ZZ Top - Eliminator: Collector’s Edition

Feeling lucky punks

Until 1983, ZZ Top were popular purveyors of bluesy boogie-rock. After Eliminator they were global superstars and this excellent CD/DVD set amply demonstrates why.

The album itself is a near-perfect slab of slick 80s hard rock. While many of the band’s contemporaries grew up and blanded out, the Texas trio’s abundant style and personality easily survived the clinical production techniques of the time and, indeed, the album has some of their most idiosyncratic material. Half the songs here (Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin’ and Legs to name the most obvious) will be immediately familiar to even the casual listener, but they’re not all that Eliminator has to offer. From the beautifully performed blues of I Need You Tonight to the AC/DC-ish rock of I Got The Six, the album is far more than singles-plus- filler. Bonus-wise, the CD includes good live performances and the less essential dance mix of Legs. The DVD features the peerless videos that brought the band’s unique image and humour to the world’s attention, as well as their memorable performance on Channel 4’s The Tube. Classic stuf0f.

Rhino | tbc

Reviewed by William Pinfold
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