ZZ Top: The Best of ZZ Top

(1977)

Love that rockin' Texas Sound!

Pros: Classic ZZ Top, what else is there to say?

Cons: It's a tad on the short side, coming from an LP release...

Full Review

Before I get into the "meat" of this review, I must admit that I am very biased when it comes to this album. You see, I was born in South Texas, and my dad happened to have this on 8-track (of all things) in the house when I was a little kid back in the mid '80s. Some of the best times of my young life were spent with this album playing in the background. Needless to say, I hold the songs contained here in very high esteem within my music collection (I have since gotten the album on CD). Without further ado, here are my thoughts on each track.

1. "Tush" (Gibbons/Hill/Beard)
This is bad-boy Texas blues/rock at it's finest. A little over 2 minutes of the results of a jam session with the Top! Great way to start the album, and an indicator of the good-time sounds to come.

2. "Waitin' For The Bus" (Gibbons/Hill)
Now that we've gotten the intentions of the band into our minds, it's time to hear about the plight of the car-less working man. This is a bit more blues-oriented, but it works just as well as a rock classic, with nice guitar riffs and a great beat. Which leads us to...

3. "Jesus Just Left Chicago" (Gibbons/Hill/Beard)
For most CDs, I'll usually hit the "shuffle" button on my CD player, but this CD almost demands listening straight through, due to the seamless transition form "Waitin' For The Bus" to this track. I like this one a lot, it's pretty deeply set in the blues vein... Rockin' blues, that is. Great guitar solos here.

4. "Francine" (Gibbons/Perron/Cordray)
This song reminds me of "Brown Sugar" by the Stones. Only "Francine" is straight outta the Lone Star State, something that Mick Jagger and the boys can't even hold a candle to. The band sounds especially tight in this tune.

5. "Just Got Paid" (Gibbons/Ham)
This track is one of my favorites. You're dealing with, you guessed it, more rock-infused blues here. The opening riff never gets tiring to listen to, and the song as a whole weighs heavily on the rock side of the spectrum. One final note on this tune: ya gotta love the ending, Billy's guitar seemingly soaring into the wild blue yonder after a hard-driving last few seconds. A great track.

6. "La Grange" (Gibbons/Hill/Beard)
Ahhhh, the classic ZZ Top jam. This song is about as funky as you can get listening to ZZ Top. If you've heard it, you know what I mean. A definite classic, plain and simple.

7. "Blue Jean Blues" (Gibbons/Hill/Beard)
Even as a young boy, I knew what this song was all about. Just hearing the lyrics and that sad guitar should shout out "BLUES!" Another favorite of mine.

8. "Backdoor Love Affair" (Gibbons/Ham)
I always have liked this one a lot. It's just got the right "vibe" to it. It's hard to explain, you'll just have to listen to it and jam along with the boys!

9. "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" (Gibbons/Hill/Beard)
This one is a straight-ahead rocker, no two ways about it. Billy and Dusty work great here, taking turns on the vocals and sounding like they're having a blast doing so. And the guitar parts are AWESOME!

10. "Heard It on the X" (Gibbons/Hill/Beard)
It just seems like this album gets better and better towards the end. This song might be on the short side, but it definitely holds it's own as a fast and furious finale. Everything is tight on this track, the guitars, the vocals, the beat, everything! What a way to end the album!

Well, that pretty much puts the wraps on this review. Basically, if you like classic rock, blues, or both, get this album. You're guaranteed to have a good time listening to it.

The Bottom Line:

Rock + Blues + Texas Attitude = One sweet CD!

PLEASE NOTE: This section is under construction until further notice.

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