XXX (ZZ Top album)

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1999 studio album (with live elements) by ZZ Top

XXX

Studio album (with live elements) by

ZZ Top

Released| September 28, 1999
Recorded| April 1998 – June 1999
Length| 49:31
Label| RCA
Producer| Billy Gibbons
ZZ Top chronology
| Rhythmeen
(1996)  | XXX
(1999)  | Mescalero
(2003)

|
|

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[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
The Austin Chronicle| [2]
Robert Christgau| [3]
Rolling Stone| [4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [5]

AllMusic only gave the album one and a half stars, 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."[1]

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".[6]

The album peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200.

## Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, except where noted

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Poke Chop Sandwich"|  | 4:50
2.| "Crucifixx-A-Flatt"|  | 3:59
3.| "Fearless Boogie"|  | 4:01
4.| "36-22-36"|  | 2:36
5.| "Made into a Movie"|  | 5:13
6.| "Beatbox"|  | 2:48
7.| "Trippin'"|  | 3:55
8.| "Dreadmonboogaloo"|  | 2:36
9.| "Live Intro by Ross Mitchell"|  | 0:35
10.| "Sinpusher [Live]"|  | 5:18
11.| "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear [Live]"| Bernie Lowe, Kal Mann| 5:21
12.| "Hey Mr. Millionaire [Live]"|  | 4:14
13.| "Belt Buckle [Live]"|  | 4:05
Total length:| 49:31

### Additional studio track on the Japanese edition[edit]

All tracks are written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard, except where noted

No.| Title| Length

|
|

9.| "Ninja Shack"| 5:00

## Personnel[edit]

### ZZ Top[edit]

* 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[edit]

* Jeff Beck – guitar on "Hey Mr. Millionaire"

## Production[edit]

* 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[edit]

Album – Billboard

Chart (1999)  | Peak
position

|

The Billboard 200  | 100

Singles – Billboard

Year  | Single  | Chart  | Position

|
|
|

1999  | "Fearless Boogie"  | Mainstream Rock Tracks  | 13
2000  | "36-22-36"  | Mainstream Rock Tracks  | 31

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. ZZ Top – XXX: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
2. ^ Hernandez, Raoul (29 October 1999). "ZZ Top XXX (RCA)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
3. ^ "Consumer Guide Reviews: XXX". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
4. ^ [1] Archived October 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "ZZ Top". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 907-8. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
6. ^ "Rough Edge Recorded Music Reviews: ZZ TOP". www.roughedge.com. Retrieved 2021-11-30.

* v
* t
* e

ZZ Top

* Billy Gibbons
* Frank Beard
* Elwood Francis

* Lanier Greig
* Dan Mitchell
* Billy Ethridge
* Dusty Hill

Studio albums|

* ZZ Top's First Album
* Rio Grande Mud
* Tres Hombres
* Fandango!
* Tejas
* Degüello
* El Loco
* Eliminator
* Afterburner
* Recycler
* Antenna
* Rhythmeen
* XXX
* Mescalero
* La Futura

Compilations|

* The Best of ZZ Top
* Greatest Hits
* One Foot in the Blues
* Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top

Live albums|

* Live from Texas

Box sets|

* The Six Pack
* Chrome, Smoke & BBQ

Singles|

* "Francine"
* "La Grange"
* "Tush"
* "It's Only Love"
* "Arrested for Driving While Blind"
* "I Thank You"
* "Cheap Sunglasses"
* "Leila"
* "Tube Snake Boogie"
* "Gimme All Your Lovin'"
* "Sharp Dressed Man"
* "TV Dinners"
* "Legs"
* "Sleeping Bag"
* "Stages"
* "Velcro Fly"
* "Rough Boy"
* "Doubleback"
* "My Head's in Mississippi"
* "Viva Las Vegas"
* "Pincushion"
* "She's Just Killing Me"
* "What's Up with That"

Other songs|

* "Waitin' for the Bus"
* "Jesus Just Left Chicago"
* "Master of Sparks"
* "Pearl Necklace"
* "Got Me Under Pressure"

Video albums|

* Greatest Hits
* Live from Texas
* Live at Montreux 2013

Tours|

* Worldwide Texas Tour
* Recycler Tour
* XXX Tour
* Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Tour
* Whack Attack Tour
* Hollywood Blues Tour
* El Camino Ocho Tour
* 2010 World Tour
* Gang of Outlaws Tour
* Tonnage Tour

Related articles|

* Discography
* Super Bowl XXXI halftime show
* CadZZilla
* Bill Ham
* Moving Sidewalks
* American Blues
* Sharp Dressed Men: A Tribute to ZZ Top
* ZZ Top: A Tribute from Friends

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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