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Eliminator Put ZZ Top on the Map
Released on March 23, 1983, Eliminator became ZZ Top’s most successful album, launching the tres bearded hombres from Texas into rock superstardom.
Amy
March 9, 2025
Sam S. Jan 30th 2024
As an 80’s kid let me start by saying Back to the Future was legit awesome – it wasn’t just a regular old movie it was a big, cultural explosion! It was like taking a ride through history and the future all at once; mixing up sci-fi, comedy, and some weird high-school drama! Yet beneath all the time-travel craziness, there were some real lessons about relationships and the choices we make, and how they shape our lives. Nowadays, it feels like a lot of movies just want to dazzle us with special effects and fancy stuff, but they forget about the heart and soul. Back to the Future was special because it had a lot of heart and was put together with care, this is what made it a phenomenon.
Why did I love it so much? Well I lived through it! As a kid I got to marvel at the cool ideas for the future from the perspective of 1985. Then when 2015 came around we got to see how their predictions panned out!! Self-tying Nikes – NO (that would be cool), Tablet computers (YEP), Hoverboards (NO and why not!). Even the futurism of the time amazed me as a kid, it was so specific it kinda had to be based on something, right? (imagination probably) – Flux Capacitors, 88 mph, 1.21 GW. Those DeLorean Gullwing doors popping up always bring me back to that sense of childhood wonder and that is purely as a result of BTTF.
Back in the 80’s, jumping through timelines was kinda the movie norm (Bill & Ted, Terminator, etc), but doing it in a completely refurbished, souped-up tricked-out DeLorean became the stuff of legends. And nothing could beat the joy of watching Marty McFly playing Johnny B. Goode and making you wonder if time-travel could have influenced our lives in some unspoken way – a la Forrest Gump. Back in those days, tt was all about the anticipation, the excitement, and the magical sense of wonder that movies of this era evoked. Video games and movie nights were our go-to activities, not mindlessly browsing on smartphones, completely disconnected from the world around us and somehow Back to the Future predicted that (correctly) too!
Mention Back to the Future to any 80’s kid and you’re gonna get a big, nostalgic sigh, a spark in the eyes, and a knowing smile. Those feelings, my friends, that sweet, nostalgic feeling that no fancy sound system or giant movie screen can quite capture nowadays. So here’s to Marty, Doc, and that unforgettable DeLorean – a toast to celebrate a time when stories really mattered, when it was all about the talent and flux capacitors under the hood, not just the flashy stuff we see today. Let’s raise a glass to the ’80s classics when storytelling was king, and being a nerd was the coolest thing ever. So, as far as I’m concerned; I’ll take a trip down memory lane any day… you see, where we’re going we don’t need roads!
Bye for now, I’m going back to the future…
Future Sam
Released on March 23, 1983, Eliminator became ZZ Top’s most successful album, launching the tres bearded hombres from Texas into rock superstardom.
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