RANCHO TEXICANO (Best of)
The ultimate hits collection from the sharp dressed Texans. This 38-song, two-CD set is the first to cover their ’70s blues material through their ’80s hits and beyond. Includes such signature scorchers as “La Grange,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” and “Legs,” plus two remixes and a live track. A full-color booklet features liner notes by music journalist Tom Vickers and many rare photos.
In 1970, Billy Gibbons of The Moving Sidewalks joined forces with Dusty Hill and Frank Beard of rival Houston band American Blues, and ZZ Top were born. After two albums of playful, straight-ahead blues-rock, they unleashed a potent sound of their own with 1973’s Tres Hombres and its heavy-riffing hit “La Grange.” After three more albums and a brief hiatus, they turned in 1979’s Deguello, which packed sleek grooves into wise-ass classics like “Cheap Sunglasses” and “A Fool For Your Stockings.”
In the ’80s ZZ Top’s hot rod truly took off. With a synthed up sound and some of the most memorable videos of the era, the bearded band drag-raced up the charts with no-filler albums like Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985), and sizzling singles like “Gimme All Your Lovin'” and “Legs.”
After recording and touring throughout the ’90s, ZZ Top are still tearing it up Texas-style. The fall 2003 release of Mescalero, their 15th album, coincided with the arrival of Chrome, Smoke & BBQ, the long-awaited four-CD boxed set from the biggest “Little Ol’ Band” in the land.
