Eliminator

Classic, but definitely not classy.

I’m having trouble describing how I feel about ZZ Top. For the most part I love their hits, and so Sharp Dressed Man and Gimme All Your Lovin’ were great listens, as always. I really don’t care for their slower songs, and this album has two of those, including the hit, Legs. The rest of their songs kind of feel like slightly less good clones of their hits, making this a pretty consistent record, I suppose. For me that was really frustrating. Listening to the deep cuts was king of like… listening to your favorite song on a radio station whose range you are on the very edge of, so you’re getting some static and maybe someone reading off baseball scores. It would be better to just change the station rather than try and listen in those circumstances. And so as I made my way through this album, I just found myself wanting to go back to the singles at the top of the record, or not listen to it at all. By the way, all their records are like this for me, and I hope another one doesn’t show up on here. The exception that proves the rule is their greatest hits, which is pure fire. As far as belonging on this list, it’s mf’ing ZZ Top. It’s worth pointing out that basically all of my favorite artists list Billy Gibbons as a massive influence to them, so for that I am grateful. My personal enjoyment: 3/5 Did it belong on this list: 5/5

Without doubt one of the worst albums i've ever heard, the musical and emotional range of a toddler on sherbet.

I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to this entire album while sitting and eating at a Hard Rock Cafe. During the song “I Need You Tonight “, I googled how long does it take to bleed out and die, this song was longer. Tempting. Guitar solo after guitar solo. I started to enjoy the ad pop ups and begged for longer ones toward the end of the album. TV dinner- Enchiladas. Never want to hear another ZZ Top song again. 1/10

ZZ Flop

-S Tier- Gimme All Your Lovin’ Got Me Under Pressure Sharp Dressed Man -A Tier- I Need You Tonight -B Tier- Legs -C Tier- Thug Dirty Dog -D Tier- If I Could Only Flag Her Down Bad Girl -F Tier- TV Dinners AVG SCORE: 2.8 / 5 - - - I love ZZ Top up until right about…1983, and this album. It marked an evolutionary moment for the band. Their music, once bluesy and soulful, started leaning hard toward Pop Rock. And it wasn’t all bad. When you fire up Eliminator, you’re hit with some instant classics. But as the album wears on, you start to notice something: this shit is formulaic and hollow, and it all starts to sound the same. Sadly, I think it was a prophecy for the remaining life of ZZ Top. The band slowly degraded into some generic Rock trio, offering nothing of substance beyond a few cool music videos. Their sound would become over-processed. Their brand would become a caricature. And it all started with this forsaken album.

this really sounds like music a sexually frustrated dad would listen to in his square body pickup in the late 80s

From the stark paranoid android landscape of OK Computer, we come to the party-time metronomic robot blues/pop of Eliminator. What a weird premise. Super processed guitars, thick sequencers, Frank Beard's syncopated quarter-note drumming, and blues-infused guitar producing some of the biggest hits of the '80s. Not to mention the entire album centers around Billy Gibbons' obsession with chasing (and catching) dirty women. But when it works, it's really good. The super-thick-slick sound is an accomplishment on its own, and when the riffs are good and the songs are solid, and Gibbons' incessant guitar work is flowing, this kills. But then there's the rest of the material. Some of the B-sides are just fine, but when Gibbon's sings "TV dinners, they're going to my head," it's really clear that the band is out of ideas. Where most of of the misogyny and adolescent lyrics are delivered with enough of a wink to excuse it as one big party, the weaker material makes the high points a lot less glossy. When this is great, it's a 4+, but the weaker material drags this down to a 3.14159265359...

Cool. A 45-minute summation of why the 80s sucked. Good sound, misogynistic lyrics. Sharp-Dressed Man’s OK. Give Me All Your Lovin could have been a Huey Lewis song. I give this album one star and five lines of coke. P.S. ZZ Top's origin story is worth looking up. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/fake-zombies-zz-top/

The music is far lower quality than La Grange, their first album , which was on 1001. Eliminator was made for and shows the impact of MTV. Good music was replaced with long beards, spinning guitars and enough hotties that you might think you were watching a 1980s beer commercial. On Spotify all that's left is the music. 

Second album in a row that absolutely rips. The first few beats of the drum track that kicks off 'Gimme All Your Lovin'' is a free shot of dopamine every time. I think the songwriting is one point, the guitar playing is chewy, and Gibbons' rough voice contrasts wonderfully with the buzz and whoosh of the synths. They never really cracked it again properly, in my estimation - not totally - but as a synthesis of Texas boogie and new wave instrumentation, this was unique and never bettered.

I love Billy Gibbons (I was just listening to 'La Grange' the other day). He's an incredible guitarist, great vocalist, great songwriter, and a wonderful showman (in the most positive sense of the word). I do like this album and a lot of ZZ Top's work. When an artist (or anyone, really) is genuinely having fun at what they do, it's infectious. I lean more towards their more raw, "dirty blues" stuff because I do that generally when it comes to blues-based rock, but this is a fun album.

A guilty pleasure album for sure. Not a bad song on it, but the music isn't that great. It feels artificial somehow. I was very surprised to learn this was 80s music. It feels very 70s but with 80s production. I feel bad giving it a 3, but does it earn a 4? It's a 3.75.

I’m not sure that the type of music ZZ Top plays needs to be this slick and overproduced.

Really nice groove which is unfortunately fairly monotonous throughout. The vocals/lyrics were less discernable and thereby less abrasive than Van Halen. I don't think I'd return to this unless I was hosting a themed party or something.

These dudes were diabolically horny.

This is a very good album, the story of how they dicked Linden Hudson really kind of sours it.

slick guitars, solid n consistent drums, fun and sometimes lame AF lyrics it's missing some heart in a few places... after awhile it gets quite repetitive and SUPER predictable. missing depth. on the upside it does make me wanna drive a muscle car with the hood down. pretty good on that front... not enough to save it tho fave songs : gimmie all your lovin', sharp dressed man, legs, least fave : I got the six would I listen again? no

Awesome album

It only heard one or two of the singles from this album and of course of my life. Now that I've heard the whole album I really get why the band was so popular. They're a pure driving rock band in a very defining way. I ended up listening to it twice today.

Big beards and synthesizers... ZZ Top were Shoreditch hipsters with Texan accents. All I knew about the boys was their look, I didn't expect them to be combining southern boogie with new wave. On the first side the mashup is seamless and contains all the singles I somehow already knew. After Legs it begins to wear on me, especially when they inadvisably slow the tempo down on TV Dinners (the single I didn't know, for good reason). A really welcome surprise of an album for me after a run of disappointing rock records on my feed. The not-as-old-as-they-looked dogs showed they had new tricks.

Eliminator Gimme All Your Lovin, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs - all cheesy as balls but also hugely enjoyable 80s pop rock bangers. The combination of metronomic drums and new wave synths and sequencers with their blues and boogie guitars is a winning formula and gives the songs a satisfying robotic precision and sheen. The rest of the tracks follow that same pattern to varying degrees of success, without ever quite reaching the immediacy and potency of the three big songs. They are, however, all united by an undeniable enjoyability, even if it’s a rather fleeting and not particularly profound one. Nothing much more to say apart from that overall it's a fun listen, like an intensely sugary snack. Not necessarily something I want for every meal, but at the right time and place definitely one I’ll munch on again. 🚘🚘🚘 Playlist submission: Legs

No. 202/1001 Gimme All Your Lovin' 4/5 Got Me Under Pressure 4/5 Sharp Dressed Man 4/5 I Need You Tonight 3/5 I Got the Six 3/5 Legs 4/5 Thug 3/5 TV Dinners 3/5 Dirty Dog 3/5 If I Could Flag Her Down 3/5 Bad Girl 3/5 Average: 3,36 Good classic rock album.

I remember when this album came out. The videos were in heavy rotation on MTV. I like it but it's not my favorite ZZ Top album.

My dad had this record. I don't think he had any of their earlier albums until much later, but this one pierced his Led Zeppelin shield. At the time all of the lyrics on this record were basically over my head as a single digits earthling but the guitars sounded boss and the car was cool. Later I'll come to ZZ Top's Rio Grande Mud through a brilliant cover of Just Got Paid by some noise rockers who really should've named themselves better. The casual Texas objectification aside, Eliminator is a solid album and I can see why, along with the beards, these guys were a big enough deal that my POP! (as he prefers it stylized) would've picked it up.

The sunglasses and beards are to hide their surprise at being on this list. I am pretty sure that if MTV didnt exist, neither would ZZTop.

This was just shit, what were they in about? A whole song about a lady who can use her legs jeez man. Terrible terrible

Best three opening songs on an album, ever? Yeah I think so.

Great! 5/5

Splendid stuff

Great album. I love ZZ top and their gritty gasoline fuelled ruggedy rock. It's packed with energy and sounds good, even though the lyrics might not be much haha. All I can think of is blue jeans, hot rods, and the open road.

Finally something I can get my ear holes stuck into! This is the kind of thing I’ve been waiting for. Some iconic songs and lovely sounding guitar. Love that Frank Beard made a living out of playing the exact same drum beat in every single song, and also love that he was the only member not to have a beard. It’s a big fat succulent 5 stars from me, putting ZZ Top of my rankings.

One of my parents favorites, and I can understand why. Killer tunes and great fun.

It’s very good I already knew I liked it before

You know how I said Highway to Hell was some perfectly serviceable classic rock? Well, to paraphrase a great thinker of our time, finally, some good fucking classic rock. I can't remember when I last would have listened to this as an album, if ever (I sure as hell don't remember ever hearing Thug before), but this is just bangers all the way down - taut, propulsive, riff-driven country rock, cocky without being pretentious, and just straight-up good fun.

What can I say, it's a stone cold classic of the genre - I know I grew up with this and nostalgia may be playing a heavy part in this rating, but each song hits just right - solos are great but don't outset their welcome, songs tend to be just as long as they need to be, and it's just generally amazing! I took apart ACDC for their incessant talking about sex and women, but here there's at least a self-deprecating current running underneath it all that shows that ZZ Top aren't taking themselves too seriously - the songs end up with them being snubbed by or scared of women, eating meals alone and wondering what to do next, which gives the whole album a playful side that I honestly really enjoy. Easy five stars. Faves: Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, Thug (that slap bass line!)

80s at its finest.

Goddamn this makes me want to get drunk.

Loved it!

If you grew up in the 1980’s ZZ were on Top of the World and you couldn’t hide from them. Most of their “Best of…” came off this album. One of the favorite songs (…I admit it’s misogynistic but compared to their earlier work this is church ready…) “Legs” combined Frank Beards’ steady drive behind the set with Billy Gibson’s Texas-blue-eyed blues riffing and vocal scratch and Dusty Hills rhythmic bass with synthesized backings. It’s one of those songs that makes you want to run a marathon (I think I did use this for the Bolder Boulder playlist).But the hits don’t stop there! Other songs include Got Me Under Pressure, Gimme All Your Lovin’ , Sharp Dressed Man, and six more just for fun. Honestly, fair weather ZZTop fans can get a way with two albums: Eliminator and Tres Hombres, which are exactly ten years apart. So strap on your beard and let’s roll boys! This is a classic!

This was for me, peak ZZTop. Just the icing on the cake-pinnacle of their catalogue.

Great

While a bit inconsistent this is a true classic with some truly amazing songs.

Honestly this is pretty awesome. Everything so tight and well paced, the guitars sound amazing and so dark. I got a little bit bored towards the end of the record but I really really enjoyed it. 4/4.5

Добротный альбом, хард-рок с налётом 80-ых, есть прекрасные баллады.

Just a great album to listen to from start to finish.

Really good

I didn’t realize I knew this band until the Silk Suit Black Tie song from Duck Dynasty. Really enjoyed it!

5 STARS!!!!

Oh... My.,.. Goodness! I feel guilty even starting a review on this. They're not my all time favorite band (though Dusty Hill was one of my influences as a bassist), but I don't believe I've ever heard a ZZ Top song I've objected to. This release in particular has 11 tracks, five of which were at least minor hits; Gimme All Your Lovin', Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, and TV Dinners. There's not a single slouch among the remaining six tunes either. The entire release is heavily doused with what I've come to refer to as "ZZ Top Cool." They're laid back, rockin', cool, humorous, seem like they have a good time playing - and why wouldn't they! Just throw this on - even in the background - and I promise you'll be satisfied. Obviously when Dusty Hill died it left a void. You don't lose something that's been an integral part of you for 50 years and not notice it. But at Dustys' request, his bass tech Elwood Francis took over and they still sound really good. Elwood IS really good, even though he looks a little like a psychotic, grey haired werewolf running around the stage, he's much more than just a sufficient fill-in.

Great

Discazo, me encantó. Creo que nunca había escuchado un álbum completo de ZZ Top y me sorprendió lo mucho que conecté y me prendió. Todo lo que me gusta de estas bandas y épocas lo tienen estos barbudos. Genial.

One of the best in its category. Very effective. 4.51

10/10. I am a sucker for this kind of hard rock music. It featured great songs after great songs. I felt a lot of really good vibrations while listening to it. I should check out more of ZZ Top's work. This was sick! :)

Surprised by how much I liked this one! The singles were ubiquitous in the early 80s, and seemed like a bit of a cliché, but that’s not giving them enough credit for the virtuosity with which they were played. And the album tracks are arguably even better! Just straightforward American rock, very clear in its intentions.

Complete guilty pleasure of an album. It’s just fun straight up bluesy rock and roll. ‘I Need You Tonight’ is just incredible. Everything just powers along with such driving rhythm. Can’t help but turn it up. The cheesy videos were iconic and of that golden MTV age. Love it all.

It may be an album about 69ing and eating Chinese takeaway but there wasn't a second of this I didn't enjoy!! For a morning painting the back door I frankly don't care how shallow it is. I had a blast

This is such a tight album. A fantastic blend of blues and rock, all while mixing in a more modern (of the time) feel.

What else do you need from an 80s blues album than innuendo and blues? Nothing. Perfect album

Liked it. Cool, uplifting.

These white boys were cooking for real

Love it.

Is it the best ZZ Top album? Depends on who you ask. It is full of great tunes that dominated the radio and MTV in the mid-1980s. Gimme All Your Lovin', Legs, and Sharp Dresed Man were all major hits and helped revive blues-oriented rock from its coma. Without Eliminator, you don't have Stevie Ray Vaughn's commercial success. The thing is, it was a popular album and watered down the Texas blues that ZZ Top was known for. It made them mainstream famous but for previous fans of albums like Tres Hombres, it seemed like a bit of a sellout. Overall, it's a great album, maybe not one for the purists, but for the rest of us.

I can't help but love cheesy 80s rock. Hardly cerebral (TV Dinners lmao) but a fun listen the whole way through. Stand outs: Gimme All Your Lovin', I Need You Tonight, Dirty Dog (when I look past the blatant misogyny in the lyrics), and Bad Girl.

Very easy to dismiss as a beardy novelty band, but holy crap ZZ Top were ahead of their time. I guess it was like Dylan going electric, but the simple addition of synths gives every track such a malevolent, hard edge. Did Nirvana use synths? Did Guns 'n Roses? Oasis? No! THEY CAN ALL DO ONE.

Excellent

No notes

Unstoppable

One of the greats

Straight off 5 ⭐ So musically pure and simple, with brilliant riffs. For such a brilliant album, it's next to impossible to pick a "best track". But, I'll give it a shot - for me, it's "got me under pressure"

They come runnin' just as fast as they can 'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man- ZZ Top

This isn't so much a "Fuck it, it's a 5" so much as it is a "I don't give a fuck what anybody else thinks, it's a 5."

A behemoth of a record. inspired by Billy digging Depeche Mode and Ministry.

YESSs also btw give bjorks album another listen. debut

Legendary

Vers good

uh, YES.

Really fun album - Texas fried boogie blues. Eliminator contains a bunch of classic ZZ Top songs. With the long beards and fuzzy guitars it is really easy to overlook how solid a band they were and how good a guitarist Billy Gibbons is.

To me, ZZ Top is the American AC/DC because they have the same basic guitar and driving beat in pretty much all their songs, yet they are SUPER FUN to always listen to. This album is pretty much the one that put ZZ Top on the map. It’s essentially a greatest hits (of their popular radio stuff anyway). I know they have other bluesy stuff, but this is the album to dive in on. Not exactly a no skipper, but a great listen nonetheless.

Classic guitar squealing rock....love it.

Heavy, tight, awesome. Favorite track: Gimme All Your Lovin'

Simple lyrics but AMAZING music. GOATS for a reason. M

Some of the cleanest guitar of the 80s. Every song is basically a satisfying delicious ear worm.

Great album across the board

my dad would beat me if I didn't rate this album a five - he likes it that much.

Rock del lento, rock rápido, rock del bueno, eso es este disco.

Fun energetic album. The solos are poems in the air!!

אחלה של רוק! לא כל המוזיקה מהאייטיז לא משהו

HEAVYYYY blues. I love it. What a fun album. Favorite track: Bad Girl

Brilliant ❤️

Amazing!

About time that we got a real banger again. My last 5 star rating was 26 albums ago. ZZ Top just rock, that's all there is to it, but that can be quite a lot in itself. My main criticism of the previous ZZ Top album we've had was that some of the arrangements sounded a bit too sparse. The modest synth accompaniments and added tightness in percussion through the drum machine really pull their weight in solving the sparseness issue. My other criticism of the other ZZ Top album was that the quality difference between the highs and lows was pretty big. This one is pretty much straight fire throughout. If the low-point is something like the unremarkable (but still solid) Thug, that's a straight A in my book. Great album. More like it, please. Song highlight: Sharp Dressed Man

Really enjoyed this album

Pure rock start to finish. Not a bad song on the album. RIP Dusty. Standout tracks: Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man, I Need Your Tonight, Legs

Wow this album is good. Only heard the popular ones from this like Sharp Dressed Man and Gimme all your lovin. I love the theme and the sound that goes with the album. The cover fits it a lot. ZZ Top's guitar is legendary as ever

It has legs. Great band.

silly music, awesome

gas

Great album. Good fast paced rock. Lots of popular songs.

Good album. Many songs we enjoyed listening to. Like the rhythm and blues music.