Rhythmeen
Rhythmeen | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by ZZ Top | ||||
Released | September 17, 1996 | |||
Recorded | February–June 1996 | |||
Genre | Blues[1] | |||
Length | 53:55 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Producer |
| |||
ZZ Top chronology | ||||
|
Rhythmeen is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1996. It is their last album with longtime producer Bill Ham.
Production and recording
Billy recalls "Rick Rubin has turned me on to one of his acts called Barkmarket and that the guitar player uses C# and B tunings so we began experimenting with really low tunings."[2] Around the Rhythmeen era Billy's collection of African artifacts began and several tracks include African tribal percussion.
This is when Billy began to sport the Nudu Hat, woven by the Bamileke tribe in Cameroon, Africa.
Gibbons uses a 1955 Les Paul Goldtop guitar which is featured prominently throughout the album.[3]
"We originally had a working title of 'Nearing the Completion Stage'. But, it was the backbeat, that mean groove, which hit us as a strong recurring element of the album. So, we did our customary play on words, shuffling words about until we came up with our own invention—a feel-good elixir named Rhythmeen."[4]
Reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Rolling Stone | [5] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
AllMusic gave it a mixed review, stating, "ZZ Top's long-awaited return to 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."[1]
The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rhythmeen" | Billy Gibbons | Gibbons | 3:53 |
2. | "Bang Bang" | Gibbons | Gibbons | 4:28 |
3. | "Black Fly" | Gibbons | Gibbons | 3:31 |
4. | "What's Up with That" | Gibbons, Joe Hardy, Luther Ingram, Mack Rice[7] | Gibbons | 5:19 |
5. | "Vincent Price Blues" | Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard | Gibbons | 6:04 |
6. | "Zipper Job" | Gibbons, Hill, Beard | Gibbons | 4:14 |
7. | "Hairdresser" | Gibbons, Hardy | Gibbons | 3:48 |
8. | "She's Just Killing Me" | Gibbons, Hill, Beard | Gibbons | 4:55 |
9. | "My Mind Is Gone" | Gibbons, Hardy, Gary Moon, Stevie Wonder | Gibbons | 4:06 |
10. | "Loaded" | Gibbons, Hardy | Hill | 3:47 |
11. | "Prettyhead" | Gibbons, Hill, Beard | Gibbons | 4:37 |
12. | "Hummbucking, Pt. 2" | Gibbons, Hill, Beard | Gibbons | 5:13 |
Total length: | 53:55 |
- Bonus track [Japan]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Isn't Love Amazing" | Gibbons | Gibbons | 5:15 |
Total length: | 59:10 |
Personnel
- Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals
- Dusty Hill – bass, keyboards, vocals
- Frank Beard – drums, percussion
- James Harman – harmonica on "What's Up with That"
- Greg Morrow – percussion, drums (credited[8] as 'Gangzz Clangzz & Percussion Thangzz') on "She's Just Killing Me"[9] and other tracks[10]
Production
- Producers – Billy Gibbons, Bill Ham
- Engineer – Joe Hardy
- Assistant engineers – Lizzie Harrah, Gary Moon
- Mixing – Joe Hardy
- Mastering – Bob Ludwig
- Director – Douglas Biro
- Art direction – Sean Mosher-Smith
- Design – Billy Gibbons, Sean Mosher-Smith
- Photography – James Bland
- Studio – John Moran's House of Funk aka Digital Services Recording
Charts
Album – Billboard (United States)
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1996 | The Billboard 200 | 29[citation needed] |
Singles – Billboard (United States)
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | "Bang Bang" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22[citation needed] |
1996 | "She's Just Killing Me" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 12[citation needed] |
1996 | "What's Up with That" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5[citation needed] |
1997 | "Rhythmeen" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 35[citation needed] |
References
- ^ a b c Thomas, Stephen (September 17, 1996). "Rhythmeen - ZZ Top : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ di Perna, Alan (October 1, 2012). Guitar Masters: Intimate Portraits. Hal Leonard. p. 181. ISBN 1423489888.
- ^ Billy Gibbons Rock&Roll Gearhead book
- ^ Vogel, Michael (27 September 1996) "ZZ Top - Rhythmeen". The Album Network
- ^ "ZZ Top: Rhythmeen". RollingStone.com. February 2, 1996. Archived from the original on 2009-05-25. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "ZZ Top - Rhythmeen (CD, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ Rhythmeen CD credits
- ^ Greg Morrow Interview, Billy Gibbons - Dealing w the loss of his parents, Unconditional Love & Faith, retrieved 2021-12-01
- ^ "Greg Morrow and Tim Buell". surviving-the-music-industry.simplecast.com. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
- v
- t
- e
- Billy Gibbons
- Frank Beard
- Elwood Francis
- Lanier Greig
- Dan Mitchell
- Billy Ethridge
- Dusty Hill
- ZZ Top's First Album
- Rio Grande Mud
- Tres Hombres
- Fandango!
- Tejas
- Degüello
- El Loco
- Eliminator
- Afterburner
- Recycler
- Antenna
- Rhythmeen
- XXX
- Mescalero
- La Futura
- The Best of ZZ Top
- Greatest Hits
- One Foot in the Blues
- Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top
- The Six Pack
- Chrome, Smoke & BBQ
- "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"
- "Waitin' for the Bus"
- "Jesus Just Left Chicago"
- "Master of Sparks"
- "Pearl Necklace"
- "Got Me Under Pressure"
- Greatest Hits
- Live from Texas
- Live at Montreux 2013
- 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