Chrome, Smoke & BBQ: The ZZ Top Box [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

ZZ Top

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 2003)
• Original Release Date: October 14, 2003
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B00006OYL5
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,267 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Ole Band From Texas!, October 14, 2003

By	J. E FELL "boogaloojef" (Carterville, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would actually rate this new 4 cd box set 41/2 stars. This is arguably the best place for the uninitiated to began experiencing the joys of ZZ Top. The newly remastered 4 cd set is full of enough Texas blues/rock and boogie to get everyone's toes tapping. One of the best aspects of the set is that original mixes were used for the remastering of the earlier period material. Whether you remember ZZ Top from their seveties era hits (pre long beards)like the catchy John Lee Hooker rewrite "La Grange" or "Tush" or you are a fan of their MTV era hits like "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Legs" or "Sharp Dressed Man" you will find much to enjoy with this comprehensive retrospective. Early tracks like my own favorite "Jesus Just Left Chicago", "Sure Got Cold After The Rain Fell" and "Blue Jean Blues" show that Billy Gibbons and his guitar Pearly never lost track of his blues influences. While uptempo rockers like "Bar-B-Q", "Thunderbird" and "Heard It On The X" never fail to excite. Gibbon's playing is always tasteful and his Texas influences permeate his songs. Diverse covers like "Viva Las Vegas", "I Thank You" and "Reverberation (Doubt)" prove that Billy and the boys were at home in covering number of genres. The mushmouth grungy vocals of Gibbons and Hill fit the songs like jalapeno peppers on nachos. Mid period tracks like "Cheap Sunglasses", "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" and "Tube Snake Boogie" hint at the massive success the band would experience with their Eliminator and Afterburner albums.

The rarities are a mixed bag, on the plus side are few cuts from Billy Gibbons pre-ZZ Top psychedelic band the Moving Sidewalks, the band's first non-lp single and a live version of "Cheap Sunglasses". The remixes and dance mixes are a waste of space in my opinion. Great tracks like "Back Door Love Affair", "Certified Blues", "Apologies To Pearly", "Low Down In The Street" or a cover of Elmore James "Dust My Broom" could have been added instead of the remixes. Even better would have been a disk of live outtakes from the "Fandango" album and more cuts from the concert from which "Cheap Sunglasses" was taken. It is also interesting that while a few tracks from the Moving Sidewalks Billy Gibbons pre-ZZ Top band were included no tracks were included from the band American Blues which contained both bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard along with Hill's brother Rocky before they joined ZZ Top. These quibbles aside anyone with more than just a passing interest in the Texas boogie of ZZ Top should snap this up pronto!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top Notch Box Set, May 13, 2004

By	D. Allen "Mr. Mojorisin" (McKinney Texas) - See all my reviews

This box hits the sweet spot for fans like myself; I wasn't interested in buying every album from their peak years, yet every album had something on it that I wanted. The "greatest hits" compilations out there only had their radio songs on it, and I certainly didn't need to hear those again, so I bought this box. I can say with no uncertainty that it was a good decision. There's alot of good stuff here, and the booklet is first class, as is the sound quality. It certainly wasn't cheap, but I don't feel short changed.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest American Band, April 12, 2004

By	Kenneth M. Goodman (Cleveland, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thank goodness for this box set. It's not just that the song
selection (for the most part) is excellent, not just that the
"Moving Sidewalk" selections are (all three of them) great,
the main reason this box set is a must-have is.........
sound quality! Especially evident in the Tejas selections,
there is a night-and-day difference between the box set and
the Tejas CD...and for that matter ALL those "Six Pack" CDs...
this box set sound quallity is approximately 6 zillion times

better. Plus you get this cool "flip book" as an interesting
gimmick. This box set is worth every single penny. What
ZZ Top possesses is a deeply profound understanding of the true
essence of rock'n roll/boogie/Tex-Mex in an often staggeringly
beautiful manner. Can there be any doubt that Mr. Gibbons
"picked up" something cosmic from Mr. Hendrix when they toured
together?