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Recycler (album)

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Recycler
Studio album by
ZZ Top
ReleasedOctober 16, 1990[1]
RecordedMay 1989 – July 1990
StudioMemphis Sound Productions (Memphis, Tennessee)
GenreBlues[2][3]
Length39:49
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerBill Ham
ZZ Top chronology
The Six Pack
(1987) 		Recycler
(1990) 		Greatest Hits
(1992)
Singles from Recycler
  1. "Doubleback"
    Released: May 1990
  2. "Concrete and Steel"
    Released: 1990
  3. "My Head's in Mississippi"
    Released: 1990
  4. "Give It Up"
    Released: November 1990[4]
  5. "Burger Man"
    Released: 1991

Recycler is the tenth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in October 1990. It was the last album to utilize the band's synthesizer-driven production style which began on Eliminator and marked a return to the band's blues roots.[3]

The band had a cameo in the 1990 movie Back to the Future Part III playing an "old west" version of "Doubleback" along with some local musicians. (The regular version of the song plays over the credits). The music video for "Doubleback" also had clips from the movie and was included on the DVD. There were five hit singles from the album: "Doubleback" (No. 1 on the Album Rock Tracks for five weeks), "Concrete and Steel" (No. 1 on the Album Rock Tracks for four weeks), "Burger Man", "Give It Up", and "My Head's in Mississippi" (No. 1 on the Album Rock Tracks for six weeks).

Music videos were also made for "My Head's in Mississippi", "Burger Man" and "Give It Up".

In the UK, it was the band's third album to be certified by the British Phonographic Industry attaining Silver (60,000 units) in 1990.

Production and recording

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In a 2008 interview, Billy Gibbons stated, "Recycler was interesting to make, because initially we planned to follow the lineage established in Eliminator and Afterburner. We had written a couple of highly structured pop tunes in our studio in Houston. Then we went out to Los Angeles for a couple of months and got into the whole sequencer, everything-in-its-place thing. But when we arrived in Memphis to finish the record, we slid into a different mode. While we were waiting for all of our high-tech gear to arrive, we set up in a circle and started playing and jamming as a band. The sound, even though it was rougher and looser, felt right in every way. The results of some of those sessions can be heard on cuts like '2000 Blues' and 'My Head’s in Mississippi.' Both are reminiscent of our earlier music, which is why we call Recycler our Tres Hombres/Eliminator album."

He continued, "We didn’t abandon the ground we covered on Eliminator and Afterburner—you can still hear the sequencers and synthesizers—but they’re much more unobtrusive. We allowed some of the rougher elements of the band to come shining through. 'My Head’s in Mississippi,' which was one of the first completed tracks on the album, is a great example of how we mixed the new with the old. Initially, it was a straight-ahead boogie-woogie. Then Frank stepped in and threw in those highly gated electronic drum fills, which modernized the track. Not counting the preproduction time in Houston and Los Angeles, it took us four months to make. Recycler was one of our longer projects. I think it took extra time because we moved to Memphis Sound studios on Beale Street. That area is chock full of distractions."[5]

The sessions ultimately saw the band returning to their blues roots, and would be the last ZZ Top album to utilize the synthesized production style of their previous two albums, which was subsequently completely abandoned in favor of a more roots-oriented style on their later albums.[3]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert Christgau(1-star Honorable Mention)[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]
Rolling Stone[7]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic retrospectively gave it 2 stars out of 5, stating: "The continuation of Eliminator's synthesized blues 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 separate 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. [...] And the worst thing about it all, it doesn't seem like the band realizes how uncomfortably ironic the title of "Recycler" is." Erlewine did however note that "Doubleback" and especially "My Head's in Mississippi" were standouts, and "Give It Up" also got an "AMG Pick", meaning that it was another highlight.[2]

Robert Christgau gave it a one star honorable mention, meaning "A worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like" and called "Concrete and Steel" and "Burger Man" as the strongest tracks.

The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, at No. 8 on the UK Albums Chart and at No. 27 on the Australian Albums chart.

Track listing

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All songs by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Concrete and Steel"3:45
2."Lovething"3:20
3."Penthouse Eyes"3:49
4."Tell It"4:39
5."My Head's in Mississippi"4:17
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Decision or Collision"3:59
7."Give It Up"3:24
8."2000 Blues"4:37
9."Burger Man"3:18
10."Doubleback"3:53

Personnel

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Production

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Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for Recycler
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Platinum 100,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[27] Platinum 65,520[27]
France (SNEP)[28] 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[29] Platinum 500,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30] Gold 7,500^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[31] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[33] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Recycler at AllMusic
  3. ^ a b c DeRiso, Nick (October 16, 2015). "How ZZ Top Came Full Circle With 'Recycler'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  4. ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week commencing 26 November 1990". Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Steinblatt, Harold; Tolinski, Brad (February 5, 2008). "ZZ Top Interview: Double Back".
  6. ^ Robert Christgau review Retrieved on August 28, 2012.
  7. ^ [1] Archived February 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Tucker, Ken (October 19, 1990). "Recycler". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – ZZ Top – Recycler". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "Austriancharts.at – ZZ Top – Recycler" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – ZZ Top – Recycler" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – ZZ Top – Recycler" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  14. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1991. 14. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  15. ^ "Charts.nz – ZZ Top – Recycler". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – ZZ Top – Recycler". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  17. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – ZZ Top – Recycler". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "Swisscharts.com – ZZ Top – Recycler". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  20. ^ "AOR Albums" (PDF). Radio & Records. January 11, 1991. p. 92. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  21. ^ "ZZ Top Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  22. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1702". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  24. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1991". hitparade.ch. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  25. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  26. ^ "Canadian album certifications – ZZ Top – Recycler". Music Canada. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  27. ^ a b "ZZ Top" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  28. ^ "French album certifications – ZZ Top – Recycler" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 15, 2021. Select ZZ TOP and click OK. 
  29. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ZZ Top; 'Recycler')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  30. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – ZZ Top – Recycler". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  31. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Recycler')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  32. ^ "British album certifications – ZZ Top – Recycler". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  33. ^ "American album certifications – ZZ Top – Recycler". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
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