ZZ Top's long-awaited return to the blues finally arrived in 1996, well over a decade after they abandoned their simple three-chord boogie for a synth and drum machine-driven three-chord boogie.
Like Antenna before it, Rhythmeen is stripped of all the synthesizers that had characterized the group's albums since Eliminator but the key difference between the two albums is how Rhythmeen goes for the gut, not the gloss.
It's a record that is steeped in the blues and garage rock, one that pounds out its riffs with sweat and feeling.
Though ZZ Top sounds reinvigorated, playing with a salacious abandon they haven't displayed since the '70s, they simply haven't come up with enough interesting songs and riffs to make it a true return to form.
For dedicated fans, it's a welcome return to their classic "La Grange" sound, but anyone with a just a passing interest in the band will wonder where the hooks went.
[The CD was also released with a bonus track.].
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RhythmeenBilly Gibbons | ZZ Top | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 29 MB |
| 2 | Bang BangBilly Gibbons | ZZ Top | Play | 04:28 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 3 | Black FlyBilly Gibbons | ZZ Top | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | What's Up with ThatBilly Gibbons, Joe Hardy | ZZ Top | Play | 05:20 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 5 | Vincent Price BluesFrank Beard, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 06:04 | 13 MB | 43 MB |
| 6 | Zipper JobFrank Beard, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 7 | HairdresserBilly Gibbons | ZZ Top | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 29 MB |
| 8 | She's Just Killing MeFrank Beard, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 39 MB |
| 9 | My Mind Is GoneBilly Gibbons, Joe Hardy, G.L. Moon, Stevie Wonder | ZZ Top | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 10 | LoadedBilly Gibbons | ZZ Top | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 11 | Pretty HeadFrank Beard, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill | ZZ Top | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 36 MB |
| 12 | Hummbucking Part 2 | ZZ Top | Play | 05:12 | 11 MB | 39 MB |
| 54 mins | 123 MB | |||||
| 54 mins | 409 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Beard | Composer, Drums, Vocals |
| 2 | Douglas Biro | Director |
| 3 | James Bland | Photography |
| 4 | Billy Gibbons | Composer, Design, Guitar, Producer, Vocals |
| 5 | Bill Ham | Producer |
| 6 | Joe Hardy | Composer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 7 | Lizzie Harrah | Assistant Engineer |
| 8 | Dusty Hill | Bass, Composer, Vocals |
| 9 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 10 | G.L. Moon | Composer |
| 11 | Gary Moon | Assistant Engineer |
| 12 | Sean Mosher-Smith | Art Direction, Design |
| 13 | Stevie Wonder | Composer |
| 14 | ZZ Top | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |