Recommend me some ZZ Top songs

[The Nth Doctor]

I've recently fallen in love with ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" and I want to discover more of their music. However 40+ years of music is just a tad daunting. Other than "Sharp Dressed Man," the only ZZ Top song I'm familiar (and also love) is "Doubleback" from Back to the Future, Part III. So please, give me some recommendations based off those two songs.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Forty years is also long enough for a greatest hits album.

 

[Mistral]

Cheap Sunglasses
Tush(La Grange?)
TV Dinner

the entire Deguello (sp?) album-its been years but I seem to recall it was great.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Forty years is also long enough for a greatest hits album.

Greatest by whose standards? Best selling? I've often found greatest hits albums to be complete rubbish.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Since you mentioned enjoying "Sharp Dressed Man," and that's one of their biggest hits, I figured you'd enjoy more of the same.

You can't really get all that pretentious with ZZ Top.

 

[Neroon]

"Legs" is a blast, though there are two versions of it. One is a little edgier than the other, the one I prefer.

"Gimme All Your Lovin'" started the whole Eliminator Ford series of videos but is a good song in its own right.

"LaGrange" still gets plenty of air time, and deservedly so. Classic guitar riff and Billy Gibbons lower than low vocals..... so cool.

"Velcro Fly" is a much lesser known song that's kind of catchy and fun

 

[Deckerd]

Viva las Vegas

 

[backstept]

I want to grow a ZZ Top beard

 

[Roshi]

Rough Boy from the Afterburner album.

 

[Timby]

You can't really get all that pretentious with ZZ Top.

No shit. We're not talking Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits or even fucking Boyz II Men. It's ZZ Top, for crying out loud. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the band's music and I was front-row at a concert a few years ago, but this isn't a case of a band where you're going to find little gems hidden under rocks.

 

[auntiehill]

"Rough Boy" from the Afterburner album.
"Breakaway" from the Antenna album. One of my all-time favorites.

Then, of course, there's always the classic "La Grange" from the Tres Hombres or Greatest Hits albums.

 

[Captain Dago]

but this isn't a case of a band where you're going to find little gems hidden under rocks.

Oh, I don't know about that. Some of my very favorite ZZ tunes are less-known cuts that are more blues than boogie, such as:

"Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell" from Rio Grande Mud
"Blue Jean Blues" from Fandango!
"El Diablo" from Tejas
(also, "Arrested for Driving While Blind" from that album, but that's more of a boogie piece)
"A Fool for Your Stockings" from Deguello

And then there's the delicious blues-jazz of "Asleep in the Desert" from Tejas...

So, yeah, there are some undiscovered gems under the "raaawck". There are some surprising subtleties to this band if you get beyond the full-tilt boogie of their "greatest hits." And Eliminator marked a real departure from their earlier work -- much more tech driven.

But that's just my own damn opinion...

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

I think "Rough Boy" is their best song.

 

[CorporalClegg]

"Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell" from Rio Grande Mud
"Blue Jean Blues" from Fandango!
"El Diablo" from Tejas
(also, "Arrested for Driving While Blind" from that album, but that's more of a boogie piece)
"A Fool for Your Stockings" from Deguello

All excellent choices, Sir!

 

[Smiley]

Other good songs include "I Need You Tonight," "Jesus Just Left Chicago," and "Waitin' on the Bus." The Sharp Dressed Men tribute album has a pretty good list of classic ZZ Top songs, which is probably similar to the greatest hits package.

 

[Nick Ryder]

Well if Sharp Dressed Man (my theme song as a youngun... I was only like 3 or 4 when that song came out and I was ALWAYS in suits. I wore out my "dressy clothes". Suits, vests, ties.) is a favorite now. Then I would suggest the following, as I've been a ZZTop fan since I was like 3-4 years old and I'm 28 now.

Eliminator. Great Classic album. Lots of great stuff in there. This was in my walkman CONSTANTLY in the late 80s. I wore out my copy in the early 90s.
Afterburner. Another great album, lots of fun. Eliminator and Afterburner fit together well.
Recycler - the album with Doubleback - but a lot of good fun songs on there.
Fandango - An earlier album with a live bit and some recorded stuff. Jesus Left Chicago is a great piece from that record
Tres Hombres - a lot of blues, a bit of boogie, and good rock.

If you're into the heavy RAWK then yeah stick with their later ones. Antenna, XXX, Rythmeen. Its beer and cigarette soaked rock n roll. But if you're finding you like the blusier and boogie side, then start trollin' their back catalogue. El Loco - WHICH HAS THE BOYS IN SOMBREROS! Or the aforementioned Deguello.

I'd also pick up the ZZ Top's Greatest Hits - its found nearly EVERYWHERE even though its close to 15-20 years old by now. I think that came out in like 92? Its the one with the pretty girls on the cover. But its got a nice selection of everything from Recycler on the way back. A little bit of everything. I'm not as impressed with their newer stuff, but its still rockin'. I enjoy it. Vincent Price Blues and Hummbucking Pt.2 off of Rythmeen is pretty good.

Honestly go to eMusic.com - get a subscription, you can download quite a bit of their stuff from there. For $15 bucks I think you get like 35 downloads so that's still a better deal than iTunes. But if you've got a used music store in your area, check them out. Recycler, Afterburner and Eliminator were all pretty big hits and nearly everyone had a copy of at least the the last two at one point or another.

 

[Nick Ryder]

This would be perfect actually - most of the stuff all of us have recommended is in this set - http://www.amazon.com/Rancho-Texicano-Very-Best-Top/dp/B0001ZXM54/ref=pd_cp_m_1 - Man if I had this when I was younger, before I bought most of the CDs or downloaded the MP3s, I'd have been all over this for a birthday gift.

Get this one man. You'll get everything we've told you about. If you're still diggin it, then go to like iTunes or Amazon or eMusic and download the rest

 

[Australis]

Eliminator I think was their most successful/commercial album, and the band I was in did 3-4 songs from it.

Aside from that, I like tracks off the album Antenna, especially Antenna Head and My Head's In Mississippi. Their cover of Viva Las Vegas. Arrested For Driving While Blind. And maybe Dreadmonboogaloo from XXX.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions, everyone. I'll definitely check them out when I can.

 

[Holdfast]

I don't rightly know how kosher this is for the BBS, but can't you just browse a few of their vids on YouTube and see what tracks you like and then buy accordingly? Their videos are often pretty cool and work well with the songs too. I'm sure someone must have uploaded most of them by now.