ZZTop: What's their best stuff?

I know ZZ is more HR than HM, but wondering what their prime material is. I heard their song "Sleeping Bag" on this Billboard #1 80's Hits and thought it really sucked. And besides the really popular songs by them that are overplayed, I haven't heard much else.

If you like Sleeping Bag, then Afterburner and Eliminator. Very easy to find and cheap.

Lari wrote:

If you like Sleeping Bag, then Afterburner and Eliminator. Very easy to find and cheap.

But that's the thing. I didn't like Sleeping Bag. I said it sucked. So why are you recommending me stuff I don't want to hear? And if something of that quality is so cheap, then well, that pretty much speaks for itself. Though this is not always true, thankfully.

I personally like their Eliminator album the best. But their bluesier stuff from the 70s is great too! Check out Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres and Deguello.

muckie wrote:

Lari wrote:

If you like Sleeping Bag, then Afterburner and Eliminator. Very easy to find and cheap.

But that's the thing. I didn't like Sleeping Bag. I said it sucked. So why are you recommending me stuff I don't want to hear? And if something of that quality is so cheap, then well, that pretty much speaks for itself. Though this is not always true, thankfully.

Everything up through Eliminator, in my opinion, is gold. Afterburner is pretty weak, a failed attempt at recreating Eliminator. Recycler does a better job at it, but...man, what an appropriate album title.

I like Antenna, as it sounds like an album that could have been stylistic bridge between El Loco and Eliminator. Rhythmeen and XXX are pretty hit or miss. More miss, though. Mescalero and La Futura are pretty solid, especially La Futura.

You're starting too late in their career.





and my personal favorite...

Start with a best of or somerhing. this is what I usually do, when new into a band.

they have a very good compilation cd, but I can't remember its name now.

There are two ZZ Tops as far as I'm concerned. If you listen to the early stuff, it's bluesy and has a shuffle to it but some material borders on having a country twang to it.

As you go on, they kept the shuffle and it's certainly got blues to it, but it's more "rock" overall and the twang has more or less departed.

I can't speak for their latest material, but everything up to Recycler seems to follow this progression.

You could always start where most people did and check out Eliminator. If that album doesn't appeal to you, I sort of suspect none of their other stuff will as it's the most immediately accessible they did. I love all the early stuff, but that was their breakthrough and I suspect with reason.

muckie wrote:

Lari wrote:

If you like Sleeping Bag, then Afterburner and Eliminator. Very easy to find and cheap.

But that's the thing. I didn't like Sleeping Bag. I said it sucked.

Sorry. I misread the post.

I have ZZ Top's Greatest Hits CD and that's pretty much all I will ever need from them.

When the drum machines enter their sound....I exit.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I have ZZ Top's Greatest Hits CD and that's pretty much all I will ever need from them.

I was like that for the longest time too. Then about a year or so ago, this came out...

http://www.heartofmetal.net/t19804-zz-top-the-complete-studio-albums-1970-1990-box-set?highlight=ZZ+albums

It doesn't have much in the way of frills, but for quality of music, you can't beat the price. There is allot of deep tracks that more than make-up for all the overplayed stuff. Pick this up and you'll have more ZZ than you'll ever need.

Runicen wrote:

There are two ZZ Tops as far as I'm concerned.  If you listen to the early stuff, it's bluesy and has a shuffle to it but some material borders on having a country twang to it.  

As you go on, they kept the shuffle and it's certainly got blues to it, but it's more "rock" overall and the twang has more or less departed.  

I can't speak for their latest material, but everything up to Recycler seems to follow this progression.

You could always start where most people did and check out Eliminator.  If that album doesn't appeal to you, I sort of suspect none of their other stuff will as it's the most immediately accessible they did.  I love all the early stuff, but that was their breakthrough and I suspect with reason.

This, muckie. This right here.

I was introduced to ZZ as a kid from the vids on Mtv so the drum machine sound and fuzz will always have a soft spot in Sentinel's heart. But, their earlier, blusier stuff is my fave: De Guello, Tres Hombres, and Fandango are the 3 most played.

The best Compilation is probably "Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top", the 2 CD Box contains 38 Songs (with 1 live song, 2 remixes) and gives a good overview from the beginning to the mid-90's.

Otherwise there's also a Original Album Series 5 CD Pack that contains Rio Grande Mud, Tres Hombres, Fandango!, Deüello and Eliminator, those boxes are sold dirt cheap, don't come with any extras but it's a good start i think.

On a sidenote: You have to be careful with some compilations and Best of as they might include the old 70's songs in their 80's remixed fashion. Somebody at Warner thought it'd be a great idea to remix all old albums in the sound of Eliminator and sell them that way instead of how they were originally recorded.

ShadowAngel wrote:

On a sidenote: You have to be careful with some compilations and Best of as they might include the old 70's songs in their 80's remixed fashion. Somebody at Warner thought it'd be a great idea to remix all old albums in the sound of Eliminator and sell them that way instead of how they were originally recorded.

I believe the Rancho Texicano compilation you mentioned has the 80's remixes on them. The box set I mentioned a few posts up has all the original mixes restored to them. If that sort of thing matters to you, Muckie.

Avoid the '6 pack box set"

It has the crappy synth drums remixed into 5 of the 6 albums...the exception being "El Loco" which already had it in places.

I got a 10 cd box at Wally World for 20 bucks for the truck & car & snowmobiles
The Complete Studio albums 1970-1990

It kinda sucks for Frank Beard that most songs use a drum machine. It's like he's only needed for touring purposes nowadays.

Am I the only one who has kind of a soft spot for the Six Pack set? Yeah, I've heard the original versions and I totally get why people were torqued off when they heard the remixes, but the remixes have this bizarre charm to them - lots of '70s grit but with those weird, quantized '80s drums. I think they're fun if they're taken as their own thing.