I'm sure everybody knows what AC/DC is and its entire history, but I'm going to tell it anyway, just to preserve the format. One of the pioneers of heavy metal, AC/DC emerged from Australia in 1974, led by Bon Scott (vocals, songs) and two cousins, Malcolm (guitars, songs) and Angus (guitars, songs) Young. They have quickly discovered the ultimate formula for success: playing the same song over and over again. With that they have achieved enormous popularity, which peaked after Bon Scott died one night of heavy drinking, Brian Johnson replaced him, and the band released "Back In Black" (1980) album. It came out in 1980 and became one of the best selling albums of all time (metal and otherwise). Charismatic stage behavior of Angus Young (it's been estimated that in 20 years he ran over 3000 miles on stage), for the most part incredibly stupid but funny lyrics, and total non-seriousness of the band made them one of the leaders of world's "party metal." AC/DC stuck to their formula and made every song sound the same for 25 years now, and is planning to do so still.
BACK IN BLACK (1980)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Hells Bells," "Back In Black," "You Shook Me All Night Long"
One of the world's most popular albums opens with one of the world's most popular songs that opens with one of the world's most popular intros. Everybody knows what I'm talking about, so I'm not going to go into details, but say that "Hells Bells" is one of the catchiest songs ever played on guitar. All other songs became radio hits, and they are all just as good, except for a couple that I can't stand. Yes, Angus is overrated, yes, their lyrics are all about sex and suck greatly (although I'm sure every person knows them by heart, without even trying to memorize them), yet AC/DC kicks ass. "You Shook Me All Night Long" is by far the best sex song ever written, and show me one normal healthy person who would restrain from singing along with it! AC/DC can put a smile on every face in the world, and that should be enough to place them in the Metal Hall Of Fame, along with utterly depressing Slayer and Megadeth. I don't particularly care for "Shoot To Thrill" or "What Do You Do For Money, Honey?" but songs like "Given The Dog A Bone" (yeah, bone, that's it), "Have A Drink On Me" and "Let Me Put My Love Into You, Baby" are all good songs to play in an all-guy company. They are all cool, they all rock, and they are all funny, and that last one is something that separates AC/DC from other bands trying to be like them. Kiss and Scorpions (same formula, but, of course, not to such perfection) just don't measure up.
WHO MADE WHO (1986)
RATING: ****1/2
BEST SONGS: "Who Made Who," "Hells Bells," "You Shook Me All Night Long"
In 1986 there was an attempt made to put on a "greatest hits" compilation for the "Maximum Overdrive" movie soundtrack. A lousy movie, but what a great soundtrack! It has only one original song (not counting two instrumentals), the title track, but damn, does it rock! "Who Made Who" is one of my favorite AC/DC songs, and was made into a terrific video. The only surprising thing was that the only song from the Bon Scott era was the absolutely obscure "Ride On." Had there been "Highway To Hell," "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" or "T. N. T.," this would have been a perfect "Best Of" album. Maybe the movie makers needed a slow, bluesy tune that had something to do with cars. Anyhow, this album has long term AC/DC classics "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Hells Bells" and "For Those About To Rock," but also another favorite of mine, which I consider to be the most underrated AC/DC song: "Shake Your Foundations." I absolutely love this one: it's got a great sing-along chorus and everything else Accept is known for, plus great solo from Angus. I can't count all those times I marched around my basement, screaming "I-yai-yo! Shake your foundations!" but it's been a lot. A great album, and a good representation of the band. Yes, could have been better, but I love it nonetheless.
LIVE (1992)
RATING: *****
BEST SONGS: "Hells Bells," "Highway To Hell" "You Shook Me All Night Long," and just about everything else.
In the year 1989, after some less successful albums, AC/DC returned with the blast and released mega-selling "Razor's Edge," followed by a huge world tour. The result was one of the best live albums ever (1991). It contained every major song by the band and is absolutely fantastic. Every song there was on the radio one way or another. One of the greatest things about AC/DC is that in 25 years they have never made a mistake in their songs while playing live (every song being nearly the same is another question). AC/DC was always great live and delivered what's been expected of them. Brian Johnson makes various funny comments between the song, and crowd screams out "Angus! Angus!" at every opportunity. It's got the atmosphere of a true rock concert, and truly kicks butt.
|
|
