FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
ZZ Top - Eliminator
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THERE are two reasons…
as to why I am covering ZZ Top’s eighth studio album, Eliminator, for Vinyl Corner. Released on 23rd March, 1983, the album peaked at the top of the charts in many countries. Classics such as Gimme All Your Lovin’ and Got Me Under Pressure still sound fantastic to this day – as does the entire album! Eliminator is the Texan band’s most commercially successful release, with sales of over ten million copies in the United States alone. Another (sad) reason to cover the album is the death of ZZ Top’s bassist, Dusty Hill. He died last week. The BBC were among many to report the news:
“Dusty Hill, the bassist of US blues rock band ZZ Top, has died at the age of 72.
Bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard said that Hill died in his sleep at his home in Houston, Texas. They did not give further details.
Earlier in July, ZZ Top had announced that Hill would not play some upcoming shows due to a hip injury.
Known for his bushy beard and sunglasses, Hill played with ZZ Top for over 50 years.
"We, along with legions of ZZ Top fans around the world, will miss your steadfast presence, your good nature, and enduring commitment to providing that monumental bottom to the 'Top'," the statement from Gibbons and Beard said.
"You will be missed greatly, amigo."
Born Joseph Michael Hill, the bassist originally played guitar alongside his brother Rocky in Dallas before moving to Houston and joining Beard.
ZZ Top was founded in 1969, and played their first live concert the following year.
The trio would go on to release 15 studio and four live albums, with hit singles like Gimme All Your Lovin', Sleeping Bag, and Viva Las Vegas.
ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004”.
Whilst some critics did not like the band’s use of synthesizer, drum machine and sequencer on the album, others felt it was a great evolution and continuation of what we heard on 1981’s El Loco. If you can get the album on vinyl, I would definitely recommend you do so. It is an absolute classic that anyone can pick up and enjoy. One need not know too much about ZZ Top’s background and sound to be able to appreciate songs such as Sharp Dressed Man. I want to bring in a couple of reviews for Eliminator. This is what AllMusic said when they reviewed the album:
“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”.
I know there was some wrangle and dispute regarding various writing credits; some dismiss Eliminator as one of ZZ Top’s less authentic and necessary albums. Plenty of critical lists have placed Eliminator among the best albums ever. Classic Rock Review had their say when they reviewed the album in 2013:
“Sound engineer Linden Hudson researched popular song tempos, and suggested that 120 beats per minute was the most popular tempo in rock music, so most of the recorded Eliminator album was recorded at that tempo. This has since become know as “the people’s tempo”. Although this sort of sound manipulation may not go over well with all old-school blues and rock purists or blues-rock purists, the album does not contain one filler song, as each individual track works well as a stand-alone song. In fact, one can claim that the whole is much less than the sum of this album’s parts
Beard’s simple rock drum beat sets the pace for the riff-driven “Gimme All Your Lovin'” (which in turn sets the pace for the album). Accented by a few guitar overdubs and pad synths, this opener contains one of the more famous leads by Gibbons and reached the Top 40 on the U.S. charts. “Got Me Under Pressure” follows and has become the most controversial song, not due to lyrical content, but due to allegations by Hudson that it was written and recorded by himself and Gibbons in one afternoon without the involvement or knowledge of the other two band members. Although the band members disputed much of his compositional accounts, Linden says he created the bass on a synthesizer, the drums on a drum machine, and helped Gibbons write the lyrics while Gibbons performed the guitars and vocals.
“Sharp Dressed Man” is the most catchy of the hit songs and utilizes a more traditional rock arrangement with some strange vocal effects being the only really synthesized parts. While on tour in England to support the album Degüello, the band members were impressed with the cool threads and overall sense of fashion. The song reached the Top Ten on the mainstream rock charts and has remained one of the band’s most famous songs.
The best song on the album is “I Need You Tonight”, led by Gibbons’s really soulful and bluesy guitar with an effect-laden edge. Hill uses a real bass guitar (not a synth bass arpeggio) and the song contains some great melodies during the choruses, adding a splash of sweetness to this extended piece with an almost dark feel. The persistent reaching of Gibbons’ guitar, especially during the long instrumental sections, makes it a highlight of the album and even as the song ends, it feels like the bluesy guitar is reluctant to quit. The short but potent “I Got the Six” completes the first side as a full-fledged, good time party anthem.
The early part of the album’s second side is the best demonstration of the “synthesizer meets soul” sound which the group was aiming for on Eliminator. On “Legs” the synths are most prominent along with a consistent beat and very few chord changes. With a decent melody, clear hook, and some bluesy lead guitar licks, “Legs” was inspired by a real-life situation when the group spotted a young lady and spun the car around for a second look. But when she vanished Gibbons said, “That girl’s got legs, and she knows how to use them.” “Thug” is the most unabashed eighties-style, synth-heavy song, almost sounding experimental. “TV Dinners” contains organ-like synths good lead by Gibbons. Written late in the recording process, the song’s title was inspired by a woman in a Memphis nightclub, where the group went during a break in recording”.
It is a shame that we lost Dusty Hill. One can hear his magnificent work right through Eliminator. It is a tremendous album that everyone should hear. If you have not experienced it or are new to ZZ Top, then Eliminator is something that you need to own. Grab the album on vinyl and enjoy the Rock legends at their very best! Their 1983-released eighth studio album is…
ABSOLUTE gold.