Afterburner (ZZ Top album)

Afterburner is the ninth studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top, released in 1985. Although critics' response to the album was lukewarm, Afterburner was a commercial success, eventually going platinum five times and launching one hit single: "Sleeping Bag" which peaked at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, equaling the peak of their previous single "Legs". The album yielded three other Top 40 singles in the United States: "Stages" (No. 21), "Rough Boy" (No. 22), and "Velcro Fly" (No. 35).

Afterburner
Studio album by ZZ Top
Released	October 28, 1985
Recorded	March–July 1985
Genre	Pop[1] synth-rock[1] hard rock[2] blues rock[2]
Length	37:02
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Bill Ham
ZZ Top chronology
Eliminator (1983) Afterburner (1985) The Six Pack (1987)
Singles from Afterburner
"Sleeping Bag" Released: October 1985 "Stages" Released: December 1985 "Rough Boy" Released: March 1986 "Velcro Fly" Released: July 1986 "Planet of Women" Released: January 1987

In the UK, it was the band's second album to be certified by the British Phonographic Industry, attaining Gold (100,000 units) in 1985. In 1990, it was certified Platinum (300,000 units).

Recording

The album contains songs with sequenced keyboard beds.^[3] It was the first ZZ Top record since Rio Grande Mud without involvement from longtime engineer Terry Manning.^[4] Manning was willing to work on the album but was unavailable because of other commitments, and the band utilized some material, including part of "Can't Stop Rockin'", that was leftover from the sessions of the band's previous album, Eliminator.^[5]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[7]
Kerrang!	[8]
Q	[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]
The Village Voice	B[11]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated: "Well, if you just had your biggest hit ever, you'd probably try to replicate it, too. And if you were praised for being visionary because you played all your blues grooves to a slightly sequenced beat, you'd probably be tempted to not just continue in that direction, but to tighten the sequencer and graft on synthesizers, since it'll all signal how futuristic you are. [...] Problem is, no matter how much you dress ZZ Top up, they're still ZZ Top. Sometimes they can trick you into thinking they're a little flashier than usual, but they're still a lil' ol' blues band from Texas, kicking out blues-rockers. And blues-rock just doesn't kick when it's synthesized. [...] All this means that Afterburner is merely a product of its time -- the only record ZZ Top could have made at the time, but it hardly exists out of that time." Rolling Stone said "Afterburner may simply represent a transitional phase in this gifted eccentric's development as well as a tricky period in ZZ Top's continuing evolution from bell-bottom-blues band to sharp-dressed pop machine."^[12]

Robert Christgau gave a B score, stating: "With sales on Eliminator over five mil almost by accident, this hard-boogieing market strategy is defined by conscious commercial ambition--by its all but announced intention of making ZZ the next Bruce/Madonna/Prince/Michael, with two beards and a Beard at every checkout counter." Christgau cited "Rough Boy" and "Velcro Fly" as the highlights of the album.

The album was the band's first to hit number one, topping the charts in New Zealand. It peaked at number four on the Billboard 200, at number two on the UK Albums Chart, and at number six on the Australian albums chart.^[13]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sleeping Bag"	4:02
2.	"Stages"	3:32
3.	"Woke Up with Wood"	3:45
4.	"Rough Boy"	4:50
5.	"Can't Stop Rockin'"	3:01

All tracks are written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard

Side two

No.	Title	Length
6.	"Planet of Women"	4:04
7.	"I Got the Message"	3:27
8.	"Velcro Fly"	3:29
9.	"Dipping Low (In the Lap of Luxury)"	3:11
10.	"Delirious"	3:41

Personnel

• Billy Gibbons – guitars, lead and backing vocals
• Dusty Hill – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Can't Stop Rockin'" and "Delirious", keyboards
• Frank Beard – drums

Production

• Bill Ham – production
• Joe Hardy – engineering
• Bob Ludwig – engineering
• Jeri McManus – art direction, design
• Barry E. Jackson – artwork

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1985–1987) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[14] 6 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 18 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[16] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 23 European Albums (Eurotipsheet)[18] 5 Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[19] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 3 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[22] 8 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 3 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 2 UK Albums (OCC)[25] 2 US Billboard 200[26] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1985) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[27] 31 Chart (1986) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 24 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[29] 31

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30]	2× Platinum	140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[31]	3× Platinum	300,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[32]	Platinum	62,795[32]
France (SNEP)[33]	Gold	100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[34]	3× Gold	750,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[35]	Gold	100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36]	Platinum	15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[37]	Silver	25,000[37]
Sweden (GLF)[38]	Platinum	100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[39]	Platinum	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40]	Platinum	300,000^
United States (RIAA)[41]	5× Platinum	5,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "ZZ Top Afterburner review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "ZZ Top Afterburner review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
3. "The One after the Big One: ZZ Top, AFTERBURNER | Rhino". www.rhino.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
4. "ZZ Top- Afterburner 35th Anniversary- Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard". In The Studio with Redbeard. October 18, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
5. "ZZ Top's 'Afterburner' Stage Was Originally Intended for Loverboy". Ultimate Classic Rock. June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
6. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "ZZ Top Afterburner review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
7. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
8. Wall, Mick (November 14, 1985). "ZZ Top 'Afterburner'". Kerrang!. Vol. 107. London, UK: Morgan Grampian. pp. 23–24.
9. "ZZ Top Afterburner review". Q. Bauer Media Group. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
10. 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.
11. Christgau, Robert (December 3, 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
12. "ZZ Top Afterburner review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 28, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
14. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 348. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
15. "Austriancharts.at – ZZ Top – Afterburner" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
16. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0607". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – ZZ Top – Afterburner" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
18. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 48. December 2, 1985. p. 15. Retrieved February 3, 2022 – via World Radio History.
19. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
20. "Offiziellecharts.de – ZZ Top – Afterburner" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
21. "Charts.nz – ZZ Top – Afterburner". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
22. "Norwegiancharts.com – ZZ Top – Afterburner". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
23. "Swedishcharts.com – ZZ Top – Afterburner". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
24. "Swisscharts.com – ZZ Top – Afterburner". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
26. "ZZ Top Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
27. "Top Selling Albums of 1985 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
28. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
29. "Top Selling Albums of 1986 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
30. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
31. "Dusty Hill In-House Canadian Afterburner Record Award". November 15, 2023.
32. "ZZ Top" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
33. "Les Certifications depuis 1973: Albums". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved December 10, 2012. (select "ZZ Top" from drop-down list)
34. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (ZZ Top; 'Afterburner')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
35. "Dusty Hill In-House Japanese Afterburner Record Award". November 15, 2023.
36. "New Zealand album certifications – ZZ Top – Afterburner". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
37. "Dusty Hill Afterburner Norwegian Record Award". November 15, 2023.
38. "Dusty Hill Afterburner Swedish Record Award". November 15, 2023.
39. "Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music and Media. American Radio History Archive. December 26, 1987. p. 46. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
40. "British album certifications – ZZ Top – Afterburner". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
41. "American album certifications – ZZ Top – Afterburner". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 10, 2019.