ZZ Top as compiled on "Chrome, Smoke, and BBQ"
69 Moving Sidewalks has fairly basic blues with "Crimson Witch" **** being more rock.
while first 2 ZZ Top songs feature more psychedelic organ, which is heavy on "Salt Lick" ****.
70 ZZ Top's First Album is strangely enough the first to have the signature sound of Z in the 70's, especially "Going Down To Mexico" ***, but the songs are not yet very distinctive.
72 Rio Grande Mud is a bit more interesting with the great stonesy riff of "Francene" *****, "Ko Ko Blue" **** which chugs along to a distinctive descending outro, and uncharacteristically mellow "Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell" ***
73 Still, next to Tres Hombres, RGM doesn't stand a chance, not against the winking "La Grange"****, the one-two album opening "Waiting For the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago"***** which starts great and then improves exponentially, straight bar-rock "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" *****, and propulsive riff of "Prescious And Grace"****.
75 Fandango opens with 3 live tracks, including fast shuffle "Thunderbird"****, and very heavy "Jailhouse Rock"***. "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings"**** sounds similar to Tres Hombres. Other songs go to a cleaner sound, including the lame"Mexican Blackbird", which they probably thought was hilarious. Also has ubiquitous "Tush".
77 Tejas is mostly cleaner and embodies everything that is boring about mid-period ZZ Top.
79 DeGuello improves somewhat, thought I've never been impressed by album opening cover of "I Thank You." On the other hand I can't resist "I'm Bad I'm Nationwide"****. "Manic Mechanic" should have lost the stupid voice-over out in the desert somewhere, making a strange 3* instrumental just laughable. Also has the overplayed "Cheap Sunglasses", which always bored me.
81 El Loco opens with obviously suggestive fun of "Tube Snake Boogie"***, closes first side with boringly suggestive "Pearl Necklace"**, boring boring "Rough Boy" predecessor "Leila"*, continuing boredom of "It's So Hard"*, and strangely boring instrumental "Heaven Hell Or Houston"**, and extremely middle of the road boring "I Wanna Drive You Home". Hardly Loco. Not a single winner here.
83 Eliminator threw that mellow, clean sound in the wood chipper and set the guitars over a digital rhythm section. Begins with one of my favorite riffs in "Gimme All Your Lovin"****, and ups the bpm with "Got Me Under Pressure"****. Also includes "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs", which I don't need to describe for you I'm sure. Most of the rest is par.
85 Afterburner is the 80's ZZ top, but more so, with synthesizers smattered throughout. The songs have the obvious suggestiveness we expect, good examples of which are "Sleeping Bag"**** and "Woke Up With Wood"****. "Stages"**** takes the pop as far as it has ever gone, and is more simialar to Van-Hagar than to most other ZZ Top songs. ZZ Top gets soft with "Rough Boy"*** with an effective little melody line, and maximum synth with "Velcro Fly"***. "Planet of Women"*** blatantly rips off "Under Pressure", but is passable in its own right. Fast rockers "Can't Stop Rockin" and "Delirious" are similar to "I Got The Six", but without that clever 6 line.
90 When 90's Recycler came out, I remember critics could not resist pointing out how appropriate that title is. I'd say probably more like Eliminator in that synths are not as numerous, but the songs are mostly mid-tempo, and overall not interesting, exhibits "Concrete and Steel"** and similar "Give It Up"**, except for the bluesy "My Head's In Mississippi"****, and the great opening riff on "Doubleback"****. "2000 Blues"*** comes out of left field with some rather Whitesnake-y slow blues, which is saved by some interesting chord changes.
92 Could not find any merit in "Viva Las Vegas" or "Gun Love". The real gem is a 1980 live version of "Cheap Sunglasses" with the crowd singing along, where the crunchy sound makes this overplayed, boring song energetic.
69 Moving Sidewalks has fairly basic blues with "Crimson Witch" **** being more rock.
while first 2 ZZ Top songs feature more psychedelic organ, which is heavy on "Salt Lick" ****.
70 ZZ Top's First Album is strangely enough the first to have the signature sound of Z in the 70's, especially "Going Down To Mexico" ***, but the songs are not yet very distinctive.
72 Rio Grande Mud is a bit more interesting with the great stonesy riff of "Francene" *****, "Ko Ko Blue" **** which chugs along to a distinctive descending outro, and uncharacteristically mellow "Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell" ***
73 Still, next to Tres Hombres, RGM doesn't stand a chance, not against the winking "La Grange"****, the one-two album opening "Waiting For the Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago"***** which starts great and then improves exponentially, straight bar-rock "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" *****, and propulsive riff of "Prescious And Grace"****.
75 Fandango opens with 3 live tracks, including fast shuffle "Thunderbird"****, and very heavy "Jailhouse Rock"***. "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings"**** sounds similar to Tres Hombres. Other songs go to a cleaner sound, including the lame"Mexican Blackbird", which they probably thought was hilarious. Also has ubiquitous "Tush".
77 Tejas is mostly cleaner and embodies everything that is boring about mid-period ZZ Top.
79 DeGuello improves somewhat, thought I've never been impressed by album opening cover of "I Thank You." On the other hand I can't resist "I'm Bad I'm Nationwide"****. "Manic Mechanic" should have lost the stupid voice-over out in the desert somewhere, making a strange 3* instrumental just laughable. Also has the overplayed "Cheap Sunglasses", which always bored me.
81 El Loco opens with obviously suggestive fun of "Tube Snake Boogie"***, closes first side with boringly suggestive "Pearl Necklace"**, boring boring "Rough Boy" predecessor "Leila"*, continuing boredom of "It's So Hard"*, and strangely boring instrumental "Heaven Hell Or Houston"**, and extremely middle of the road boring "I Wanna Drive You Home". Hardly Loco. Not a single winner here.
83 Eliminator threw that mellow, clean sound in the wood chipper and set the guitars over a digital rhythm section. Begins with one of my favorite riffs in "Gimme All Your Lovin"****, and ups the bpm with "Got Me Under Pressure"****. Also includes "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs", which I don't need to describe for you I'm sure. Most of the rest is par.
85 Afterburner is the 80's ZZ top, but more so, with synthesizers smattered throughout. The songs have the obvious suggestiveness we expect, good examples of which are "Sleeping Bag"**** and "Woke Up With Wood"****. "Stages"**** takes the pop as far as it has ever gone, and is more simialar to Van-Hagar than to most other ZZ Top songs. ZZ Top gets soft with "Rough Boy"*** with an effective little melody line, and maximum synth with "Velcro Fly"***. "Planet of Women"*** blatantly rips off "Under Pressure", but is passable in its own right. Fast rockers "Can't Stop Rockin" and "Delirious" are similar to "I Got The Six", but without that clever 6 line.
90 When 90's Recycler came out, I remember critics could not resist pointing out how appropriate that title is. I'd say probably more like Eliminator in that synths are not as numerous, but the songs are mostly mid-tempo, and overall not interesting, exhibits "Concrete and Steel"** and similar "Give It Up"**, except for the bluesy "My Head's In Mississippi"****, and the great opening riff on "Doubleback"****. "2000 Blues"*** comes out of left field with some rather Whitesnake-y slow blues, which is saved by some interesting chord changes.
92 Could not find any merit in "Viva Las Vegas" or "Gun Love". The real gem is a 1980 live version of "Cheap Sunglasses" with the crowd singing along, where the crunchy sound makes this overplayed, boring song energetic.
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