Chrome, Smoke & BBQ

Last updated
Chrome, Smoke & BBQ
Chrome, Smoke & BBQ (cover art) Front.jpg
Box set by
ReleasedOctober 14, 2003
Recorded1967–1992
Genre Rock, [1] blues [1]
Length5:12:20
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Bill Ham
ZZ Top chronology
Mescalero
(2003)
Chrome, Smoke & BBQ
(2003)
Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top
(2004)
Alternative cover
ZZ Top - Chrome, Smoke & BBQ Limited Edition.jpg
Limited Edition box set
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

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.

Contents

Release of original mixes

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.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, except where noted.

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
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 SummersFlash7:36
3."Crimson Witch" (by Moving Sidewalks)GibbonsFlash3:03
4."Miller's Farm"GibbonsB-side of "Salt Lick" single (1970)2:36
5."Salt Lick"GibbonsNon-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 Album3:22
8."Just Got Back from Baby's"Gibbons, HamZZ Top's First Album4:10
9."Francine"Gibbons, Kenny Cordray, Steve Perron Rio Grande Mud (1972)3:34
10."Just Got Paid"Gibbons, HamRio Grande Mud4:28
11."Ko Ko Blue" Rio Grande Mud4:32
12."Chevrolet"GibbonsRio Grande Mud3:21
13."Bar-B-Q"Gibbons, HamRio Grande Mud3:28
14."Sure Got Cold After the Rain Fell"GibbonsRio Grande Mud7:20
15."Whiskey 'n' Mama"Gibbons, Hill, Beard, HamRio Grande Mud3:22
16."La Grange"  Tres Hombres (1973)3:53
17."Waitin' for the Bus"Gibbons, HillTres Hombres2:53
18."Jesus Just Left Chicago" Tres Hombres3:30
19."Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" Tres Hombres3:25
20."Master of Sparks"GibbonsTres Hombres3:30
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Precious and Grace" Tres Hombres3:11
2."Shiek"Gibbons, HillTres Hombres4:06
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" Tejas3:06
12."El Diablo" Tejas4:22
13."Enjoy and Get It On" Tejas3:25
14."She's a Heartbreaker" Tejas3:03
15."Asleep in the Desert"GibbonsTejas3:29
16."I Thank You" Isaac Hayes, David Porter Degüello (1979)3:26
17."Cheap Sunglasses" Degüello4:48
18."I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" Degüello4:49
19."A Fool for Your Stockings" Degüello4:15
20."Degüello album radio spot"  1:02
21."Manic Mechanic" Degüello2:38
22."She Loves My Automobile" Degüello2:24
23."Leila"  El Loco (1981)3:16
24."Tube Snake Boogie" El Loco3:02
Disc three
No.TitleOriginal albumLength
1."I Wanna Drive You Home"El Loco4:48
2."It's So Hard"El Loco5:11
3."Pearl Necklace"El Loco4:06
4."Heaven, Hell or Houston"El Loco2:33
5."Gimme All Your Lovin'" Eliminator (1983)4:00
6."Got Me Under Pressure"Eliminator4:01
7."TV Dinners"Eliminator3:51
8."Sharp Dressed Man"Eliminator4:14
9."Legs" (single mix)Eliminator3:36
10."I Got the Six"Eliminator2:53
11."Dirty Dog"Eliminator4:03
12."If I Could Only Flag Her Down"Eliminator3:42
13."Sleeping Bag" Afterburner (1985)4:04
14."Stages"Afterburner3:34
15."Woke Up with Wood"Afterburner3:47
16."Rough Boy"Afterburner4:52
17."Can't Stop Rockin'"Afterburner3:05
18."Planet of Women"Afterburner4:09
19."Velcro Fly"Afterburner3:31
20."Delirious"Afterburner3:40
Disc four
No.TitleWriter(s)Original albumLength
1."Concrete and Steel"  Recycler (1990)3:50
2."Lovething" Recycler3:26
3."Penthouse Eyes" Recycler3:50
4."My Head's in Mississippi" Recycler4:20
5."Give It Up" Recycler3:32
6."Doubleback" Recycler3:58
7."2000 Blues" Recycler4:42
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 Hits3:42
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

Personnel

ZZ Top

Production and engineering

Photography

Other

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZZ Top</span> American rock band

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.

<i>ZZ Tops First Album</i> 1970 studio album by ZZ Top

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.

<i>Rio Grande Mud</i> 1972 studio album by ZZ Top

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.

<i>Tres Hombres</i> 1973 studio album by ZZ Top

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".

<i>Degüello</i> 1979 studio album by ZZ Top

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<i>El Loco</i> 1981 studio album by ZZ Top

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<i>Tejas</i> (album) 1976 studio album by ZZ Top

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.

<i>Eliminator</i> (album) 1983 studio album by ZZ Top

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<i>Greatest Hits</i> (ZZ Top album) 1992 greatest hits album by ZZ Top

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1992.

<i>Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top</i> 2004 greatest hits album by ZZ Top

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.

<i>Rhythmeen</i> 1996 studio album by ZZ Top

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<i>One Foot in the Blues</i> 1994 compilation album by ZZ Top

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheap Sunglasses</span> 1979 single by ZZ Top

"Cheap Sunglasses" is a 1979 single by ZZ Top from their 1979 studio album Degüello.

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<i>Fandango!</i> 1975 studio & live album by ZZ Top

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.

<i>The Six Pack</i> (ZZ Top box set) 1987 box set by ZZ Top

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Head's in Mississippi</span> 1990 single by ZZ Top

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"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.

References

  1. 1 2 Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Bush, John, eds. (2007). Classic Rock. Backbeat Books. p. 257. ISBN   9780879309176.
  2. Allmusic review
  3. Rolling Stone review
  4. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "ZZ Top". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  907-8. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  5. 1 2 Gallucci, Michael. "New ZZ Top Box Will Include Original Mixes of First 10 Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media, Inc. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  6. Bosso, Joe. "Billy Gibbons talks ZZ Top: The Complete Studio Albums (1970-1990)". MusicRadar. Future plc. Retrieved 22 June 2021.