ZZ TOP OF THEIR GAME

Through the 1970s, Texan trio ZZ Top played music blending the boogie of Canned Heat with elements of Southern rock to produce an infectious style of blues rock. With hits like the irresistible "La Grange" they became a popular live attraction as well as selling plenty of albums. But that was nothing compared to the success they achieved after incorporating aspects of synth-pop in the early 1980s and going stratospheric with the LP Eliminator.

Released in March 1983, Eliminator was ZZ Top’s eighth studio album. It boasted no less than four hit singles, sold 11 million copies worldwide, and turned the beardy band into a global phenomenon. Significantly, the success was powered by a series of slick, cheeky videos that were on high MTV rotation. 

"Gimme All Your Lovin’" was the first cab off the rank. Here we meet Billy Gibbons’ customised 1933 Ford coupe, decked out in its Eliminator colours. The band—a trio of hairy fairy god-mothers—fade in and out, facilitating a young motor mechanic’s road trip fantasy. The same basic storyline reoccurs in "Sharp dressed man" and peaks in "Legs". The clips are funny and cartoonish, cool and self-mocking; a guilty pleasure that royally entertains. It’s Cinderella with stilettos.

And what is the sound powering these hugely catchy hits and indeed most of the tracks on Eliminator? Essentially, just like the sales assistant in the "Legs" video, it’s a makeover and polishing of the existing raw material. The gravelly guitar sound is still a core component, but synth sequences, an updated drum sound and the general production sheen have turned ZZ Top’s basic boogie into a dazzling Eighties floor-filling sound. 

"Gimme All Your Lovin’" is a strong opening track, a great tune with a fine signature guitar solo, all powering along at the rapid tempo of hit songs of the day. This ramping up of the beats-per-minute count was enthusiastically adopted by Gibbons, just as he was inspired by the synthesiser sounds of Depeche Mode and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark. It’s there in the second song too, the even faster "Got Me Under Pressure".

"I Need You Tonight" is a slow blues, providing a pleasant contrast to earlier, sweatier songs. As always, fine guitar solos from Gibbons lift this chugging blues song beyond the ordinary as the band stretch out for six minutes, the longest track on the LP. We go up a gear for the last song on side one, "I Got the Six" which reminds me of Eighties AC/DC; fast hard rock—head banging 201.

"Legs" was the final single from Eliminator and it opens side two of the album. The apotheosis of the synth-boogie style, it is, for all its dodgy lyrics, totally irresistible. It is possibly one of my favourite drum-machine driven tracks, ever. And that includes the stellar work of Georgio Moroder. "Thug" is a gangster style story and one of the most synth-sounding tracks on the album, with its popping Eighties bassline and programmed percussion. For me, the other standout track on the second side is the tongue-in-cheek "TV Dinners"; ZZ Top are at their best when reminding you not to take them too seriously, like on this slow electric groove.

As the Allmusic guide summarises, Eliminator is "glossed up new wave blues rock." In the right mood, its unlikely cool and shimmering production are unashamedly glorious.