Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
ZZ Top had reached the top of the charts before, but that didn't make their sudden popularity in 1983 any more predictable. It wasn't that they were just popular -- they were hip, for God's sake, since they were one of the only AOR favorites to figure out to harness the stylish, synthesized grooves of new wave, and then figure out how to sell it on MTV. Of course, it helped that they had songs that deserved to be hits. With "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs," they had their greatest set of singles since the heady days of Tres Hombres, and the songs that surrounded them weren't bad either -- they would have been singles on El Loco, as a matter of fact. The songs alone would have made Eliminator one of ZZ Top's three greatest albums, but their embrace of synths and sequencers made it a blockbuster hit, since it was the sound of the times. Years later, the sound of the times winds up sounding a bit stiff. It's still an excellent ZZ Top album, one of their best, yet it sounds like a mechanized ZZ Top thanks to the unflaggingly accurate grooves. Then again, that's part of the album's charm -- this is new wave blues-rock, glossed up for the video, looking as good as the omnipresent convertible on the cover and sounding as irresistible as Reaganomics. Not the sort the old-school fans or blues-rock purists will love, but ZZ Top never sounded as much like a band of its time as they did here.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - Frank Lee Beard, Composer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Composer, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer - Joe Michael Hill, Composer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Terry Manning, Engineer - ZZ Top, MainArtist - Bill Ham, Producer - Billy Gibbons, Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Dusty Hill, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Writer - Frank Beard, Drums, Writer - Bob Ludwig, Engineer
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc.
Album review
ZZ Top had reached the top of the charts before, but that didn't make their sudden popularity in 1983 any more predictable. It wasn't that they were just popular -- they were hip, for God's sake, since they were one of the only AOR favorites to figure out to harness the stylish, synthesized grooves of new wave, and then figure out how to sell it on MTV. Of course, it helped that they had songs that deserved to be hits. With "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," and "Legs," they had their greatest set of singles since the heady days of Tres Hombres, and the songs that surrounded them weren't bad either -- they would have been singles on El Loco, as a matter of fact. The songs alone would have made Eliminator one of ZZ Top's three greatest albums, but their embrace of synths and sequencers made it a blockbuster hit, since it was the sound of the times. Years later, the sound of the times winds up sounding a bit stiff. It's still an excellent ZZ Top album, one of their best, yet it sounds like a mechanized ZZ Top thanks to the unflaggingly accurate grooves. Then again, that's part of the album's charm -- this is new wave blues-rock, glossed up for the video, looking as good as the omnipresent convertible on the cover and sounding as irresistible as Reaganomics. Not the sort the old-school fans or blues-rock purists will love, but ZZ Top never sounded as much like a band of its time as they did here.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:45:28
- Main artists: ZZ Top
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Rhino - Warner Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
2008 © 1983 Warner Records Inc. 2008 ℗ 1983 Warner Records Inc. Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing, a Warner Music Group Company.
Distinctions:
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.