Sentinel
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In my annual tradition, I listen to a classic band's catalog from start to finish. Now I am on AC/DC (and parallel to it -- on Tom Waits). Here are my iconoclastic, nostalgia-free thoughts on their albums.
HIGH VOLTAGE (T.N.T.). AC/DC clearly hit the ground running. Dripping with attitude, this album demonstrated the band's intention to break big from the get-go. Angus Young is not quite there yet, but Malcolm already writes memorable riffs, and Bon Scott is already possesses the nastiest voice in rock music. Everybody has heard "It's a Long Way to the Top" and "TNT" but "Rock'n'Roll Singer," "Live Wire," crazy fast "Rocker," and "High Voltage" all rock hard. "School Days" is also solid.
JAILBREAK EP. Probably the most consistent of all AC/DC releases (well, it is only an EP). The title track is superb, following by "You Ain't Got a Hold on Me," "Show Business," "Soul Stripper" (if I were to make a Top 10 of Often Overlooked AC/DC Tunes, this would make the list with its superb groove), and "Baby Please Don't Go" are all excellent. Now Angus has hit the stride.
DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP. Less consistent, but has two radio smash hits: title track and "Big Balls," plus "R.I.P." and two more songs that are less driving but create a mood: "Ain't No Fun Waiting 'round to be a Millionaire" and "Ride On." For some reason, I don't dig Angus's solos here quite as much ("R.I.P." being the sole exception).
LET THERE BE ROCK. The rock continues and so does the nastiness. "Go Down" (killer solo), "Dog Eat Dog," anthemic title track, "Bad Boy Boogie," great "Overdose," and everybody's favorite "Whole Lotta Rosie" with its remarkable interplay between the voice and guitars, are all hard-driving hits. Angus's great solos are back.
POWERAGE. A slightly overlooked work. I like it very much, mostly because of the concluding triple hit of "Gone Shooting," "Up to My Neck in You" (definitely in my 10 Top of OO AC/DC Tunes list and the third verse makes me laugh every time), and "Kicked in the Teeth" (killer solo). Plus there is "Rock'n'Roll Damnation," "Gimme a Bullet," and "Riff Raff." Great stuff.
HIGHWAY TO HELL. One of the most famous songs of all time dominates here, but the rest is not nearly as great. I love "If You Want Blood" and fast "Beating around the Bush," and somewhat less "Shot Down in Flames" and "Girl's Got Rhythm," but that's about it.
BACK IN BLACK. Exit Scott, enter Johnson. Everybody's heard this album, and it's hard to review, because it's not really music, but rather a cultural institution. That said, this album's Big Four are still as awesome as they were when you and I have heard it for the first time. The other six songs are substantially weaker, but I still dig "Have a Drink on Me" and "Let Me Put My Love (I'm sure there should be another word here) into You."
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK. A seminal record is often hard to follow, and this was indeed the case in 1981, when bands like AC/DC and Judas Priest followed their defining works with really weak releases. The title track here is sensational. "C.O.D." and "Spellbound" are pretty good. That's about it. How do you make a song named "Night of the Long Knives" lame? Now I know.
FLICK OF THE SWITCH. This is better. "Rising Power" is probably my favorite AC/DC riff of them all (yes, seriously), but it doesn't work quite as well with the vocal melody as in their other hits. "House Is on Fire," title track, "Bedlam in Belgium" (happened last year), "Landslide", and awesome "Badlands" all rock.
FLY ON THE WALL. A little weaker, but not quite sinking to the FTATR level. On my 10 Top of OO AC/DC Tunes list "Shake Your Foundations" is #1. Love this song to death! "Playing with Girls" and "Stand up" are good, and "Back in Business" with its cowboy riff plain owns, but that's about it.
WHO MADE WHO. For some reason (well, the reason is clear) this was billed as "The Best of AC/DC." Not exactly, but five out of ten tracks here would grace the "Best Of" compilation indeed. "Who Made Who" is one of my favorite AC/DC songs.
BLOW UP YOUR VIDEO. About the same level as FOTW. "Heatseeker," "Some Sin for Nothing," and "This Means War" are all good, but "Two's Up" is a big highlight here. I only wish this highly intense piece came with more appropriate lyrics, but unfortunately all Johnson & the Youngs could write about was gambling, drinking, and ****ing. Killer solo too!
RAZOR'S EDGE. Back to monstrous commercial success with "Thunderstruck," a staple at the sport arenas. "Moneytalks" is superb, and so are "Fire Your Guns," "Shot of Love," and a rather strange title track. Other stuff is OK at best.
BALLBREAKER. Not one song here that I would call "great," but "The Furor" (does he mean "Fuhrer"?), "Burning Alive," "Hail Caesar," and the title track are solid to very good. I remember the video for "Cover You in Oil" was funny, but the song itself is nothing special.
STIFF UPPER LIP. A comeback of sorts. "House of Jazz" is a great creepy highlight, "I Feel Safe in New York City" drives hard, and, when hearing "Can't Stand Still," I really can't. Other good moments are the opening title track, "Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll," "Damned," and "All Screwed up."
All in all, I can say that, in general, the Scott era is more consistent, but the Johnson era highlights are higher.
BLACK ICE. The most consistent of all Johnson-era albums, but somewhat lacking highlights. The big single, "Rock'n'Roll Train," is truly lame, but virtually everything else is solid to excellent. What it doesn't have is a masterpiece that all previous releases (except "Ballbreaker") had. I guess "War Machine," "Spoiling for a Fight," "Stormy May Day," and the title track with its nasty main riff come closest. "Rock'n'Roll Dream" makes me think of Led Zeppelin. Good stuff. Johnson's voice is starting to show signs of deterioration.
ROCK OR BUST. The band is showing slight departure from its trademark sound: the guitars are denser now. Now we are back to the old formula: the material is a step down from the predecessor, but "Baptism by Fire" is a clear highlight, with the riff destined to be stuck in your head for hours. Titltrack, almost danceable "Miss Adventure," and "Dogs of War" are also good.
Well worth hearing from start to finish if you haven't already.
My personal Top 10 AC/DC songs
10 Badlands
9 Two's Up
8 Soul Stripper
7 Up to My Neck in You
6 Big Gun
5 Highway to Hell
4 Who Made Who
3 You Shook Me All Night Long
2 Shake Your Foundation
1 Hells Bells
I'm also very impressed with live clips of Axl Rose fronting them. I hope they make a live album.
VTS
np: "Rock or Bust"
"The horizon is my finish line, the very edge of earth" ("Vysotsky in English" project, www.vvinenglish.com)
HIGH VOLTAGE (T.N.T.). AC/DC clearly hit the ground running. Dripping with attitude, this album demonstrated the band's intention to break big from the get-go. Angus Young is not quite there yet, but Malcolm already writes memorable riffs, and Bon Scott is already possesses the nastiest voice in rock music. Everybody has heard "It's a Long Way to the Top" and "TNT" but "Rock'n'Roll Singer," "Live Wire," crazy fast "Rocker," and "High Voltage" all rock hard. "School Days" is also solid.
JAILBREAK EP. Probably the most consistent of all AC/DC releases (well, it is only an EP). The title track is superb, following by "You Ain't Got a Hold on Me," "Show Business," "Soul Stripper" (if I were to make a Top 10 of Often Overlooked AC/DC Tunes, this would make the list with its superb groove), and "Baby Please Don't Go" are all excellent. Now Angus has hit the stride.
DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP. Less consistent, but has two radio smash hits: title track and "Big Balls," plus "R.I.P." and two more songs that are less driving but create a mood: "Ain't No Fun Waiting 'round to be a Millionaire" and "Ride On." For some reason, I don't dig Angus's solos here quite as much ("R.I.P." being the sole exception).
LET THERE BE ROCK. The rock continues and so does the nastiness. "Go Down" (killer solo), "Dog Eat Dog," anthemic title track, "Bad Boy Boogie," great "Overdose," and everybody's favorite "Whole Lotta Rosie" with its remarkable interplay between the voice and guitars, are all hard-driving hits. Angus's great solos are back.
POWERAGE. A slightly overlooked work. I like it very much, mostly because of the concluding triple hit of "Gone Shooting," "Up to My Neck in You" (definitely in my 10 Top of OO AC/DC Tunes list and the third verse makes me laugh every time), and "Kicked in the Teeth" (killer solo). Plus there is "Rock'n'Roll Damnation," "Gimme a Bullet," and "Riff Raff." Great stuff.
HIGHWAY TO HELL. One of the most famous songs of all time dominates here, but the rest is not nearly as great. I love "If You Want Blood" and fast "Beating around the Bush," and somewhat less "Shot Down in Flames" and "Girl's Got Rhythm," but that's about it.
BACK IN BLACK. Exit Scott, enter Johnson. Everybody's heard this album, and it's hard to review, because it's not really music, but rather a cultural institution. That said, this album's Big Four are still as awesome as they were when you and I have heard it for the first time. The other six songs are substantially weaker, but I still dig "Have a Drink on Me" and "Let Me Put My Love (I'm sure there should be another word here) into You."
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK. A seminal record is often hard to follow, and this was indeed the case in 1981, when bands like AC/DC and Judas Priest followed their defining works with really weak releases. The title track here is sensational. "C.O.D." and "Spellbound" are pretty good. That's about it. How do you make a song named "Night of the Long Knives" lame? Now I know.
FLICK OF THE SWITCH. This is better. "Rising Power" is probably my favorite AC/DC riff of them all (yes, seriously), but it doesn't work quite as well with the vocal melody as in their other hits. "House Is on Fire," title track, "Bedlam in Belgium" (happened last year), "Landslide", and awesome "Badlands" all rock.
FLY ON THE WALL. A little weaker, but not quite sinking to the FTATR level. On my 10 Top of OO AC/DC Tunes list "Shake Your Foundations" is #1. Love this song to death! "Playing with Girls" and "Stand up" are good, and "Back in Business" with its cowboy riff plain owns, but that's about it.
WHO MADE WHO. For some reason (well, the reason is clear) this was billed as "The Best of AC/DC." Not exactly, but five out of ten tracks here would grace the "Best Of" compilation indeed. "Who Made Who" is one of my favorite AC/DC songs.
BLOW UP YOUR VIDEO. About the same level as FOTW. "Heatseeker," "Some Sin for Nothing," and "This Means War" are all good, but "Two's Up" is a big highlight here. I only wish this highly intense piece came with more appropriate lyrics, but unfortunately all Johnson & the Youngs could write about was gambling, drinking, and ****ing. Killer solo too!
RAZOR'S EDGE. Back to monstrous commercial success with "Thunderstruck," a staple at the sport arenas. "Moneytalks" is superb, and so are "Fire Your Guns," "Shot of Love," and a rather strange title track. Other stuff is OK at best.
BALLBREAKER. Not one song here that I would call "great," but "The Furor" (does he mean "Fuhrer"?), "Burning Alive," "Hail Caesar," and the title track are solid to very good. I remember the video for "Cover You in Oil" was funny, but the song itself is nothing special.
STIFF UPPER LIP. A comeback of sorts. "House of Jazz" is a great creepy highlight, "I Feel Safe in New York City" drives hard, and, when hearing "Can't Stand Still," I really can't. Other good moments are the opening title track, "Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll," "Damned," and "All Screwed up."
All in all, I can say that, in general, the Scott era is more consistent, but the Johnson era highlights are higher.
BLACK ICE. The most consistent of all Johnson-era albums, but somewhat lacking highlights. The big single, "Rock'n'Roll Train," is truly lame, but virtually everything else is solid to excellent. What it doesn't have is a masterpiece that all previous releases (except "Ballbreaker") had. I guess "War Machine," "Spoiling for a Fight," "Stormy May Day," and the title track with its nasty main riff come closest. "Rock'n'Roll Dream" makes me think of Led Zeppelin. Good stuff. Johnson's voice is starting to show signs of deterioration.
ROCK OR BUST. The band is showing slight departure from its trademark sound: the guitars are denser now. Now we are back to the old formula: the material is a step down from the predecessor, but "Baptism by Fire" is a clear highlight, with the riff destined to be stuck in your head for hours. Titltrack, almost danceable "Miss Adventure," and "Dogs of War" are also good.
Well worth hearing from start to finish if you haven't already.
My personal Top 10 AC/DC songs
10 Badlands
9 Two's Up
8 Soul Stripper
7 Up to My Neck in You
6 Big Gun
5 Highway to Hell
4 Who Made Who
3 You Shook Me All Night Long
2 Shake Your Foundation
1 Hells Bells
I'm also very impressed with live clips of Axl Rose fronting them. I hope they make a live album.
VTS
np: "Rock or Bust"
"The horizon is my finish line, the very edge of earth" ("Vysotsky in English" project, www.vvinenglish.com)
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