Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: Ratrod on October 20, 2008, 04:27:22 PM
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For the last couple of days I’ve been listening to AC/DC’s latest studio album. Time to share my thoughts about it.
It’s a packed album, 15 songs no less.
While some songs are typical AC/DC, such as Rock N’ Roll Train, most of them are quite different from what you may be used to from the Young brothers. They have matured and breaking out of their box so it seems. All songs are well worked out and well arranged. A lot of effort went into the songs and the recording. Maybe even too polished.
Most of the songs are pretty complex for AC/DC standards. Playing along to this is harder than it seems, it used to be: “Find the A and the rest of the song comes naturally.” There’s more going on than meets the eye.
But there’s even more going on. This album is filled with the sound of the Australian landscape. You can hear the big skies and endless horizons not dissimilar to Australian pop bands like INXS and Men At Work. You’ll find big chords and droning notes that make the songs float above Phil Rudd’s super tight drums. Malcolm has put the Burns trem tailpiece and the floating Space Control bridge back on his Gretsch, giving the guitar it’s original jangle back wich really helps with creating this atmosphere. It’s a relatively mellow album but not as mellow as Stiff Upper Lip wich was an intimate blues album.
Now don’t get me wrong here. This album couldn’t be anything else than an AC/DC album. It’s still a freight train but it’s a freight train traveling through the Australian landscape. Anyone with half a musical ear will say it’s a good album. It gets better every time I hear it. It doesn’t look like this album will bore you out anytime soon. There’s plenty to discover here.
Some highlights:
Rock N’ Roll Train: A classic AC/DC rocker.
Anything Goes: Could have been an old Springsteen song.
Stormy May Day: Angus on slide guitar, finally! Hard ass blues with great vocals.
She Likes Rock N’ Roll: What’s this? Playfull bass riffs. Pretty funky song.
Money Made: A blues song with a ‘running machine’ riff and again, great vocals.
Rock N’ Roll Dream: A ballad of a quality we haven’t heard in a long time. (And I don’t mean just AC/DC.)
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Playing along to this is harder than it seems, it used to be: “Find the A and the rest of the song comes naturally.”
Not for me it didn't, nothing on guitar comes naturally to me.... :(
But anyway. Sounds... interesting. I've been saying for ages I hoped they'd do something different, but now I'm worried I won't like it. :roll:
Just got my copy, but not sure I'll have time to listen to it tonight.
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Don't worry. It's still AC/DC.
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This is starting to interest me - last AC/DC album I bought (apart from getting all the Bonn albums on CD) was Back in Black when it came out... :roll:
I got the Plug me In DVD set for christmas last year, so I'm a little bit more used to Mr Johnson now. He seems a lovely guy, but I just don't like his voice :(
Thanks for that :D
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Damn you, I haven't got it yet! Hopefully I'll find time tomorrow to go out and buy it, am so excited and read many things on it, the main review I keep hearing is "It's the best AC/DC album since the one after the black album" (Which was 'For Those About to Rock We Salute You')
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It just sounds like AC/DC to me haha.
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Bought it today, haven't really had much of a chance to listen to it yet, but what I have heard so far, I approve of. Off work tomorrow, so will be putting it on repeat!
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Damn you, I haven't got it yet! Hopefully I'll find time tomorrow to go out and buy it, am so excited and read many things on it, the main review I keep hearing is "It's the best AC/DC album since the one after the black album" (Which was 'For Those About to Rock We Salute You')
It's not that good, but it's a nice solid album.
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Damn you, I haven't got it yet! Hopefully I'll find time tomorrow to go out and buy it, am so excited and read many things on it, the main review I keep hearing is "It's the best AC/DC album since the one after the black album" (Which was 'For Those About to Rock We Salute You')
It's not that good, but it's a nice solid album.
Well, still worth it I hope! I think the big deal is that in the past the albums (apart from the obvious few) have been bland excpet a couple of songs, and that this one has a few more of those 'couple of songs' that you enjoy listening too....
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The thing this album lacks is those really fast songs which make you duck-walk about and make a tit of yourself at parties.
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The thing this album lacks is those really fast songs which make you duck-walk about and make a tit of yourself at parties.
Let there be rock!
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The thing this album lacks is those really fast songs which make you duck-walk about and make a tit of yourself at parties.
True. They could have put at least one of those on the album. I've read they had over 50 songs before they settled on these final 15.
I guess their age is catching up on them. I've also read this might be their final album and tour.
C'mon AC/DC, the Stones can do it too.
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It's not a bad album and I especially like the song with Angus playing slide. The production is good too - the guitars really sound like they're cranking out in a room (which they are). Angus' tone seems darker than usual and less crunchy - JTM45 all the way then. Mal's tone is much darker too - where's that twang?
To put it in perspective, theres nothing on there as good as 'Heatseeker', 'Money Talks' or 'Thats The Way I Wanna Rock & Roll'.
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I think Malcolm is using his custom Wizard amp on this album. Mal's tone is a bit dirtier on this album. As you use more overdrive, a Gretsch Filtertron loses a bit of twang.
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To put it in perspective, theres nothing on there as good as 'Heatseeker', 'Money Talks' or 'Thats The Way I Wanna Rock & Roll'.
Never actually liked any of those songs :oops: , so could be a good or a bad thing for me.
In fact none of the albums since For Those About to Rock have really knocked me out, although I keep buying them. Still haven't had a chance to listen to Black Ice.
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I've also read this might be their final album and tour.
Hope they come to Brazil and I can get a ticket... It's like: I may get a punishment on work, but I would go to the concert don't matter if it would be on my schedule or not... :lol:
If I'm not wrong, the last time they came here was January 85, when I was 2 months old :cry:
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Listening to it now, good stuff.
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Just bought it today.
After one listen, I love it :D
Like I said earlier, the last AC/DC album I bought was Back In Black, the day it came out. It was OK, but not quite what I wanted from the chaps that gave me If You Want Blood - and I really didn't like his voice... great voice, but I didn't like it :(.
Then when I heard "For those about to rock" on the radio and in the local "heavy metal disco" (:oops:), I just felt completely turned off, what was this bollox? where's the boogie gone? and I never went back...
But this album is very tasty - and, wow, I really like Mr Johnson's voice on it...
I've been threatening to do this for a while, but there might well be a large order to fill the large gap in the AC/DC section on our CD shelves!
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I've been threatening to do this for a while, but there might well be a large order to fill the large gap in the AC/DC section on our CD shelves!
Good move, but don't expect it all to be of equal quality - they had a definite fallow period for most of the '80s and '90s.
Oh, and don't forget the Bonfire box set. :)
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Oh whoops, I did it... :lol:
(Postman's gonna be p1ssed off with 9 play.com boxes arriving at once!)
And I did forget Bonfire... :oops: - rectified immediately, cancelled the BiB CD at the same time... :lol:
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I'm absolutely LOVING this album...
Anyone who did the same as me (put on a black arm-band when Bon died :roll:, got Back in Black and was a bit disappointed, decided it wasn't really for you, and have not paid any attention to AC/DC since...):
I can thoroughly and whole-heartedly recommend Black Ice - it's kind of like the album you wanted them to produce after Highway to Hell, but they went the (equally valid) Back in Black route instead.
Should receive my missing albums over the next few days - I'll find out what else I've been wilfully ignoring these past 25 years :lol:
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I'm quite liking Black Ice too - a bit different to their usual stuff, and not in a bad way.
Andy - play the track "Squealer" first, from the Dirty Deeds album, when you get the back catalogue. Angus plays superbly on it ;)
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To be honest, there aren't too many interesting albums between Back In Black and Black Ice.
The only ones I really like are Razor's Edge and Stiff Upper Lip.
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after For Those About To Rock, it's deminishing returns - a 'best of' covering the 80s and 90s would make a cool single cd.
* For Those About To Rock
* Lets Get It Up
* Nervous Shakedown
* Who Made Who
* Fly On The Wall
* Shake Your Foundations
* Heatseeker
* Thats The Way I Wanna Rock N Roll
* Thunderstruck
* Money Talks
* Hard As A Rock
* Stiff Upper Lip
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What he said ^
Couldn't agree more!
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after For Those About To Rock, it's deminishing returns - a 'best of' covering the 80s and 90s would make a cool single cd.
Certainly agree with that, but not sure about the track listing... I don't listen to those albums very often, haven't for many years! I feel I should dig them all out now....
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I think their best album out of the ones that followed Back In Black by far is Razors Edge. Its the only one that i really enjoy listening to from start to finish out of the albums that followed back in black. Although I've not got Black Ice yet, but should be buying it soon hopefully.
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I'm quite liking Black Ice too - a bit different to their usual stuff, and not in a bad way.
Andy - play the track "Squealer" first, from the Dirty Deeds album, when you get the back catalogue. Angus plays superbly on it ;)
I love "Squealer" :D, possibly more for the song itself rather than the playing though :lol:
My all-time favourite Malcolm/Angus groove is on Gone Shooting - I was well impressed when I found it on the Plug Me In DVDs.
I don't think I was clear up above... I've got all the Bon albums (scratchy vinyl and remastered CDs - just ask the missus :lol:), just never bothered with Bonfire before. Actually has Bonfire got Crabsody In Blue on it? I was kinda p1ssed off when the CD version of Let There Be Rock missed it off and gave us another copy of Problem Child :lol:
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Actually has Bonfire got Crabsody In Blue on it? I was kinda p1ssed off when the CD version of Let There Be Rock missed it off and gave us another copy of Problem Child :lol:
Not 100% sure, but I don't think it's on Bonfire. It is on the Australian CD of Let There Be Rock though.
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Acca Dacca on Black Ice is fair dingus..Right!