Retro Spins: ZZ Top - Afterburner

After hearing ZZ Top's 1983 album, Eliminator, I was no more a ZZ Top fan then as I was before...Which was not much of one at all. I've personally never really understood the draw to the band. Sure, they're good at jamming, and they can certainly play their instruments. I won't deny that. It's just their sound that I don't dig all that much.

Regardless, I still feel like there's something there that I have to be missing, and I hope to find that in today's retro spin.

ZZ Top continued their success from the 70's into the 80's with the aforementioned Eliminator (1983), El Loco (1981) and Afterburner (1985). Today, I'm looking at the latter entry to get a little more exposure to the band.

The album starts with Sleeping Bag, the track I actually purchased the CD for. It then goes into Stages, a song which sounds familiar from the 80's, yet I can't pinpoint why. The song did go to number twenty-one on the charts, which could be where I got exposed to it.

I suppose since I'm mentioning the weekly top forty, I'd be remiss to not mention the band's other hits from Afterburner, which charted between 1985 and 1986. Sleeping Bag was the most successful of the bunch, reaching number eight, Rough Boy, peaked at number twenty-two and Velcro Fly made it to number thirty-five.

When it began playing, Rough Boy, I also recognized. However, I'm not a fan. I did not recognize Velcro Fly, nor any other tracks from the album.

Overall, still not a fan. ZZ Top just doesn't do it for me, and perhaps it's time I come to accept that. Not every artist is for everyone - Regardless of how popular or unpopular they are.

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Retro Spins: ZZ Top - Eliminator

My extensive knowledge of ZZ Top begins and ends with a mild knowledge of their hits from the 80's, their appearance in Back to the Future Part III and a dislike for their classics from the 70's. Oh boy...This should be fun.

It actually took me a few start and stop sessions to make it through this CD. Not because I wasn't interested in hearing it, but rather, because something kept coming up. As such, I don't know whether or not I would have enjoyed it more had I gone from start to finish in one session or not. I suppose I could have restarted it and tried it that way. However, truth be told, I wasn't really enjoying it all that much.

Instrumental wise, I won't deny there is a lot of talent behind in the fingers and hands of ZZ Top. Their guitar riffs are occasionally quite impressive, but at the same time, aren't enough to keep me interested enough in each song. I dare say for me, ZZ Top is what Rush was to a buddy of mine. He would get into the songs as the music started, but as soon as the singing began, he lost interest. That's kind of where I am with them.

The album gets plus points for having three staples of the 80's in tracks Gimme All Your Lovin', Sharp Dressed Man and Legs, and for that alone I say the album is worth while. Despite the band not being my favorite, these are still great songs. Beyond that, I didn't hear anything else which really grabbed my attention. In fact, by the half way point, I really just wanted it to end.

Stand out oddity on Eliminator was hands down TV Dinners. I'm not sure what possessed the band to write a four minute song about frozen dinners and their love for them, but this was certainly out in left field in the realm of "Weird Al" Yankovic territory. I'm seriously still shaking my head from this one.

Overall, the album just wasn't for me. ZZ Top and I will have to suffice for being casual 80's acquaintances. I have zero interest in tracking down anymore of their albums.

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