XXX is the thirteenth studio album (also including live material) by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in September 1999. The album's title commemorates the band's 30th anniversary.
Reception
AllMusic gave the album only one and a half star, and in its review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, he states: "After all, countless blues-based musicians, from Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters to B.B. King and the Rolling Stones, have aged gracefully, albeit in varying degrees. So why does ZZ Top sound so stiff and useless on XXX, a record celebrating their 30th anniversary? Part of that could be that the songwriting is decidedly weak, but a band as seasoned as ZZ Top should be able to make third-rate material at least listenable."
A more positive review was posted by RoughEdge.com, whose reviewer R. Scott Bolton gave it three out of four guitars and stated that the album "represents the best of both worlds of ZZ Top [...] [t]he bluesy sounds that highlight their early years [and] the special effects and tricks that made their later recordings so popular".
The album peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200.
Track listing
Additional studio track on the Japanese edition
Personnel
ZZ Top Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals Dusty Hill – bass, keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocal on "(Let Me Be) Your Teddy Bear" Frank Beard – drums, percussion
Additional personnel Jeff Beck – guitar on "Hey Mr. Millionaire" Ross Mitchell - spoken vocals on "Introduction by Ross Mitchell"
Production Producer: Billy Gibbons Engineer: Joe Hardy Assistant engineer: Gary Moon Mixing: Joe Hardy Mastering: Bob Ludwig Digital editing: Brad Blackwood Recording: Joe Hardy Art direction: Bill Narum
Charts Album – Billboard Chart (1999)PeakpositionThe Billboard 200100
Singles – Billboard YearSingleChartPosition1999"Fearless Boogie"Mainstream Rock Tracks132000"36-22-36"Mainstream Rock Tracks31
References