{{Short description|1983 studio album by ZZ Top}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox album | name = Eliminator | type = studio | artist = ZZ Top | cover = ZZ_Top_-_Eliminator.jpg | alt = | released = March 23, 1983 | recorded = 1982 | studio = * Frank Beard's home studio, Quail Valley * Ardent Studios, Memphis * Terry Manning's home studio, Memphis | genre = {{flatlist| * Hard rock<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/eliminator-mw0000192586 |title=Eliminator - ZZ Top | Songs, Reviews, Credits |website=AllMusic |access-date=April 30, 2017}}</ref> * blues rock<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60Jde3l7WNwC&pg=PA91 |last1=Prown |first1=Pete |last2=Newquist |first2=HP |title=Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists |page=91 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |date=1997 |isbn=978-0-7935-4042-6}}</ref> * new wave<ref name=Allmusic/> * synth-rock<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/zz-top-vs-blue-oyster-cult/|title=ZZ Top Vs. Blue Oyster Cult - Ultimate Classic Rock Hall of Fame, Round One|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=December 5, 2013 }}</ref> }} | length = 45:00 | label = Warner Bros. | producer = Bill Ham | prev_title = El Loco | prev_year = 1981 | next_title = Afterburner | next_year = 1985 | misc = {{Singles | name = Eliminator | type = studio | single1 = Gimme All Your Lovin' | single1date = April 1983 | single2 = Sharp Dressed Man | single2date = July 1983 | single3 = TV Dinners | single3date = December 1983 | single4 = Legs | single4date = May 1984 }} }}
'''''Eliminator''''' is the eighth studio album by American rock band ZZ Top. It was released on March 23, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records, and rose high on the charts in many countries. Four hit singles were released—"Gimme All Your Lovin'" which reached the American Top 40, "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and their most successful single, "Legs". ''Eliminator'' is ZZ Top's most commercially successful release, with sales of 11 million and diamond certification in the US.<ref name="stillZZ2">{{cite magazine|last=Patoski|first=Joe Nick|date=December 1996|title=Still ZZ After All These Years|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/still-zz-after-all-these-years/|magazine=Texas Monthly}}</ref>
Since ''El Loco'' in 1981, the bandleader, Billy Gibbons, had been moving ZZ Top's boogie and blues rock style towards the popular new wave style. For ''Eliminator'', he increased the tempo and used more synthesizers and drum machines, producing a "tighter" album with a steady, driving beat.<ref name=Allmusic/> The pre-production engineer Linden Hudson collaborated with Gibbons in Texas on the tempo and songs. The producer Bill Ham and the engineer Terry Manning joined Gibbons in Memphis, Tennessee, to edit the songs, replacing much of the contributions of bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard. Ham claimed the album was solely the work of ZZ Top, but in 1986 Hudson won a lawsuit establishing himself as composer of the song "Thug".
Music videos for "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" received regular rotation on MTV and helped ZZ Top gain popularity with a younger base. A customized 1933 Ford coupe, depicted on the album cover, appeared in the videos. Following ''Eliminator''{{'s}} release, ZZ Top embarked on a worldwide concert tour.
The video for "Legs" earned the band the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group. ''Rolling Stone'' named ''Eliminator'' number 398 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/zz-top-eliminator-20120525|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 31, 2009|access-date=December 4, 2015}}</ref> It was listed at number 39 in The 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s, and it was also included in Robert Dimery's book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dimery |first=Robert |title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die |publisher=Cassell Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-84403-735-3 |edition=1st |location=London |publication-date=2005 |page=511}}</ref> A remastered version was released in 2008.
==Background== In 1978, ZZ Top went on hiatus, weary of constant touring. Bandleader and guitarist Billy Gibbons traveled around Europe, and bassist Dusty Hill vacationed in Mexico; both grew their beards longer. Drummer Frank Beard checked into Palmer Drug Abuse Program, a Houston detox community, for his addiction to hard narcotics. To help finance Palmer, Beard organized a benefit concert and an album titled ''Freeway'', working with engineers Steve Ames and Linden Hudson at Rampart Studios in Houston.<ref name=Sinclair1986>{{cite book|last=Sinclair|first=David|title=Tres Hombres – The Story of ZZ Top |publisher=Virgin |date=1986 |isbn=978-0-86369-167-6 |location=London |pages=40, 59}}</ref> After signing to Warner Bros. Records, ZZ Top released ''Degüello'' in 1979, which was certified platinum in early 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=ZZ+Top&ti=Deguello&format=Album&type=#search_section |title=ZZ Top – Deguello |website=RIAA Gold & Platinum |access-date=August 31, 2021}}</ref>
In 1979, Beard bought a large house in Quail Valley outside Houston, overlooking a golf course where he often played as a way to stay off drugs.<ref>Sinclair 1986. p. 45</ref><ref name="Bomar2021">{{cite book |last=Bomar |first=Scott B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fxctEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA191 |title=Southbound: An Illustrated History of Southern Rock |date=2021 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-6470-0 |page=191}}</ref> The band wanted a private rehearsal studio, so Beard invited Hudson to move in and construct a recording studio in his home. Hudson designed the studio and oversaw its construction, centered on an isolation booth holding Beard's drum kit, with more booths for guitar and bass amplifiers. Microphone signals ran through the mixing console and some outboard gear to the band's semi-pro 1-inch 16-track Tascam tape recorder.<ref name="Blayney, David 1994 pp. 196" />
In 1980, ZZ Top used the studio to work on material for their next album, ''El Loco''. Hudson played on several demos, including a synth line on "Groovy Little Hippie Pad" which was mixed into the album by ZZ Top's engineer Terry Manning. Hudson was not credited but was promised future compensation.<ref name="Blayney, David 1994 pp. 196">{{cite book|last=Blayney|first=David|title=Sharp Dressed Men|publisher=Hyperion|year=1994|isbn=978-0-7868-8005-8|location=New York|pages=196–203}}</ref> Hudson also introduced Gibbons to drum machines during these rehearsals.<ref name="Sinclair p. 76">Sinclair 1986. p. 76</ref> Gibbons later called Hudson "an influential associate... a gifted songwriter... He brought some elements to the forefront that helped reshape what ZZ Top were doing, starting in the studio and eventually to the live stage."<ref name="Bomar2021" /><ref name="Bosso2013">{{cite web |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/billy-gibbons-talks-zz-top-the-complete-studio-albums-1970-1990-575728 |page=8 |title=Billy Gibbons talks ZZ Top: The Complete Studio Albums (1970–1990) |date=June 3, 2013 |last=Bosso |first=Joe |website=MusicRadar |access-date=August 31, 2021}}</ref>
From this point forward, the band was not able to reproduce certain songs in concert without using pre-recorded tracks.<ref name="Bomar2021" /> They carried a small tape player to each concert, with a technician hitting the "play" button to give Beard a click track cue in his headphones. The tape held synthesizer parts, drum samples and other elements.<ref name="Rees2016">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-of-eliminator-by-zz-top |title=Sex, cars and videotape: how ZZ Top's Eliminator conquered the world |last=Rees |first=Paul |date=July 2016 |magazine=Classic Rock |number=227 |access-date=September 1, 2021}} Republished online on March 22, 2021.</ref><ref>Sinclair 1986. p. 81</ref> None of this was made public; Bill Ham, the band's manager, was closely controlling their image to create a "mystique" of self-sufficiency and authenticity.<ref name="stillZZ2" /><ref>Sinclair 1986. p. 67</ref>
==Recording== Gibbons was inspired by British electronic acts such as Depeche Mode and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark to explore electronic music technology.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|last=Hann|first=Michael|date=November 12, 2018|title=Gimme All Your Lovin' was a perfectly calibrated rock song—and was admired and covered by electronic acts|url=https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/gimme-all-your-lovin.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819023750/https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/gimme-all-your-lovin.html|archive-date=August 19, 2025|access-date=August 8, 2021|website=Financial Times|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He often spoke with Hudson about new ideas in music. A former radio DJ, Hudson presented Gibbons with personal research showing that many hit songs were clustered near a tempo of 124 beats per minute—faster than ZZ Top's normal practice.<ref name=Bomar2021/> Gibbons followed suit with most of ''Eliminator'', setting the new pace with drum machines.<ref name="stillZZ2"/><ref name="Blayney, David 1994 pp. 196"/><ref name="Frost 1985">{{cite book|last=Frost|first=Deborah|title=ZZ Top - Bad And Worldwide|publisher=Rolling Stone Press / Macmillan|year=1985|isbn=978-0-02-002950-2|location=New York|page=115}}</ref> "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man" are both 125 bpm while "Gimme All Your Lovin'" runs at 120.<ref name=Bomar2021/> Gibbons said in 2012 that he first used a drum machine on ''Eliminator''—the first album on which ZZ Top "paid serious attention" to timing and tempo, which was "timed and tuned very tight".<ref name=Bosso2013/>
{{Listen | pos = right | filename = ZZ Top - Under Pressure - demo sample 1982.mp3 | title = "Got Me Under Pressure" – 1982 demo | alt = | description = The early demo version of "Got Me Under Pressure" was recorded in 1982 by Billy Gibbons on electric guitars and vocals. Engineer Linden Hudson programmed the drum machine and played keyboard bass and synthesizer. | filename2 = ZZ Top - Under Pressure - 1983 vinyl sample.mp3 | title2 = "Got Me Under Pressure" – 1983 vinyl | alt2 = | description2 = The final version of "Got Me Under Pressure", as released on vinyl LP, shows Gibbons playing guitar and singing above drum machine, synthesizer and bass, with professional dynamic range and reverberation effects. The tempo is faster. }} The first songwriting sessions for ''Eliminator'' were mainly Gibbons and Hudson working together in Beard's home studio while Beard was out playing golf. Beard and Hill sometimes participated, and Ham checked in occasionally. Hudson programmed a drum machine for the rhythm, and played keyboard bass. Gibbons and Hudson collaborated on lyrics and music, putting together a demo of "Got Me Under Pressure" featuring Gibbons's electric guitar work on top of the electronic sounds.<ref name="Blayney 199"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Frost |first=Deborah |date=1985 |title=ZZ Top – Bad and Worldwide |page= |publisher=Collier Books |isbn=978-0-02-002950-2}}</ref> Gibbons felt that the synthesizers "created a nice platform that allowed the guitar to stand on its own", and that as the synthesizers could play an octave lower than a bass guitar, they created "a nice full bed of sound" that contrasted with his guitar.<ref name=Bosso2013/> Ham was initially unaware that Gibbons was building a new sound without Beard or Hill.<ref name="Blayney 199">Blayney 1994, p. 199</ref> While the band was off touring, Hudson wrote "Thug" by himself.<ref>Blayney 1994, p. 200</ref>
Carrying the demo tapes created by Gibbons and Hudson, ZZ Top traveled without Hudson to Memphis, Tennessee, to stay at the Peabody Hotel while they recorded basic tracks at Ardent Studios,<ref name="stillZZ2" /> with Manning once again at the controls of the custom-built SpectraSonics mixing console. For the majority of songs, Gibbons played Dean guitars with DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups, plugged into a Legend hybrid amplifier, and miked with an AKG 414B-ULS large-diaphragm condenser microphone. When recording rhythm guitar parts, the sound pressure level (audio volume) was set very high to satisfy Gibbons, but this made it impossible for him to lift his fingers from the guitar to change chords without feedback. Instead, each chord was played once and doubled again on a pair of tracks, then the next chord was played twice and recorded to two more adjacent tracks. These alternating pairs of tracks were blended seamlessly into each other by Manning punching the tracks in and out. A side benefit of this laborious process was the elimination of the usual squeaks from shifting the fingers to change chords.<ref name="Manning p. 2">{{cite web |url=https://repforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,5689.15.html |last=Manning |first=Terry |author-link=Terry Manning |title=The Big ZZ Top Thread |page=2 |date=February 14, 2005 |website=ProSoundWeb |access-date=September 1, 2021}}</ref> Hill and Beard laid down bass guitar and drums, recording their parts onto 2-inch tape. Hill sang his vocals for "I Got the Six". When they were finished, Hill and Beard returned home to Texas.
Gibbons, Manning and Ham continued to work on the album without Hill and Beard. Vocal harmonies were supplied by Manning and Jimi Jamison, the new lead singer of Cobra. To achieve Gibbons' desired clock-steady rhythm section, most of Hill's bass parts were replaced by Gibbons or Manning playing bass guitar or a Moog Source—a keyboard synthesizer.<ref name="Manning p. 2"/><ref name="Guitar Masters">{{cite book |last=di Perna |first=Alan |date=2012 |page=177 |title=Guitar Masters: Intimate Portraits |publisher=Hal Leonard |isbn=978-1-4803-2970-6}}</ref> A Memorymoog was also used for supporting synth sounds.<ref name="Manning p. 2"/> Most of Beard's drumming was replaced by drum machine or Simmons SDSV electronic drums, keeping Beard's acoustic tom-tom drum fills and cymbal accents. The song "Legs" was not coming together for Gibbons, so Manning carried the tape home to his 24-track attic studio and reworked every part except the guitar and vocals from Gibbons. Manning also created a longer dance mix for "Legs".<ref name="Manning p. 2"/> To replace the drums, Manning programmed his Oberheim DMX drum machine, then augmented the snare drum and hi-hat sounds by triggering more samples on an AMS DMX delay unit.<ref name="Guitar Masters"/><ref name="Manning p. 3">{{cite web |url=https://repforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,5689.30.html |last=Manning |first=Terry |author-link=Terry Manning |title=The Big ZZ Top Thread |page=3 |date=March 6, 2005 |website=ProSoundWeb |access-date=September 1, 2021}}</ref> Eight years later, Gibbons thanked Al Jourgensen because his early Ministry drum samples had been used to polish ''Eliminator''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/zz-tops-billy-gibbons-once-took-al-jourgensen-to-dinner-as-payback-for-stealing-ministrys-drum-sounds |title=ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons once took Al Jourgensen to dinner as payback for stealing Ministry's drum sounds |author=Staff |date=May 25, 2021 |magazine=Classic Rock |access-date=September 1, 2021}}</ref>
=== Writing dispute === Hudson collaborated on the album tempo with Gibbons, and he co-wrote several songs. The band's longtime stage manager, David Blayney, wrote about the collaboration in 1994 in his book, ''Sharp Dressed Men''.<ref name="Blayney, David 1994 pp. 196"/> The demo version of the album that was prepared for Memphis was largely the product of Gibbons and Hudson.<ref name="stillZZ2"/> On "I Got the Six", Hudson helped write the lyrics, and on "Dirty Dog" he originated the shouted phrase, "Hey! Get that dog outta my yard!", which was exactly duplicated and replaced in Memphis. He added special effects to "Dirty Dog" and "TV Dinners", and the pulsing synthesizer effect on "Legs" was his invention. He helped compose and arrange "Got Me Under Pressure", including playing the synth bass line and programming the drum machine.<ref name="Blayney, David 1994 pp. 196"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/zz-top-essential-songs-1203728/ |title=ZZ Top: 10 Essential Songs: 'Got Me Under Pressure' |first=Kory |last=Grow |date=July 28, 2021 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=September 1, 2021 |quote=The original recording was Gibbons solo with co-writer Linden Hudson playing bass on a synth (and, yeah, that's a drum machine)...}}</ref>
Hudson's song "Thug" was taken in its entirety: on the album, "Thug" lists Gibbons, Beard and Hill as the songwriters. ZZ Top's management company—Lone Wolf—denied that Hudson was significantly involved, and said that the album concept was solely the work of Gibbons and Ham.<ref name="stillZZ2" /> After the album came out in late March 1983, Hudson moved out of Beard's house, cut his ties with the band, and sued Lone Wolf for $1 million, arguing that his December 1982 copyright date for "Thug" preceded ZZ Top's copyright date of April 1983.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Rolling Stone |title=ZZ Top sued over 'Thug' |last=Goldberg |first=Michael}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=ZZ Top band pirated song, lawsuit claims |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=March 6, 1985 }}</ref> Ham claimed that Hudson sold the song outright, but no record of such a sale was brought forward,<ref name="Blayney, David 1994 pp. 196"/> and in December 1986 the judge decided in Hudson's favor, awarding him $600,000.<ref name="stillZZ2" /> Hudson paid a third of this to his attorneys, and a third to his publisher, Huey P. Meaux.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Staff |date=March 1987 |title=Who Writes the Songs? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6CkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA82 |magazine=Texas Monthly |page=82}}</ref> Blayney wrote that "Linden Hudson in a fair world should have had his name all over ''Eliminator'' and gotten the just compensation he deserved. Instead he got ostracized."<ref name="Blayney, David 1994 pp. 196"/>
==Vintage car== thumb|left|upright=1.1|"Eliminator" coupe The album was named for a drag racing term after Ham said the band should feature Gibbons's newly customized 1933 Ford coupe. An early suggestion for the album title came from filmmaker Mike Griffin, who proposed ''Top Fuel'', but Ham shifted the idea to ''Eliminator''—the term for any category of race cars competing against each other.<ref name="stillZZ2" />
In 1976, Gibbons met with Don Thelen of Buffalo Motor Cars in Paramount, California, and Ronnie Jones of Hand Crafted Metal, with some help from Sid Blackard, to build the car. It was built with a Corvette-style engine. It was finished in 1983 and was called the Eliminator after the album's title. The car has become recognizable for its red finish and graphics, which were designed by motorsports artist Kenny Youngblood,<ref name="dragzine">{{cite web |first=Al |last=Heisley |date=January 27, 2017 |title=Q&A: Legendary Drag Racing Artist Kenny Youngblood |website=Dragzine |url=https://www.dragzine.com/features/qa-legendary-drag-racing-artist-kenny-youngblood/}}</ref> and is in several of the band's music videos, plus appearances in television, movies, auto shows, and charity events.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2015/11/20/zz-tops-eliminator-car-to-return-to-rock-hall |title=ZZ Top's Eliminator Car to Return to Rock Hall |date=November 20, 2015 |last=Niesel |first=Jeff |website=Cleveland Scene |access-date=August 31, 2021}}</ref> The car reportedly cost Gibbons $50,000 ({{Inflation|US|50000|1983|r=-3|fmt=eq}}).<ref name=Bomar2021/> Gibbons keeps the car in Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where it is on display, but he may still "crank it up and take it out for a spin" whenever he is in the area.<ref name="stillZZ2" />
==Release== ''Eliminator'' was released worldwide on March 23, 1983. "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and "Legs" were released as singles. "Gimme All Your Lovin'" went to the number two position of ''Billboard''{{'s}} Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in April 1983,<ref name="Mainstream Rock">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/zz-top/chart-history/rtt/ |title=ZZ Top – Mainstream Rock Airplay |magazine=Billboard |access-date=August 31, 2021}}</ref> then a month later it broke into the Top 40 pop chart.<ref name="Hot 100">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/zz-top/chart-history/hsi/ |title=ZZ Top – Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=August 31, 2021}}</ref> The next three singles also hit the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart: "Sharp Dressed Man" peaked at number eight in July, "TV Dinners" rose to number 38 in December, and then "Legs" topped out at number three in June 1984 after its video was released in May.<ref name="Mainstream Rock"/> The song "Got Me Under Pressure" also received radio airplay and peaked at number 18 in May 1983.
''Eliminator'' was the first ZZ Top album to become a worldwide success, and made the band "bona fide pop stars", according to the ''Financial Times''.<ref name=":1" /> By December 1996, ''Eliminator'' had sold more than 11 million copies in the US, ten times more than any previous ZZ Top album.<ref name="stillZZ2" />
==Music videos== [[File:ZZ Top guitars in Dallas, stretched and cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The spinning sheepskin-covered guitars, used in the "Legs" music video, displayed at the former Dallas Hard Rock Cafe]] Record executive Jeff Ayeroff saw how MTV was reshaping popular music throughout 1982. After he joined Warner Bros. Records in early 1983, he convinced them to pay for the first ZZ Top music video, for "Gimme All Your Lovin'". Warner hired filmmaker Tim Newman,<ref>Sinclair 1986. pp. 77–78</ref> who also created videos for "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs".<ref name="Conquered MTV">{{cite magazine|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|date=July 29, 2021|title=How ZZ Top Conquered MTV With the 'Eliminator' Trilogy|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/zz-top-eliminator-videos-mtv-1204268/|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=September 3, 2021}}</ref> The videos depicted America as "a land of rock and roll, cars and girls",<ref name="stillZZ2" /> with three female models driving the Eliminator car.<ref name="Conquered MTV" /> The "Legs" video featured the debut of ZZ Top's spinning guitars, covered in white sheepskin.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Fanelli|first=Damian|date=December 19, 2019|title=The Story Behind ZZ Top's Spinning Fur Guitars|url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/the-story-behind-zz-tops-spinning-fur-guitars|magazine=Guitar Player|access-date=September 2, 2021}}</ref>
The videos greatly advanced ZZ Top's visibility.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=McCoy|first=Chris|date=June 17, 2019|title=Music Video Monday: ZZ Top|url=https://www.memphisflyer.com/music-video-monday-zz-top|access-date=September 3, 2021|website=Memphis Flyer}}</ref> According to ''Texas Monthly'', the album's synthesizer sound was "perfect" for the MTV audience, who had previously seen ZZ Top as an "old-fogey band".<ref name="stillZZ2" /> The videos earned ZZ Top awards for Best Band and Best Group Video at the 1984 MTV Awards.<ref name="stillZZ2" /> For "Legs", Newman negotiated a fixed payment every time ''Eliminator'' was certified for another 250,000 units sold in the US, earning him a substantial sum.<ref name="Tannenbaum, Marks">{{cite book|last1=Tannenbaum|first1=Rob|title=I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution|last2=Marks|first2=Craig|date=2012|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-452-29856-9|pages=115–120}}</ref> The "Legs" video was released in May 1984, driving the single into the Mainstream Rock Airplay charts the next month.<ref name="Mainstream Rock" /> A video was also released for "TV Dinners",<ref name="Conquered MTV" /> it was directed by Marius Penczner, and featured clay animation.<ref name=":0" />
==Tour== The Eliminator tour was a return to the larger-than-life scale of ZZ Top's 1976–1977 Worldwide Texas Tour. From May to October 1983 the band toured the US, interrupted in August by several days in Ireland and the British Isles, playing Dublin and then Castle Donington: the Monsters of Rock concert.<ref>Sinclair 1986. p. 79</ref> The European leg of the tour in October–November 1983 brought the band to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium and back to the UK, including one added date at Wembley Arena to meet demand. The final leg of the tour picked up more dates in the US in early 1984. The band performed all four singles from ''Eliminator'' as well as selections from their earlier albums, closing the show with "Tush".<ref>{{cite book |last=Daniels |first=Neil |date=2014 |title=Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers: A ZZ Top Guide |page=44 |publisher=Soundcheck Books |isbn=978-0-9571442-7-9}}</ref> The ''Eliminator'' car was represented by an outsized replica, and the stage equipment included laser lights. At each concert on the final song, a smoke bomb was triggered, then parts of the lighting structure along with a mannequin roadie crashed down from the overhead grid to simulate a rigging failure.<ref name="Sinclair1986"/><ref name=Bomar2021/> The stage itself was patterned after the dashboard of the vintage car.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.deseret.com/1994/9/9/19129783/zz-top-to-sweep-in-with-a-flourish |title=ZZ Top to Sweep in with a Flourish |last=Burt |first=Christel |date=September 9, 1994 |newspaper=Deseret News }}</ref>
==Critical reception== {{Album ratings |rev1 = AllMusic |rev1Score = {{rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=Allmusic/> |rev2 = Robert Christgau |rev2Score = B+<ref name=Christgau>{{cite web |title=Consumer Guide Reviews: Eliminator| url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=ZZ+top |website=Robert Christgau |access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref> | rev3 = ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' | rev3Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=Omnibus Press|edition=5th|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref> | rev4 = ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'' | rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7432-0169-8|chapter=ZZ Top|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/907 907–8]}}</ref> }} Robert Christgau wrote that the album's faster tempo produces "boogie in overdrive... The videos make you smile, the record runs you over. That's the pleasure of it."<ref name="Christgau" /> Writing for ''Record'', Samuel Graham found it lacked variety compared to the band's previous albums, but praised "Gimme All Your Lovin{{'"}}, "Legs", "Thug", and "I Need You Tonight". He wrote: "We've heard most of this before. ''Eliminator'', then, will probably satisfy ZZ Top's boogie chillin' faithful. But it's a lateral move at a time when Gibbons, Hill and Beard could be stepping forward."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Graham|first=Samuel |title=Eliminator review|journal=Record|date=June 1983|volume=2 |issue=8|page=28}}</ref>
A number of ZZ Top fans reacted negatively to the album. The prominent use of synthesizers and drum machines marked a significant change for ZZ Top, and drew speculation that Hill and Beard did not play on the album. Hill compared the reaction to Bob Dylan's controversial move to rock music.<ref name="stillZZ2" /> However, the album attracted many new listeners, including teenage girls for the first time,<ref name="Conquered MTV" /> and many teenage boys.<ref name="Hlavaty2018">{{cite news|last=Hlavaty|first=Craig|date=March 22, 2018|title=How ZZ Top's 'Eliminator' became one of the best-selling albums of all time|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/music/article/How-ZZ-Top-s-Eliminator-album-became-one-of-the-12758582.php|access-date=September 3, 2021}}</ref> ''Spin''{{'s}} Glen O'Brien wrote in 1986 that the "average ZZ Top fan" was no longer a long-time follower but a young person who had discovered them through music videos. He said that "ZZ Top is a joke [...] but they're in on it. ZZ Top is like metal, but its blues roots are truer, and there's no bullshit. ZZ Top is not into the devil, leather, chains, or angel dust. They're into fun."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=O'Brien|first=Glen|date=February 1986|title=Life at the Top|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8dHstWRgcM4C&pg=PA40|magazine=Spin|volume=1|pages=40–44, 72|issn=0886-3032|number=10}}</ref>
Retrospective opinions are largely positive, praising ZZ Top's ability to match the spirit of the times.<ref name="Guitar Masters"/> ''Guitar World'' wrote in 2002 that ZZ Top had been expected to fail in the MTV era, but that they "surprised everyone with ''Eliminator'', a brilliant merger of roadhouse blues and synthesizer swells and looped beats".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kitts |first1=Jeff |last2=Tolinski |first2=Brad |date=2002 |title=Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time! |publisher=Hal Leonard |page=95 |isbn=978-0-634-04619-3}}</ref> The ''Houston Chronicle'' wrote in 2018 that it brought together Gibbons's classic rock foundation and interest in new-wave synthesizers, retaining "a sense of the Delta blues under all the technology".<ref name=Hlavaty2018/> Critic Alan di Perna wrote in 2012 that "ZZ Top had found the potent combination that would bring them into the eighties and their era of greatest commercial triumph: raunchy guitar sounds coupled with the pounding drive and unrelenting sex machine rhythmic precision of electronic dance music and synth pop".<ref name="Guitar Masters"/>
The album spent 101 weeks on the Canadian album charts between April 16, 1983, and March 30, 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.0503.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Albums - March 30, 1985}}</ref>
In 2000, the album was voted number 355 in Colin Larkin's ''All Time Top 1000 Albums''.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|author=Colin Larkin|author-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=2000|edition=3rd|isbn=978-0-7535-0493-2|page=139}}</ref> In 2005, it was listed in ''Rock Hard'' book of ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten|year=2005|publisher=Rock Hard|language=de|isbn=978-3-89880-517-9|page=105}}</ref>
==Track listing== On the album, credits for songwriting were assigned to Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. Linden Hudson co-wrote several with Gibbons, and wrote "Thug" alone. {{tracklist | extra_column = Lead vocals | headline = Side one | title1 = Gimme All Your Lovin{{'-}} | extra1 = Gibbons | length1 = 3:59 | title2 = Got Me Under Pressure | extra2 = Gibbons | length2 = 3:59 | title3 = Sharp Dressed Man | extra3 = Gibbons | length3 = 4:13 | title4 = I Need You Tonight | extra4 = Gibbons | length4 = 6:14 | title5 = I Got the Six | extra5 = Hill | length5 = 2:52 }} {{tracklist | extra_column = Lead vocals | headline = Side two | title1 = Legs | extra1 = Gibbons | length1 = 4:35 | title2 = Thug | extra2 = Gibbons | length2 = 4:17 | title3 = TV Dinners | extra3 = Gibbons | length3 = 3:50 | title4 = Dirty Dog | extra4 = Gibbons | length4 = 4:05 | title5 = If I Could Only Flag Her Down | extra5 = Gibbons | length5 = 3:40 | title6 = Bad Girl | extra6 = Gibbons<ref>{{Cite web|title=PRW-ZZ Top - That Little Ol' Band From Texas|url=https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/prorecordingworkshop/zz-top-that-little-ol-band-from-texas-t19411815.html|access-date=2021-11-23|website=PRW|date=September 12, 2019 |language=en-gb}}</ref> | length6 = 3:16 }}
==Personnel== The official album credits list only the band members:<ref name="LP credits">{{cite AV media |title=Eliminator |type=LP credits |date=1983 |publisher=Warner Bros. Records }}</ref> * Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals * Dusty Hill – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "I Got the Six" * Frank Beard – drums, percussion
The actual musicians working on the album include the following: * Billy Gibbons – guitar, harmonica, vocals, bass guitar, keyboard bass, synthesizers, production, arrangements * Dusty Hill – bass guitar, backing vocals * Frank Beard – drums, especially tom-tom drums and cymbals * Linden Hudson – synthesizer, production, arrangements<ref name="stillZZ2"/> * Terry Manning – drum machines, electronic drums, bass guitar, keyboard bass, synthesizers, backing vocals, production, arrangements * Jimi Jamison – backing vocals
'''Production''' * Bill Ham – producer * Terry Manning – engineer * Linden Hudson – pre-production engineer, songwriter<ref name="Sinclair1986"/><ref name="Blayney, David 1994 pp. 196"/><ref name="Frost 1985"/> * Bob Ludwig – mastering * Bob Alford – art director<ref name="LP credits"/> * Tom Hunnicutt – cover illustration
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+ {{sronly|1983–1985 weekly chart performance}} ! scope="col"| Chart (1983–1985) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- ! scope="row"|Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=978-0-646-11917-5|page=348}}</ref> | align="center"| 2 |- {{Album chart|Canada|2|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |chartid=6815a|rowheader=true|refname=CAN1|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- {{Album chart|Netherlands|4|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- ! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)<ref name=FINI>{{cite book|last=Pennanen|first=Timo|title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972|edition=1st|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|year=2006|isbn=978-951-1-21053-5 | language= fi}}</ref> | align="center"| 1 |- {{Album chart|Germany|25|artist=ZZ Top|album=EEliminator |id=13|rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- {{Album chart|New Zealand|4|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |rowheader=true|refname=NZ1|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- {{Album chart|Norway|13|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- {{Album chart|Sweden|13|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- {{Album chart|Switzerland|11|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- {{Album chart|UK2|3|date=19850120|rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- {{Album chart|Billboard200|9|artist=ZZ Top|rowheader=true|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+ {{sronly|1987 weekly chart performance}} ! Chart (1987) ! Peak<br />position |- {{Album chart|New Zealand|11|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |rowheader=true|refname=NZ2|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+ {{sronly|2023 weekly chart performance}} ! Chart (2023) ! Peak<br />position |- {{album chart|Hungary|17|year=2023|week=5|rowheader=true|access-date=February 9, 2023}} |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+ {{sronly|1983 year-end chart performance}} ! Chart (1983) ! Position |- {{Album chart|Canada|50|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |chartid=4435|rowheader=true|refname=CAN2|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- ! scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1983|title=Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts|language=de|work=GfK Entertainment|publisher=offiziellecharts.de|access-date=February 19, 2022}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|45 |- ! scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1983-12-31|title=Top Selling Albums of 1983 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart|publisher=Recorded Music New Zealand|access-date=February 2, 2022}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|39 |- ! scope="row"|US ''Billboard 200''<ref>{{cite magazine |url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=zz top|chart=Billboard 200 Albums}} |title=ZZ Top – Billboard 200 Albums (Year end) |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Prometheus Global Media |access-date=April 8, 2013}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|65 |}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+ {{sronly|1984 year-end chart performance}} ! Chart (1984) ! Position |- ! scope="row"|Australian Albums Kent Music Report<ref>{{cite web|title= Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – 1984 |url= http://www.australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=27161&pages=2 |publisher= Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien |access-date= March 3, 2017}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|20 |- {{Album chart|Canada|11|artist=ZZ Top|album=Eliminator |chartid=9642|rowheader=true|refname=CAN3|accessdate=July, 8 2023}} |- ! scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1984-12-31|title=Top Selling Albums of 1984 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart|publisher=Recorded Music New Zealand|access-date=February 2, 2022}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|6 |}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+ {{sronly|1985 year-end chart performance}} ! Chart (1985) ! Position |- ! scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1985&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 1985|website=dutchcharts.nl|access-date=February 19, 2022}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|17 |- ! scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1985-12-31|title=Top Selling Albums of 1985 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart|publisher=Recorded Music New Zealand|access-date=February 3, 2022}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|25 |} {{col-end}}
==Certifications and sales== {{Certification Table Top|caption={{sronly|Certifications and sales}}}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=1983|certyear=2000}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Gold|relyear=1983|certyear=1994}} {{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Belgium|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|relyear=1983|certyear=1985|award=Gold|certref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/490/lot/214209|date=November 15, 2023|title=Dusty Hill Eliminator Belgian and Luxembourg Record Award}}</ref>}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Diamond|relyear=1983|certyear=1992}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Finland|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Platinum|relyear=1983|certyear=1991|salesamount=71,121}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1983|certyear=2001}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Gold|number=3|relyear=1983|certyear=2006}} {{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Ireland|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|relyear=1983|certyear=1985|award=Platinum|certref=<ref name=IRE>{{cite web |url=https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/490/lot/214218|date=November 15, 2023|title=Dusty Hill Eliminator Irish Record Award}}</ref>|salesamount=50,000|salesref=<ref name=IRE/>}} {{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Netherlands|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|relyear=1983|certyear=1985|award=Gold|certref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/490/lot/214188|date=November 15, 2023|title=Dusty Hill Eliminator Dutch Record Award}}</ref>}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Platinum|id=1984-08-10|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|relyear=1983}} {{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Switzerland|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|relyear=1983|award=Platinum|certref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.julienslive.com/lot-details/index/catalog/490/lot/214225|date=November 15, 2023|title=Dusty Hill Eliminator Swiss Record Award}}</ref>}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=1983|certyear=2004|id=2036-140-2}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=ZZ Top|title=Eliminator|award=Diamond|relyear=1983|certyear=1996|salesamount=11,000,000|salesref=<ref name="stillZZ2"/>}} {{Certification Table Bottom}}
==See also== * List of 1980s albums considered the best * List of best-selling albums in the United States
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=248–249|isbn=978-1-84786-211-2|oclc=227198538}}
{{ZZ Top}} {{Authority control}}
Category:ZZ Top albums Category:1983 albums Category:Albums produced by Bill Ham Category:Warner Records albums Category:Rock albums by American artists