Chrome, Smoke & BBQ | ||||
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Box set by | ||||
Released | October 14, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 1967–1992 | |||
Genre | Rock, [1] blues [1] | |||
Length | 5:12:20 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Bill Ham | |||
ZZ Top chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() Limited Edition box set |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chrome, Smoke & BBQ is a 4-CD box set by American rock band ZZ Top. Released in 2003, it is a compilation album of material from the band's tenures with London Records and Warner Bros. Records, recorded from 1967 to 1992. An abbreviated 2-CD version of this compilation, Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top (2004), was released the following year.
At the time of its release in 2003, Chrome, Smoke & BBQ was noteworthy because it was the only CD release, except for the greatest hits album The Best of ZZ Top (1977/CD 1984), which used the original mixes of tracks from the band's first five studio albums. Other track or whole album CD releases for those five albums used remixed versions from 1987. (See The Six Pack box set.) These remixed versions displeased many fans because they significantly changed the sound from the original albums. [5]
The Best of ZZ Top (1977) was first released on CD in 1984, and uses the original track mixes for the CD. It includes one track from ZZ Top's First Album , two from Rio Grande Mud , four from Tres Hombres and three from Fandango! . Tres Hombres and Fandango! were reissued on CD in 2006, and were remastered using the original mixes. Chrome, Smoke & BBQ is the first ZZ Top track compilation release to include anything from the Tejas album.
In 2013, Warner Bros. Records released the CD box set The Complete Studio Albums 1970–1990, which includes the first ten ZZ Top studio albums, all with their original mixes. [5] [6] The timeframe of that ten album box set corresponds basically with the timeframe of Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, that is, the London Records and Warner Bros. Records recording years.
All tracks are written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
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1. | "You Make Me Shake" (by Moving Sidewalks) | Gibbons | Flash (1969) | 3:02 |
2. | "Joe Blues" (by Moving Sidewalks) | Gibbons, Dan Mitchell, Tom Moore, Don Summers | Flash | 7:36 |
3. | "Crimson Witch" (by Moving Sidewalks) | Gibbons | Flash | 3:03 |
4. | "Miller's Farm" | Gibbons | B-side of "Salt Lick" single (1970) | 2:36 |
5. | "Salt Lick" | Gibbons | Non-album single (1970) | 2:46 |
6. | "Brown Sugar" | Gibbons | ZZ Top's First Album (1971) | 5:22 |
7. | "Goin' Down to Mexico" | Gibbons, Hill, Bill Ham | ZZ Top's First Album | 3:22 |
8. | "Just Got Back from Baby's" | Gibbons, Ham | ZZ Top's First Album | 4:10 |
9. | "Francine" | Gibbons, Kenny Cordray, Steve Perron | Rio Grande Mud (1972) | 3:34 |
10. | "Just Got Paid" | Gibbons, Ham | Rio Grande Mud | 4:28 |
11. | "Ko Ko Blue" | Rio Grande Mud | 4:32 | |
12. | "Chevrolet" | Gibbons | Rio Grande Mud | 3:21 |
13. | "Bar-B-Q" | Gibbons, Ham | Rio Grande Mud | 3:28 |
14. | "Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell" | Gibbons | Rio Grande Mud | 7:20 |
15. | "Whiskey 'n' Mama" | Gibbons, Hill, Beard, Ham | Rio Grande Mud | 3:22 |
16. | "La Grange" | Tres Hombres (1973) | 3:53 | |
17. | "Waitin' for the Bus" | Gibbons, Hill | Tres Hombres | 2:53 |
18. | "Jesus Just Left Chicago" | Tres Hombres | 3:30 | |
19. | "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" | Tres Hombres | 3:25 | |
20. | "Master of Sparks" | Gibbons | Tres Hombres | 3:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Precious and Grace" | Tres Hombres | 3:11 | |
2. | "Shiek" | Gibbons, Hill | Tres Hombres | 4:06 |
3. | "Thunderbird" (live) | Fandango! (1975) | 3:04 | |
4. | "Jailhouse Rock" (live) | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | Fandango! | 1:55 |
5. | "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings" | Fandango! | 2:45 | |
6. | "Heard It on the X" | Fandango! | 2:26 | |
7. | "Blue Jean Blues" | Fandango! | 4:45 | |
8. | "Mexican Blackbird" | Fandango! | 3:06 | |
9. | "Tush" | Fandango! | 2:18 | |
10. | "It's Only Love" | Tejas (1976) | 4:23 | |
11. | "Arrested for Driving While Blind" | Tejas | 3:06 | |
12. | "El Diablo" | Tejas | 4:22 | |
13. | "Enjoy and Get It On" | Tejas | 3:25 | |
14. | "She's a Heartbreaker" | Tejas | 3:03 | |
15. | "Asleep in the Desert" | Gibbons | Tejas | 3:29 |
16. | "I Thank You" | Isaac Hayes, David Porter | Degüello (1979) | 3:26 |
17. | "Cheap Sunglasses" | Degüello | 4:48 | |
18. | "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" | Degüello | 4:49 | |
19. | "A Fool for Your Stockings" | Degüello | 4:15 | |
20. | "Degüello album radio spot" | 1:02 | ||
21. | "Manic Mechanic" | Degüello | 2:38 | |
22. | "She Loves My Automobile" | Degüello | 2:24 | |
23. | "Leila" | El Loco (1981) | 3:16 | |
24. | "Tube Snake Boogie" | El Loco | 3:02 |
No. | Title | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Wanna Drive You Home" | El Loco | 4:48 |
2. | "It's So Hard" | El Loco | 5:11 |
3. | "Pearl Necklace" | El Loco | 4:06 |
4. | "Heaven, Hell or Houston" | El Loco | 2:33 |
5. | "Gimme All Your Lovin'" | Eliminator (1983) | 4:00 |
6. | "Got Me Under Pressure" | Eliminator | 4:01 |
7. | "TV Dinners" | Eliminator | 3:51 |
8. | "Sharp Dressed Man" | Eliminator | 4:14 |
9. | "Legs" (single mix) | Eliminator | 3:36 |
10. | "I Got the Six" | Eliminator | 2:53 |
11. | "Dirty Dog" | Eliminator | 4:03 |
12. | "If I Could Only Flag Her Down" | Eliminator | 3:42 |
13. | "Sleeping Bag" | Afterburner (1985) | 4:04 |
14. | "Stages" | Afterburner | 3:34 |
15. | "Woke Up with Wood" | Afterburner | 3:47 |
16. | "Rough Boy" | Afterburner | 4:52 |
17. | "Can't Stop Rockin'" | Afterburner | 3:05 |
18. | "Planet of Women" | Afterburner | 4:09 |
19. | "Velcro Fly" | Afterburner | 3:31 |
20. | "Delirious" | Afterburner | 3:40 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
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1. | "Concrete and Steel" | Recycler (1990) | 3:50 | |
2. | "Lovething" | Recycler | 3:26 | |
3. | "Penthouse Eyes" | Recycler | 3:50 | |
4. | "My Head's in Mississippi" | Recycler | 4:20 | |
5. | "Give It Up" | Recycler | 3:32 | |
6. | "Doubleback" | Recycler | 3:58 | |
7. | "2000 Blues" | Recycler | 4:42 | |
8. | "Reverberation (Doubt)" | Roky Erickson, Tommy Hall, Stacy Sutherland | Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson (1990) | 3:03 |
9. | "Viva Las Vegas" | Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman | Greatest Hits (1992) | 4:46 |
10. | "Gun Love" | Greatest Hits | 3:42 | |
11. | "Francine" (Spanish version) | Gibbons, Cordray, Perron | "Francine" single (1972) | 2:56 |
12. | "Cheap Sunglasses" (live) | "Cheap Sunglasses" single (1979) | 5:14 | |
13. | "Legs" (dance mix) | "Legs" single (1984) | 7:57 | |
14. | "Viva Las Vegas" (12" remix) | Pomus, Shuman | "Viva La Vegas" single (1992) | 8:39 |
15. | "Give It Up" (2,800 Mile remix) | "Give It Up" single (1990) | 6:25 | |
16. | "Velcro Fly" (12" remix) | "Velcro Fly" single (1986) | 6:38 |
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For 51 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section. They are known for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who wore sunglasses, hats and long beards.
ZZ Top's First Album is the debut studio album by American rock band ZZ Top, produced by Bill Ham and released in January 1971 by London Records. Establishing ZZ Top's attitude and humor, the album incorporates styles such as blues, boogie, hard rock, and Southern rock influences. Thematically, the album is about personal experiences and sexual innuendos. "(Somebody Else Been) Shakin' Your Tree" was the only single released from the album.
Rio Grande Mud is the second studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in 1972 by the London Records label. The album title was inspired by the Rio Grande, the river that forms the border between Mexico and Texas.
Tres Hombres is the third studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released by London Records in July 1973 and was the band's first collaboration with engineer Terry Manning. It was the band's commercial breakthrough; in the US, the album entered the top ten, and the single "La Grange" reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Tres Hombres" means "three men".
Degüello is the sixth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in November 1979. It was the first ZZ Top release on Warner Bros. Records and eventually went platinum. It was produced by Bill Ham, recorded and mixed by Terry Manning, and mastered by Bob Ludwig.
El Loco is the seventh studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1981. It foreshadowed the band's extensive usage of synthesizers on Eliminator, Afterburner, and to a lesser extent, Recycler, by way of employing a synthesizer on a couple tracks, played by an uncredited Linden Hudson.
Mescalero is the fourteenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in September 2003, as the band's final release for RCA Records. While the band still retained their foundation in blues rock, Mescalero explored genres like country and Tejano. Recording sessions took place at Foam Box Recordings in Houston, with Billy Gibbons as producer.
Tejas is the fifth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released in late November 1976, on the London label. The title is a Caddo language word meaning "friends", which is the origin of the name of the band's home state, Texas.
Eliminator is the eighth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records, and rose high on the charts in many countries. Four hit singles were released—"Gimme All Your Lovin'" which reached the American Top 40, "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and their most successful single, "Legs". Eliminator is ZZ Top's most commercially successful release, with sales of 11 million and diamond certification in the US.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1992.
Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top is a greatest hits album by the rock band ZZ Top. It was released in 2004 on Rhino Entertainment. The title is a portmanteau of "texan" and "mexicano", meaning "Tex-mex Ranch". The 2-CD compilation is essentially a pared-down version of the 4-CD box set Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, released the previous year. All songs are original mixes that have been digitally remastered.
Rhythmeen is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1996. It is their last album with longtime producer Bill Ham.
One Foot in the Blues is a compilation album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1994. The album contains a selection of the band's songs which fall into the blues genre. With the exception of the songs taken from the Degüello, El Loco, Eliminator and Recycler albums, the 1987 digital remixes were used.
"Cheap Sunglasses" is a 1979 single by ZZ Top from their 1979 studio album Degüello.
"Got Me Under Pressure" is a song by ZZ Top from their 1983 album Eliminator.
Fandango! is the fourth album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1975. The album's first side consists of selections from live shows, with the second side being new studio recordings. A remastered and expanded edition of this album was released on February 28, 2006.
The Six Pack is a box set released in 1987 by the American rock band ZZ Top. It comprises their first five albums, plus their seventh album, El Loco (1981). All the albums except El Loco and the live side of Fandango! were remixed with new drums and guitar effects for a more "contemporary" sound, similar to ZZ Top's eighth album, Eliminator (1983). Until 2006, these remixes were the only versions of the albums available on CD. British musician and producer Alan Parsons had also remixed his first 1976 Project album Tales of Mystery and Imagination in the same manner to achieve the same sound, which was also released in 1987.
"My Head's In Mississippi" is a song by ZZ Top from their album Recycler. The song was produced by band manager Bill Ham, and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. In December 1990, the song reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 166 in Australia.
"Francine" is a song recorded by the American rock band ZZ Top from their 1972 album Rio Grande Mud. It was their first chart hit.
"Waitin' for the Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" are two songs by American rock band ZZ Top from their 1973 album Tres Hombres. The two songs open the album, segued into each other, and for years radio stations played the two tracks together. "Waitin' for the Bus" was written solely by Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, while "Jesus Just Left Chicago" was also co-written by drummer Frank Beard.