TV Dinners Fuzzbox Voodoo ZZ Top

TV Dinners Album: Eliminator (1983)
Fuzzbox Voodoo Album: Antenna (1994)
ZZ Top

"TV Dinners" is a song by American band ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator. It was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. The song is a simple, beat-driven and tongue-in-cheek tune with lyrics about pre-packaged, oven-ready meals. Promoted for radio play in the US, and released commercially as a single in the UK, it reached number 38 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. Robert Palmer recorded "TV Dinners" for his 2003 album Drive.

Guitarist Billy Gibbons once said he played a 1955 Gretsch Roundup while recording "TV Dinners". He also told Dean Zelinsky that he played a burgundy Dean ML throughout the recording of Eliminator. Longtime ZZ Top recording engineer Terry Manning told an online forum of professional sound engineers that Gibbons alternated between two Dean Guitars for the great majority of the album, including "98% of all guitar on this album, whether lead or rhythm".

TV dinners were developed from "Strato-Plates," the brainchild of former American serviceman William Maxon, who also devised a small cooking stove to use on aircraft - the Maxon Whirlwind Oven. He founded his company, Maxon Food Systems Inc, in 1944. Maxon died in July 1947, just as his innovation began to take off with the American public.

In 1954, another American, Gerry Thomas, took the concept one stage further, and a convenient meal for servicemen and aircraft passengers became a national and then an international institution. The deprecation of ready meals by food "connoisseurs" and pundits has not been shared by the public worldwide, but although songs about food are not uncommon, few people have had the inclination to sing the praises of convenience food in such a literal fashion. This slightly whimsical song runs to 3 minutes 50 seconds, and was released as as single backed by "Cheap Sunglasses." A group composition - Hill, Gibbons and Beard - it was recorded in 1982 and released the following year, produced by the aptly named Bill Ham.

Antenna is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1994. It was the band's first album to be released on the RCA label. Fuzzbox Voodoo is the fourth track

Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals
Dusty Hill – keyboards
Frank Beard – drums

TV Dinners

TV dinners, there's nothin' else to eat
TV dinners, they really can't be beat
I like 'em frozen, but you understand
I throw 'em in and 'wave 'em, and I'm a brand new man
Oh, yeah!

TV dinners, they're goin' to my head
TV dinners, my skin is turnin' red
Twenty year old turkey in a thirty year old tin
I can't wait until tomorrow, and thaw one out again
Oh, yeah!

TV dinners, I'm feelin' kinda rough
TV dinners, this one's kinda tough
I like the enchiladas, and the teriaki too
I even like the chicken, if the sauce is not too blue
And they're mine, all mine,
Oh, yeah!
And they sure are fine
Whoo!
Gotta have 'em
Gimme somethin' now

Fuzzbox Voodoo

I went down with the fuzzbox
Grinding a pound or two
Say I'm down, with a fuzzbox
Pounding and a workin' it through

And because you've got fuzz
Go on and do what you wanna do

I down down with a fuzzbox
Checking out what it could do
It was step-2, blue voodoo
Fuzzed another hour or two

Just do it man go with your hand
Once you understand
Got to do what she want to do

Now lay down on your hot spot
Listen what I'm tellin' you
Said lean down with your hot spot
Hit you with the blue voodoo

Just do it dude everybody do
Once it's understood
Talking fuzzbox blue voodoo