''The Six Pack'' is a

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

released in 1987 by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band ZZ Top. It comprises their first five albums, plus their seventh album, '' El Loco'' (1981). All the albums except ''El Loco'' and the live side of ''Fandango!'' were remixed with new drums and guitar effects for a more "contemporary" sound, similar to ZZ Top's eighth album, '' Eliminator'' (1983). Until 2006, these remixes were the only versions of the albums available on CD.

Reception

Reviewing ''The Six Pack'' for AllMusic,

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

wrote: "If ''Six Pack'' just delivered the original albums, it'd be a good investment, but the studio tinkering makes this a disaster."

Later reissues

The ''Six Pack'' remixes were also used on the individual CD releases of the albums and all following compilations of the band (except the CD release of 1977's

The Best of ZZ Top ''The Best of ZZ Top (10 Legendary Texas Tales)'' is a greatest hits album by American rock band ZZ Top, released November 26, 1977.Billboard Magazine November 26, 1977, Issue, Album review – page 94. Spanning the years from 1971 to 1975, this ...

) for the next few years. Original mixes were first remastered for the box set ''

Chrome, Smoke & BBQ ''Chrome, Smoke & BBQ'' is a 4-CD box set by American rock band ZZ Top. Released in 2003, it is a compilation album of material from the band's tenures with London Records and Warner Bros. Records, recorded from 1967 to 1992. An abbreviated 2-CD ...

'', and its companion compilation release '' Rancho Texicano''. In 2006, the original mixes of ''

Tres Hombres ''Tres Hombres'' (English: ''Three Men'') is the third studio album by the American rock band ZZ Top. It was released by London Records in July 1973 and was the band's first collaboration with engineer Terry Manning. It was the band's commercial ...

'' and ''Fandango!'' were released on CD. Some tracks from the remaining three albums were unavailable digitally in their original versions until 2013 when the albums were re-released on CD with the original mixes restored. All more recent compilations used original mixes.

Track listing

Personnel

ZZ Top

* Billy Gibbons – guitar, vocals * Dusty Hill - bass guitar, vocals * Frank Beard -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, percussion

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Six Pack, The 1987 compilation albums Albums produced by Bill Ham Warner Records compilation albums ZZ Top compilation albums