ZZ Top Album: “Greatest Hits”

I understand that a lot of the long time ZZ Top fans feel that this collection missed a lot of the classic, older tracks. I feel the same way when I listen to something like Def Leppard's best of collection, as I feel that there is not enough focus on the early, hardest rocking stuff. But from my perspective (i.e. growing up listening to '80s music), this ZZ Top collection is just about right, as it has just about all of the songs by this band that I grew up listening to.

My one real complaint about this collection is the remastering/remixing of such classics as "La Grange" and "Legs". Why do the artists and/or record companies believe that we would want anything different from the original versions on a greatest hits collection? I also would like to see the song "Stages" from the "Afterburner" album--as it was a mid-'80s radio favorite of mine. Overall, though, this collection rocks. From the crunching riffs of "Give Me All Your Lovin'" and "Got Me Under Pressure" to the classic '70s rock of "Tush" and "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" to the more recent but still enjoyable "Doubleback" (from "Back To The Future II" sound track originally), this album gives a great taste of this classic blues-based rock band. Also enjoyable is the raunch of "Pearl Necklace" and "Tube Snake Boogie" as well as the rare slow ZZ Top track "Rough Boy"--also a mid-'80s favorite.

In summary, this is a fine collection to get an overall taste of what this band was about in their prime. Definitely a recommended purchase for any '80s fans of the band and '70s fans of the band who still enjoyed them when they became popular later on.

ZZ TOP-GREATEST HITS: Originally "That Li'l Ol Band From Texas" was a greasy power trio steeped in gutbucket southern bloozer rock which served their legions of fans admirably. Starting with the mega-selling ELIMINATOR, those infernal curses of rock and roll, the dreaded synthesizer and the sequencer, began to dominate their sound. A red hotrod, dark shades, gyrating "Top-ettes", and Rip Van Winkle beards completed their schtick in trade. If any or all elements of this MTV makeover appalls the RNB purist in you, then pick up a copy of THE BEST OF ZZ TOP, crank up JESUS JUST LEFT CHICAGO or BEER DRINKERS AND HELL RAISERS, and pretend these cats called it quits in 1982. Otherwise, read on...GREATEST HITS offers the interchangable SHARP DRESSED MAN and GIMME ALL YOUR LOVIN' as the best of their musical metamorphesis, while the nadir is represented by new wavey duds SLEEPING BAG and VELCRO FLY (the latter thankfully missing here). The classic booty ode TUSH, JOHN LEE HOOKER chug-fest LA GRANGE, and funky fashion statement CHEAP SUNGLASSES are welcome "oldies", but where's their soul-searin' cover of SAM AND DAVE's STAX chestnut I THANK YOU? A new version of VIVA LAS VEGAS, complete with Elvis soundbites, is either good or awful, depending on your tolerance for such stuff. In short, if you like your ZZ over the Top, GREATEST HITS is a no-brainer.

RATING: THREE RAZORS

I had never been much of a fan of this Texan group before, previously well-known for boogieing with the best of them, rock-music-wise. I had only heard "Sharp Dressed Man" and the original version of "Legs" on the radio. And that was before I finally rented and watched the "Back To The Future" movie trilogy, and saw this funky trio as the band in 1885 Hill Valley in the third. And I absoutely LOVED the sound of "Doubleback" off of it's soundtrack. So, about a year later, I found this collection in my local used-music store, and snapped it up. Reading the rather self-serving liner notes, I was skeptical of the down-south blues-band sound at first, but after about two or three listens, I was truly a real fan for sure. My favorites from this CD besides the aforementioned three would have to be "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Pearl Necklace", the sung-by-Dusty Hill-remake of "Viva Las Vegas" (very funky), "Got Me Under Pressure", and "Planet Of Women". The remaining rest are all right too, I suppose. Anyway, I am indeed aware that this material only goes up to 1992, and I haven't heard any of the songs from "Antenna", "Rhythmeen", or from the apparently dissapointing "XXX", according to recent customer reviews. So, for the earlier-era (mostly from the '80's) sound of ZZ Top, pick this compilation up today, these three certainly at one time had a sound all their own! Quite cool, indeed!

This is an excellent collection of ZZ Top hits. Some of the classics, particularly "La Grange", have been re-mixed with WAY too much reverb. In my opinion, this ruins a classic sound, which was very tight and done right the first time around.

For the real mix, buy "The Best of ZZ Top". This older hits collection has many other ZZ Top hits that are missing from "Greatest Hits", including "Waitin' for the Bus", "Jesus just left Chicago", "Just got Paid", "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers", and "Heard it on the X".

ZZ Top is the eclectic Texas blues/boogie and hard rock band that features the two front men (Billy Gibbons on guitar, Dusty Hill on bass) with trademark dark sunglasses and very long full beards. Drummer Frank Beard has no beard. All three are original members from the band's inception as a cosmic cowboy blues/hard rock trio in 1969. Billy Gibbons is widely respected as one of the best electric blues/rock guitarists in the business.

(1992) mostly covers the trio's 1980s techno-boogie working-class chic MTV years, but that doesn't mean that this collection isn't worthy. On the contrary, this is great stuff that any true ZZ Top fan would like. Sure, they use drum machines and electronics on a lot of these songs, but Billy Gibbons' loud and bluesy guitar and humorously sly vocals are still front and center, and everything here is unmistakably ZZ Top.

The collection does briefly touch on the band's early years. La Grange, Tush, Cheap Sunglasses and I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide are all from the band's Tex-Mex blues and boogie years in the seventies, but unfortunately the classic Waiting For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago wasn't included, and that is why I docked this collection 1/2 star. That's an unforgivable oversight, but it doesn't steal all the joy from this set. There is still a lot of good ZZ Top music here. Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, My Head's In Mississippi, Rough Boy, Tube Snake Boogie and much more. They even threw in a couple of new songs, Gun Love and their version of Elvis' Viva Las Vegas.

includes eighteen songs, and if you're in the mood for hearing ZZ Top music from their highly successful MTV years, this covers the era as well as it really needs to. I'm a fan of the band's early years (Tres Hombres is my favorite ZZ Top album), but I like this era as well. So while I mostly listen to the early stuff, every now and then I'll break out

and recall all of those cool ZZ Top videos that were on MTV in those days and rock out Tejas style.