AC/DC's Black Ice: a rock masterpiece
Eight years between albums is an eternity for rock bands. Hell, The Beatles created their entire groundbreaking oeuvre in as much time, and still made room for films, tours, drugs, the Maharishi, Yoko Ono, you name it.
But somehow, eight years doesn't feel too long to wait for AC/DC. And when they deliver an album as satisfying and fortifying as Black Ice, their timing feels just right.
Maybe it's because we need AC/DC now more than ever. Too many bands have Xeroxed the formula without realizing you can't steal the soul. And the soul of AC/DC - gut-level sonic force and sheer comic insanity (like a grown man parading around in a schoolboy's uniform; who would dream up such a thing?) - is an alchemy no other band can hope to copy, simply because AC/DC invented the formula and swallowed it whole.
You wonder why some groups even try. All they do is make you long for the original.
Back In Blacker?
Call AC/DC's Black Ice 'Back In Blacker' and you wouldn't be far off. With the exception of a couple of cuts midway through, every song kicks a donkey's ass and then some, and they magically make you feel like you're 16 years old again and on the precipice of...well, everything. Power chords ripple up and down your spine, drum beats shake you all night long and every solo positively shoots to thrill. You catchin' my drift? Yeah, it's that kind of album. The kind of album that makes you feel invincible.
Producer Brendan O'Brien does something miraculous in that you don't notice him at all. That's not a dig either; wisely, he doesn't impose his own rules or sonic footprint on the band's hallowed roar. As Mutt Lange did on the classics Highway To Hell and Back In Black, O'Brien allows AC/DC's wall of sound to crash all around you, but it's not a wash of stacked tracks. It's spacious yet enormous.
On Black Ice, you hear every one of Phil Rudd's cymbal crashes, every pluck of Cliff Williams's bass - and the chugging dual guitars of Angus and Malcolm Young work together like well-oiled pistons. Clarity and precision never sounded so delightfully raucous, so un-fussed over. This is assured rock 'n' roll, no doubt, but it's rock 'n' roll art too - and that ain't a bad place to be.
The MusicRadar Review
AC/DC's Black Ice - track-by-track
Rock 'N Roll Train
You've probably heard it already, and it's a dynamite opener. Unmistakable Angus riff, thumping beat - instantly, you know who this band is. And what happened to Brian Johnson's voice? In the past, he always sounded as though he was about to blow his aorta hitting his notes.
Either time has allowed him to grow into his voice or his voice merely caught up to him, but his singing is full and gutsy. Angus is chomping at the bit to get to his solo - he starts playing before the second chorus is even over, and good for him, for it's a stunner.
Every song kicks a donkey's ass
Skies On Fire
A stark drum beat gives way to a tangled chordal guitar riff. The syncopated beat of the verse is a bit different for AC/DC, but it works. Johnson sings a vocal line "I know you and you know me/ tell me what you want me to be" that is vaguely Lennon-esque. A biting bluesy solo from Angus.
Big Jack
From the title alone I know I'm going to like it, and I'm not wrong. This is one to play in the car, an up-tempo stomper with power chords that stumble overtop one another and land in all the right places. Angus pulls off some beautiful top-string riffing underneath the chorus. It's hard to tell if Brian Johnson is singing "Big Jet" or "Big Jack," but who cares? It rocks six ways to Sunday.
Anything Goes
There's no opening riff; instead, it bursts right in the door and wastes no time getting going. It's kind of a rock 'n' roll Irish jig, somewhat reminiscent of Slade's Run Runaway, only better. Angus lets loose with some intense top-string trills before firing off another bracing solo. A winner all the way.
War Machine
Whoa…it's getting ominous. The chord progression of the verse and chorus are in the same vein as Givin' The Dog A Bone, only more sinister. But if any band has a right to nick from themselves, it's AC/DC. Freaking hot solo, natch.
Smash N Grab
Is that a minor chord I hear in the pre-chorus? Nah, it can't be. It is! Well, I'll be…In truth, this mid-tempo rocker is the first coulda-been-a-contender so far. Not bad, but not one for the ages.
Spoilin' For A Fight
Now, this is a riff! I have to learn how to play that tangled little beauty, for sure. Actually, the riff is the backbone of the song, as it should be - it's that good! Brian Johnson snarls and howls as if he really is ready to inflict some facial rearrangement on somebody here. An air-drum, air-guitar slam-dunk.
Wheels
Straight out of the playbook from Highway To Hell - and that's a good thing. For the first time, Johnson sounds like he's straining for the notes. I've always wondered if he has to grab his Brian Johnson when trying to get to those special places. Beautiful vibrato in the guitar solo. Best instrumental break yet.
Decibel
A delicious, grinding, thumping bit of blues-rock. This might be the number where Angus performs his striptease live - it's got that smirking kind of bad-boy vibe to it. Strong stuff all around. Is Brian Johnson singing "decibel" or "Jezebel"? Hard to tell. Not important though.
Stormy May Day
Wow, what a cool, greasy slide guitar riff! And those floor toms punch you right in the chest. A gritty, punchy mid-tempo stand-out with some surprising minor key changes. Great change of pace.
She Likes Rock N Roll
Ding-ding-ding! We have another winner, folks! With a beat so undeniably sexy, this song just might replace Girls! Girls! Girls! as the next de rigueur strip club anthem. A tight verse and chorus that absolutely floors you. Gang vocals galore - "She likes rock n roll/ I like rock n roll!" Oh, yeah. I'm playing this in my car.
Only brothers could pull off synchronicity such as this
Money Made
A twisty little arpeggiated riff turns into a powerhouse of a song. Fantastic breakdown section - these guys really know their dynamics. Two rhythm guitar tracks sit atop one another and work wonders. Only brothers could pull off synchronicity such as this.
Rock N Roll Dream
My goodness, it's almost a ballad. Tight hi-hat work by Rudd carries the beginning until…OK, we're blasting off now! Total rock…Oh, but wait…now it's a ballad again. Some varied guitar textures. This is the most elaborate production on the album, but it's not forced or artificial. Very dreamlike. Takes you somewhere new. Fascinating.
Rocking All The Way
I'm nearly spent, but 30 seconds into this track and I'm air-drumming again. Right when you think rock can't get any better than this, the solo clamps down and it's time to ride this one out. Deliriously good.
Black Ice
What sets this song apart from all the others is Phil Rudd, who finally explodes on the drums and shows you what tom rolls are really meant for. Everything is as it should be on the title cut. The power and the glory, sure, but more important, the hunger - the band still has it in spades.
It's the capper, the final encore, the song that reminds you of everything you've ever loved about AC/DC; the song that says, "Let's go hang out with the buds and pop some Buds and enjoy rocking out for the sake of just rocking out." It's one of life's unvarnished pleasures, an AC/DC record that takes you back and pushes you forward.
Well done, lads. Well done. For those who have rocked me, I salute you!
Back In Black? Try Back In Blacker! by Joe Bosso,
http://www.musicradar.com
Wal-Mart to sell new AC/DC album exclusively
Aug. 18, 2008
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said rock band AC/DC will sell its new album exclusively at namesake and Sam's Club locations in the U.S.
The move - which makes the veteran rockers the latest artist to sell a new album only through Wal-Mart - highlights the company's growing music-industry clout.
The AC/DC deal, however, comes at a time when the retail giant - the largest seller of compact discs in the nation - is signaling that it may rock the music world by stocking fewer CDs. Such a move is part of a trend that would further accelerate the already-steep decline of CD sales as consumers make the transition to digital music.
The album, called "Black Ice," will be available at the discount retailer's stores and Web sites Oct. 20, as well as on the band's Web site. It is AC/DC's first album of all-new material in eight years and will be priced at $11.88.
The AC/DC arrangement aims to replicate a successful strategy recently used by fellow classic rockers the Eagles and Journey, both of whom in recent months have sold new albums exclusively at Wal-Mart. The Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" was the third-best selling album of 2007.
Such deals exemplify the kind of special treatment Wal-Mart increasingly seeks - and receives - from artists and record labels alike. These constituencies are willing to risk their relationships with competing retailers to keep Wal-Mart happy.
Unlike the Eagles or Journey, AC/DC is under contract to a major record label, Sony BMG's Columbia Records, which brokered the pact with Wal-Mart and also will benefit from sales there. Columbia's decision to sell a major new release at only one chain has the potential to alienate retailers left out. One competitor unlikely to complain is Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) digital iTunes store, where AC/DC never has made its music available.
Wal-Mart is expected to pull out the stops to promote the AC/DC album, the band's 16th studio release. Such a push - including prominent displays of CDs in stores and heavy advertising - could yield blockbuster sales, in an environment in which blockbusters are increasingly rare.
Wal-Mart said it will join with Columbia Records to launch "multiple activities for fans," including new product features and promotions this fall "that will bring fans closer to one of history's greatest rock bands."
But even as it strikes novel deals with a handful of artists and labels, Wal-Mart is preparing changes in its approach to selling the vast majority of music. It is unclear what the upshot of those changes will be, but one likely scenario involves cuts in the number of music titles the chain carries.
The announcement also comes several days after Wal-Mart bucked industry trends with reporting a 17% rise in fiscal second-quarter net income, though the world's largest retailer also warned sales gains ahead will be muted by the slow economy, soaring inflation and the end of U.S. tax-rebate checks.
Even so, Wal-Mart said it expects to fare better than other retailers this year. "While inflation and higher fuel costs are pressuring suppliers, retailers and customers worldwide, we're confident that Wal-Mart is well positioned," Chief Executive H. Lee Scott Jr. said in a statement.
Wal-Mart executives, frustrated by perennially declining CD sales, have been quietly exploring changes in their approach to selling music. The company has described different versions of its potential new strategy to different players in the music industry.
The first single from the new AC/DC album, "Rock 'N' Roll Train," will debut next week. Wal-Mart will begin accepting pre-orders of the "Black Ice" album as well as AC/DC's latest DVD, "No Bull The Directors Cut," on Monday.
Wal-Mart shares closed Friday at $59.37, and there was no premarket trading.
By Donna Kardos
www.marketwatch.com
AC/DC - Black Ice 
AC/DC - Black Ice - October 20th
well they moved on down