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The continuation of Eliminator's synthesized blues boogie made sense on
Afterburner, since it arrived two years after its predecessor. ZZ Top's
choice to pursue that direction on Recycler is puzzling, since a full
five years separates this from Afterburner. It's not just that they
continue to follow this path; it's that they embalm it, creating a
record that may be marginally ballsier than its predecessor, but
lacking the sense of goofy fun and warped ambition that made
Afterburner fascinating. Here, there's just a steady, relentless beat
(Frank Beard is still chained to the sequencer, as he has been for a
decade), topped off by processed guitars turning out licks that fall
short of being true riffs. Put it this way, apart from "Doubleback," a
continuation of the arena pop of "Stages," the other number that really
works here is "My Head's in Mississippi," the closest they'd come to
the greasy boogie of "La Grange" since Degüello. When it arrives
halfway through Recycler, it not only sounds refreshing; it puts the
rest of the album in perspective, showing how tired the once-bracing
synth-blooze-boogie has become. And the worst thing about it all, it
doesn't seem like the band realizes how uncomfortably ironic the title
of Recycler is.
Tracks
Title
Composer
Time
1 Concrete and Steel Beard, Gibbons, Hill
3:45
2 Lovething Beard, Gibbons, Hill 3:20
3 Penthouse Eyes
Beard, Gibbons, Hill 3:49
4 Tell It Beard, Gibbons, Hill 4:39
5 My Head's in Mississippi Beard, Gibbons, Hill 4:25
6 Decision or
Collision Beard, Gibbons, Hill 3:59
7 Give It Up Beard, Gibbons,
Hill 3:24
8 2000 Blues Beard, Gibbons, Hill 4:37
9 Burger Man
Beard, Gibbons, Hill 3:18
10 Doubleback Beard, Gibbons, Hill
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