Very Baddest of ZZ Top [Two-CD]

Following 2004's Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top by a decade, The Very Baddest of ZZ Top comes in two different styles: a single-disc compilation with 20 tracks and a set that doubles it. The single disc is good, racking up most of the MTV-era hits -- "Gimme All Your Lovin," "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs," "Got Me Under Pressure," "Rough Boy," "Velcro Fly" -- while doubling back for "La Grange, "Tush," "I Thank You," "Waitin' for the Bus," "Jesus Just Left Chicago," "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide," and "Cheap Sunglasses." It's enough to satisfy the very casual fan, but even a quick glance at the track listing reveals plenty of missing favorites: no "Pearl Necklace," "I Heard It on the X," "It's Only Love," "Francine," "Just Got Paid," and "Sleeping Bag." All those, along with several latter-day hits that did not show up on the 2004 set, are on the double-disc, which makes it a better bet than the single version -- although, in a pinch, that ol' Rancho Texicano may be the best of them all, as it has more of the down-and-dirty '70s boogie than The Very Baddest, and that's what a lot of fans truly want to hear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine