Rhythmeen

Untitled

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone

Rhythmeen is the twelfth studio album by the American blues rock band ZZ Top, released in 1996. It is the first ZZ Top album to have a title track, which is the first track on the album (though Antenna featured a song called "Antenna Head").

Reception

Allmusic gave it a mixed review, stating: "ZZ Top's long-awaited return to blues finally arrived in 1996, well over a decade after they abandoned their simple three-chord boogie for a synth and drum machine-driven three-chord boogie."

The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and at number 32 on the UK Albums Chart.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Rhythmeen"	Billy Gibbons	3:53
2.	"Bang Bang"	Gibbons	4:28
3.	"Black Fly"	Gibbons	3:31
4.	"What's Up with That"	Gibbons, Joe Hardy, Luther Ingram, Mack Rice	5:19
5.	"Vincent Price Blues"	Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard	6:04
6.	"Zipper Job"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	4:14
7.	"Hairdresser"	Gibbons, Hardy	3:48
8.	"She's Just Killing Me"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	4:55
9.	"My Mind Is Gone"	Gibbons, Hardy, Gary Moon, Wonder	4:06
10.	"Loaded"	Gibbons, Hardy	3:47
11.	"Prettyhead"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	4:37
12.	"Hummbucking, Pt. 2"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	5:13
Total length:			53:55

Bonus track [Japan]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Isn't Love Amazing"	Gibbons	5:15
Total length:			59:10

Personnel

• Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals
• Dusty Hill – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocal on "Loaded"
• Frank Beard – drums, percussion

Production

• Producers – Billy Gibbons, Bill Ham
• Engineer – Joe Hardy
• Assistant engineers – Lizzie Harrah, Gary Moon
• Mixing – Joe Hardy
• Mastering – Bob Ludwig
• Director – Douglas Biro
• Art direction – Sean Mosher-Smith
• Design – Billy Gibbons, Sean Mosher-Smith
• Photography – James Bland
• Studio - John Moran's House of Funk aka Digital Services Recording

Recording

“We originally had a working title of ‘Nearing The Completion Stage'. But, it was the backbeat, that mean groove, which hit us as a strong recurring element of the album. So, we did our customary play on words, shuffling words about until we came up with our own invention – a feel-good elixir named Rhythmeen.”

Gibbons uses an early 1950s Les Paul Goldtop guitar and is featured prominently throughout the album.

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1996	The Billboard 200	29

Singles – Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1996	"Bang Bang"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	22
1996	"She's Just Killing Me"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	12
1996	"What's Up with That"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	5
1997	"Rhythmeen"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	35