AC/DC - Black Ice

I read a really interesting statistic the other day about DC. Basically since their last live show in 2003 they’ve sold 18 million albums. Yes, that’s right, 18 million of back catalogue for sitting on their arses! You’ve got to laugh though, with all so called stars in the charts thinking they’re the bees knees for having No 1 singles and selling out their local Carling Academy.

Like Metallica though, Angus and the boys have a problem: how do you find the hunger and the motivation to create forward thinking music when you don’t have to lift a finger to sell the amount of albums that most bands can only dream of. In fact AC/DC are in the select group of rock bands who have sold over 200 million. It’s a small club. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen and The Rolling Stones. The top of the mountain is very high and the tumble down can be most brutal.

Let’s get the fact straight: contrary to popular wisdom AC/DC aren’t Status Quo, in fact between 1974 and 1980 they made some of the most vital rock music ever created and are a huge influence on countless bands. The list of albums is well known but for me 1978’s Powerage is the pick of the bunch, a heady brew of whiskey fuelled hard rock that packs a punch the size of an outback brawl. The sound was polished for Highway to Hell and Back in Black and the effect was instant: global mega stardom. Inevitably the decline soon followed and the nadir was 1985’s Fly on the Wall.

Overview!

The last decade saw and upswing in the bands fortunes though, and both Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip showed a surer footing with a return to the bluesy style of High Voltage and Dirty Deeds. Black Ice continues on this path. It’s as good as For Those about to Rock and Flick of the Switch but it ain’t classic DC. Those days are long gone and we’ve all got to live with it.

The standout cuts are the opener Rock ’n’ Roll Train, Big Jack, Anything Goes, Spoilin’ for a Fight, Decibel, Rock ’n Roll Dream and the title track. Around four other tracks poke their head up for some recognition and the rest are disposable. The album would have worked better with less tracks as 15 is far too much, even for a diehard like me!

Kudos most go to producer Brendan ‘O’ Brien though, this is their crispest sounding album since Back in Black and Brian Johnson turns in his best vocal performance in years. Unfortunately Angus sounds al little sedated. Who can blame him? In the past he’s put more effort into one gig than most artists put into 100.

Conclusion

So there you have it. This is a good AC/DC record and that’s about the best you could hope for in this day and age. All the elements are present and correct, but when you’re as big as this then there’s nothing left to prove. The hunger and vitality that fires a band from inception is the stuff that rock legends are made of but once the summit of Everest is reached all you can do is survey the beauty of what you have conquered and this is DC’s (and Metallica’s) predicament. Hopefully see you at the O2 boys.