AC/DC Columbia Records
Did I miss the memo? Was there even a memo? When
the heck did AC/DC become "family" entertainment?
These guys were once a dangerous band – universally feared
and despised by parents worldwide. They created evil-sounding, high energy,
guitar-driven hard rock for horny teenage boys that made most moms during my
younger days shake their heads and gasp with disapproval. Early classics like
"Sin City," "The Jack," and "TNT" taught valuable lessons (in graphic detail)
about sex, dirty living, disease and even more sex – real-life stuff that
teenage guys circa 1979 needed to know but weren't learning anywhere else. In
fact, I learned practically everything I knew (at the time) about chicks through
various AC/DC anthems – including their little ditty about the friendly,
plus-sized woman named Rosie. And with horns poking through his schoolboy cap
and a pitch-fork tail to boot, the devilish image of Angus Young on the cover of 1979's Highway to Hell is still a bit disturbing to me.
So imagine my amazement when
I recently visited my local Walmart store only to discover (between the box of
$1.00 DVD Westerns and the barrel of discounted Hannah Montana Halloween candy)
a prominently displayed rack of CDs promoting the exclusive Walmart release of
the newest AC/DC record, Black Ice.
Could this be the sign of the apocalypse? Well maybe, but I
guess it's better for the "little Johnnys" of the world to be influenced by an
emasculated version of AC/DC than a testosterone-pumping current chartbuster who
doesn't play an instrument or sing and thinks that "melody" is just the name of
one of the "bee-atches" that he met "in da club" the night before.
Alright, I know – enough already! So what about the record?
Veteran "golden child" producer Brendan O'Brien (Korn,
Springsteen, Velvet Revolver, The Coolies, Pearl Jam, STP) is at the helm on
Black Ice and with the classic line-up of Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson,
Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd, has created a well-produced, radio (and family)
friendly slab of solid rock.
The record's razor sharp lead single "Rock 'N Roll Train,"
along with "Smash 'N Grab" and "Spoilin' for a Fight," possess the signature
straight-ahead blood-pumping drum grooves, cock-rock guitar riffs, and ball
busting, sing-a-long vocals that fans have come to expect from AC/DC. However,
it's the über-infectious "Anything Goes" that is their mightiest stab at a
commercial single since 1980's "You Shook Me All Night Long."
Always a gritty, blues-based rock combo at its core, AC/DC
remains true to its roots here on such cuts as "Decibel" and the slide guitar
heavy "Stormy May Day."
But it's not all good news for Satan's former little helpers.
With its fifteen tracks clocking in at fifty-five-plus minutes, Black Ice does contain
its fair share of clunkers. Forgettable gems such as "Rock 'N Roll Dream,"
"Rockin' All the Way," and the title track are prime examples of tired-sounding
generic rock pabulum which were probably better suited for a rarities-type
compilation record.
And why on Earth is there a picture of Malcolm Young smiling in the CD booklet? He's been rock's quintessential evil-looking ugly
dude for more than thirty years! I guess that exclusive deal with Walmart must have
been a doozie.
-Christopher Long
(December 2008)
*I contributed this feature originally to Ink19.com in late 2008.
Thanks to editor Ian Koss for allowing me to re-print it here.
Author Christopher Long's latest book,
is available NOW on Amazon.
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