ZZ Top - Greatest Hits

ZZ Top

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 14, 1992)
• Original Release Date: April 14, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LSV
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #809 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Music > Classic Rock > Southern Rock
  #16 in	Music > Classic Rock > Arena Rock
  #32 in	Music > Rock > Blues Rock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
One of ZZ Top's great gifts is its concision; even in the side-long-jam era of the '70s, the Texans almost always fit 10 cuts on their albums. Surveying two decades of their output, Greatest Hits isn't the perfect overview you might expect, but it's still a pretty darn good driving album. The disc goes easy on the pre-Deguello stuff surveyed on their earlier best-of, and seems to digitally boost the drums on tracks like the 1975 "Tush." Still, later cuts like "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" and "My Head's in Mississippi" are full-on triumphs of this trio's very weird, very blues-drenched sensibility. --Rickey Wright

Product Description
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide., March 22, 2000

By	Jason Stein (Chula Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It's tough being an aging rock band in the pop world. At a certain point both fans and record company turn away from your music and focus on what's hot now. ZZ Top, I think, has suffered this fate. While they still continue to make good music, no one seems to be listening anymore. Fine. I still like them. I still buy their cds. This compilation is the only best of ZZ Top that's worth buying for now. They really should have two disc or three disc retrospective like The Cars have and ELO has. However, this one disc compiles some of their greatest 70's and 80's hits in one place with a couple of new songs for 1992, "Viva Las Vegas" and "Gun Love." At 18 tracks this is a nice buy. No extensive liner notes though. After 1992, ZZ Top released Antenna in 1994, which dropped the synthesizers and went back to hard rocking blues. Then they released 1996's Rhythmeen, which seemed like they were going for a more mud-swamp, mid-tempo hard rock blues. In 1999 they released XXX which finds them still rocking the blues but with a bit more fun like they had before 1990's Recycler. This Greatest Hits, however, is perfect for those wanting a sample. This is a must have for any rock collector.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The ZZ Top that I grew up with, January 11, 2002

By	Brad (CT) - See all my reviews

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.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool cars and fuzzy guitars!!, May 12, 2002

By	"bb1975" (Jasper, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews

This Texas trio, comprised of Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard KNOW HOW TO ROCK! This is an absolutely fabulous hits collection. It really should've been a 2 disc set, because these guys have had so many great songs that it is impossible to cram them all into one disc. The 80's rolled around, and ZZ experimented with the new technology, fusing keyboards and synthesizers with their legendary blues rock, and it was a formula that absolutely worked. If you liked the 80's version of ZZ, then you'll love this CD! I love all of their music, 70's, 80's, 90's and beyond. My fav's are the cuts from the Eliminator and Afterburner albums. Absolute fav tracks are 'Sharp Dressed Man', 'Gimme All Your Lovin', 'My Heads In Mississippi, 'Rough Boy' and the 70's hit 'La Grange'. Some of my other favs are missing, songs like 'Velcro Fly', 'TV Dinners', 'Stages' and the original version of 'Legs'. The version of 'Legs' in this collection is the re-mixed version(but is still a great song). This is still a 5-star collection that is worthy to be at the top of your music collection. Another great CD to get is their greatest hits package from the 70's "The Best Of ZZ Top". These guys are just plain cool, and they know how to rock! If you don't have it, my advice to you is get it ASAP! ROCK ON!!