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GREATEST HITS ALBUM REVIEW

ZZ TOP

GREATEST HITS

Released - April 14, 1992 on Warner Bros Records. Produced by Bill Ham

Billy Gibbons - Guitar, Vocals
Dusty Hill - Bass, Vocals
Frank Beard - Drums, Percussion

All songs written by Gibbons, Hill & Beard except "Viva Las Vegas", written by Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman.

  Review

ZZ Top has put out a few greatest hits albums, and this one, released in 1992, is the best one of them. This band from Texas always seem to play it clean, that is, as a band. Like several other rock bands, perhaps they sound a bit too much the same on many of their songs, but still, it always sounds good. For a band that loves the blues, I was always surprised that so many of their hits songs are almost more pop sounding, but they know how to turn out hits more so than most other bands.

My favorite ZZ Top song is found on here, that being "Cheap Sunglasses", this song has to be one of rock's coolest. "Tube Snake Boogie" is another great one with fun lyrics, even if the band claims everybody has the message wrong as to what they meant by the song's title. Of course, that also applies to another hit song found on here, "Pearl Necklace", as some don't listen to the lyrics close enough to hear that they are singing about the other kind of pearl necklace ("...thats not jewelry shes talkinabout").

Another great song that was somewhat ruined when it showed up on this LP, is "Legs". On here we get a dance remix that had never been released till this package came out - and should not have been. That terrible background disco like buzz we hear brings the song down just a bit; why place this version on this LP?

A song recorded just for this album which I do dig, is a remake of the Elvis Presely hit "Viva Las Vegas". Holy shit, Dusty Hill, who sings the lead on this cover sounds just like the King himself! In fact, the first time I heard this number on the radio I thought I was listening to the Elvis song! Some might say that isn't a good thing, since you should try to make a cover song your own and sound a bit different, but in this case, all is cool as far as I'm concerned.

Overall, you have 18 songs on this greatest hits album and other than a second song also recorded for this LP, "Gun Love", which is average at best, the rest of the songs are true hits.

- Keno 2007

To listen to some soundclips from ZZ TOP'S GREATEST HITS or to purchase it, click on: ZZ Top - Greatest Hits or ZZ Top's Greatest Hits

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