Eliminator

Good album! 3 out of 5 because of some good hits on the first have of the album. I also appreciate the length.

The hits being frontloaded on this album bring it down from a four to a three. The front half has three of the biggest hits ZZ Top has ever released and then the second half is mostly forgettable generic southern rock. Overall, I did still like this album, just can’t get behind anything above a three.

The first half of this album rocks! I knew I liked "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man", but I didn't realize that I knew "Legs" as well. Those first 6 songs are really solid. After "Legs" the album falls off pretty hard though. Definitely can't be a 5 star with the back half of the album, but I'll gladly give it a 4.

This album has all of the worst hallmarks of the 80s - massive over production, too much crappy synth, over-gated electronic drum sounds that just go 'dik-dik-dik-dik' ... The whole thing makes me feel like I'm wearing a shiny suit with the sleeves pushed to the elbows, and (judging by the lyrical content) some old man's cum stains on the crotch. Billy Gibbons is a great guitarist. Frank Beard is a shit drummer. Dusty Hill was on the album too.

Clearly rips. Each lick seems designed to buzz out of a stadium sound system. But there’s something presentational about them - like they’re a Chuck E. Cheese version of themselves. I wanna hear play a smaller sound. Can they still hit the blues then?

This album is pretty great from start to finish. Just a hit parade of corny MTV videos back in the early 80s. My favorite licks on here are "Got Me Under Pressure." Every time I hear ZZ Top, I always wonder why they were in "Back to the Future III" ... or, for that matter, why they made "Back to the Future III" in the first place. What a time to be alive.

I always found ZZ Top quite funny, but I never took a closer look at them. I wasn't particularly interested in their music back then. I did listen to some of the songs on the album when they were released. But they weren't among the songs I listened to regularly, and it wasn't until later that I took a closer look at ZZ Top. I now like their music and have even been to a live concert by the old geezers. And so I actually listened to the whole album. It may be a little simple, but it's fun. 4/5

There's something I like about this in spite of myself, and there's a lot I don't like about this. I have no idea how to rate this. That was what I thought during the first couple of tracks anyway. After finishing it, I like it a lot less. It's like if you took Dire Straits and added distortion and a dash of misogyny. And I don't like Dire Straits.

Although not as raw and powerful as Tres Hombres and Tejas that were more blues roots. I still enjoy this album as it was on heavy rotation all 4-5 singles when mtv was starting out and I saw those videos a billion times and are an essential part of my childhood. Maybe more poposh and less complicated music but when the 2 same drum beats work why change it.

Some great tracks

what happens when you take the experimental synth ventures of the 1980s and fuse it with the cool and classic rock music that's been present since at LEAST the early 70s? this badass and pleasure-seeking album could only come from the united states. texas if we're being a bit more specific. get in the truck or bike, chug some beer, watch some football. this album is the definition of "heeeeeeeellllll yeah brother".

This is a fun album, but not much more than that. I’m fine with it, but it’s not an album that I really like.

TV dinners have my skin turning red - tell the boy she had milk. The hives are coming! The hives are coming! Wasn’t expecting the power rock at all!

Jag letar aldrig upp dom men när jag hör dom så vill jag lyssna på dom i en bil som låter BRÖÖÖÖÖÖT!

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

this was very silly. perhaps even a bit too silly

These guys deserve more credit than they get but it's their own fault because of albums like this. I would vote for Eliminating this from their catalog. I am more of a Tres Hombres-Deguello type fan, when they would sing about how Jesus just left Chicago on his way to New Orleans, where on this album the timeless winking roadhouse weirdo vibe is replaced with more of a lecherous redneck with money feel that hasn't aged well. But somewhere in the difference between La Grange and Legs you can hear the difference between 70s and 80s culture.

I actually got this album a long time ago from this project (pre-group-enrollment), and while it's not my first (or 2nd or even 25th) choice for an album to listen to again within a year, I'm kind of glad I get a chance to actually review it (I only left a star rating, and an unfair 2 stars at that). For one, I'm a bit shocked this was already their 8th studio album by 1983, and even more shocked that they were only halfway through their studio album output. I'm also impressed at how many of the songs from this album stayed on the radio for a long time afterwards. And while they've never been on my list of great bands, this album is a pretty good example of how well they pivoted in the 80s to create a sound and shtick that kept them popular album after album for decades afterwards. The videos for their singles are all hilariously dated in so many ways, but with the exception of "TV dinners" they also have an impressive continuity between them (I now discover that the three videos were all produced by Tim Newman and have many of the same actors) and capture the very odd contrast of sounds and styles of the trio, and especially these days it's striking how apolitical they managed to be, especially since I'd guess they were more southern-fried than SoCal lefties. I'm pretty sure I'd never heard most of the other (non-single) tracks on the album, but some of them were pretty interesting; "I need you tonight" sounds a lot like an Eagles song, although there are bits of the distinctive ZZ Top sound interspersed in it, and "Thug" has an interesting bass-line and beat to it (not too many lyrics, though). It looks like we'll also get their album "Tres Hombres", and while I'm not sure we really need *two* ZZ Top albums in this collection (even if the earlier one likely has much more of their boogie blues roots), this one definitely captures the 80s ZZ Top sound surprisingly well. (And I love it that Mark Knopfler tried (pretty successfully) to reproduce Billy Gibbons' trademark guitar sound on Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" (and pretty successfully), but Gibbons never replied or helped him out, but acknowledged later that Knopfler more or less nailed it.)

not my thing, though Gimme All Your Lovin isn't bad. "Legs" survives despite ridiculous lyrics. I've heard a lot worse.

I got the six is bangin

SOLID DAD ROCK ALBUM!

Great classic rock album

Another album in the creative nadir of 80s blues-based classic rock saved only by some raunchy guitar tones, the high driving tempos with a bit of groove, and that they aren't taking themselves too seriously. It's extremely stupid music but hey they're having fun with it.

Best Song: Sharp Dressed Man. I don't even know if this is the best, or if it's just familiarity that makes it feel a bit better. Worst Song: Thug. Another boring jam track on an album of mostly boring jam tracks. Overall: No matter how technically proficient the band is able to sound, they lack an ounce of soul. In a way that is difficult to articulate, ZZ Top has always felt flat and passionless to me.

see previous review I guess?

De Ramones van de dad rock (aka alles klinkt wel een beetje hetzelfde). Maar ze komen er (net als de Ramones) mee weg. Heb wel wat medelijden met de bassist, want miljaarde, wat een saaie basslines. 3.6

Classic rock type album. Not the best but definitely not the worst.

This is so annoying because this album starts out so strong with its catchy hooks and instrumentals that managed to itch the right part of my brain, and then those things remained constant throughout the entirety of the album. But not in a way that makes an album cohesive but in a way that all the songs start to sound the same as there’s only some many ways guys can sing about wanting to have sex with girls (and weirdly enough TV dinners). In other words this album starts strong and then plateaus with both the instruments and the lyrics starting to become repetitive, making 45 minutes start to feel longer then it is in actuality.

Idk how I feel about this album its a little samey maybe, but overall still enjoyable. Standout tracks: Gimme All Your Lovin', Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man

A bit silly but great guitar riffs and an overall fun album. I enjoyed this more than the previous ZZ Top album I've had on the generator (Tres Hombres). Cracking singles, particularly Sharp Dressed Man and Gimme All Your Lovin. If I have any criticism it's that it's all a little samey and the fillers are just slightly inferior versions of the hits.

"Eliminator" is the eighth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. Bandleader, guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons had become a big fan of new wave artists Depeche Mode and OMD and wanted to take his blues-rock band in that direction. On this album, he increased the tempo and used more synthesizers and drum machines. Most of the album was written by Gibbons and pre-production engineer Linden Hudson. Bassist and vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard complete the band formally. Other key musicians during the recording included Hudson (synths) and Terry Manning (electronic drums and bass and drum machine). It worked commercially reaching #3 in the UK and #9 in the US and became their best selling album. The first single "Gimme All Your Lovin'" opens the album with an electronic drum beat which goes to a guitar jam. Weird synth noises in the background. Layered guitars and a guitar solo. Highly produced. Yes, this was what Gibbons was looking for. The pace quickens on "Got Me Under Pressure." An electronic bass. A growling guitar. She's got him under pressure. And then there's "Sharp Dressed Men." Hello MTV. A great guitar riff carries this song. I think there's a mixture of electronic and real drums. I give up at this point trying to figure that out. Nice vocal additions. Side two blasts off with "Legs." Layered and slick. They get the groove going. Another great guitar riff and solo by Gibbons. Oh, I did like the video. Mid-80's synth-rock at finest (that can be very good or very bad depending on...) They slow down the pace a bit and bring a more bluesy guitar in "TV Dinner." 80's-sounding synth keys giving this more a new wave sound. He's getting sick eating those tv dinners. Well,well, well, this is a highly produced album with a very clean guutar sound. I gave up after awhile trying to figure if the instruments were real or electronic; it doesn't matter, Gibbons got the slick, highly produced and successful album he was looking for. Oh, there are very catchy riffs and the hit songs are still fun to listen to. They took full advantage of the MTV video era to successfully establish their image. Hey, what's not to like about an album with songs about girls and tv dinners. Well, actually, the synthesized beats and production got kind of old for me in the end. But, the hit songs still sounded cheesy and good to me. I think everyone reading this knows where they stand on mid-80's ZZ Top.

Despite actually knowing some songs on this record, I actually preferred listening to Tres Hombres on this list. This was all kinda samey and a bit bland?

Some classics, but mostly meh

Will not buy on vinyl. Doesn't rock my socks.

8/10

4/5

It has some hits on it, but those hits are pretty overplayed. As a whole it is cohesive and let's me know who they are and what kind of music they are. Lead singer has a unique and interesting voice. There is also something hard about them, but also kind of mellow which is a bit of a change.

The hits on this album are so overplayed, it's hard to get excited about them. Got Me Under Pressure and Thug were my favorites.

I'm not sure what it is about this album I don't care for. Despite there being several hits on here, the whole thing just feels kind of boring and uninspired to me. Even the hits are kinda meh. Sharp Dressed Man is ok, and I kind of liked I Got the Six. Otherwise, this is a pass for me.

This is a blast from my past. Prefer some of their less 80's sound - but good songs are good songs and they do use that production to make it shine

like the songs but they’re all very much the same vibe. repetitive but real cool !

Had Pottential at first but got repetative quite quickly

The start of Eliminator was strong, with some truly standout tracks at the beginning. However, as the album progressed, both the lyrics and instrumentals started to feel less engaging and a bit repetitive.

Solid dad rock 🤘

The hits and the style are undeniable. But MAN is the filler bad. Great opening and these dudes had some guitar tone, big sound, Texas vibe. Could have used a lyricist.

I need to eliminate my biases because this album was a banger and I didn’t think it would be.

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.

Could have reviewed this blind, having listened to the LP a hundred times. Great MOTR rock, not really dated since it came out in the 80s.

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!)

Sticks to the formula like glue. Guitar tone is nice, but apart from that it's bog standard redneck rock.

CHEESY BEYOND ALL CHEESE! Still though, the blues-rock/new wave hybrid has its' charms. I'm already very familiar with all the hits. There aren't any other songs that stand out as different or an improvement on the hit songs. They found a new formula and went all in on 11 tracks of it. By the time track 10 started I was praying for this to be done. Learned while Listening: This is the manufactured "image" era of the band. Manager was hiding the fact they were using tape-recorded backing tracks on stage, Billy Gibbons & Linden Hudson created a majority of the album w/o Beard/Hill input...etc. Gotta have 120 BPMs for hits! (And it WORKED! LOL) Favs: N/A Least: "I Got the Six" (1x) 2 Stars, C-

80s at its finest.

Sounded dated, not timeless, also not great

Enjoyable album, familiar sound and easy listening. Would listen again.

Solid rock and roll. Sharp Dressed Man stood out to me, but the rest just kind of faded into the background as I listened. Nothing really made it pop.

Great album of Hard rock blues. Standouts Tracks: Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin

Fuck, I don't know what to say. It's a ZZ Top album, perhaps their best. You get exactly what you expect from a ZZ Top album, and if that's your jam then you are probably having a great time with this one 4/5

The 80's polish removed the best characteristics of ZZ Top's gritty early sound.

Meh….sounded the same as Tres Hombres. Wasn’t any song that stood out to me.

Not a big ZZ Top fan but haven't heard these songs in a while, so it was a fun listen. I think the music videos are more memorial than the songs themselves.

4/5. Much better than I was expecting. Just blues and pop rock mostly but the production is sleek and clean, with bass right up in the front. The drum machine is a choice that does feel a little disingenuous considering their aesthetic but after listening and realizing what they are going for, it works very well. It's just as hard to make a catchy, accessible song and they made several of them from this album. It's not perfect and some songs do not hold up or stay interesting. Though for what this is, it's still really good. Best Song: Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin', Legs

Hair rock innit. Not my bag really.

Whhh….. like a stale donut

Il y a des albums qui sont des monuments, et puis il y a des albums qui sont des panneaux publicitaires. "Eliminator" de ZZ Top, c’est un peu les deux. Un panneau publicitaire pour un monument, ou l’inverse, je ne sais plus trop. Ce qui est certain, c'est qu'en 1983, ce disque a débarqué avec la subtilité d'un semi-remorque lancé à pleine vitesse sur une route déserte du Texas, écrasant tout sur son passage. Et au volant, trois barbus hilares qui venaient de signer un pacte, non pas avec le diable, mais avec un type bien plus redoutable : le directeur des programmes de MTV. Pour comprendre le choc "Eliminator", il faut se souvenir de ce qu'était ZZ Top avant. Un trio texan pur jus, gras, poussiéreux, sentant la bière tiède et l'huile de vidange. Des albums comme "Tres Hombres" ou Degüello" étaient des merveilles de boogie-blues crasseux, joués avec un feeling incroyable et une nonchalance de mecs qui savent qu'ils n'ont rien à prouver. Billy Gibbons était déjà un dieu de la six-cordes, mais un dieu pour initiés, un prophète prêchant dans le désert des disquaires indépendants et des rades enfumés. Et puis, paf 1983, le monde découvre la Ford '33 rouge, le porte-clés qui tourne tout seul, les filles aux jambes interminables et, surtout, ce son. Ce putain de son. Ce mélange improbable entre le riff boogie le plus primaire qui soit et la froideur métronomique des synthétiseurs et des boîtes à rythmes LinnDrum. C'était comme si on avait forcé John Lee Hooker à faire un featuring avec Kraftwerk après une soirée trop arrosée. Sur le papier, ça avait tout du sacrilège, de la trahison pure et simple. Dans les faits, c'était une formule magique. Une formule pour vendre des millions de disques et devenir des icônes planétaires. Et c'est bien là que le bât blesse, et que ma note ne décollera pas au-dessus d'un modeste 3 sur 5. "Eliminator" n'est pas un grand album, c'est une compilation de singles monstrueusement efficaces. C'est une machine de guerre commerciale pensée pour une nouvelle ère, celle du clip vidéo roi. Soyons honnêtes, le succès stratosphérique de ce disque est indissociable de son matraquage visuel. Les clips de "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man" et "Legs" formaient un feuilleton absurde et génial, une sorte de version rock'n'roll de L'Homme qui valait trois milliards où le super-héros était un bolide rouge. Sans ces images, est-ce que les morceaux auraient eu le même impact ? J'en doute fortement. Parce que musicalement, quand on gratte un peu le vernis rutilant de la production, on sent le malaise. La batterie, autrefois puissante et organique de Frank Beard, est ici souvent remplacée ou doublée par une programmation d'une raideur cadavérique. Les synthés de Dusty Hill, bien que discrets, ajoutent une couche de plastique qui lisse toutes les aspérités. On est passé du cuir élimé au skaï bon marché. Heureusement, il reste la guitare de Billy Gibbons. Le Révérend a beau être noyé sous des tonnes de réverb et de chorus typiques des années 80, il parvient encore à balancer des soli d'une classe folle. Il est le dernier rempart, le gardien du temple blues qui refuse de se rendre complètement face à l'envahisseur synthétique. Alors, pourquoi ce n'est pas une bouse infâme non plus ? Pourquoi un 3 sur 5 et pas un zéro pointé ? Parce qu'il faut être sacrément bouché pour ne pas reconnaître l'efficacité redoutable de ces chansons. "Gimme All Your Lovin'" est un rouleau compresseur. "Sharp Dressed Man" est l'hymne ultime du type qui s'est fait beau pour aller boire des coups. "Legs" a un groove tellement con qu'il en devient génial. C'est du boogie rock pour les nuls, simplifié à l'extrême, calibré pour les stades et les autoroutes. C'est de la musique qui ne demande aucun effort, qui s'écoute le coude à la portière et qui donne envie de taper du pied. Et parfois, ça fait du bien. Le problème, c'est que ça s'arrête là. Le reste de l'album oscille entre le sympathique ("Got Me Under Pressure"), le dispensable ("I Need You Tonight") et le carrément paresseux ("Thug"). On sent qu'ils ont trouvé une formule et qu'ils l'ont essorée jusqu'à la dernière goutte. L'album manque cruellement de la profondeur, de la chaleur et de la crasse qui faisaient le charme de leurs précédentes productions. C'est un album propre, trop propre. Un album qui a été passé au Kärcher. Dans le grand carnet de bord des 1001 albums, "Eliminator" a une place particulière. C'est le disque qui a transformé un groupe culte en phénomène de foire, c'est le symbole d'une décennie où l'image a souvent pris le pas sur la musique. C'est un album que l'on doit écouter, non pas pour sa valeur artistique intrinsèque, mais pour comprendre comment un groupe a pu, avec une recette simple mais diablement bien exécutée, conquérir le monde. C'est une leçon de marketing, une étude de cas. Pour moi, le vrai ZZ Top, le grand, le sublime, est mort un peu avant, ou a survécu péniblement après. "Eliminator", c'est juste un bon album de boogie rock, un excellent produit de son temps, mais un album de ZZ Top tout juste passable. C'est l'album qui leur a permis de s'acheter des plus grosses voitures, mais qui a laissé une partie de leur âme sur le bord de la route. Un album à écouter en bagnole, de préférence une rouge, avec des filles qui font de l'auto-stop. Cliché ? Oui. Comme cet album, en fait.

This album definitely benefited by it's exposure on MTV and radio ate it up the hits with me wondering at the time, what's the big deal? Such a generic sounding hard rock band that almost (well, did) became a joke with the twin long beards and spinning guitars. Visually stunning (uh, not really) and the music is catchy and infectious, but if you dig deeper into the other songs on the album, it rings hollow and seems repetitive, pumping out the same formula over and over. I admit I've probably nodded my head to their music at sporting events or in the car, but this is non-creative commercial music for the masses, that is best listened to with your brain turned off.

6/10. ZZ Top were never really my thing. Relistening to this album its full of some really admirable guitar playing, but I can't really say its gonna stick with me.

A whole album of classic ZZ Top. They're good.

The music was good, the lyrics were bad. 4/5

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Album Review: The Monstrosity That is Eliminator by ZZ Top Title: Eliminator Artist: ZZ Top (a trio of sound butchers) Release Date: 1983 (yet it feels like it’s been torturing eardrums for centuries) Introduction: The Downfall of Humanity, in Audio Form If you’ve ever wanted to experience what it's like to be assaulted by a dumpster fire of guitar riffs, awkward beards, and synth-heavy garbage, then Eliminator by ZZ Top is here to grant your most masochistic wishes. With hits like "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs," this album is a sonic equivalent of a used car salesman trying to sell you a rusty lemon—except the lemon also comes with soul-crushing regret and disappointment. ZZ Top somehow found a way to make blues, rock, and 80s synth sound like they were thrown into a blender set to “destroy.” I’m not saying the creators of this album are subhuman garbage, but I will say that after listening to Eliminator, I’m convinced they belong to a species that finds pleasure in other people's suffering. Track-by-Track Breakdown (With Calculations!) Track 1: Gimme All Your Lovin’ Gimme all your lovin’? More like, “Please, take it back!” With a tempo calculated at a painfully repetitive 120 beats per minute, this song drones on for 4 minutes and 3 seconds—though I’m convinced time warps around this track, making it feel twice as long. Based on listener reports, this song results in an average IQ loss of 2.3 points per minute. That’s a total cognitive decline of approximately 9.5 points by the end of this track. Track 2: Sharp Dressed Man A song that’s somehow both monotonous and garish, Sharp Dressed Man is ZZ Top’s attempt at a catchy anthem, but instead, it sounds like a drunken karaoke version of a track that didn’t deserve to be created in the first place. Lyrically, it’s the equivalent of a half-baked infomercial, selling “cool” with a side of existential dread. Running statistical analysis, 86% of listeners reported feeling a strange combination of secondhand embarrassment and the sudden urge to buy ill-fitting suits. Graph 1: Listener Satisfaction vs. Despair Using advanced listener feedback, I’ve plotted how one’s emotions evolve over time while experiencing Eliminator: Track Number Satisfaction (%) Despair (%) 1 (Gimme All Your Lovin’) 30 70 2 (Sharp Dressed Man) 15 85 3 (Legs) 10 90 4 (Thug) 5 95 10 (Bad Girl) 0 100 Interpretation: By track 4, despair has surpassed satisfaction, leaving the listener in a state of hopelessness. If you make it to track 10 (Bad Girl), congratulations—you are now a shell of your former self. Track 5: Legs The synth-heavy abomination that is Legs sounds like it was created by someone who not only hates music but also actively despises their own legs. It loops endlessly like an AI-generated song from a dystopian future where all good music is banned. The chorus, repeating "She’s got legs," delivers absolutely no insight into human anatomy or why this is even a topic of interest. Conclusion: A Weapon of Mass Auditory Destruction ZZ Top’s Eliminator is not just bad; it’s a test of endurance. Surviving the album is akin to completing a marathon made entirely of ear-bleeding guitar solos, synth explosions, and uninspired lyrics. If you’re looking for something to play in the background while interrogating someone, this might be perfect. For anyone else with a soul and functioning eardrums, consider this a public service announcement: Eliminator is best left eliminated. Final Rating: 0.5/10 Because even subhuman garbage deserves a rating.

Half of the album sounded like the same song, although that song is pretty good so I'm not complaining. First 4 songs are fire, album drops a touch after that but it's still pretty good. Also Jake is NOT Johan Liebert.

"I Got the Six" was a dastardly ahh track :skull: "I like the enchiladas, and the teriaki too" Bland and unremarkable record (addendum: often it's actively bad). Their specific style of blues+rock is not it bro. Had to start skipping tracks for my sanity. The only redeeming factor was that they had some interesting riffs Fucking garbage lmao, never want to hear another ZZ Top song. Very fitting that the wheel of fortune stand user is named "ZZ" after this band because both suck ass. Can't wait for ben to give this a high score for no reason

Goddamn this makes me want to get drunk.

Nice one

we makin it outta the family reunion to this one

Gimme All Your Lovin' and Sharp Dressed Man are great, I've always liked those songs. The driving guitars / synths and steady drums are kind of addictive. I think I've heard Legs, but I never sought it out. I actively disliked I Got the Six and TV Dinners, and the rest were okay. Love their sound, but yeesh, the lyrics.

Loved it!

I obviously know all the hits from this album already. Was interesting reading the backstory and knowing that pretty much all the drums and bass were replaced by electronic drums and synths, it's really obvious now that I'm listening for it. Pretty awesome guitar work throughout. The deep cuts for the most part are deep cuts for a reason, not bad but nothing that stands out really.

It was good, i expected more bluesy style rock but this was more of an early MTV highlights reel

It is an iconic eighties album and the backing videos were great for a guy in his late teens. It is not my favorite ZZ Top album, preferring the older more blues-driven songs from their seventies output. Excellent musicianship. Billy Gibbons is still a fantastic blues guitarist and the rhythm section backs him up beautifully. RIP Dusty Hill.

Somewhere between a 2 and a 3

Ugh it’s not bad I guess but it’s so boring The drumming is so mechanical/ drum machine parts are so basic. I kinda hated it

ZZ top is so uninspired. There is nothing remotely creative or original about this band and i dont understand why there is one, not to mention two albums on this list

His vocals sound like they left the lead track and the left the background vocal to beef up the vocal track. He really lost me at TV dinners

Good for a concert in the park on a Friday night in some random suburb, but not for this list

- It is possible I am being too nice with this, because very little wow'ed me here. ZZ Top feel like rock journeymen. Very competent. Very successful. Nothing that makes them sound like authors. - I am impressed by their ability to get under your skin without relying on the fastest of tempos. These songs make you want to party, but they do not exhaust you. - But some of these tracks, namely the singles, are very powerful. Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man, and Legs are all bangers. TV Dinners is pretty dumb (and dated).

Good rock album got a little repetitive

So many bops here

Great 80’s rock

Great sound

Every song sounds the same except for like 2, just listen to Sharp Dressed Man or wait for it to come on your local rock station lmfao

Much like the previous album I hated these guys growing up. Their constant airplay and cheese beards irked me. But much like the last album of theirs on this list I quote enjoyed it. Some songs have been played to death on the radio, but that's not their fault for making great songs

TV Dinners. What the hell did I just listen to? I don’t love blue’s rock so this was not my thing.

I'm well familiar with ZZ Top as southern blues-rock legends, and this album Eliminator includes some of their biggest hits - "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Got Me Under Pressure", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs". The first half of this record sandwiched by those tracks is a solid collection of bonafide rockers that keep a good generally fast tempo with delicious guitar riffs from Billy Gibbons. Even "Thug" mixes it up with a slower tempo complemented by a slapping bass solo from Busty Hill. But then comes "TV Dinners", a novelty song where the double entendres with microwavable meals are clunky at best. By the end of that track, the momentum is lost, as the rest of the second half devolves into more overt sexual lyrics that end up even dumber by comparison. The only track in this batch I'm partial to is "Dirty Dog" as it tries to get the tempo going again and the guitar riffs again come in clutch. There is another problem with this album that becomes more noticeable in the back half - the drum machines. This was a calculated approach by Gibbons, as he was informed by pre-production engineer and co-writer Linden Hudson that many hit songs at the time had a tempo of about 124 beats per minute. Thus, the decision was made to use drum machines to keep at this new pace. While it does mean the songwriting is improved as the group focused more on timing, that left Frank Beard in an awkward spot as the band's drummer who is not actually drumming on this album. Personally, I prefer live drums in hard rock music, especially regarding ZZ Top's previous material. I still generally enjoy Eliminator as an album. It's a fun guitar-driven romp that's only dated by some production and lyrical choices. Make of that as you will.

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

Cool music, cringy lyrics. I didn't like this as much as Tres Hombres but it's still quite a fun listen

This is what I expect from a ZZTop album.

Se sintió muy repetitivo, el sonido muy típico del rock de la época.

Pretty fun 80s pop rock. Not massively my thing really but a good vibe. Favourite tracks: Gimme All Your Lovin', Got Me Under Pressure, Sharp Dressed Man, TV Dinners.

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!

As a child of MTV, this is straight dopamine to my brain triggering massive nostalgia. ZZ Top has always stayed true to their Texas blues roots and sound even when they went video to kill the radio star. This is a very specific sound and not one I usually go for but is a nice change of pace.

Some good cheese and sleaze. You essentially hear the same 3 or 4 songs over and over but they're done well even if everything feels dominated by Gibbons.

Honestly, ZZ Top isn't really my sound. This album is loaded with iconic songs though, and I appreciate their style.

Middle-aged divorced male power-fantasy where the women are wild, guitar solos go hard and the TV dinners don't taste depressing.

Not bad after all these years

dad rock, but solid

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

Epic guitar riffs and solos. Average, but very distinct vocals. Much more into the music than the lyrics. Found a few songs that I'd like to listen to again.

Probably the Beard Boys bext album. Certainly their poppiest, if that's a word.

Previously semi-aware of the hits and the beards of the band, this album has turned me into a fan of ZZ Top full stop. The guitars rip and the beat drives. Roadster funk vibes. I'll be adding some ZZ to every American road trip playlist from here on out.

MTV would not have been as good without ZZ Top.

good but very repetitive

Ja nee teveel geluid

Yoooooooo, Zz top leip Mannen met baarden

Oh, really!? Listened to it awful, never to be repeated.

Anything from ZZ Top is fun

Great

Very bluesy, undoubtedly manly and solid album. Great tones and licks.

Decent.

Basically most of ZZ Top's big hits on this one. Sure, they were massive. But I've just never been a huge fan of ZZ Top's biggest hits even though I probably know them all by heart at this point having heard them a million times...

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

Hillbilly energy.

Metronome bushy rock

I don’t know anyone who dislikes ZZ Top. They kind of stand apart from the rest of the music world as their own thing. But that said it’s not exactly Led Zeppelin either. But it’s good, solid reliable rock a rock and Eliminator is ZZ Top at its pinnacle.

Not totally ruined by the 80's mixing, but partly

i do not want to listen to this shit. i almost gotta concussion today, i lowkey wish i was hospitalized so i didn't have to listen to this nvm they made the duck dynasty theme this actually the best album ever albums not even that bad, i just don't like out of 80s/70s hard rock album. i get like nothing out of them, they all sound the same to me. Unfortunately I'm not a 50+ balding white dad wielding a spatula in one hand, a budlight in the other manning a grill at family barbeque and actually a bisexual he/they black kid sitting in a dorm at a liberal arts school. if i was i would probably love this album. this shit aint made for me idk what to say

....

ugh whatever

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.

Honestly what is the deal with these guys… they’re kinda hilarious. I thought Tres Hombres was a really slick crystallization of their chill yet unserious vibe, and I got some of that outta this (and probably more laughs) but it’s not as good… Christine ass cover also..

The only thing keeping this above a 2 is the Weird Al soundalike “TV Dinners”

better than i expected!

Good music and definitely a real early 80's rock vibe. Most likely wont listen to this again just because that's not my preference.

I went into this album knowing a few songs. After listening to the whole thing- I think ZZ Top definitely established a signature sound and had some strong hits. But the songs did start to get a little one-note for me. Also a lot of the sex/drugs/rock and roll vibe that got old. The hits are definitely catchy though and thr instrumentation is skilled and stylized Overall- a decent rock albun

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

Put this on in the office, told people about the 1001 albums and all of their comments would be added to the review. Obviously us oldies knew the hits, Dave tapped his fingers on the desk to gimme all your lovin, but I only noticed when it had finished. No one had anything constructive or critical. Which I think speaks volumes.

Straight forward, fast-tempoed rock songs. First half was good. By the second half, it starts to sound monotonous. Nothing much really to listen to.

solid album with a great energy, i took a few tracks off this album i can’t complain

Much more my style. Didnt realize how many zz top songs I unknowingly liked. Good album, would listen again

ZZ Top is always fun

Fun enough to tap your foot along to, but gets a bit repetitive by the end.

I like this album. I like ZZ Top. But I almost never think of them.

We all have beards!!

Not as good as their earlier stuff. La Grange was top tier for me. Still, the first few tracks were quite good.

fágaðri en fyrri platan. vantar aðeins þennan húkkera hráleika en smá texas-sjarmi. veit ekki með framhaldið.

I didn't have high hopes for this, but it was better than expected. The problem is that the whole A-side is stellar, and then everything TV Dinners on is pretty mid. I'd pick it up used at the record store though. 3.5/5

It's very one-noted music, all songs are so similar and musically not interesting. It was not an unlistenable album but I for sure won't listen to it again in the future.

Solid

Really good

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

I've always been aware of this band, but have never sat down and listened to any of their songs. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This fun 80s rock album with sick guitars, good energy, and interesting themes. Solid album.

Wow, the riffs and top songs here are iconic. Really a groove to the whole album even if it's not really my thing overall.

Fun stuff. Awesome cover.

Fun to listen to, and there is clear talent on display. However, they have a similar issue that AC/DC have, which is that every song sounds the same.

A classic album, but there's not a lot of meat here. There's a few enduring hits, but the tracks that support and surround them are fairly lackluster.

Liked the vibe, wouldn't actively listen though

Rockklassiker.

Surprised for sure, only knew Sharp Dressed Man, amazing guitar licks and very down to earth lyrics, did not enjoy last track

sounds like this album is stuck in an 80’s white man’s capitalistic hellscape and i want out

Okay so it's pretty good. Tres hombres is better. People hate them because they became popular but isn't that the goal?

Some hits at the top of the album. Got repetitive after that

Pretty slick, ZZ Top is super cool

Album makes me think Kid Rock found this really inspirational.

Gut

5 STARS!!!!

Classic 80s rock. For the right mood, it's great.

A few hits I recognized and jammed to but not my fav.

ZZ Top. Saw them in 1986. Loved it. They introduce synths to the blues. A New York or Chicago band, let alone a Sydney or Melbourne or London blues band, would have been laughed off as pretentious wankers. ZZ Top are - or were - the real thing. This is probably the last really great album they did. Guns, cars and girls. What more do you need? I’ll be honest. This type of thing tends to bore me now. But they do it very well.

You need to understand something. I don't normally come into these kinds of establishments. This music pumps like an action sequence from a US car commercial for a pickup truck (or any meaty car with a big enough donk to substitute for ego awareness and intellect) in the dessert, where a tight denim wearing blond with red lips tilts up her hat to look at you, then wink, and kick up some dust. ... It's cheap, low, formulaic cliché ear juice. And just like bourbon, it does the job, even if it hurts to know it's basically couch syrup you're drinking. Get me out of here before someone sees me. Back entrance?

I love early ZZ Top. La Grange is one of the 70’s great singles. They were agreat boogie band, but they changed course with this album. It was a huge disappointment for me. The best thing about Legs was the film clip. Greatband, but ordinary album.

I was a teenager just really starting to explore popular music via 2SM and music video shows when this came out. It was really popular at the times, and the videos popped out when they came on. This was a big record, but it didn't move me enough to save my pocket money to fork out for a copy at the time. Listening to it now, it seems really weird that ZZ Top of all bands would successfully transition into what an 80s band needed to be. Drums machine, slick synthesizers, iconic imagery in expensive videos. How a bunch of aging blues-boogie road dogs decided to go full tilt at pop stardom seems audacious to the point of foolhardiness now. But it worked, even if the metronomic tempos and digital rhythm section removed much of what was charming about the band in the first place. This album certainly doesn't have the boogie or dynamics of Tres Hombres. This really remind me of the commercial turn that the Black Keys took, nearly 30 year slater. Slick production values that polish and smooth over the rough-edged charm of the band, custom designed for radio play. And listening to Eliminator all the way through is very much like listening to El Camino. Each song is carefully honed and crafted, mixed loud and compressed with hooks a-plenty, designed to play on the radio and sound like the best song you've heard all day. But a whole album of identically paced, similarly sequenced and polished, equally compressed songs just exhausts the ears after 20 minutes. Flipping it over to play the second side was wearisome. Don't get me wrong; the singles are excellent fun radio pop hits. I would consider dropping one in a DJ set (especially if I was playing for a party of 50 year olds, who would remember the Sharp Dressed Man video). And I have a vinyl copy of this album, that I obsoletely cannot remember buying; it must have been a hand-me-down or bought in a batch of $1 records in the late 90s when nobody wanted vinyl. But this is the first time that I have pulled it off the shelf to play, because really, you never need more than 1 or 2 songs worth of this at a time. I don't begrudge Messrs Hill, Gibbons, and Beard for grabbing the brass ring. They spent a lot of years working the road to moderate success before this. I just hope they didn't spend all of their MTV millions on blow. But I think they were much more interesting before this.

Some really great guitar riffs here and also some really great songs!

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.

Knew the singles but was pretty enjoyable to listen to them in the context of the album, exactly what I expected but easy to see why they have legendary status

Great

This album has some real strong songs on it - Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man, and Legs. However, outside of these, the remainder of the album is kind of forgettable for me.

These boys had an aesthetic that was their own, musically and all less interesting trappings eg cars and beards and two steps. Memphis shit! (Ardent studios). Cool recording history - Ol Billy Gibs got into bpm drum machines and moog bass etc. Kinda left the other boys hanging. Songs are tight, well produced, best is Sharp Dressed Man. High 3, almost four for effort, but the other songs aren't as good, and La Grange, and maybe tush are their best.

Didn’t leave much of an impression actually, apart from sharp dressed man and give me all your lovin

Sleazy southern rock. The boys try their best at dipping their beards into some pop/rock to help them continue to have the spare time to cultivate their follicals. Some rightly classic tunes on here, though they struggle to keep it going for a whole album: Best Tracks: Gimme Some Lovin'; Sharp Dressed Man; If I Could Only Flag Her Down

Very solid album, but I don't think it crosses into "great" territory.

Mmm

Well, here we are. In my previous review of Tres Hombres I mentioned I wasn’t a fan of the 80’s ZZ Top and now that this album has come around I stand by that statement. It’s all just a little dated and cringy. Even the songs that are supposed to be the back bone of the album, the singles just sound a little embarrassing. Not a fan, much preferred Tres Hombres.

miren, resulta que zz top no es sólo La Grange.

Had listened to a good few songs off this album but never the full album didn’t think I was gonna like it since I haven’t been into ZZ top in the last bit but honestly was quite good and I jived with most of not almost all of the album

I think I like ZZ Top, but I have never listened to a whole album, and listen to their hits very infrequently, maybe when I'm drunk and nostalgic, listening to 'classic rock hits from my youth' (I'm thinking Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, etc.) Now that I've gone start to finish on a ZZ Top album I can sincerely say, their hits are ok. And they can firmly stay where they were, in my nostalgic and beer fuelled memory, dusted off now and again to scratch an itch until someone else in my home asks what the hell I'm listening to, and can I put something else on. Then I put on La Grange (not on this album, but a far better song) before acquiescing. I'll give it three badass and bearded stars for old times' sake.

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.

3.5/5

First listen Saved 3/11 Top track: Gimme All Your Lovin'

chirurgic metal with beards

Hmmm there's some 80s party girls referenced in this album who are now grandmothers. Some decent moments but it reeks of rock bitch fury from 80s. Hasn't aged week 5/10

This is mostly uninteresting but well executed and produced rock and roll. The lyrics have a depressingly horny desperation. “Legs” is perhaps the mostly insipid male-gazey song of all time (appropriately WWE’s Stacey Kiebler used it as her theme music). “She’s got legs and knows how to use them). Yes, like most non-aquatic animals.

This is the type of music some boomer would joke about being dangerous when driving because it makes you go fast

That album was some o.k. blues rock. Better than being forced to listed to racist clapton. Not too bad. 3/5

dit zou 5 sterren moeten zijn, maar ik mis een beetje de rauwheid van de vroegere albums.. te eighties gelikt, dus sterretje minder

6/10 This one reminded me a bit of Status Quo, make of that what you like. But more proggy and much more proggy than expected. Basic leery bluesy rock music with some good choruses and seedy lyrics. They had clearly listened to Pink Floyd and taken the lesson that longer guitar solos = better. I disagree. Best: Sharp Dressed Man

Good

Sucks - very much not my thing. Can't believe someone found a lost nametag at kink event and decided to name a band after it Best Track: Thug Worst Track: Sharp Dressed Man

Truly awful

A bunch of classic rocking tunes in the first half, followed by a few fillers but ends strong. Really good fun for the most part. Mainly, i just want to drive the Eliminator Coupe. 3.5

1. loving - 2 2. prezzure - 1 3. drezzed man - 3 4. tonight - 1.5 5. ziz - 1 6. legz - 2 7. thug - 1 8. tv - 1 9. dirty dog - 1.5 10. flag - 1.5 11. bad girl - 1

This is just rock. Nothing really special, just something I hear on my dad's radio.

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

Knetterfout. Misschien ook omdat ik dit album niet kan horen zonder te denken aan het klassieke youtubefilmpje 'This drummer is at the wrong gig'. Dit is ook echt van die semi-stoere rockmuziek die nog wel acceptabel is op familiefeestjes, waarbij de ooms dan heel even naar elkaar kijken en elkaar een tevreden knikje geven. Een solide album, waarbij de twee grootste hits wel voor het grootste plezier moeten zorgen. De gitaren en ook de bas klinken lekker, de drums zijn zeer acceptabel voor een 80's album, hele tassen vol met solo's die tot de nok gevuld zijn met boomer-bends. Veel meer heb ik niet nodig om een voldoende uit te delen. Hoge drie of lage vier.

GIMME ALL YOUR LOVIN aso bis etz nuuuur banger sharo dressed maaaan i need you tonight afoch e langs gitarresolo

mega geile ahfang aber iwenn chli seicht, drum machine giht dumm und gitarresoli hard und megaaaa horny

This one is full of classic rock staples, so I was familiar with many of the songs on it. And it's a pretty good, cohesive record. But I've never been a huge fan of ZZ Top's style. All in all, I enjoyed it, but didn't love it.

ZZ Top is like the AC/DC of Blues Rock. Very proficient at what they do, but they often stay in their lane, and because of that, they rarely exceed my expectations. At first I was gonna give this album a 4, but... it's no more than a 3 or 3.5/5. It's good at exactly what it is, nothing more, nothing less.

Overall just a great cohesive album of his and blues rock. Really enjoyable

Yeah it's just classic isn't it! Perfect classic rock songs. I have to say with these ones they do kind of blur into each other quite a bit. But I appreciate it. Recognised a few

Well it's good stuff, proper classic rock. Kind of all sounds the same but it's good fun right

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! :)

Boring

Not as good as earlier ZZ Top

Con más de una década de carrera a la espalda, ZZ Top editó en 1983 Eliminator, culminando su giro estilístico desde el clásico boogie-blues a una mezcla en la que sintentizadores y efectos electrónicos impulsan la guitarra de Gibbons en grandes éxitos como "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man", "Got Me Under Pressure" y "TV Dinners" (ayudados, eso sí, por vídeos musicales en la MTV). Blues-rock de nueva ola y sonido irresistible que, sin embargo, con el paso de los años suena algo acartonado. No obstante, es un disco que hay que escuchar y, si te llama el ritmo, bailar.

💖 sharp dressed man 🗣️ 8️⃣

Esencijalni 80s hard rock album.

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.

HL: “Gimme All Your Lovin” "Sharp Dressed Man", "Legs", "I Need You Tonight" At least we’ll always have the 1st half of Eliminator I’ve heard the singles (not “Tv Dinners”, thank goodness) many, many times growing up on BOB FM; they were one of my entry points into 80s rock culture, along with The Cars, Guns n’ Roses and the legendary Weird Al. It’s clear after the halfway point that it doesn’t really get better than those singles, though I appreciate “Thug” & “I Need You Tonight” for being the outliers in a pretty homogenous-sounding record. 3.5

riff heavy blues rock

I feel like this challenge, by opening me to so many artists and genres, completely ruined hard rock for me. I can't listen to it anymore, it all sounds so bland now. There's nothing that stands out on this album for me. I listened to it once and I really don't want to go back and give it another chance. I can't imagine ever wanting to put this on again and the album is not groundbreaking or otherwise important for the overall music history, which all together makes it a 1/5.

Beard guys rule

This is the re-invented, commercial version of ZZ Top. That is not a criticism, just a fact of life. And if it weren't for this album I would probably never heard Tres Hombres. Having said that this is the first time I've heard this album. I was obviously aware of the released tracks from it, and they're all high quality, as are the the others. Basically it's a great album, just not quite as good as TH. All in all a solid 4, and yes I would buy it.

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 was as I remembered, a bunch old old hairy people trying and succeeding to be cool, for a year or two. This produced the massive 'Legs' and 'Gimme All Your Lovin'. Everyone knows, or should know these two songs. On their own, those two deserve a 3 star score. I liked 'Thug', however the rest knocks it down a star.

ew

This album can not be fully appreciated without the accompanying music videos. This album and the rise of MTV were in lock step in the early 80s. The album is great as is but the music video revolution helped sell some units.

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

Did you know that ZZ Top's sound on this album was actually kind of controversial? Yeah, Dusty Hill, the bassist, compared it to the "Electric Dylan" controversy. I mean, ZZ Top, to that point, were best known for playing blues and boogie—the kind you'd hear in southern Texas, not too far from the Mexican border. So this comes along, and... What's that? Synthesizers? Drum machines? **New wave influence**? I gotta imagine their audience weren't happy with this contemporary, more-commercial sound. All these years removed, however, spinning it here in 2024... I'unno. Maybe it's not "La Grange", but it still sounds to me like ZZ Top. And that's all I could really ask from a ZZ Top album. Sure, the songs all sound like each other, but take it from a fan of AC/DC and Motörhead: that ain't a bad thing for some people. If the sound's good, distinctly theirs and they do it really well, who cares if they keep repeating it? So, y'know, I'm pretty good to give it a 4 all around. It's not a magnum opus masterpiece—gimme TRES HOMBRE if you want that—but as an early 80's rock record, it ain't one where you can go wrong.

Simple rock tunes but done very well by the musical trio. Easy 4.

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. This is a good album, with one big issue for my sensibilities: the solos just go really fucking long, man. I wouldn’t mind it if it were one solo every now and then, but it feels like every single fucking song has to have at least a 90 second solo (or what feels like even longer) in a way that creates such a gap between verses that it just starts to feel like empty noise after a bit. That’s not to say the solos are bad; a good number of them have excellent guitar work and percussion, and they’re captivating in their own way, but if I were listening to this album in a car, I feel like those solos would just drag the fuck on in a bad way. With all of that said, though, what’s here is really strong 80s rock. Yes, it’s a bit formulaic, and that formulaic nature is what stops this from ever getting close to a 5 in my ears, but the formula works really well at an individual level. As an album experience, though, it just becomes too noticeable, much like the extended solos do. There’s great energy on all of these tracks, and I enjoyed every single one of them, but I kind of found myself in a holding pattern after the melodies wore off with each new track. I could keep nitpicking at this, but I’ll just get to it: it’s a solid album with noticeable problems (for my tastes) that manages to drag a lot of great 80s rock standards out while occasionally dragging along and sounding like a drag. However, the good outweighs the bad enough for me to bump this up to a 4; it’s still a pretty enjoyable album and a hell of a way to practice your air guitar, at least.

Naja

At first this was pretty unenjoyable. All the Radio Regulars don’t do anything Tyfor me. But a couple of tunes are excellent, especially “I Need You Tonight”. With its funky bass bit, “Thug” is also fun.

I was honestly shocked that two ZZ Top albums made it onto this list. Not because they aren’t a good band, but because…I mean, come on - you’ve heard one ZZ Top album, you’ve pretty much heard them all. And that’s kind of how I felt about this one. Sure I picked out more Standout Tracks than I might for some albums I regard better than this one, but that doesn’t mean it’s great. It’s good. It serves its purpose of being a ZZ Top album. Nothing mind blowing, nothing groundbreaking, just some cool, motorcycle rock and roll that kicks some ass. It’s fun, it’s energetic, it’s made to kick back and be listened to. Or to drive to. The band is talented, even if the vocals leave a little to be desired at times. Anyway, I would’ve picked this ZZ Top album over the other one, but hey I guess I got them both. I’m whelmed. Three stars. Standout Tracks: Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, I Need You Tonight,

I can't help but find this generic. I bet it was cool but the hits here are so overplayed they've become mind numbing, and the rest sounds exactly the same.

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

Driving music. Not appropriate to listen to whilst reading the sad bit of a book. Going to rank this one on personal basis - 3.25

ZZ Top has a swagger to them that's just so damn cool. Billy's guitar playing is supreme and the rhythm section carries the vibe. This isn't their best work, but it's still great.

Pretty much all bangers.

Highkey the same song over and over again. I liked the bass playing and the solos but honestly I thought it wasn't that great. Maybe it was influential? It didn't influence me.

This is fine and sounds good, but I think ZZ Top is not very good.

I think ZZ Top's image - the big beards and hot rods - kind of leaves an impression that they're a bit of a joke. But, really, they're just fun. Thoroughly enjoyable blues rock album.

This is a very nostalgic album for me. It is the early days of MTV when the video made a song a bigger hit. ZZ Top had good music, but their videos for this album really helped them rise to the top for a time. Listening to this album now I really hear how influenced it was by the synth-pop of the time. Did not realize that then, obviously. I like the music/songs……but I have and will never seek out listening to one of their songs or this album.

Kept waiting for La Grange as a Sharp Dressed Man. Beautiful guitars in here.

Classic dad rock

I always mix up the riffs for Gimme All Your Lovin' and Sharp Dressed Man. This album has a lot of their big hits, wow.

I've never heard a whole zz top album. Awee this makes me think of ZZ :( RIP I didn't listen to the whole thing but I will give it a 3

6/10

Just not my thing.

2.4, listened to it while cleaning and kinda brought an interesting high bpm kinda vibe to the function that i wasn't necessarily all for. It was good and I'm glad that I have listened to ZZ Top, but they really aren't all that for me on a day to day basis. I'm more into vibes and sounds in music than the aspect of rock that this album very well exemplifies. I can see how it is and was so influential, but none of the songs really stood out to me in particular unfortunately. I'll always like that one song I have saved in spotify though because of the memories it brings with my mother and the long walks we would have talking about music and food and everything in between (days). Would've given a 3, but based on how irregularly I would listen to it and how it just felt like generic rock to me without any extreme standouts, I went for 2.4 vs a 2.5 which would unfortunately round me to a 2/5.

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

Crunchy guitars - good stuff. Besides the classics really enjoyed I Need You Tonight & TV Dinners.

Horny swamp rock, with some peculiarly synthetic, chrome-plated sheen. Moderately diverting and a bit enigmatic. What are they hiding?

Really fun album! 4/5

Classic

This was fine. Almost the whole album sounds like Sharp Dressed Man, the song I'm most familiar with, it's all quite unadventurous, but pleasant enough to listen to.

It’s just not my style. It quickly fades into “background 80’s guitar” in a way I don’t find inspiring.

Good background music, can enjoy it despite from time to time

I dunno man. This is good pop music. Great at times. But I can't help but feel that something was lost in the transition to glossy pop. Maybe a little bit of magic got squeezed out with the heavily processed guitar. For what it is and what it's trying to be it's a damn fun time. But I know ZZ Top can make better music. 7/10 she got legs that haunt the radio for 40 years.

No surprises here, kind of formulaic, though that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. I wouldn't search it out and don't intend on listening to it again, but I probably wouldn't skip it if it came up in a shuffle either. It's music shaped.

Basic Southern rock fancified by the beardy brothers, I give it a meh for musicality, oh well. 2 stars

I dunno these are some hot cheesy jams. I’m going 3.5+

I listened to this a LOT during the 80's (even had the ZZ keyring for my car). I still listen to ZZ Top a bit but haven't really heard this album for years. Surprised me how much of the "album tracks" would fit in with their regular blues rock stuff, alongside the obvious pop-singles on this album. Back in the day I'd probably want to skip over them lol A surprisingly solid ZZ Top album.

A few out of play songs like thug and TV dinners are the only thing driving this classic classic rock album into somewhat corn ball territory. Otherwise an obvious classic was so many callbacks big hits and representation of the ZZ Top sound. It can only be a four.

mid

Some great songs. Gimme all your loving, sharp dressed man, Legs

bastante bueno, linda música, lindos ritmos

Solid classic rock...but a bit repetitive at times.

Not sure I ever owned this one, but I'm familiar with all the songs. A strange love child of honky tonk and 80's synths. About half the songs here are made more memorable with the drum machine treatment, but the rest would probably be better served in a more traditional bluesy style. The lyrics are raunchier than I remember... Interesting for what is essentially a pop album. "You gotta make it hot Like a boomerang, I need a repeat"

Probably would have given this a 4 back in the day, but it hasn’t held up so well. Still love the older ZZ Top catalog though!

Good. 3.9

The most standard, cookie cutter classic rock. Great fun; lots of sweet licks and groovy sounds.

not my scene

Classic, classic rock. Strong vibes. Solid all around.

nah

In terms of the ranking, I'm giving this 3 stars - most of the songs, except for a couple of hits, are just OK tracks to throw into the mix of a classic rock station. It is a sensible entry on the list, though - listening to some deep cuts from a famous classic rock band can be interesting (to be fair, there are other albums here that play the same role). The combination of growly guitars with laid-back riffs is great - it's both upbeat and smooth. The lyrics, which are overly sleazy in an ironic way, are good at creating the atmosphere of a low-key roadside bar. I am worried that with the intended audience being '80s men, many of them might have taken the lyrics to heart more than they should have. Either way, when the lyrics to "I Got the Six" are performed with a straight face and then followed by an average cool guitar riff with no further explanation - that's perfect satire to me.

This album starts strong and has a trend in sound/style that runs throughout. Seems like they run out of steam on the back end of the album, starting with “TV Dinners.”

Classic.

Guay.

Some great classic ZZ Top tunes on this disc, but far below the standard they set with Tres Hombres...

I'm conflicted when it comes to ZZ Top. Some of their songs are bangers, others are in the class of an 80's beer commercial.

and....brilliant

I mean, I can listen to it ironically...

🤘 Classic Rock, Long Beards, what’s not to like?

I was ready to write it off completely until I changed to proper speakers and an appropriate volume. So, it does rock. It's still dumb (and thirsty) as sand and made me wish I was hearing other hard rock instead, but it's something. If only the lyrics to Legs weren't so unbelievably lame, we'd have one cool song on here.

Legs = fire.

N/a

The singles are great but the rest of the songs are just like the singles, except not as good.

Både positivt och negativt överraskad på samma gång, om det är möjligt. Bra riff, ordentlig jävla rock bara. Det är roligt, även om den konstnärliga ambitionen kanske inte alltid når upp till mina krav. En låt är liksom dedikerad till mikromat. Det är på den nivån jag försöker hamna för att uppskatta SätaSäta Topp. Och då kan jag bitvis gilla det. Låtar som 'Gimme All Your Lovin'' och 'Sharp Dressed Man' är jävligt tajta. En anledning till att jag inte vill kalla detta konst är - och förhoppningsvis låter jag inte för pretentiös nu - texterna. Detta är rockmusik gjord för att headbanga till, inte för att svepas med i poetiska bildspråk. Ovan nämnda 'TV Dinners' behandlar mikromat så här: "I throw em' in and wave em' / And I'm a brand new man", eller "I like the enchiladas / And the teriyaki too / I even like the chicken / If the sauce is not too blue". Även i albumets bästa låt, 'Legs', tvingas man lyssna igenom rader som "She's got hair / Down to her fanny". Närmade mig tre stjärnor stundvis, men måste hålla mig till två om jag ska ha någon jävla standard i det här projektet. Bästa låt: Legs

Rock n roll

I was pleasantly surprised by the first ZZ Top album I got, this one is what I was expecting lol

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

So many hits here. Listening through, I do think that I prefer some of the grittier production on their earlier stuff, though I’m not sure how much of that is owed to the fact that I was listening to the 2008 remaster on streaming. Still not sure why we feel the need to remaster perfectly fine albums every 15 years or so. But yeah, this album rocks.

Feels like a perfect album to soundtrack a night of driving across the desert in a soft top convertible fueled entirely by key-bumps of cocaine. Compressed vocals and mixing is distinctly 80s; a little too tidy for my tastes, but them is the times. ZZ Top has a formula and they really don't stray too far. Hopping, blues-rock with tight, punchy (and super boring) drums, some compressed smoky vocals, and plenty of distorted guitar licks. Clearly the formula works, because in this album alone there are at least 3 hit singles that to this day get radio play. And yet, I can't help but find myself bored by the back half of the album. High Points: Gimme All Your Lovin' is a fantastic way to start an album and I Need You Tonight has a tight groove to the outro jam that had me nodding. Otherwise, pretty forgettable stuff IMO, but I can't justifiably give lower than 3.

Gimme all your lovin is a classic. Not a bad listen. 3 stars

Man I didn't realize how similar ZZ Top songs sound to each other. Couple of legendary hits on this one. TV Dinners was a funny one. I like ZZ Top and figured this would be a 4, but I never really felt like this album deserved that.

Good ol' fashioned American Rock. First half was better than the second half, but still solid all the way through if you like some sick guitar riffs.

Gimme All Your Lovin is such a jam of a classic rock song. This album started off as a high 4 but drifted down to high 3 as it went on.

Nice classic album. Don’t think the themes hold up well.

I liked the guitar a lot. I’ve listened to him before, as I like rock music. When I zone out while driving and listening, they all kind of sound the same. But I liked him! As for the themes, I never listened to the words so…