Maps of Music

XXX (1999)

Where the lyrics of XXX take you, and where it was really made.

An album named XXX to mark the band's 30th anniversary was released, and it reached only number 100 on the Billboard 200.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Album story

Overview

• XXX: thirteenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, also including live material
• Released September 1999; Discogs lists the release date as September 28, 1999
• Released on RCA Records
• The title commemorates the band's 30th anniversary
• Four of the tracks are live recordings
• Billy Gibbons produced the album

Background

• The band signed with RCA, and XXX came out during that period
• Earlier RCA releases: Antenna (1994) and Rhythmeen (1996)
• XXX was the album the band released in 1999 to celebrate its 30th anniversary

Recording

• Recording period: April 1998 to June 1999 (Discogs)
• Engineer, recording and mixing: Joe Hardy
• Mastering: Bob Ludwig
• Digital editing: Brad Blackwood
• Guest guitarist Jeff Beck plays on "Hey Mr. Millionaire"
• Ross Mitchell provides spoken vocals on "Introduction by Ross Mitchell"
• Dusty Hill takes the lead vocal on "(Let Me Be) Your Teddy Bear"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · pt.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969 after Billy Gibbons' band Moving Sidewalks disbanded.
• The name came from Gibbons' idea, inspired by B.B. King and Z.Z. Hill, reasoning that "king is at the top."
• Signed with London Records and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1971.

Members

• Billy Gibbons on vocals and guitar, the only constant member since 1969.
• Dusty Hill on bass and vocals from 1970 until his death in 2021.
• Frank Beard on drums from 1969 until his death in 2026.
• Elwood Francis took over on bass after Hill's death, at Hill's request.
• Michael Monahan has been on tour as drummer since 2025.

Career

• Tres Hombres (1973) and Fandango! (1975) brought radio success; "La Grange" and "Tush" became classic rock staples.
• Eliminator (1983) reached international stardom and sold over 10 million copies, the only ZZ Top album certified diamond.
• Afterburner (1985) was their highest-charting album, reaching number four on the Billboard chart.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
• Recognized by Guinness in 2018 as the longest-running active group with no lineup changes.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• AllMusic gave the album one and a half stars out of five
• AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine questioned why ZZ Top sounded stiff on a record made to celebrate their 30th anniversary
• The AllMusic review said the songwriting was weak and that even third-rate material should have been made listenable by a band this experienced
• RoughEdge.com gave the album three out of four guitars
• RoughEdge.com reviewer R. Scott Bolton said the album combined the bluesy sound of the band's early years with the special effects and tricks of its later recordings
• Reviews were mixed: one critical, one positive

Reappraisal

• No later critical reappraisal appears in the source material

Records

• Billboard 200: peaked at number 100
• Singles promoted the album: "Fearless Boogie" (1999) and "36-22-36" (2000)
• "Fearless Boogie" reached number 13 and "36-22-36" number 31 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart
• The album was released in a CD edition with a standard jewel case

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album title is the number 30 written in Roman numerals, matching the band's 30th anniversary.
• Four of the tracks were recorded live, while the rest are studio recordings.
• Jeff Beck is the only guest musician named for a guitar part, on "Hey Mr. Millionaire".
• Dusty Hill, Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard wrote the album's songs together, except where credited otherwise.
• The CD release came with a four-page booklet in a standard jewel case.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · es.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact