The early 80s were a time of reckoning for many veteran rockers. Androgynous bands with drum machines and synths were on the rise, as were postpunk new wavers with tick-tock guitars and skinny ties. The future for a hirsute boogie blues trio from Texas might’ve seemed as bleak and foggy as a song by The Cure. Especially since Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard looked like 18th-century prospectors.
But in one of the greatest surprise reinventions ever, ZZ Top added a few drops of new wave and romanticism into their brew and struck gold. Or rather platinum. Their 1983 album Eliminator sold over 11 million copies in the US alone, prompted largely by what's come to be known as the "Eliminator Trilogy" of videos.
