Rhythmeen

Rhythmeen
Studio album by ZZ Top
Released	September 17, 1996
Recorded	February–June 1996
Genre	Blues [1]
Length	53:55
Label	RCA
Producer	Billy Gibbons Bill Ham
ZZ Top chronology
One Foot in the Blues (1994) Rhythmeen (1996) XXX (1999)

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.

Production and recording

Billy recalls "Rick Rubin has turned me on to one of his acts called Barkmarket and that the guitar player uses C# and B tunings so we began experimenting with really low tunings." ^[2] Around the Rhythmeen era Billy's collection of African artifacts began and several tracks include African tribal percussion.

This is when Billy began to sport the Nudu Hat, woven by the Bamileke tribe in Cameroon, Africa.

Gibbons uses a 1955 Les Paul Goldtop guitar which is featured prominently throughout the album. ^[3]

"We originally had a working title of 'Nearing the Completion Stage'. But, it was the backbeat, that mean groove, which hit us as a strong recurring element of the album. So, we did our customary play on words, shuffling words about until we came up with our own invention—a feel-good elixir named Rhythmeen." ^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Rolling Stone	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]

AllMusic gave it a mixed review, stating, "ZZ Top's long-awaited return to blues finally arrived in 1996, well over a decade after they abandoned their simple three-chord boogie for a synth and drum machine-driven three-chord boogie." ^[1]

The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Rhythmeen"	Billy Gibbons	3:53
2.	"Bang Bang"	Gibbons	4:28
3.	"Black Fly"	Gibbons	3:31
4.	"What's Up with That"	Gibbons, Joe Hardy, Luther Ingram, Mack Rice [7]	5:19
5.	"Vincent Price Blues"	Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard	6:04
6.	"Zipper Job"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	4:14
7.	"Hairdresser"	Gibbons, Hardy	3:48
8.	"She's Just Killing Me"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	4:55
9.	"My Mind Is Gone"	Gibbons, Hardy, Gary Moon, Stevie Wonder	4:06
10.	"Loaded"	Gibbons, Hardy	3:47
11.	"Prettyhead"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	4:37
12.	"Hummbucking, Pt. 2"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	5:13
Total length:			53:55

Bonus track [Japan]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Isn't Love Amazing"	Gibbons	5:15
Total length:			59:10

Personnel

• Billy Gibbons – guitar, lead vocals
• Dusty Hill – bass, keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals (10)
• Frank Beard – drums, percussion
• James Harman – harmonica (4)
• Greg Morrow – percussion, drums (credited ^[8] as 'Gangzz Clangzz & Percussion Thangzz') on "She's Just Killing Me" ^[9] and other tracks ^[10]

Production

• Producers – Billy Gibbons, Bill Ham
• Engineer – Joe Hardy
• Assistant engineers – Lizzie Harrah, Gary Moon
• Mixing – Joe Hardy
• Mastering – Bob Ludwig
• Director – Douglas Biro
• Art direction – Sean Mosher-Smith
• Design – Billy Gibbons, Sean Mosher-Smith
• Photography – James Bland
• Studio – John Moran's House of Funk aka Digital Services Recording

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)

Year	Chart	Position
1996	The Billboard 200	29[ citation needed ]

Singles – Billboard (United States)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1996	"Bang Bang"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	22[ citation needed ]
1996	"She's Just Killing Me"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	12[ citation needed ]
1996	"What's Up with That"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	5[ citation needed ]
1997	"Rhythmeen"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	35[ citation needed ]

References

1. Thomas, Stephen (September 17, 1996). "Rhythmeen - ZZ Top : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
2. di Perna, Alan (October 1, 2012). Guitar Masters: Intimate Portraits. Hal Leonard. p. 181. ISBN   1423489888.
3. Billy Gibbons Rock&Roll Gearhead book
4. Vogel, Michael (27 September 1996) "ZZ Top - Rhythmeen". The Album Network
5. "ZZ Top: Rhythmeen". RollingStone.com. February 2, 1996. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
6. 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.
7. "ZZ Top - Rhythmeen (CD, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
8. Rhythmeen CD credits
9. Greg Morrow Interview, Billy Gibbons - Dealing w the loss of his parents, Unconditional Love & Faith , retrieved December 1, 2021
10. "Greg Morrow and Tim Buell". surviving-the-music-industry.simplecast.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.