Product Description
ZZ Top underscore their bad and nationwide bonafides with a hit collection packed with many of the biggest songs that have made "that little ol band from Texas" among rock's most legendary groups. Over the course of more than 40 years together, their recordings have sold more than 50 million units around the world.

The single disc version delivers a concentrated dose of Lone Star State rock, boogie and blues and is loaded with 20 tracks that span three decades. All of the signature hits are here, from classics like "La Grange," "Tush" and "Cheap Sunglasses" to MTV staples "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Sharp Dressed Man," plus more recent tracks like "Rhythmeen" and "Mescalero." Several "Single Versions" of these hits are included, which were previously unavailable on CD or digitally.

This two-disc version doubles down on the band's music with 40 tracks that form a more detailed snapshot of the trio's stellar career. In addition to including every song heard on the single disc collection, Very Baddest digs deeper into early albums to uncover killer tracks like "Pearl Necklace," "Just Got Paid" and "(Someone Else Been) Shaking Your Tree." The collection also spotlights later albums like XXX (1999) and Mescalero (2003) with "Fearless Boogie" and "Que Lastima." Appropriately, the collection closes with ZZ Top's unique take on the immortal "As Time Goes By," a song made famous by the 1942 movie Casablancaa and a tacit commentary on the group's unparalleled longevity.

Single Disc Track Listing
1. "Gimme All Your Lovin'" - Single Version
2. "Sharp Dressed Man" - Single Version
3. "La Grange"
4. "Tush"
5. "Doubleback"
6. "I Thank You" - Single Version
7. "Cheap Sunglasses" - Single Version
8. "Legs" - Single Version
9. "Tube Snake Boogie"
10. "Waitin' For The Bus"
11. "Jesus Just Left Chicago"
12. "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide"
13. "Pincushion"
14. "Got Me Under Pressure"
15. "Rough Boy" - Single Version
16. "Velcro Fly" - Single Version
17. "Rhythmeen"
18. "What's Up With That?"
19. "Mescalero"
20. "Viva Las Vegas" - Single Version

Double Disc Track Listing
Disc One
1. "Gimme All Your Lovin'" - Single Version
2. "Sharp Dressed Man" - Single Version
3. "La Grange"
4. "Tush"
5. "(Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree"
6. "Francine"
7. "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers"
8. "It's Only Love"
9. "Arrested For Driving While Blind"
10. "I Thank You" - Single Version
11. "Cheap Sunglasses" - Single Version
12. "Tube Snake Boogie"
13. "Pearl Necklace"
14. "Just Got Paid"
15. "Waitin' For The Bus"
16. "Jesus Just Left Chicago"
17. "Heard It On The X"
18. "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide"
19. "Dust My Broom"
20. "Velcro Fly" - Single Version
21. "Party On The Patio"

Disc Two
1. "Viva Las Vegas" - Single Version
2. "Pincushion"
3. "Legs" - Single Version
4. "Got Me Under Pressure"
5. "Sleeping Bag"
6. "Rough Boy" - Single Version
7. "Doubleback"
8. "My Head's In Mississippi"
9. "Give It Up"
10. "Just Got Back From Baby's"
11. "Blue Jean Blues"
12. "She's Just Killing Me"
13. "What's Up With That?"
14. "Rhythmeen"
15. "Loaded"
16. "Fearless Boogie"
17. "Mescalero"
18. "Que Lastima"
19. "As Time Goes By"

1-CD
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KBUEZX2/?tag=imwan-20

2-CD
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KB4CEZE/?tag=imwan-20

I have every album and the box set, but no comps (there are really only 3 official ones anyway).

The 1st from 1977 was short and all London-era tracks (since repackaged by Warners), the 2nd was 1992's Greatest Hits with 2 new tracks and some hideous mixes and the other was the 2CD Rancho Texicano, which like the box only covered 1971-1990 as did the recent Albums Box.

There was also a strange all-Blues comp from 1994 which had little Blues on it.

I like well-made comps and this sure is one, plus single versions I do not have and remastered RCA cuts finally.

ZZ Top fans mark your calendars for July 22nd. That's the date that Warner Bros. will be releasing The Very Baddest Of ZZ Top, a career spanning compilation that will come in a standard one-disc version and a deluxe two-disc version.

The Very Baddest Of ZZ Top marks the first time that the band's hits from their entire career have been gathered together in one package. ZZ Top's Billy F Gibbons had this to say, "We're glad that material originally issued by three different labels over the course of all these years will now be housed under one 'roof,' so to speak. It's kind of a big, bad family reunion on some level".

The single disc version will feature 20 tracks that span three decades including the band's biggest hits like "La Grange," "Tush", "Cheap Sunglasses" "Gimme All Your Lovin'" and "Sharp Dressed Man." Several "Single Versions" of these hits are included, which are currently unavailable on CD or digitally.

The two-disc version will feature 40 tracks including all of the tracks from the single disc version as well as early tracks like "Pearl Necklace," "Just Got Paid" and "(Someone Else Been) Shaking Your Tree" and later material like "Fearless Boogie" and "Que Lastima."

ZZ Top will also be keeping busy on the road this spring and summer. They will begin with a European tour next month and then return home to a launching a summer coheadlining tour with guitar great Jeff Beck.

That's it. Another excellent reissue that's on the list. I best start looking for a part-time job.

Rick A.

Bump: Added pre-order links to the first post.

Less than $22.00 bucks for the 2 CD set. Very good for this July issue

Rick A.

Could've used "Gotsta Get Paid" - my fave ZZ Top track in ages. Very nice comp, though.

Would've used that and "Flyin' High" the two singles from the new (killer) album.

My only real gripe, other than not enough tracks from Antenna which had 4 radio hits (3 are missing if I looked right).

Any confirmation whether the tracks taken from the first five albums (through Tejas) are all original mixes and NOT the crappy Six Pack reverb remixes...?

One would assume they are the same as last year's box, but we will need to find out otherwise no way in hell do I buy it.

And, did I miss something or are there NO songs from La Futura at all???

You are unfortunately correct, IP. Not exactly career-spanning, then, is it?

RCA/BMG, which originally released the four 1994-2003 studio albums, is now owned by Sony, and La Futura, from 2012, was released by American Recordings, currently distributed by Universal. You'd think if Rhino was willing to shell out whatever $$ it took to license the 9 tracks from Sony, it wouldn't have busted the reissue budget to license 1 or 2 from American/Universal. Perhaps it wasn't a $$ issue but surely American would have played ball with a track that could prompt listeners who missed La Futura the 1st time around to give it a look.

The final track on the 2-disc, "As Time Goes By" was an odd choice to include on this; a "hidden" track anyway from the last RCA album, Mescalero. And while Rhythmeen, from '96, is arguably the band's best RCA album, not sure it's worthy of FOUR tracks. This compilation would have been perfecto if instead of "As Times Go By" and one of the Rhythmeen tracks, the cop had closed with one or a killer TWO tracks from La Futura. Lots of primo choices: "I Gotsta Get Paid" "Chartreuse" or "Consumption" or be really collectible and include one of the two excellent Best Buy bonus tracks ("Threshold Of A Breakdown" or "Drive By Lover")

Annoying!

EDIT: Googled some pre-release coverage and Rev. Billy G is quoted: "We’re glad that material originally issued by three different labels over the course of all these years will now be housed under one ‘roof,’ so to speak. It’s kind of a big, bad family reunion on some level.” http://ultimateclassicrock.com/zz-top-very-baddest/

The "three labels" listed later in the article are London, Warner Bros., and RCA. So the band doesn't count the label on which it released its most recent album, its first in 9 years and one of its best?!

To quote one of the RCA songs included in this "career-spanning if their career had stopped in 2003"..."What's Up With That"??

Not quite.

Technically, both The Best of ZZ Top (1977) and Greatest Hits (1992) could be considered, at the time of their release, career-spanning compilations.

Bump: Added cover image to the first post.