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. At the time of its release in 2003, Chrome, Smoke & BBQ was noteworthy because it was the only CD release, except for the greatest hits album The Best of ZZ Top (1977/CD 1984), which used the original mixes of tracks from the band's first five studio albums.
Other track or whole album CD releases for those five albums used remixed versions from 1987. See The Six Pack box set. A career-spanning set from Texas' favorite rock and roll sons. All the ZZ Top you'll ever need!This collection focuses on ZZ Top's 20's years with Warner Brothers, along with such rarities as 3 tracks from Billy Gibbons' first band, The Moving Sidewalks. From the raw, smokey blues of the early days to the signature hits of the'80s and'90s, this set has it all.
Also included is a book containing early shots of Billy Gibbons without the beard! , a history of the band by Tom Vickers, and track-by-track notes by Gibbons, Hill, and Beard, as told to Bob Merlis.