| LOS ANGELES – ZZ TOP underscore their bad and nationwide bonafides with two new hits collections packed with many of the biggest songs that have made “that little ol’ band from Texas” among rock’s most legendary groups. Over the course of more than 40 years together, their recordings have sold more than 50 million units around the world.
Warner Bros. Records will release THE VERY BADDEST OF ZZ TOP in both single disc ($18.98) and double disc ($24.98) versions as the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers kick off their summer tour, with dates in June across Europe before a run of U.S. dates with guitar legend Jeff Beck, starting in late July. Both collections will be available on July 22. The music will available digitally the same day.
“We’re glad that material originally issued by three different labels over the course of all these years will now be housed under one ‘roof,’ so to speak. It’s kind of a big, bad family reunion on some level,” notes Billy F Gibbons who, along with Dusty Hill and Frank Beard have maintained ZZ TOP’s original line-up since the band’s founding at the end of 1969.
The single disc VERY BADDEST version delivers a concentrated dose of Lone Star State rock, boogie and blues and is loaded with 20 tracks that span three decades. All of the signature hits are here, from classics like “La Grange,” “Tush” and “Cheap Sunglasses” to MTV staples “Gimme All Your Lovin'” and “Sharp Dressed Man,” plus more recent tracks like “Rhythmeen” and “Mescalero.” Several “Single Versions” of these hits are included, which are currently unavailable on CD or digitally.
The two-disc VERY BADDEST version doubles down on the band’s music with 40 tracks that form a more detailed snapshot of the trio’s stellar career. In addition to including every song heard on the single disc collection, VERY BADDEST digs deeper into early albums to uncover killer tracks like “Pearl Necklace,” “Just Got Paid” and “(Someone Else Been) Shaking Your Tree.” The collection also spotlights later albums like XXX (1999) and Mescalero (2003) with “Fearless Boogie” and “Que Lastima.” Appropriately, the collection closes with ZZ TOP’s unique take on the immortal “As Time Goes By,” a song made famous by the 1942 movie Casablancaa and a tacit commentary on the group’s unparalleled longevity.
ZZ TOP kicks off a full slate of European dates in June with a gig at Bergenfest in Norway on June 11. After wrapping up in Europe, the trio will head home to join forces with Jeff Beck for a U.S. tour this summer. For their first tour together, fans will be treated to full sets by Beck and ZZ TOP. At the end of the show, the artists will take the stage together for a set that promises plenty of six-string fireworks.
For more information about THE VERY BADDEST OF ZZ TOP, please contact Jason Elzy in Warner Music Group’s Media Relations Department at 818-238-6220 or Jason.Elzy@wmg.com or Bob Merlis at M.f.h. at 323-962-6887 or bobmerlis@bobmerlis.com.
THE VERY BADDEST OF ZZ TOP
Single Disc Track Listing |
