ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. The band has, since 1970, consisted of vocalist/guitarist Billy Gibbons (the band’s leader, main lyricist and musical arranger), bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard. “As genuine roots musicians, they have few peers”, according to critic Michael “Cub” Koda. “Gibbons is one of America’s finest blues guitarists working in the arena rock idiom […] while Hill and Beard provide the ultimate rhythm section support. Here is ZZ Top’s best albums ranked.

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5. Eliminator (1983)

“I would have to say this is a pretty good set of the band’s 1983 Rock album, “ELIMINATOR”.

With the MTV video market in full swing since August 1981, ZZ TOP made an album and took advantage of the popularity of the format.

They hit it with commercial success and several songs were made into videos that are true ’80s gems to this day.

I owned the original ’80s CD of this album for years and it was okay sounding, but like most of the CDs produced in that era, it suffers from low recording volume and analog “hiss”.

I personally found this recording to be superior to that one. Not only do we get the original album, we also get bonus tracks, 7 in all.”

4. El Loco (1981)

“I’ll keep this short and sweet. An amazing album and I feel one of their best overall.



I love all the songs, but especially Don’t Tease Me and Leila. The latter could be played in any honky tonk or country bar and would fit right in, even more so than much of today’s country. Great music and lyrics make this a must have for any ZZ Top fan or even first-time listener.”

See More: The Doors Albums Ranked

3. Deguello (1979)

“Deguello is the album that got me to really notice Z Z Top. Yes, I already had Tres Hombres & it’s a better, more consistent album than Deguello, yet, for some reason, this was the album that made me sit up & notice them. Don’t get me wrong, “Jesus Just Left Chicago” & “Been Waitin’ on the Bus” are some of Z Z Top’s coolest & best songs, but there’s something here that’s somewhat different. Maybe it’s because my musical taste was evolving into a different direction at this time.



But, for some reason, cool just came to the forefront on this album.The opening cover tune “I Thank You”, written by Hayes & Porter, just jumped out of the speakers. It’s probably the best cover they recorded. But the personality & the cool of Z Z Top would blossom on the songs “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” & “Cheap Sunglasses”. These simply epitomized the cool of Top. We’re also treated to “A Fool For Your Stockings” which is an outstanding example of Z Z Top’s brand of Texas/blues-rock. An odd but entertaining song is “Manic Mechanic”. The rest of the album is filler which is why I rate it below Tres Hombres, Deguello is not as consistent”

2. Tres Hombres (1973)

“Oh my GOSH! What a timeless funky fun CD! This is one you can listen to over and over again and just not get tired of it! I keep taking it out of my changer because I don’t ever want to get burned out of it, but I guess if that were going to happen it would’ve already happened! These are great songs! And ZZ TOP is and always will be, such a gift of a band, who makes you want to dance, or tap your toes, or just laugh out loud at fun tunes!”

1. Fandango! (1975)

“One of my favorite ZZ Top albums. The first 2 live tracks “Thunderbird” and “Jailhouse Rock” are great, but honestly the live ‘Backdoor Medley’ is a bit tedious.



Of the 6 studio songs there are 3 ZZ Top Classics: “Blue Jean Blues”, “Heard it on the X”, and “Tush”. However, my all time favorite ZZ song is the obscure underrated “Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings”. To me the entire disc is worth it for this one song. “Balinese” is another decent lesser known track on here. The country-tinged, tongue in cheek “Mexican Blackbird” is worth a laugh or two.”