straight drumming pattern, as used on a programmed drum machine. On “Eliminator” ZZ Top unveiled a simple new musical combination that cracked open a vast worldwide market”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “After his quantitative revelations, Linden informally but instantly became ZZ Top’s rehearsal hall theoretician, producer, and engineer.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Linden remained at Frank’s (ZZ Top drummer) place as ZZ’s live-in engineer throughout the whole period of “Eliminator” rehearsals, and was like one of the family… …as he (Linden) worked at the controls day after day, watching the album (Eliminator) take shape, his hopes for a big step forward in his production career undoubtedly soared. “Eliminator” marked the first time that ZZ Top was able to rehearse an entire album with the recording studio gadgetry that Billy so loved. With Linden Hudson around all the time, it also was the first time the band could write, rehearse, and record with someone who knew the men and the machines. ZZ Top was free to go musically crazy, but also musically crazy like a fox. Linden made that possible too”.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “Probably the most dramatic development in ZZ Top recording approaches came about as ELIMINATOR was constructed. What had gone on before was evolutionary; this change was revolutionary. ZZ Top got what amounted to a new bandsman (Linden) for the album, unknown to the world at large and at first even to Dusty and Frank.

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “The integral position Linden occupied in the process of building “Eliminator” was demonstrated eloquently in the case of the song “Under Pressure”. Billy and Linden, the studio wizards, did the whole song all in one afternoon without either the bass player or drummer even knowing it had been written and recorded on a demo tape. Linden synthesized the bass and drums and helped write the lyrics; Billy did the guitars and vocals.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: (page 199): “The next day, when Frank and Dusty were actually in the studio instead of out and about, Ham (ZZ Top manager) arrived just to hear “Under Pressure” played in the flesh by ZZ Top. When he asked them to play it, Frank and Dusty looked at Ham like two bulls at a bastard calf. What in the hell did he mean, play under pressure? ZZ Top always played under pressure! Neither of them had the faintest idea what Ham was talking about until Billy and Linden filled them in later. It was quite a while before Ham discovered that Frank and Dusty had not been around for the demo recording of “Under Pressure”, if he ever learned the true situation. (end quote: this further describes that fact that Frank and Dusty were not involved at all in the construction of the song “Under Pressure”. It was constructed the day before by Billy and you-know-who).

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “He (Linden) went back with the boys to 1970 when he was working as a radio disc jocky aliased Jack Smack. He was emcee for a show ZZ did around that time, and even sang an encore tune with the band, perhaps the only person ever to have that honor.”

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): But with the release of their ninth album, Eliminator, in 1983, these hairy, unlikely rock heroes had become a pop phenomenon. This had something to do with the discoveries of a young preproduction engineer (Linden Hudson) whose contributions, like those of many associated with the band over the years, were never acknowledged.

TEXAS MONTHLY MAGAZINE (Dec 1996, by Joe Nick Patoski): “Hudson floated the notion that the ideal dance music had 124 beats per minute; then he and Gibbons conceived, wrote, and recorded what amounted to a rough draft of an album before the band had set foot inside Ardent Studios.”

FAMOUS101.COM: “Eliminator” is a studio album of the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983 and topped the charts worldwide. Its lyrics were co-written by the band’s sound engineer Linden Hudson while the band denied it. After a five-year court battle, Hudson proved that he held the copyright to the song “Thug” included in “Eliminator.”

FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “the boys (ZZ Top) were trying to explain to Bill Ham (ZZ Top Manager) that Linden was the studio architect and integral to making the whole electronic concoction (ZZ’s Studio) work properly. He had built it; moreover, it was his direct technical assistance that had produced what “Eliminator” was proving to be.”

FROM THE BOOK “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, BY DEBORAH FROST): “Sharp Dressed Man” which employed Hudson’s 120 beat-per-minute theory. The feel, the enthusiasm, the snappy beat and crisp clean sound propelled “Eliminator” into the ears and hearts of 5 million people who previously could have care less about the boogie band of “Rio Grande Mud”.

FROM THE BOOK: “ZZ TOP — BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (ROLLING STONE PRESS, WRITTEN BY DEBORAH FROST): “Eventually they decided to use the song (“Thug” by Linden Hudson) on “Eliminator”. They (ZZ Top) and Bill Ham (ZZ’s manager) refused to discuss the question of royalties or album points with him (Linden). They didn’t deny he wrote the song”.

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Feb 1984: “Houston songwriter and producer Linden Hudson has joined Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) as a songwriter affiliate. The former University Of Houston student had his song “Thug” recorded by ZZ Top on their recent ELIMINATOR album.”

CLASSICROCKREVIEW.COM: Sound engineer Linden Hudson researched popular song tempos, and suggested that 120 beats per minute was the most popular tempo in rock music, so most of the recorded Eliminator album was recorded at that tempo. This has since become known as “the people’s tempo”.

THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE (By Marty Racine / Rick Mitchell, 1992): In 1986, Hamstein Music settled out of court on a dispute over ownership of the song “Thug,” said Houston attorney David Showalter, who represented songwriter Linden Hudson. The song was recorded on ZZ Top’s multiplatinum “Eliminator” album.

CBS News – June 2013: …1983′s “Eliminator” a pivotal work that elevated the band to superstardom.
++++++++++++
++++++++++++
Unfortunately Linden Hudson's experience working on the "Eliminator" album was a sad one. See Linden's story at: lindenhudson.com/fa-2
+++
ZZ Top spent 30 years denying that Linden Hudson was involved with the "Eliminator" album, even though Linden actually owned a copyright to one of the songs on the famous album (the song "Thug"). WTF !
+++
 Finally, in early 2013 Billy Gibbons began to break his silence about Linden's involvement with ZZ Top in an interview with rock journalist Joe Bosso of MusicRadar-Dot-Com, Billy Gibbons said: "We had befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. Linden had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record." (end quote)
+++
LINDEN IN WIKIPEDIA (Linden Hudson appears in the following wiki pages)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_plagiarism
+++
Linden Hudson never got over what happened to him and he never forgave Billy Gibbons for what was done. It was just wrong.

Linden Hudson lives in a suburb of Houston, Texas USA


It was 1982 at ZZ Top practice, at Franks home studio, Linden Hudson was engineering at the mix console, recording jams as they searched for ideas. Billy sat by a live vocal mic and sometimes would act funny between jams. This was on a cassette tape that was in a shoe box that Linden had for more than 35 years.

Gibbons Jokes Around At Practice - "Kitchens"

A short slide guitar piece played by Linden Hudson using a Fernandez Strat guitar, a wah wah pedal, and a Line 6 amp modeler module. Recorded on a laptop using Sony Acid recording software.

Blu Guitar - written & played: Linden Hudson

Linden Hudson is a pro TV & Film sound man of 28 years experience. An extremely interesting fact about Linden is that he was a strategic part of the team that created & produced one of the most famous record albums in pop music history, the huge ZZ Top ELIMINATOR album. This album sold well beyond ten million copies in the US alone (ten times platinum and beyond). Half the songs on the ELIMINATOR album were hits (5 songs reaching the Billboard HOT 100). This is a rare level of success for a record album and was, by far, ZZ Top's most successful release (grammy nominated). The sad part of the story is: Linden Hudson was never given credit for his work & co-writing on this huge album nor did ZZ opt to pay him any royalties. 

 CLASSICBANDS DOT COM said: “According to former roadie David Blayney in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: sound engineer Linden Hudson co-wrote much of the material on the ELIMINATOR album.”

Yes, as mentioned, Linden's story has a very fucked up twist. When the details of Linden's involvement in ELIMINATOR began to surface ZZ Top management freaked out and went to work to keep a lid on the story. ZZ Top management totally treated Linden like dirt. He was emotionally crushed because of these incredibly cold decisions which were set forth by Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top guitarist) and  management. Linden spent many years in a dark emotional state. In fact, he never got over it. After all these years Linden Hudson has become somewhat radicalized and has begun to convey his "very shitty" adventure to the public. The coming of the internet has given Linden a broadcasting medium, and a chance to tell it to interested ears, and he'll continue to actively tell it to the world in the whatever time he has left. Wouldn't you?

Many journalists have stated that the songwriting was one of the strong points of the ELIMINATOR album. But, another thing that helped with the album's huge (and sudden) success was the heavy injection of synthesizers and techno-pop techniques on ELIMINATOR. This is undisputed. So, we offer up more revelations: It was actually Linden Hudson who introduced the synthesizers into the ZZ Top sound in the early 80's. It's one hundred percent true. These facts were finally stated by none other than ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons to well known journalist Joe Bosso of MUSICRADAR DOT COM in a 2013 interview. In this interview ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons cautiously began to break 30 years of silence about Linden Hudson's work in the early 80's, Billy Gibbons said: “This was a really interesting turning point. We had befriended somebody who would become an influential associate, a guy named Linden Hudson. He was a gifted songwriter and had production skills that were leading the pack at times. He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage. Linden had no fear and was eager to experiment in ways that would frighten most bands. But we followed suit, and the synthesizers started to show up on record.” (End Quote) 

As mentioned earlier, It has been well discussed, and well known by rock journalists, that the injection of synthesizers and techno is what instantly made ZZ Top superstars. But, for 30 years Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top guitarist) made up ridiculous stories about how the synthesizers and technology came into the ZZ Top sound, denying Linden his due credits.

TVTROPES DOT ORG said: “for all intents and purposes, Eliminator is a Billy Gibbons solo album with contributions by pre-production engineer Linden Hudson, who contributed drum machine programming and keyboard sequencing, and was alleged to have co-written most of the material". (end quote)

Yes, the huge majority of all the drums on the ELIMINATOR album were generated by a computer (instead of real drums) and the bass was a synthesizer (instead of real bass guitar). This was their first record album to be constructed in that manner. The result was an album which sold ten to twenty times more copies than previous records had sold, remaining on the charts for years. Why? Because computer drums were cleaner, not sloppy, easier to dance to, and computer bass was pure and easy to mesh with the digital drums. This is just fact. That is exactly why it happened that way.

Billy Gibbons once made a ridiculous statement (total bullshit) to ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE about the ELIMINATOR album, in which he said: "We still sometimes wonder what exactly did transpire to make those sessions dramatically different, I suppose it might have been a return to playing together as a band in the studio as we did onstage." (end quote). ++ (Can you say "cover up"?) Of course the pop world is beginning to realize, a little at a time, that such statements are not true and are in fact ridiculous, since many folks now understand that Frank and Dusty were just barely involved (and we mean barely) in the making (and writing) of that incredibly famous record. Billy has fought and fought for many years to cover up these facts, likely fearing a "Milli Vanilli" flavored backlash. Oh well, it is what it is, truth is truth, you cannot change truth, it will eventually knock at your door. 

The synthesized bass and synthesized drum aspect of the "Eliminator" album is easily proven forensically (it really is), but there's no need for that because it's been "given up" and "admitted to", in recent years, on several internet postings by the final sound tracking engineer for the "Eliminator" project (the accomplished Mr Terry Manning). The facts are definitely out of the bag. So give it up. 

Why did Billy Gibbons wait decades to begin to tell the public anything at all about Linden's important contributions to the bands' recordings and music? And, why did Linden never receive co-writer credits for "Eliminator"? 

Quote: FROM THE BOOK: "SHARP DRESSED MEN - ZZ TOP", DAVID BLAYNEY said: "I find it hard to believe that the boys intentionally set out to do a number on Linden, but sometimes you tend to forget where you came from. It's very easy to get both greedy and self-serving in show bidness". (end quote)

What ever happened, it was so deeply wrong. Put yourself in Linden's shoes. How would you feel if this had happened to you? Does anyone know of a similar level of pain for someone who has been fucked in the music business? Maybe so, but none come to mind. The fact that the album was titled ELIMINATOR is ironic, because it was Linden Hudson who got ELIMINATED.

The cover up still exists in a major way to this day. Billy Gibbons is slowly beginning to mention Linden in interviews (30 years later) but will not reference Linden to the hugely successful "Eliminator" album, no doubt fearing legal retribution. When you can afford lawyers, just do what they say. Right Billy? 

 Some people really don't understand the level of success that went down with "Eliminator". So, here is a quick rundown: The "Eliminator" album, ALONE, sold HALF OF ALL the records that ZZ Top sold in their entire career (out of their career total of 15 albums). Think about that. The hugely popular ZZ Top "Eliminator" album received several DIAMOND record trophies (in the US and in Canada). Each diamond trophy represents 10 times the sales of platinum, it's massive. And, the album reached multi-platinum in many countries around the world, a feat they had never achieved. Nor did ANY of their follow-up albums achieve this level of success (not even close). Linden sat at home in silence and watched the album stay on the charts for YEARS. Whenever one of those songs played on the radio Linden would quickly change the station. It was just fucked up. "Eliminator" was nominated for a grammy. Linden Hudson was not invited to the festivities or mentioned.

Quote: by David Blayney (ZZ Top stage manager for 15 years), in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: "Linden Hudson in a fair world should have had his name all over ELIMINATOR and gotten the just compensation he deserved. Instead he got ostracized.” (end quote)

Quote: From the book: “ZZ TOP – BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (Rolling Stone Press, Written by Deborah Frost): "But with the release of their ninth album, Eliminator, in 1983, these hairy, unlikely rock heroes had become a pop phenomenon. This had something to do with the discoveries of a young preproduction engineer (Linden Hudson) whose contributions, like those of many associated with the band over the years, were never acknowledged." (end quote)

Quote: FROM THE BOOK: “SHARP DRESSED MEN — ZZ TOP” BY DAVID BLAYNEY: “The integral position Linden occupied in the process of building “Eliminator” was demonstrated eloquently in the case of the song “Under Pressure”. Billy and Linden, the studio wizards, did the whole song all in one afternoon without either the bass player or drummer even knowing it had been written and recorded on a demo tape. Linden synthesized the bass and drums and helped write the lyrics; Billy did the guitars and vocals.” (end quote)

Rolling Stone Magazine listed the "Eliminator" album as one of the top 500 albums in history. With regard to this pop phenomenon Linden has been discussed in four books by well known writers, plus he's been written about in Rolling Stone magazine and many other magazine/newspaper articles. Besides strong involvement in the entire "Eliminator" album, Linden wrote one hundred per cent of one of the songs on that album (the song THUG) and he OWNED the copyright. That's right, he outright owned the copyright to "Thug". Sadly, he had to sue for the royalties of "Thug", one of one his own copyrighted songs, and much of his proceeds from the eventual settlement went to lawyers. Welcome to the dark side of the music world, the VERY dark side.

Sadly, all this leaves one of the "little people" (Linden) to fend for himself should he want due credits ON ANYTHING. Never mind all the lost royalties over the years which could have helped sustain such a "shat upon" human being (Linden) and which could have helped him through some of the low points in his life. Yes, of course, we know Linden's just a little person, in the shadows, an unpaid ghost, not a rock star, no big deal, got it, sorry for the bother. Of course this situation illustrates the way in which so many ego-centric rock stars think with regard to the "little" humans around them, and the public has witnessed this mode of "star" thinking all too many times in the media. Please read more specific information about Linden's "not so much fun" music adventure at: lindenhudson.com/fa .

Quote: David Blayney (ZZ Top stage manager for 15 years) said in his book SHARP DRESSED MEN: (page 227): "The song LEGS, Linden Hudson introduced the pumping synthesizer effect."
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Linden is in Wikipedia (search each page for "Linden"):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminator_(album) 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legs_(song)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Got_Me_Under_Pressure
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_Dressed_Man
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_plagiarism
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Quote: From The Book: "Sharp Dressed Men - ZZ Top" By David Blayney: "After his quantitative revelations, Linden informally but instantly became ZZ Top's rehearsal hall theoretician, producer, and engineer." (end quote)

Quote: From The Book: “ZZ TOP — BAD AND WORLDWIDE” (Rolling Stone Press, written by Deborah Frost): “Eventually they decided to use the song (“Thug” by Linden Hudson) on “Eliminator”. They (ZZ Top) and Bill Ham (ZZ’s manager) refused to discuss the question of royalties or album points with him (Linden). They didn’t deny he wrote the song”. (end quote)

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT SHIT?

We pose a question: "Hey Billy, yes you Mr Gibbons, how have you felt about this Linden Hudson matter throughout the years? Just curious."

Texasman

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