I've got a lot of love for the live version of Big Jack on the River Plate DVD.

Brian Johnson is currently talking to Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2

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folke
80's AC/DC songs (apart from the standards on Back in Black and FTATR) are sadly missed in the setlists. But I don't understand how Heatseaker and That's the way I wanna rock'n'roll could survive into the Razor's Edge tour setlist in 1991. I actually enjoyed That's the way at the time (but no more), but Heatseeker I could never stand.

And I also don't understand why Sin City isn't a standard in the setlist. It's been dropped since 1991.

+1

Maybe Malcolm and Mick were in the same "How to build a selist 101" class?

Ballbreaker/Stiff Upper Lip are the best albums (back to back) w/Johnson since Back In Black/For Those About To Rock. I just love the sound of Rudd's marshmallow sticks slappin' the skins!

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues

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theanchorman

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues
That's hilarious, anchorman. I think Stiff Upper Lip is excellent. Black Ice is pretty damn good LP too. Almost as good as SUL.

Stiff Upper Lip only had a few decent songs and Brian's voice was shot at that point....

Just my opinion of course.

What do you mean Brian's voice was shot on Stiff Upper Lip? It was shot back in 1980!

That's what makes it sound so damn good, Skippy!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-08-22 00:57 by shadooby.

Whenever I hear the sound of a cat when its tail has been stepped on I think...That sounds like Brian Johnson....

I've seen AC/DC at least 15 times with Brian and hopefully that number will increase by the time one of us is finished.

Brian's got a radio show starting next Thursday on Radio 2 at 10pm i think it said

When asked about a new album/tour, he said he's itching but it'll only happen when the stars align

Ever attempted to play along with the songs? On guitar, I mean? To figure out exactly what they're doing? It's...there's SO MUCH going on - and not what one might 'expect' to 'just happen' - there's always some kind of kink in it. People think their albums sound the same. Well, OK, fine. BUT. What's happening guitar wise is unreal. In fact, it's astounding. Like classical music on steroids, the arrangements, the chordal voicings (like the A chord in Back In Black that's not just a straight A but it has some...thing, some other note in it).

Wow, I guess no matter the band, our opinions will always be vastly different My 8 year old son is really getting into AC/DC and recently asked me if I had to pick only one band which would I choose - AC/DC or the Rolling Stones. I still haven't answered him!! I have been an AC/DC fan longer than a Stones fan by about 2 years (age 11, vs age 13. I'm 36 now), and I have loved them with such fervor. They are the steadiest of all rock bands, never varying their sound and style. When you buy a new AC/DC record, you know exactly what you're going to get: a rocking good time ROCK album, right down the middle of the rock highway. With the Stones, one just never knows these days.......

That being said, I do agree that their concerts are absolutely amazing. I saw them on the Ballbreaker tour, and I'll never forget Angus being carried out on the shoulders of a roadie or security guy right behind me thru the audience. It was great.

Album-wise, I just listened to Black Ice last week, and I recall thinking it was a bit long and a bit of a disappointment compared to SUL, which I really dug. I thought SUL was a great follow-up to Ballbreaker, which I loved because it brought back Phil Rudd, whose sound was instantaneously (for me anyway) recognizable once the Hard As A Rock single broke on the radio. The live 2-disc CD set annoyed me with the gaps between the songs, but The Razor's Edge was a great album I thought. Still love hearing that opening segment of Thunderstruck, arguably their best song ever. I love Blow Up Your Video too. I think there are some great classic tracks on there - Ruff Stuff, Two's Up, Sin For Nuthin, the 2 singles. Fly On The Wall, for me, is the one album in Brian Johnson's era that gets overlooked. Absolutely killer album start to finish and not one dud on it. I love love love that album. Almost wore out the cassette when I got it. Flick of the Switch, to me, is the weakest album they've ever done, period. After the monumental albums of BIB and FTATR to get........that. Damn what a disappointment. It's easily the one that I rarely pull out. But, it does have a few songs on it that I think are pretty good - Guns For Hire, Rising Power, and Bedlam in Belgium. BIB and FTATR are easily the two best Brian Johnson era albums, I think, with Ballbreaker and SUL coming in next and The Razors Edge rounding out the top 5.

Looking forward to the next tour. I'm glad it's taking awhile, as that will allow my son the chance to get a bit older, and ease the debate in my house with my wife as to whether or not he'll be old enough to attend one of their concerts ;D

I got the DVD, Thunderstruck (the B-rate movie), free with a recent order from Oldies.com, and I watched it over last weekend. It was an OK film - about this group of guys who make a pact that if one of them dies, the others agree to bury his ashes in Bon Scott's grave. Ever since, I've been on an AC/DC kick, listening to a lot of them. Great stuff!! Brings back memories of my raucous high school partying days!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012-08-24 15:38 by VoodooLounge13.

You don't realise how great/important a drummer is until he was gone. Those non Rudd albums are completely devoid of groove/swing. The less said about that Live atrocity the better

To this day the only AC/DC album I refuse to own. I gave it away it was that bad

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues
Ever attempted to play along with the songs? On guitar, I mean? To figure out exactly what they're doing? It's...there's SO MUCH going on - and not what one might 'expect' to 'just happen' - there's always some kind of kink in it. People think their albums sound the same. Well, OK, fine. BUT. What's happening guitar wise is unreal. In fact, it's astounding. Like classical music on steroids, the arrangements, the chordal voicings (like the A chord in Back In Black that's not just a straight A but it has some...thing, some other note in it).

They have a very interesting rhythm pattern that you wouldn't have thought possible with two standard tuned guitars playing, to my ears anyway, almost exactly the same chords. Going out on a limb a bit, I'd say that the Young brothers harmonise even more seamlessly than Ron and Keith.

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Father Ted

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WeLoveToPlayTheBlues
Ever attempted to play along with the songs? On guitar, I mean? To figure out exactly what they're doing? It's...there's SO MUCH going on - and not what one might 'expect' to 'just happen' - there's always some kind of kink in it. People think their albums sound the same. Well, OK, fine. BUT. What's happening guitar wise is unreal. In fact, it's astounding. Like classical music on steroids, the arrangements, the chordal voicings (like the A chord in Back In Black that's not just a straight A but it has some...thing, some other note in it).

They have a very interesting rhythm pattern that you wouldn't have thought possible with two standard tuned guitars playing, to my ears anyway, almost exactly the same chords. Going out on a limb a bit, I'd say that the Young brothers harmonise even more seamlessly than Ron and Keith.

There are a lot of things happening in the songs. Not just riffs but notes, the way the chords group together to shape into a sonic smacking boomerang, almost ghost-like rhythmic cadences. The Youngs are very aggressive, inventive and capture a controlled chaos. There's more going on that one understands.

I think AC/DC has become very boring lyrically. The Bon Scott lyrics were lots of fun, and some of Brian Johnson's were not bad either. Angus and Malcolm have written every lyric since The Razors Edge and they're just...pretty lame. I feel the lack of inspiration gets worse for each album. "I feel safe in New York City". Duh...

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folke
I think AC/DC has become very boring lyrically. The Bon Scott lyrics were lots of fun, and some of Brian Johnson's were not bad either. Angus and Malcolm have written every lyric since The Razors Edge and they're just...pretty lame. I feel the lack of inspiration gets worse for each album. "I feel safe in New York City". Duh...

yeah let johnson write some lyrics again

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folke
I think AC/DC has become very boring lyrically. The Bon Scott lyrics were lots of fun, and some of Brian Johnson's were not bad either. Angus and Malcolm have written every lyric since The Razors Edge and they're just...pretty lame. I feel the lack of inspiration gets worse for each album. "I feel safe in New York City". Duh...

Yes, because everyone listens to AC/DC for the lyrical content.

The good lyrics died with Bon

Even stuff like Back In Black is pure gibberish that makes no sense

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andy js
Yes, because everyone listens to AC/DC for the lyrical content.

The good lyrics died with Bon

Even stuff like Back In Black is pure gibberish that makes no sense

Hehe. Of course the music is the most important, but I miss the good lyrics. Or maybe I should say "good" lyrics.

One night in a club called The Shaking Hand
there was a 42 decibel rocking band
And the music was good, and the music was loud
And the singer turned and he said to the crowd

Let there be Rock!


please don't say lyrics don't matter. they matter enormously, and Bon was the man.