The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

You simply couldn't escape this one in 1983. It was everywhere. And I think that's one of the things that unjustly hampers it over time.

Musically, some things come across dated. But, overall, a few components throw enough weight around to ground things outside of that 80s sound. Adhering to the bones of the blues, throwing in a Little Richard style raveup, sprinkling the electronics with a little desert dust - all of these elements work to reel this record in a bit. Ultimately, it's Billy's guitar work that bridges this one from modern day musical conventions to the basic blues framework always preached by The Reverend Willie G.

For me, the biggest detriment to this record was how ZZ Top embraced MTV. They became more cartoon characters than musicians. At the same time, that schtick is probably what brought many new fans to the band and led to them discovering their back catalog.
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
Between Eliminator and Afterburner, ZZ Top were giant robots astride music 83-86.

That time period is pretty crazy for how many huge bands there were, who were everywhere. If people think Taylor and Beyoncé are big now, imagine another 10 acts like that and throw in another 15 Billie Elish’s as well
Click to expand...
Eliminator was in the billboard charts for three years and was one of the first albums given diamond status.
 
I’m of the MTV generation. I was a little young when this came out but it’s staying power meant it was a nice soundtrack for the 80s and I remember the songs quite well, if not the videos.

MTV was huge for my music discovery and why I was never really in a hard rock or pop or any genre lane. I feel their attitude towards music redefined pop charts for the better.

I read the liner notes to the deluxe version of this last night and it sounds more as if MTV bought into ZZ Top.

Whatever convergence of influences, etc transpired, I think the fact that ZZ Top got huge, as weird as they and this album are, is a good thing not a bad thing.
 
Fun little article. Quotes Gibbons as saying they were inspired by Ministry and Depeche Mode.


The liner notes to the Deluxe edition state that Gibbons had been to clubs and wondered why they didn’t get played in dance clubs. It also states that the videos were really spurred on by Beard discovering MTV and watching for like five hours one night. He told the other guys and they asked the record company and the rest is history.

I need to watch this MTV awards performance with the entire audience wearing beards.

This is another article on how they conquered MTV:
www.rollingstone.com

How ZZ Top Conquered MTV With the 'Eliminator' Trilogy

Rob Sheffield looks back at ZZ Top's playful and surprisingly subversive 'Eliminator' video trilogy after the passing of Dusty Hill.
www.rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com
 
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