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Track Listings
| 1. Gimme All Your Lovin |
| 2. Got Me Under Pressure |
| 3. Sharp Dressed Man |
| 4. I Need You Tonight |
| 5. I Got The Six |
| 6. Legs |
| 7. Thug |
| 8. TV Dinners |
| 9. Dirty Dog |
| 10. If I Could Only Flag Her Down |
| 11. Bad Girl |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
ZZ Top's ninth studio album truly captured the mood of the times. Released as MTV was learning to crawl, the videos of the Lone Star trio's droll, masculine anthems were staples on the nascent music channel, making the world think that all the women in Texas looked like Jerry Hall--which wasn't far from the truth in 1983. And even if it wasn't completely accurate, listeners could at least visit a world where both cars and woman were fast and available. Billy Gibbons's roaring guitar licks streaked across songs with the speed of a young Hendrix. Even though the lyrics are often ham-fisted, all is forgiven for the pleasure of just letting the ZZ Top locomotive mow you down. While "Gimme All Your Loving," "Legs," and the satirically dynamic "Sharp Dressed Man" ruled the airwaves, the real gems here are the thundering "I've Got the Six" and the equally bombastic "Bad Girl," which showcase's Dusty Hill's heart-stopping drumming and Frank Beard's sturdy bass. Eliminator also marks the first time that the rough-and-tumble outfit turned to studio wizardry to goose up their meat-and-potatoes boogie. And while some early fans may have been dismayed, truth be told, their new studio sophistication added finesse and depth to ZZ Top. --Jaan Uhelszki
Product Description
ZZ TOP ELIMINATOR
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 52 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Eliminator CD/DVD". A Sharp-Dressed Reissue? Well, Yes and No...
September 16, 2008
Format:Audio CD
Released on LP and Cassette in March 1983 on Warner Brothers, the blues boogie of "Eliminator" was an absolute phenomenon for the Texas trio ZZ Top.
They'd been bubbling under for years - "La Grange" in 1973, "Tush" in 1975 - and a minor hit with "I Thank You" in 1980. But none of it even remotely indicated what would happen in 1983 and 1984. "Eliminator" - one of the best boogie albums ever made - changed everything for them and us - it was little short of absolute global domination.
It was a combination of things - the umpteen tracks that were all single/radio friendly hits, the emergence of rotation MTV, the videos with leggy sexy babes - the fabulous 1933 coupe car - the ZZ TOP keyring flying through the air to the hapless buck trying to be a 'sharp dressed man' - the image of dusty dudes with beards - all of it combined in one heady mix to produce domestic sales in the USA topping 10 million with the same number estimated for the rest of the world. And if you take into account second-hand sales since that heady time 25 years ago and an early issue on CD, you're looking at a "Rumours", a "Purple Rain" and a "Thriller". This September 2008 (delayed release) has it good points and bad though...
Here's the layout first:
Disc 1 (78:27 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 11 are the album REMASTERED in its entirety with the original lengthier mix of "Legs" at 4:34 minutes re-instated for the first time (it was replaced after initial pressings by the shorter single mix of 3:37 minutes)
Tracks 12 to 18 are bonus tracks; 12 is the single mix of "Legs"; 13 to 17 are 5 previously unreleased live tracks (13, 14, 16 and 17 recorded at Castle Donington Festival in Leicestershire in England, while 15 was recorded at The Marquee Club in London - no dates supplied)
Track 18 is the 12" "Dance Mix" of "Legs"
The remastering of the album is FANTASTIC - muscular, in your living room, detailed - all that it should have been these last two and half decades. I've waited years to hear "I Need You Tonight" in this sound quality and it was worth it. But the really bad news is the audio bonus tracks, which are a huge letdown. The live versions have what is laughably called `audio restoration' on them - they sound like rubbish bootleg recordings - someone standing in a field with a microphone held up (Donnington was exactly that - a vast field). The truly awful extended mix of "Legs" was on the box set anyway - unlistenable then and the same now. Worse - there are single edits of "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man", but maddeningly they're not included here - they should have been - it would have been far more appropriate to a supposed `collector's edition'. Also there's nothing new worth hearing - no outtakes, alternatives, no demos, no new songs - nothing. Really disappointing stuff I'm afraid. The album is great, but the supposed bonuses are awful.
Things fare better on the 2nd disc, an 8-track DVD. First up are the 4 famous videos that broke the album with a worldwide TV audience and their inclusion on this `special edition' is only right and proper - they were such an integral part of the "Eliminator" experience. The prints are clean, but unfortunately blurry in that cheap 1980s kind of a way. They're fun to re-watch, but not much more than that. Things get considerably better with tracks 5 to 8, which are professionally filmed studio performances. They were recorded live in front of a studio audience on 17 November 1983 for one the UK's popular pop programs of the time - "The Tube". The sound and visuals are great and while the vocals are live, I'm fairly sure some tweaking has been done to beef up the sound. Whatever way you look at it - this is primo ZZ TOP and makes up somewhat for the disappointing crap that is tail-ending the Audio CD. Fans will really enjoy these.
The packaging isn't great either - a gatefold digipak with a 20-page booklet. The layers under the see-through trays have no photos of singles - outtakes - they're blank - pretty crappy really. The car's pictured a couple of times, lyrics reproduced, a basic essay on the album - but no real event feel to it - no live shots - no interesting formats pictured - fan stuff left out - it's basic really, when it could have been so much better.
In truth, you'd have to say that if Rhino had just issued the remaster of the album with the single edits and the 12" mix added on at the end - then that would have been so much better. As it is, you're being asked to spend Ł13 to Ł16 on a package that smacks of laziness and greed - and worse - leaves you with a bad taste in the mouth - an underwhelming experience that should have been a real celebration of a really great album...
To sum up - fantastic remaster of the album, good stuff on the DVD, but docked a star for the rubbish filler at the end of Disc 1.
They'd been bubbling under for years - "La Grange" in 1973, "Tush" in 1975 - and a minor hit with "I Thank You" in 1980. But none of it even remotely indicated what would happen in 1983 and 1984. "Eliminator" - one of the best boogie albums ever made - changed everything for them and us - it was little short of absolute global domination.
It was a combination of things - the umpteen tracks that were all single/radio friendly hits, the emergence of rotation MTV, the videos with leggy sexy babes - the fabulous 1933 coupe car - the ZZ TOP keyring flying through the air to the hapless buck trying to be a 'sharp dressed man' - the image of dusty dudes with beards - all of it combined in one heady mix to produce domestic sales in the USA topping 10 million with the same number estimated for the rest of the world. And if you take into account second-hand sales since that heady time 25 years ago and an early issue on CD, you're looking at a "Rumours", a "Purple Rain" and a "Thriller". This September 2008 (delayed release) has it good points and bad though...
Here's the layout first:
Disc 1 (78:27 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 11 are the album REMASTERED in its entirety with the original lengthier mix of "Legs" at 4:34 minutes re-instated for the first time (it was replaced after initial pressings by the shorter single mix of 3:37 minutes)
Tracks 12 to 18 are bonus tracks; 12 is the single mix of "Legs"; 13 to 17 are 5 previously unreleased live tracks (13, 14, 16 and 17 recorded at Castle Donington Festival in Leicestershire in England, while 15 was recorded at The Marquee Club in London - no dates supplied)
Track 18 is the 12" "Dance Mix" of "Legs"
The remastering of the album is FANTASTIC - muscular, in your living room, detailed - all that it should have been these last two and half decades. I've waited years to hear "I Need You Tonight" in this sound quality and it was worth it. But the really bad news is the audio bonus tracks, which are a huge letdown. The live versions have what is laughably called `audio restoration' on them - they sound like rubbish bootleg recordings - someone standing in a field with a microphone held up (Donnington was exactly that - a vast field). The truly awful extended mix of "Legs" was on the box set anyway - unlistenable then and the same now. Worse - there are single edits of "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man", but maddeningly they're not included here - they should have been - it would have been far more appropriate to a supposed `collector's edition'. Also there's nothing new worth hearing - no outtakes, alternatives, no demos, no new songs - nothing. Really disappointing stuff I'm afraid. The album is great, but the supposed bonuses are awful.
Things fare better on the 2nd disc, an 8-track DVD. First up are the 4 famous videos that broke the album with a worldwide TV audience and their inclusion on this `special edition' is only right and proper - they were such an integral part of the "Eliminator" experience. The prints are clean, but unfortunately blurry in that cheap 1980s kind of a way. They're fun to re-watch, but not much more than that. Things get considerably better with tracks 5 to 8, which are professionally filmed studio performances. They were recorded live in front of a studio audience on 17 November 1983 for one the UK's popular pop programs of the time - "The Tube". The sound and visuals are great and while the vocals are live, I'm fairly sure some tweaking has been done to beef up the sound. Whatever way you look at it - this is primo ZZ TOP and makes up somewhat for the disappointing crap that is tail-ending the Audio CD. Fans will really enjoy these.
The packaging isn't great either - a gatefold digipak with a 20-page booklet. The layers under the see-through trays have no photos of singles - outtakes - they're blank - pretty crappy really. The car's pictured a couple of times, lyrics reproduced, a basic essay on the album - but no real event feel to it - no live shots - no interesting formats pictured - fan stuff left out - it's basic really, when it could have been so much better.
In truth, you'd have to say that if Rhino had just issued the remaster of the album with the single edits and the 12" mix added on at the end - then that would have been so much better. As it is, you're being asked to spend Ł13 to Ł16 on a package that smacks of laziness and greed - and worse - leaves you with a bad taste in the mouth - an underwhelming experience that should have been a real celebration of a really great album...
To sum up - fantastic remaster of the album, good stuff on the DVD, but docked a star for the rubbish filler at the end of Disc 1.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
"Eliminator" introduced the world to one of rock's most unique sounds from one of rock's most unique bands, ZZ Top. Past albums like "Tres Hombres" or "Deguello" had firmly established the band as a major draw, but it was with this 1983 album that the band first used an appealing blend of technology that was perfectly topped onto their trademark R&B/Delta blues roots.
The vocals and bass of Dusty Hill are as rough as the Texas sand, matched only by that of Billy Gibbons (who was a favorite guitarist of Jimi Hendrix), backboned by Frank Beard's disciplined drumming. All of this makes for a tightly wound musicianship that never suffers from "Eliminator"'s synthesized element. The album spawned several hits, notably 'Legs,' 'Sharp Dressed Man,' and 'Gimme All Your Lovin'. 'Got Me Under Pressure' is just as legendary, being an enduring ZZ Top favorite. The one-of-a-kind 'Thug' meanwhile is a darker tale, and features an incredinbly funky bass texture, while the likes of 'TV Dinners' and the incredibly eye-roll inducing 'I Got the Six' are somewhat less serious, but just as memorable. 'I Need You Tonight' however is surprisingly sympathetic and features some of Gibbons' best guitar work.
Although "Eliminator" became one the 80s most recognizable efforts, it finally gave ZZ Top the worldwide success they'd deserved since the early 70s. It is very much a male-ego album, containing the brilliant arrogance and flashiness that made ZZ Top so great in the first place.
The vocals and bass of Dusty Hill are as rough as the Texas sand, matched only by that of Billy Gibbons (who was a favorite guitarist of Jimi Hendrix), backboned by Frank Beard's disciplined drumming. All of this makes for a tightly wound musicianship that never suffers from "Eliminator"'s synthesized element. The album spawned several hits, notably 'Legs,' 'Sharp Dressed Man,' and 'Gimme All Your Lovin'. 'Got Me Under Pressure' is just as legendary, being an enduring ZZ Top favorite. The one-of-a-kind 'Thug' meanwhile is a darker tale, and features an incredinbly funky bass texture, while the likes of 'TV Dinners' and the incredibly eye-roll inducing 'I Got the Six' are somewhat less serious, but just as memorable. 'I Need You Tonight' however is surprisingly sympathetic and features some of Gibbons' best guitar work.
Although "Eliminator" became one the 80s most recognizable efforts, it finally gave ZZ Top the worldwide success they'd deserved since the early 70s. It is very much a male-ego album, containing the brilliant arrogance and flashiness that made ZZ Top so great in the first place.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Will Culp
Format:Audio CD
Eliminator(1983). ZZ Top's Ninth Album.
In 1983, ZZ Top was beginning to slide back into mainstream popularity, as their previous albums, 'Deguello' and 'Tejas', had both gone platinum. When 'Eliminator' arrived, the album instantly rocketed to the top of the charts, thanks to the massively popular music videos "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man". Thanks to MTV, 'Eliminator' became ZZ Top's best-selling album, and it remains a rock classic to this day. To this day, "Gimme All Your Lovin", "Got Me Under Pressure", "Sharp Dressed Man", "I Need You Tonight", and "Legs" are all rotated constantly on the radio. So, do I think this album lives up to the hype? Read on to find out!
After 'Eliminator', ZZ Top became less and less of a rock band and more of a pop band, but here they managed to create the perfect balance. ZZ Top made an album that still retained the bluesy, gritty rock sound that they're known for, but managed to appeal to almost everybody. ZZ Top is a very percussive band, and Frank Beard's drumming is truly amazing here. On almost every song, I found myself tapping my feet to the beat... truly, he did an amazing job here. Billy Gibbons guitar work here is spectacular! He can make catchy power chords one second, and rip out a bluesy solo the next. He truly is a great rock n' roll guitarist.
From the dirty, boozy rock of "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Legs" to the blues of "I Got The Six" and "TV Dinners", ZZ Top kept me interested. While all the hits are instant classics, "Sharp Dressed Man" is the absolute best ZZ Top song, basically defining and rewriting the definition of "cool". "I Need You Tonight" is ZZ Top's strongest ballad, a percussive, guitar-laden classic that never gets boring, unlike some of their later material. "Legs" is the most identifiable song on 'Eliminator', a song that would be the beginning of ZZ Top blending synthesizers more and more into their music, but still stands out as one of their best. "Got Me Under Pressure" is sort of a dark view of peer pressure that contains some of Billy Gibbons' best guitar work. While the later half of the album is not nearly as good as the first half, it still can hold it's own. "Thug" is a very smooth, cool song that has some funky slap bass and great drumming. "TV Dinners" is a rather repetitive blues song, but Gibbons' guitar work is very inspired here. "Dirty Dog", "If I Could Only Flag Her Down", and "Bad Girl" are all bluesy rockers that any ZZ Top fan can identify with.
What's to say? 'Eliminator' is one of those albums that never gets old. The first half of this album is flawless, a perfect example of what blues-rock should sound like. ZZ Top would never be this good again, and 'Eliminator' remains a very powerful album to this day. Although maybe not my favorite ZZ Top album, it's hard to say it's not. A very well-produced and cohesive record, the band sounds fantastic and the songwriting is clever and imaginative. Please, don't claim you have a complete classic rock album unless you have this classic.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF ZZ TOP, BLUES, ROCK, AND 80'S MUSIC! ZZ TOPS' LAST GREAT ALBUM... DON'T MISS IT!
Also Recommended-
Deguello- ZZ Top
Led Zeppelin II- Led Zeppelin
Aerosmith- Aerosmith
Thanks For Reading!
In 1983, ZZ Top was beginning to slide back into mainstream popularity, as their previous albums, 'Deguello' and 'Tejas', had both gone platinum. When 'Eliminator' arrived, the album instantly rocketed to the top of the charts, thanks to the massively popular music videos "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man". Thanks to MTV, 'Eliminator' became ZZ Top's best-selling album, and it remains a rock classic to this day. To this day, "Gimme All Your Lovin", "Got Me Under Pressure", "Sharp Dressed Man", "I Need You Tonight", and "Legs" are all rotated constantly on the radio. So, do I think this album lives up to the hype? Read on to find out!
After 'Eliminator', ZZ Top became less and less of a rock band and more of a pop band, but here they managed to create the perfect balance. ZZ Top made an album that still retained the bluesy, gritty rock sound that they're known for, but managed to appeal to almost everybody. ZZ Top is a very percussive band, and Frank Beard's drumming is truly amazing here. On almost every song, I found myself tapping my feet to the beat... truly, he did an amazing job here. Billy Gibbons guitar work here is spectacular! He can make catchy power chords one second, and rip out a bluesy solo the next. He truly is a great rock n' roll guitarist.
From the dirty, boozy rock of "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Legs" to the blues of "I Got The Six" and "TV Dinners", ZZ Top kept me interested. While all the hits are instant classics, "Sharp Dressed Man" is the absolute best ZZ Top song, basically defining and rewriting the definition of "cool". "I Need You Tonight" is ZZ Top's strongest ballad, a percussive, guitar-laden classic that never gets boring, unlike some of their later material. "Legs" is the most identifiable song on 'Eliminator', a song that would be the beginning of ZZ Top blending synthesizers more and more into their music, but still stands out as one of their best. "Got Me Under Pressure" is sort of a dark view of peer pressure that contains some of Billy Gibbons' best guitar work. While the later half of the album is not nearly as good as the first half, it still can hold it's own. "Thug" is a very smooth, cool song that has some funky slap bass and great drumming. "TV Dinners" is a rather repetitive blues song, but Gibbons' guitar work is very inspired here. "Dirty Dog", "If I Could Only Flag Her Down", and "Bad Girl" are all bluesy rockers that any ZZ Top fan can identify with.
What's to say? 'Eliminator' is one of those albums that never gets old. The first half of this album is flawless, a perfect example of what blues-rock should sound like. ZZ Top would never be this good again, and 'Eliminator' remains a very powerful album to this day. Although maybe not my favorite ZZ Top album, it's hard to say it's not. A very well-produced and cohesive record, the band sounds fantastic and the songwriting is clever and imaginative. Please, don't claim you have a complete classic rock album unless you have this classic.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF ZZ TOP, BLUES, ROCK, AND 80'S MUSIC! ZZ TOPS' LAST GREAT ALBUM... DON'T MISS IT!
Also Recommended-
Deguello- ZZ Top
Led Zeppelin II- Led Zeppelin
Aerosmith- Aerosmith
Thanks For Reading!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome deal.
I love the music and the videos.
If my book is ever made into a movie, ZZ top has to do the music.
Jay Doggett
If my book is ever made into a movie, ZZ top has to do the music.
Jay Doggett
Published 2 days ago by John M. Doggett
5.0 out of 5 stars
zz top
5 dollars. What a deal and you get the best of zz top. I truly love this album and all that's on this play list.
Published 3 days ago by Missy Staszewski
3.0 out of 5 stars
i love the lyrics and guitar but
The drums dont feel like frank beard and the bass is just keyboards.it takes more then guitar to make a great album for me. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Scotty
5.0 out of 5 stars
ZZ Top
It's classic ZZ Top. They're the best at blues rocks. This album is a must have for anyone who likes rock or hard rock. Read more
Published 13 days ago by 138
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whats to say?!
Ya just can't go wrong with ZZTop!! Theres not a dud on this disc & find myself singing to almost every song.
Published 20 days ago by E. Sankey
5.0 out of 5 stars
fabulous
This album was so rocking--I had to get it once I started seeing the band on MTV. I love the band's personal style--how they made their thing their own and no one else's, and a... Read more
Published 26 days ago by L. Belasco
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Music
Had to order since my new car has a cd player - no more tapes. always loved the bearded boys from texas
Published 1 month ago by K9 TAXY
5.0 out of 5 stars
zz top
now and then itss still a good albume must have all
still here what the _______
have a zzttooopppp day
still here what the _______
have a zzttooopppp day
Published 1 month ago by charles cantral
5.0 out of 5 stars
good deal
Good Trade, great shape, excellent sounds, and the vintage disc is in very good shape. Good job, all the way around.
Published 1 month ago by Marco P. De Pompa III
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eliminator
I enjoy ZZ Top's style. As with all music, the listener will have to decide on thier own if they like it or not.
Published 3 months ago by D. Bowers
