BY MIKE METTLER – APRIL 12, 2018

ZZ Top is all set to dish out a second heaping helping of analog goodness with Cinco No. 2: The Second Five LPs, the sequel to their previous vinyl box set, 2017’s Cinco: The First Five LPs.

On the menu for this June 1, 2018 release are the albums that made That Little Ol’ Band From Texas global superstars during the 1980s. This collection includes five studio albums pressed on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl, presented in a stunning box design that has been inspired by the custom suits made for guitarist/vocalist Billy F Gibbons by Hollywood’s Jaime Castaneda, a.k.a. “Jaime The Tailor.”

Each album in Cinco No. 2 features audio sourced from the original masters and boasts artwork that faithfully reproduces the original releases. Before the set arrives, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will hit the road, including the band’s first residency at The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas and, soon thereafter, an extensive tour with John Fogerty. (2018 tour dates are listed below.)

The SoundBard has interviewed the members of ZZ Top at various points over the past few decades, and I’ve always found them to be witty, thoughtful, and engaging. “It’s no secret ZZ has steadily kept a fondness for desert experiences, by working in cactus, coyotes, and a few hot chili peppers into our sound — and it always just feels right,” Gibbons told me back in February 2015 about the band’s unique brand of secret sonic sauce. “As I’m sure you’re aware, country and blues were the forebears of rock ’n’ roll, so we like to go back to a primary source. Country music has as much ‘rock’ in it these days as rock has country, and, of course, at the root of it all is the blues. There’d be scant little without that, so our motto has long been, ‘You can’t lose with the blues.’ ”

ZZ Top, in not-so-cheap sunglasses. Photo by Ross Halfin.

Between 1979 and 1990, the aforementioned guitarist/vocalist Billy F Gibbons, bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill, and mostly clean-shaven drummer Frank Beard released five albums: 1979’s Degüello, 1981’s El Loco, 1983’s Eliminator, 1985’s Afterburner, and 1990’s Recycler. Cinco No. 2 picks up where the previous set left off, beginning with the band’s 1979 release, Degüello. A certified-platinum success, it was the trio’s fourth consecutive album to be certified gold or better. Degüello features several standout songs that remain fan favorites, including “Cheap Sunglasses,” “I Thank You,” and “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide.” (“Manic Mechanic” remains a particular favorite Degüello track of yours truly.)

El Loco followed in 1981 and featured radio staples like “Tube Snake Boogie” and “Pearl Necklace.” Certified gold, the album also was a turning point for the band’s sound, introducing then-cutting edge contemporary technology into the mix for the first time. (I also happen to be quite partial to “Party on the Patio” and “Heaven, Hell or Houston,” especially Gibbons’ vocal character all throughout the latter track.)

Electronica gets its due on ZZ Top’s eighth studio album, 1983’s Eliminator, which went on to become the best-selling record of the band’s career so far, having received Diamond Certification from the RIAA for sales of over 10 million units in the U.S. alone. Songs like “Legs,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Got Me Under Pressure,” and “Give Me All Your Lovin'” were all massive hits on radio and MTV. (“Thugs” and “TV Dinners” are two of my Side 2 faves.)

The band’s popularity continued to soar with the 1985 release of Afterburner. Certified five-times platinum in America, it includes hits like “Rough Boy,” “Velcro Fly,” and “Sleeping Bag.” The final album featured in the new vinyl collection is Recycler. Released in 1990, it achieved platinum status on the strength of a trio of hit singles: “Doubleback” (as heard on the soundtrack to Back to the Future Part III, in which ZZ Top played a version of themselves from the days of the Wild West), “Concrete and Steel,” and “My Head’s in Mississippi.”

ZZ TOP: CINCO NO. 2 – THE SECOND FIVE LPs
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