Eliminator

Earlier ZZ Top is also really good, but this is a darn fine album in its own right. 4 stars.

How can you not like this fun uplifting music!

As far as I know, this is my first time listening to an entire album by ZZ Top. It's pretty much exactly what I'd expect from a whole album of ZZ Top - it sounds like ZZ Top. Funny that they're a band I never really got into very much because I do very much enjoy their sound. I quite enjoyed this - especially in the work truck with the windows down on a sunny day! "TV Dinners" was the one moment on the album that felt unexpected.

An absolute classic of the 80s and a rock g good album 4*

A weakish 4, a lot of the songs sound sameish but when the same is kinda banging, don't rock the boat I guess.

4.5

ALL HITS

Sums up what ZZ Top are about. Solid bangers.

Didn't know I liked ZZ Top as much as I apparently do!

A great album

I had no clue most biggest hits of ZZ Top were from this album: Gimme all your lovin', Shard Dressed Man, Legs. All blues-rock bangers, which make this a great record.

beards!

A pleasure to give this one a try. No deep concepts here and no video to distract; at core the music had some pleasant surprises. Good enough that I'll probably eventually listen to it again and try out some of their other albums.

This album was released 1 year before I was born, currently age 39, and was in heavy rotation by my parents throughout my childhood. I recall the videos on MTV and this album still rocks 40 years later! Sharp dressed man is still played at many weddings as well as legs!

Good old rock & roll. Good craftsmanship, great sound. Overall great.

It slaps.

The album where ZZ Top reinvented themselves. Unfortunately, I am of the opinion that ZZ Top is not worth more than one album for this list, which dutifully goes to Tres Hombres. But let's not disregard how well Eliminator landed for ZZ Top. The sleek 80's production and hard rock edge made the band a natural fit for the likes of MTV. While they would retain their southern rock roots, I can't help but feel like the appeal of Eliminator is in the things that should make it fail. The textured synths, the high-energy drum machine, the catchier hooks, they all spell disaster for the band that did La Grange just a decade ago. But no, it's the embrace of the musical trends of the 80's that makes Eliminator so good. Suddenly the songs are more interesting, more energized, more fun. Despite getting massively overplayed on classic rock stations, these songs have an undeniable sheen to them. Not every song on here is a winner, but by god did they do a good job with this album. A surprise, but a welcome one.

This rocks. It's awesome. There's one problem - no album that has a song like "TV Dinners" can be a 5

Album starts out with some bangers; Gimme All your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man and especially Got Me Under Pressure are terrific tracks. Legs is also a fun track, and TV Dinners also does it for me. The rest of the tracks are also okay, but it all does sound a bit samey. All with all a great album though!

It's dated, but it's undeniably a classic. You can't go wrong with these guitar riffs and these intense, screamy vocals. Wish more music today sounded this kickass! Standout tracks are Sharp Dressed Man, TV Dinners, Gimme All Your Lovin', and Bad Girl.

Classic. 4.5/5 All great.

Heard a lot of these a million times on classic rock radio. Good songs just overplayed.

Lekker

p511. 1983. 4 stars. Stripped down Southern rock meets 80s synths and produces classic hybrid. Great guitar work and riffs, but a lot of the tracks sound the same and you can argue that most of them outstay their welcome.

This is just a fun, 80s blues rock album. I’ve listened to ZZ Top’s hit songs before, but never a full album. I was really pleased with it overall, would definitely listen to it again!

real boom boom

GREAT songs mixed in with a few OK songs.

The type of rock that makes you want to ride a big motorcycle. Solid rock with a nice groove to it.

Its a fun and good album, nothing really special in any way but it is rather enjoyable

First half of this positively rips and the second half trails off a bit but, overall, ZZ Top's immersion into the popular consciousness can be considered a success, with some of the most ubiquitous songs on here still maintaining their kicks and the other tracks getting a shine. Risks do end up turning into rewards after all. Favorites: Gimme All Your Lovin', Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, I Need You Tonight, Legs, TV Dinners.

Classic

Pretty nice classic rock album

Slappin'. ZZ Top gives raw energy combined with a road trip vibe, and Eliminator even has a car on the cover - coincidence?

Favourite track(s): Gimme All Your Lovin'; Got Me Under Pressure; Sharp Dressed Man; If I Could Only Flag Her Down As the soundtrack to working out (or other activities involving bodily exertion), this album just slaps. The intro track Gimme All Your Lovin' sets the tone and the guitar crying out and being answered in the beginning of Sharp Dressed Man almost invokes some sort of primordial feeling. Now not all tracks are on that level. I Need You Tonight slows the pace down quite a bit - too much for my liking. I Got The Six luckily raises it up again and while TV Dinners feels like another low point (low in terms of this album), the album closes out on two solid tracks. While some may consider it noisy, this kind of Rock focused on guitar riffs and forward-moving beats feels like a highlight of the overall genre. Notably, I do not have enough experience with the genre to make any statements on whether ZZ Top is THE band in this regard or merely a copycat. Still, great album.

eyy, i know some of these me enjoy

rock

really good

It’s definitely good music but it’s not my thing

pretty good, easy listening. 4

The tightest band ever and this is their tightest album. 4/5

I literally own a vintage Eliminator tour jacket (in slight need of repair, but it kicks ass). Probably says enough about how much I love ZZ Top, even though I'd take Rio Grande Mud or Tres Hombres over the 80s stuff

Het album met de hits. Legs, Gimme all your lovin’. Volledig gemaakt, opgenomen, geproduceerd om te scoren. Nog steeds met de good ol’ ZZ Top vibe. Dit in tegenstelling tot het aanpassen van de voorgaande albums om beter aan te sluiten bij de jaren 80. Persoonlijk houd ik meer dan Rio Grande Mud en Tres Hombres - dus in de gerestaureerde ehm originele versie! Toen ik eind jaren 90 bij een concert van ZZ Top was bleef de zaal volledig stil staan tot de nummers van Eliminator voorbij kwamen. Een blokje badmutsen en bontgevoerde gitaren (die Billy en Dusty ronddraaiden) en daarna was het weer tijd voor Southern Boogie… en de zaal stond weer stil.

Fun bluesy rock, reminds me of playing GTA with my brother

T3B 1. Sharp Dressed Man 2. Gimme All Your Lovin’ 3. Legs

This is tremendous. Gets a bit samesy in parts, but the good bits are ace.

Nice guitar work

Durchgängig solides Rock-Album mit 2-3 herausragenden Titeln.

Wouldn’t have listened to it, not my genre… still nice

Nicw

Rough open, and a snoozer or 2, but some of these chugging songs are strong enough to keep it securely in 4 territory.

Classic rock is classic. Fun to think of this hard rock banger coming out in the midst of New Wave revolution.

Fun album!

Fuck yeeeeaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

R R R Real Rock Shit

I find this combination of boogie, blues, and synth rock to be really interesting and Eliminator does have the chops to pull it off. I might not like the over-reliance on guitar noodling between the chorus and verses, but it otherwise is a fun listen.

What a great rock album this is! My knowledge of ZZ Top is very little but this album was awesome to listen to!

Take out the four singles, play the other tracks. How many stars? 3. 3.5 if they did half-stars. So add four singles back in, and difficult to argue with at least 4 stars. Why not five? What is done is done brilliantly, but it is only the one thing that is done.

So many hits and great rhythms.

Gibbons and Hill have some of the best playing and tone in blues-based rock music. This album builds nicely from their prior records while incorporating synths and more electronic sounds for the 80s. Generally fun, simple lyrical themes. Good times all around.

Great bluesy, metal rock album by one of the most recognizable bands of the 1980s. Four singles were released from this one album, the most successful being "Legs." Billy Gibbon's guitar style is fun to listen to, while his addition of synth and drum machines make these songs rock even more. This was definitely a memorable album and was an obvious inclusion on the list.

Always down for some rockin' blues. I don't think I've ever heard this album from start to finish, though I know most people should be familiar with at least 3 or 4 of these tracks. Definitely my first exposure to their music back in the day.

This is just a fun album to listen to. It does a great job of taking ZZ Top's southern bluesy guitars and adding just enough new wave to really make some fun jams with some wide appeal.

Excelente rock clásico de los 70-80 con guitarras rítmicas y con bastante pegada. Míticos y con canciones pegadizas.

Lotta classics I wasn't expecting

All I understood ZZTop to be was this incredibly 80s, incredibly American sound. So I look forward to hearing Le Grange etc for the totally different sound. Never a huge fan of the singles, though they're obviously big old pop songs and you can't fault the craft. Tbh I think only Gimme all your Lovin had a serious impact in the UK. For me anyway. Great for any time I'm feeling in the mood for big daft rock such as this - not in anyway to denigrate it, those times and places do happen.

ZZ Top is a weird band to me. They’re very distinct mostly because of the amazing guitar work but also a lot of the less popular songs sound like a standard 80s rock band like Def Leppard or something. The popular songs like sharp dressed man on this are very distinct from the rest of the album. Still good either way though

Fantastic first half but it takes a dive in qualify after Legs. Gibbons guitar playing is something else. And though not brilliant, a fun album overall.

good album, missing some tush tho

The only band that successfully married boogie with the '80s. The album is way stronger than I thought it would be.

4.25

Highlights: Got Me Under Pressure Sharp Dressed Man I Need You Tonight If I Could Only Flag Her Down Artwork: 5 / 10 Rating: 7,5 / 10

Most tracks have a really nice groove going. Enjoyed this one.

Definitely not as goofy as expected. Quite enjoyed this!

Good old fashioned hard blues rock. Like the other ZZ Top album I reviewed, there is some filler here but the rest is killer.

Una de les autorreivencions més exitoses del rock. 10 anys després de posar el món del blues rock del revés amb 'Tres Hombres', donen la benvinguda als '80 amb un disc que abraça tots els tics de l'época, especialment l'amor pels sintetitzadors i les melodies contagioses. Vist amb la perspectiva del temps, el canvi, tot i ser majúscul, manté però l'essència de la banda texana. 'Dirty Dog', 'Bad Girl'... podrien pertànyer a algun dels seus discos dels setanta. En qualsevol cas, els grans singles que contenia el disc són del millor que va donar la primera part de la década, i plenament disfrutables tants anys després. Encara seguirien per aquest camí amb dos discos posteriors fins a tancar la década. Però les cotes d'inspiració ja no tornarien a ser les mateixes

Temas energéticos, con buen rollo y con las bases del rock and roll

A classic album, one of their very best! Perfect blend of blues, southern rock and new wave.

Great in the 80’s plus memorable videos.

Enjoyed this album, classic hard rock! There were a couple of tracks that dragged a bit, but then pulled right back up with another hit. Gotta love Gibbons' guitar work.

Eliminator is one of those rare, magical records that contain mega-hit after mega-hit, but the band obviously coasts on some of the filler tracks, most egregiously the 6-minute-plus snoozefest of "I Need You Tonight." The good news is even when ZZ Top is coasting they're better than 90% of other bands.

Every song on this album has been used in a montage in an 80's movie.

Great beardey rock

This album is a lot of fun. It was massive when it came out and it's just as catchy now as ever. One thing that stands out to me is how mechanized their sound is, something that's very different than the ZZ Top of the 70s. It was a brilliant move, because the band created this sound that rocked hard, but still fit in with the more electronic-leaning stuff that was dominant on MTV. Apparently the move didn't sit well with many of the band's longtime fans, but they really carved out a unique space in music that doesn't really sound like anything else. Many of the resulting songs are true classics. Fave Songs: Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, Gimme All Your Lovin', I Need You Tonight

Fav songs: - Gimme All Your Lovin' - Sharp Dressed Man - I Need You Tonight

Lekker album. De bekende hits staan er op, en ook de andere nummers zijn heel goed te luisteren. ZZ Topper! ****

Great albums. Sounds great from beginning to end.

I only new the singles going in. Really holds ups. Great guitar sound.

Pretty straight forward 80s type rock, but good stuff at that. The hits are mega hits, the other tracks are good overall.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Gimme all your lovin, I got the six, Legs

Great rock album by ZZ, I can hear that 80s evolution on this one.

Really fun.

Awesome album

pretty fun hard rock 8/10

ZZ Top are one of them bands that are just brilliant at what they do. They just quietly go about their business and make classic songs that don't get the recognition they deserve. Their endurance and simplicity is clear with this album.

Love this album. Iconic songs.

This whole album is a bop, as the youths say (said?🤷‍♀️). Great rock that I enjoyed beginning to end!!

A little more grungy than Tres Hombres. Still loved it, but the grooves and guitar are a bit clearer and smoother in Tres Hombres.

I rather did enjoy this. Read somewhere that this album was successful because it was a complete departure from what they had ever done before. Very over-produced, and lack of musician participation was also another reason it was a commercial success. Pretty funny.

Stellar album. 4 absolute bangers and the rest of the album holds its own. Very enjoyable.

Love ZZ Top, I do prefer their earlier more raw blues albums, but this one is so much fun and has so many hits, so can’t not give 4 stars.

I love the groove of ZZ Top. This isn't my fav album of theirs, but is still great.

I never listen to ZZ Top but I like them. This record - from what I understand having watched a documentary a while back - was the crossoever that this band desperately needed after years of middling chart performance. They paid a lot of dues before recording this record. I don't need to say more than that. This record deserves to be on this list and it is a strong showing.

Loved it.....besides the hits there's some class other tunes in there

Nice

4/5

Rock. On. This was energetic as all hell and I am totally here for it. Lyrically, it was not life-changing, but that is fine. I was head-banging anyway.

Really not something I would come back to very often....But i really did enjoy it. It was a pretty solid sounding album.

Slick production and hugely influential - if a little formulaic in the middle. If I ever get a job as a long haul trucker this album will help keep me fired up through the twilight stretches.

Pretty decent

Love it! New ZZ Top fan, right here!

8/10

I've long heard that Eliminator is THE ZZ Top album to beat, but I've never listened to it, so here goes. The sound of the album is a bit of a shock. It's pure 80s corporate arena rock. The rhythms are robotically precise and thuddingly literal. There's that 80s sheen and slickness, the gated reverb and chorus on the vocals. The sound is compressed--my guess is that if you looked at a waveform of this music, it would look like a brick. And yet it still sounds like ZZ Top, just the MTV version. If all of this sounds like a putdown, it really isn't. Somehow, ZZ Top went for the biggest, dumbest, most commercial sound possible without coming across as sellouts. They even manage to incorporate synths and sequencers into their sound without making you want to barf. How? Wisely, the traditional guitars and vocals remain paramount--on Legs, for example, the sequenced synth comes across as a grace note, a single layer of modernity in the typical Texas boogie. Same goes for the drum machine on Thug. Interestingly, ZZ Top opts to steadily make the drum machines, synths and sequencers more prominent in the arrangements as the album wears on, but never so much that they lose the essence of their sound. As it turns out, Eliminator is a master class in updating a band for the MTV era, a path that is littered with the corpses of 70s era bands. Good for them. The songs themselves are sturdy constructions without being especially memorable, with the exception of Sharp Dressed Man.

I used to own a tape of this when it came out. Classic album that I haven't listened to for years.

Drum machines in pop music are almost always a mistake. They're a special shame here as the fusion of hard and Southern rock is nearly immaculate. The tracklist is a bit uneven, but the best-known songs are not the best ones and at this BPM you're all but required to turn your brain way down.

Surprisingly good, recognized more of the songs than I was expecting. 7

8/10. Surprisingly good

220921 19:47 4

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Real mixed bag here. Lots of fun songs but starts to get a little repetitive. The hits like "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" alone are worth it though. Also really liked "If I Could Only Flag Her Down" which I'd never heard before. 3.5 stars.

Friggin' great record!

I'm not sure that there are actually 11 different tracks here --- more like two and a half. What I'm saying is, some of these songs sound the same. Except Thug, which sounds like the theme from Seinfeld. But what the heck --- it's peppy and fun and I had a good time bopping around the kitchen making dinner and waxing nostalgic about high school cheerleading as I listened.

Now that I have the ability, I am changing the low 2 star review I gave this album over 3 years ago to better reflect my feelings. In my defense, it was the 4th album I got assigned here and I was still calibrating my rating scale. Still, there is little excuse for giving Eliminator a 2. I am revising this rating, leaving my original review below intact. I regret the snootiness that lead to this erroneous review. My apologies to ZZ Top. Original review follows -------------------------------------------------- A lot of guitar. Never listened to this whole album before. Doubtful I will do so again… Loved hearing all the bigger hits that I have not forgotten. “Gimme All Your Lovin’”, “Got Me Under Pressure,” “Sharp Dressed Man”, “Legs”. “I Need You Tonight”. Nice break from the faster songs. I remember this song but couldn’t have identified it. “TV Dinners” - don’t know that I’ve ever heard this but enjoy the silliness. Why is it called “Dirty Dog” when it appears they only sing about a “Scurvy Dog”? While I don’t regret listening to this album. I enjoy ZZ Top’s guitars more in smaller doses.

Muy buen sonido, me encantó.

I liked it. Of course I have heard all the hits. If the songs were all like that it would be an easy 5. 4.4.

Razor sharp guitar playing over a watertight rhythm section. These songs make up an album of classic ZZ Top tunes. I loved the colour of the riffs and solos, and the feel of the music perfectly fits the album art. Will be listening again.

nice zztop album, fast rock and roll, 2 hit songs but the rest follows right after

Great stuff 👍🏼

Oooh this has sharp dressed man, dope. I mean it's good for what it is. I'll give it four stars.

ZZ top tunes

Definite Classic. Very strong 4/5. Lots of great songs. Maybe just a little bit too commercial.

Loved this Album…

One of the classic rock greats!! This album has almost all the ZZ Top Top Hits. I thought I had listened to this album a long time ago and maybe I did because the other songs on the album, while decent, didn't do much to stick out to me, besides TV Dinners due to its weirdness. When your album has Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man, and Legs, there isn't much more you need on it so the fluff didn't bother me. These are songs that have followed us through childhood and remind me of summers lifeguarding and Santa Clause. Not to mention the epic album cover with the fancy car shootings its lights into the distance.

At the risk of jinxing it, I'll say it: it looks like we're entering another classics week! ZZ Top, what a world. These guys are pretty goofy classic rock simpletons, and I don't fault them for that at all. The beards are a hilarious gimmick. "TV Dinner" are you kidding me? Can anyone be mad at this kind of music? I certainly can't. This album has THE hits too, in "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man." Is it all that fantastic or special? No, but it holds a place in my heart. Favorite tracks: Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man, Dirty Dog, Legs, I Got the Six. Album cover: ABSOLUTELY ICONIC. I never saw it up close like this before, never realized it was a drawing rather than a picture. Bright, bold colors for the car and the text/band logo. This one is a classic. 4.5/5

I love the energy of this album. It definitely has that 80's electronic rock feel good vibe going for it.

ZZTop. Classic. Old men with huge beards singing about cars and women and with loud, tangy guitars. What's not to like?

A fine album...very listenable. The hits are great but the album cuts are strong as well. 4 🌟

Every song sounds the same, but honestly, I liked the vibe.

Some classics on here

ZZtop need I say more

Good foot tapping classic rock and roll 8/10

Great album Classic rock :)

The boys doing what they do best

A quality hard rock album. Some of ZZ Top's best.

Fun album. I recognized most of the songs.

Surprisingly enjoyable. Good, hard R&R. Useful to drown out sounds of roommate hanky panky.

I'm enjoying this more than I expected!

Listening to this, it seems so unlikely that these guys were as big as they were in the 80s. But the songs are generally pretty good. Also, when I hear the song Legs, I picture a video where a woman is going around, kicking guys in the nuts. So, extra star.

Pleasantly surprised! Makes me want to explore more ZZ top.

Gimmie All Your Lovin' is a banger. Remember that from the GTA IV days. Oof. Got Me Under Pressure, sounds like a groovy trucker tune. Excellent guitar work. Sharp Dressed Man sounds like a reworked version of Gimmie All Your Lovin', not the most creative effort on the record. Still got a groove, no doubt. I Need You Tonight, a slow pit stop from the rest of the album. Calm little jam. Definitely one for the fluffer mix. I Got The Six brilliant energy reinforcer. Legs also brilliant. Nice ballad. Thug, interesting bass work. Very trucker funk. I like it. TV Dinners is a steady tune. Dirty Dog makes me wonder if they know any other timings for their guitar work.... If I Could shows some variation...nice Bad Girl sounds a little...repetitive. Funny to say after most of the album is repetitive guitar work, but solid mixes and tunes overall.

You've got to love "Gimme all your lovin'", it's such a classic. Really enjoyed this whole album although I didn't expect to.

Ich kannte die Band, hab aber noch nie ein Album durchgehört. Gar nicht mal so schlecht! Da sind zwei drei Lieder drauf, die man (unbewusst) kennt - funzt aber auch gut am Stück. Also: Zack, aufs Motorrad und dem Sonnenuntergang entgegen :P

Very Good

Great album!

Quite enjoyed it, especially Gary!

.

8

Pretty good

Good upbeat jams to listen to

Pretty mellow, pretty good.

Pretty good!

Fantastic listen; a lot of very good songs packed in here.

Fun classic rock and roll

Bangin

Bon album a mettre avec papa

gr8

Awesome!

Hard rock soul, memorable riffs, and a lot of blues. I love it!

Great driving music, as shown by the hot rod cover

Easy to forget how hard ZZ rocks sometimes. Inspired me to make an Old Head Rock playlist.

Entertaining classic southern rock album.

Very fun

groovin

sharp dressed man, legs, gimme all your lovin - some classics here. Texas rock blues

Goooood. I like it. Have always heard of ZZ Top but never gave them a listen.

Pretty sweet guitar riffs

Angst lyrics but 90’s rock sound.

Liked this much more than anticipated. Somehow, I never listened to any ZZ Top before. But they had some nice and groovy songs like "sharp dressed man" or "legs"

Bears guys got good guitar again.

Fed rock. Fed guitar og og fængende sange. 3.5 stjerne

Very good - surprised I don’t have this.

Great

Hard to believe this album came out in the 80s

A few of these songs have been burned into my memory after years of hearing them, but this is catchy stuff. Couldn't bring myself to give it less than 4/5.

꽤 신나고 괜찮은 느낌이었다. It felt pretty exciting and good.

Very cool 80s rock album. Isn’t particularly my taste but was eventually charmed by it.

Didn’t have high hope, but fun listen! Stand-outs - I Need You Tonight

Enjoyable listen. Was worried at first that this was gonna be another bland 80s cock rock slop album but I should’ve known better. Groovy throughout

Nothing here was bad, but it left me feeling very bored. It was doable for half an hour, but the 15 minutes that followed left me impatient. Like I said, it’s not that anything’s bad; riffs are cool, nice lead playing - but there is insanely little variation from track to track in my taste. I feel like if you type into YouTube “blues backing track”, you’ve got Eliminator minus vocals 😂 maybe a bit harsh, but it’s how I felt. Harmonically I’m not even sure how many times we changed key centres throughout this album, or altered the tempo much. As you can probably hear, not for me - and I’m a guitar player so it was a surprise that I didn’t enjoy it more than I did. Despite all of this, I don’t feel too far from home with this one because I’m a big rock and metal fan, and it didn’t actually have one song that I thought was bad, so it still gets a stable 3/5. Onto the next!

Kjørerock! Flere deilige låter her, men tidvis litt for åttitalls til at det får ut sitt fulle potensiale. Bedre på 70-tallet, si. Likevel: Blues done right? Svært sterk 3'er.

Would love to have seen these guys live before Dusty and Frank died.

My second Zz top album and my less favourite. Just some realy basic rock music that chugs along at a surprisingly slow pace. Opener was good, everything else was dirge. 2.5 rounded up to 3 due to beards.

Yeah, okay for a band that I'm not a big fan of. Like many of these albums, I respect the quality of it and how important it was, but it's not really my thing

The synths and sequences show their age, all a little bit too rigid at times, but there’s enough tunes here to make it a fun listen.

Some good songs but an average album

REAL GOOD! so groovy and funk... hit a little jig to all the song "gimme all your loving" makes me want to give a kiss to nearest bad bitches around... not suuuuper into this type of music but a good listen either way !

big 3

Hot rods, hot girls, and MTV vaulted the bearded trio from TX to mainstream popularity and superstardom. Eliminator (and MTV) surely helped change ZZ Top’s image. The girls in the videos made them seem younger and cooler than previous. The album is fun, but a bit one dimensional. (2.83*s) Oh mercy.

ZZ is at the Top of their game with Eliminator. "Sharp Dressed Man" is their best song. The hit tracks do stick to a similar formula though and could almost be interchanged lyrically without knowing the difference. Without this 3fer, album really didn't deliver much else. Songs about jerkin' it and T.V. dinners did not fit and took away from the swag associated with ZZ. Maybe they were just poking fun at the ridiculous idea that a couple of old beirdos could be considered "cool." I think Eliminator deserves a spot on the list either way. The band is iconic and the album is the most successful of their repertoire. Do love that the drummer, Beard, is beardless...just adds to their character. 2.69 stars.

I knew ZZ Top had a string of hits in the 80's but I didn't realize just how big this specific album is. The fact that Eliminator hit 10M records sold is quite an accomplishment. I'm a little amazed at that number even though Eliminator is a pretty solid album from front to back. It's got a little bit of everything that 80's rock can throw at you. A little blues, some featured solos, some cheeky subject matter and a bit of synthesizers thrown in for good measure. The truth is that even though I'm surprised at 10M sold I guess I can see how it got there. ZZ Top was a unique act with the southern flair, long beards, hot rod attitude, fuzzy spinning guitars and anything else they could throw at you on MTV so they obviously did a good job to market themselves and show some wide appeal. Eliminator has a handful of their biggest hits and even the deep cuts are pretty good. It's a little formulaic across the board but still gets the job done. While I don't put it at the top of any all time greatest lists it's pretty clear that Eliminator is a deserving entry on the list. 3.27 stars

3.4 2x classics here but still not my fave

Fairly middle of the road. Blandish hard rock with a bit of 80s new wave flair sprinkled on. Not bad but not particularly memorable.

Fun, brainless rock music. ZZ Top is the good kind of simpleton rock whereas Kiss is the bad kind. The 80s synths and drums give it a slightly different flavor. Best moments are a 4, but I'll round down because only the hits really left a mark...

Rate: 7/10.

just some ZZ Top. Some classics my parents listened to a lot when I was growing up, but some songs are kinda lame. “TV dinners”? Nah

Slightly more interesting than stereotypical ‘80s rock, but not by a lot. There are some classic sounds that will be familiar (Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs), that draw on more interesting influences than the ‘wow-o’ rock that will come to dominate the decade. But ultimately, it still feels a bit shallow. It’s enjoyable enough to listen to to merit 3, but no more.

An enjoyable, if rather samey and one-dimensional album in which ZZ Top’s brand of boogie/blues-rock meets 80s new wave-style synths and production. It’s a very unserious album, definitely nothing too cerebral, but it largely works well, and it’s easy to see why tracks like ‘Gimme All Your Lovin’’, ‘Sharp Dressed Man’ and ‘Legs’ were such big hits. Those are the best songs, however, and the remaining tracks are essentially just worse examples of that same style. The last four or five tracks are particularly uninspiring, but the strength of the earlier material is enough to ensure a 3-star rating.

I never cared for the 80's ZZ Top sound. There are some decent grooves on here but I prefer their previous albums.

Pretty much the quintessential middle of the road rock. It is competent in every way but it is nothing special. Sounds good to listen to and leaves little to no lasting impact

Hard rock, 6.5/10 Gayl: 7.5 Gmup: 8 Sdm: 7.5 Inyt: 7 Igts: 8 L: 6.5 T: 6.5 Tvd: 6 Dd: 7 Iicofhd: 6.5 Bg: 8

Reminds me of car journeys or being at home with my Dad - nice memories

i think this on the better side of cock rock. it's synthy and very 80s, sure, but it hasn't collapsed into empty plastic production. at its best it feels alive and boisterous. the tv dinner song sucks though. deserves to be one of the 1001? i think it has a good case for being on here yea

🦵🕶️🎸🎩🕺🏼

fine

I dig the minimal drum machine and electronic bass paired with the blues guitar. I’ve never really been a massive ZZ Top fan. I’ve tried but it’s not really stuck but this is a fun enough. Listen I think that’s funny that there’s a song about TV dinners.

Hard rockin' bluesy music with lots of hits.

This album is the beginning of a southern rock band with some great hits that turned into a generic pop rock band with cool videos to make MTV as much as possible. The car and the girls were nothing but to to attract younger boys/men into turning on their videos. Hell it worked and is still working. What can I say, I liked the girls too. There are 2 very good songs, a few decent to OK and then falls off at the end. The good- Got Me Under Pressure and I Got the Six. My 2 favorite songs off the album back in the 80's and probably the only 2 songs off this album I listen to today. Outside of the girls, not much of a fan of Gimme All Your Lovin, Sharp Dressed and Legs. Apparently the marketing strategy worked though. TV Dinners just dumb and outside of I Need You Tonight, the rest is forgettable. Have a feeling your "older" ZZ Top fans weren't much a fan of this album. Anyway, yea, this album made a big splash in the music world and I can understand why it's here, but there's something about it that leaves me with the "meh" feeling. RIP Frank 3

3.5 First and foremost, RIP Frank Beard. What are the odds we got this album the day of his death? I swear, I’ve seen more headlines labeling him as “The only ZZ Top member without a beard” than I have “drummer”. Second round of preliminary thoughts - has there always been one “P” in “Top”? I don’t know if I’m having a Mandela Effect moment or what, but I really thought the name of this group was “ZZ Topp”. Also, for some reason, I thought Frank was their primary vocalist. Funnily enough, I apparently called out both of these things in my previous review for Tres Hombres and then seemingly proceeded to keep living in this made-up reality anyway. That all out of the way, this is a pretty different album than Tres Hombres. The guys seemingly dropped the whole desert blues rock thing they had going on and leaned hard into the new hard-rockin’, sex-drippin’, MTV-driven sound of the ‘80s. And by “the guys”, I mean Billy Gibbons and his audio engineer buddy Linden Hudson, because Frank was apparently replaced by a drum machine, and Dusty Hill’s parts were largely re-recorded without him. In fact, Linden actually co-wrote and performed with Billy on most every song here, with Thug actually being an entirely original composition of his own. When the album was ultimately released, he received zero credit for his work, which basically destroyed his relationship with Billy and his bandmates. So, it seems our last living ZZ Topper is a POS. Still, at the time, he was a POS with his finger on the pulse. This album was a huge success, and listening to it now, I can hear why - it’s catchy, and the production is absolutely insane. There is so much I hate about mainstream ‘80s rock music, and this exhibits so many of those things in its songwriting, but I really had a hard time staying mad at it. Yes, the whole vibe of this album is so, so corny by today’s standards (the cover/title combo especially) and certainly a little misogynistic, but it’s like, you cringe, then you groove a little, then you get your face melted off by an awesome guitar solo. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve last listened to Sharp Dressed Man, but you know what? It’s a really good song, and so is a lot of the other stuff here as well. A lot of memories of playing the original Guitar Hero came flooding back with this one. There are a lot of reasons I’d love to put down this album, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t have at least a 3.5/5 level of enjoyment with my listening each time I put it on. The songwriting isn’t anything to write home about, and it’s oftentimes quite questionable lyrically, but I think the production puts it a step above similar releases from this time. Unfortunately, liking this makes me feel a bit like a divorced dad in a wifebeater who spends his time in the garage sipping Miller High Life, but whether we like to admit it or not, I think we all have an inkling of that taste in us somewhere.

A good album. I liked it more than I thought I would.

So fun and groovy, with some eternal classics, but also repetitive deep cuts with corny 80s schtick

i dont know if i am just ignorant to not see what this music is about or if it is just boring "classic" rock. For me every track sounds the same. Its nit generally bad but neither good

While I've never listened to this whole album, I'm very familiar with the hit songs that are on it. As a 12 year old when this came out, I definitely wasn't the target audience for anything ZZ Top had put out before this album, but as someone who watched MTV non-stop at that point in my life, I knew all of these songs from watching the music videos. I don't know a lot about ZZ Top, but this album marked a time where they decided to change from their more bluesy southern rock sound to a more "pop rock" radio friendly sound. Whether you agree with the change or not, it worked for ZZ Top as this record really put them on the map and exposed them to an entire audience they never would have reached otherwise. The guitar work on this album is great and still gives the music that bluesy feel. Listening to the whole album, you realize that a lot of the songs sound very similar. But you have to give them credit that they discovered what worked and went with it.

Les trois premiers sons : excellent Et puis ça avance, et c’est long. Trop long… C’est pas mauvais pour autant mais c’est long et très similaire. 3-/5

Some bangers, a lot repetitive.

I like legs the best. I have it on loop not gonna lie

Can’t lie, this is the most relatable divorced dad rock album yet and was my soundtrack of summer ‘25. It’s greasy, horny, and it boogies. All that with some 80’s gloss slapped on top. Love it or hate it if you ever grew up around any kind of classic rock there’s a ton of familiar tracks on here. TV Dinners gets so much hate but it’s my fav by far. I wouldnt say this is ZZ Top’s best record, but it definitely is the most accessible (for better or worse)

Ik snap het wel. Als je van gitaren houdt is het een leuke rockplaat die niet al te traditioneel is. Hij is superstrak en heeft voor die tijd een vrij moderne sound. Tis verder totaal niet mijn smaak, maar ik kan je wel de clip van Legs aanraden om even op te zoeken op YouTube, veel Amerikaanser dan dit gaat het niet worden.

3.5/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/zz-top/eliminator-1/ Quite like this, especially because I didn't think I'd really enjoy ZZ Top much. Reminds me a lot of Sturgill Simpson's Sound & Fury, which I feel must be heavily inspired by this album. Nice and groovy, cool electronic influences, peak driving music (as the album cover implies). However, the second half is a bit of a drag.

repetitive but its okay

me gushta sisi

Not quite my thing I reckon

Du hard rock classique à la Aerosmith ou Def leppard

Je m’attendais à pire

C'est ok tier, pas trop ma came mais l'album tient la route

generally didn't enjoy this too clean and too stadium sound. The only tracks that do it right are the first two. Got Me Under Pressure in particular finds a great groove and electromechanic sound using, I think, a synth bass

You know, musically this album is a bop with some good licks and grooving bass lines, but lyrically it’s comically one dimensional and a bit cringe to listen to. Still lots of well known hits crammed into one album: “gimme all your loving”, “sharp dressed man”, “legs” are all jams.

3.5/5

Bog standard ZZ Top but it's so goddamn GROOVY. Every girl's crazy bout a sharp dressed man🕺

Enjoyable listen. Was worried at first that this was gonna be another bland 80s cock rock slop album but I should’ve known better. Groovy throughout

Pretty much a pure nostalgia listen. Amazing how basic much of this is, particularly the drums. Although vocals are decent and there are some catchy licks that have survived a generation.

V rámci žánru lepší pop. Počúvateľné...

Solid but very derivative in parts. There's something to be said for this album having too much polish - the drum machine and other synthesizers make for a more driving and steady record, but I find it lacks the charm and edge of ZZ Top's easier and bluesier albums. There's a sterile quality to the production that is not bad, but makes the songs feel less unique. Top tracks: I Need You Tonight, I Got the Six, Thug

I am only aware of them as a concept of beards, sleazy rock and American brashness. Radio playtime over here was limited to "Sharp Dressed Man" ---- Driving rock with bluesy undertones. I'm not sure if this had A and B sides but there's a huge shift in the production and style after "I got the Six" that introduces 80s style production, synth? and drum machines? It's almost like 2 albums smashed together. These tracks are more experimental and varied and less well liked but I kinda dig the proggy "TV dinners" despite the odd lyrical choices. The first 6 and last 3 tracks are a snapshot of 80s cock rock. Pounding tracks with memorable hooks, impressive guitar noodling and frantic pacing. (It also has the obligatory power ballard). 3*

This album was a bit of fun, a bit corny but the melodies and riffs were good

It's fine. Rock you would hear at a bar. There's a couple good song on here, but the rest are just one note and boring.

6 keepers out of 11 (54%) 0 bangers (0%) 3 stars

Typical guitar riffs from the ZZ Top boys. Album is good with a few of their popular hits for sure. Has that feel of 80s rock.

This was solid, some classic songs I have heard a bunch on the radio and honestly more of that same type throughout. Can’t quite give it a 4 but 3 seems right.

qepd pancho barbas, el día anterior había visto que los pusieron en la concert week

I honestly can’t tell whether I like the ZZ Top “sound” but 2 stars seems too low for an album I didn’t necessarily dislike

Estos señores se la rifan bonito Este álbum marca un sonido más eléctrico sin perder la esencia del blues en el ADN que proyectan También tiene mucha personalidad el álbum, canciones como I Need You Tonight lo demuestran fácilmente Legs está buena Mantienen esa fuerte energía en el resto del álbum Se pasó un buen rato y si está reescuchable y entretenido

Ah ZZ Top. What is there to say, you know exactly what you're getting. I saw ZZ Top years ago (and they were old then, somehow still touring as of 2026) and Billy Gibbons steps up to the mic and says that he's happy everyone came to see 'the same three guys playing the same three chords'. I've always thought that was hilarious. However, as far as iconic bands go, ZZ Top has to be up there. Yeah they have their schtick but they're fun and still a staple on (dad) rock radio. And goddamn can Billy play guitar. As for this album specifically, it's pretty much right down the middle for them. I mean the line of their music doesn't really curve much so that's not really saying anything I guess. But it's a fun album, lots of energy, stupid lyrics, great guitar playing. Put this one on during a long stretch in a road trip. Would I make a point to listen to this intentionally? Probably not. But I do feel like it belongs on the list and it's fun to listen to now and again. 3.5/5 but rounding down because it really falls off towards the second half.

It’s 80’s rock. Pretty standard stuff.

Good rock album! But i didnt found anything that called them out from the majority of rock bands. I know they are one of THE rock bands but, maybe because im from metal, i think there is missing some crazy riffs, just my opinion. There is great songs here. Love the album cover!

With the help of MTV this is probably their best selling album. Musically they have better.

The Brits probably call them Zed Zed Top. Absurd. ZZ Top is great. I should listen to them more.

Reading the reviews on here there's a lot of pretentiousness going on. Now this isn't a masterpiece by any means but it is what it's supposed to be. I will say that song TV Dinners is insanely bad. That song gets a 1/10. The rest of the album is just fun. The first three tracks are killer, absolutely 80s radio gems. There is a dropoff. The rest of the album is fine but I think ZZ Top is exactly what I thought they were...a radio hits band. 3 stars

Middle of the road whiskers rock.

It feels weird to call a ZZ Top album a sellout album. But that’s what Eliminator feels like. I like their earlier stuff that’s more blues rock. But this feels like it’s trying too hard to get played on the radio

Starts to drag on the back half, but not bad Likes: Gimme All Your Lovin; Sharp Dressed Man; Legs

Quality classic rock. Nothing more, nothing less.

Melted into bg noise.

Some absolute classics in here but not an album worth coming back to, fine overall

Unfortunately for my better judgement, I’m right in the middle of a supernatural rewatch right now, so this hit the spot. OG Misogyny But It Rocks. The song about how all the girls love their big top hats was awesome. As was the ode to TV dinners. They’re calling it the most divorced album of all time!

5/10

Hat zum Teil echt nette Songs. An sich gar nicht mal so schlecht. Die letzten 2-3 Songs kann man sich jedoch klemmen.

They all kind of sound the same

You can find some great songs and some mediocre songs on this album. But overall, it's unpretentious straight up fun.

Underwhelming mostly, but not offensive

Fun! The songs from this album are what I think of when I think about ZZ Top.

I want an album to compel me to listen, this didn’t quite do the trick.

It really surprised me in a good way

ZZ Top is a band with exactly one mode. That lane is blues forward riff based 70s arena rock. If that’s not your flavor, nothing on this or any other zz album will be your speed. It’s very nostalgic for me, especially the three big hits, but the rest of it is basically just worse versions of those songs. Sharp dressed man, legs, and gimme all your loving will always be classic rock staples, and nothing on the album makes me die of boredom, so three stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mejor

Spanking his monkey? Really?

Meh

An album best described as not weathered well ! Its sure a blast from the past but soon gets very boring unfortunately a lucky

Banger honestly, I love it, but it sounds a bit one dimensional after a while.

ZZ Top shreds. They can't actually sing, most visible on I Need You Tonight, but anything in their typical yell/sing register works with the guitars so well. Makes me want to start ripping darts and work on my car.

Was not expecting much from this album...it's just ZZ Top has always seemed like the most generic classic rock band of all time. Wasn't all that bad though, not something i would probably seek out again, but didn't hate it.

I've fallen so far behind, so in one day at work I will attempt my catch up. I've been a fan of ZZ Top since hearing them on classic rewind radio with my mom.

Takes hard rock into the 80s, some popular hits but not as good as their 70s work in my opinion.

A lot more production than I’d ever expect on a ZZ Top album having only listened to them sporadically beforehand. Drum machines and synths manage to mostly work with the guitar riffs. A fine album it you like old school rock with a singular theme (girls). Otherwise it’s a bit one note.

I didn't hate it. Feels like decent 80s rock, though not particularly unique.

first thought was "damn zz top again?", second thought was "damn zz top made 8 albums?", third thought was "damn zz top kinda hits". favorite song is definitely Legs, also love I Need You Tonight. strong 3

Enjoyed! A lot of songs I already knew

Much like someone else said, the other songs on here besides the hits just sound like less good clones of those hits, which I kinda true. While I liked some of those deeper cuts, the sound definitely got old once I was halfway through. Still something I'd totally be fine to listen to again, but nothing that sticks with you all that much. Still though it's hard to hate too much, so 3/5 for me.

It’s ZZ Top, what rise needs to be said.

Fett ändå!

finns det något gubbigare?

Jävla bra gung i hitsen, ett tugg som inte går av för hackor. Är det synthbas som gör det? Ett för bra instrument ibland. Sen blir det ju lite väl enformigt och gubbigt ibland men aldrig att det är dåligt. Sen ska man inte glömma att det är en fin bil

Decent rock

Solid bangers on this album. Always enjoy ZZ Top.

I found this album a little cheesy but fun. After a few tracks it starts to feel all a bit similar to me. Wouldn’t mind relistening to a few of the songs when I’m in the right mood, but I’m not sure I’d come back to the album again. Fav song: Gimme All Your Lovin’ Least fav: TV Dinners

I was hyper-exposed to the singles from this album in the early days of MTV. I still love those songs, but the rest of this doesn't do a lot for me. I still can't believe "Legs" used to be on MTV and the radio unedited, but I guess people (including me at the time) couldn't understand what they were singing.

Pretty good

Conflicted because I loved the instrumentals on this album, but lyrically this fell flat. Pretty mid-album, which is pretty surprising because I typically love Rock. -S Tier- Gimme All Your Lovin' -A Tier- Sharp Dressed Man -B Tier- I Got the Six -C Tier- Got me Under Pressure Legs Bad Girl -D Tier- I Need You Tonight Thug If I Could Only Flag Her Down -F Tier- TV Dinners

The hits are great, the rest is just okay. It front-loads all the best songs. The band play together great, even without a lot of technical skill outside of Gibbons. I also appreciate that the one member whose name is literally Beard is the one member without the famous ZZ Top beard. 3/5

Maybe I'm mad because I listened to an Eric Clapton album yesterday, but all of the ire towards ZZ Top here could 100% be directed at Eric Clapton and it would still make sense. At least ZZ Top never acted like they were god's gift to rock and roll. Unpretentious blues rock is fun and this album is no exception.

When people think of ZZ Top it is this era that springs to mind the most. Pretty good hits, some misses, still good.

Pretty basic bitch 80s rock but they are cool guys and were in Back to The Future 3 so they get an extra point for that. 3