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REVIEW 5/8/07
AC/DC MAXIMUM ROCK 'N ROLL: THE ULTIMATE STORY OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST ROCK 'N ROLL BAND By Murray Engleheart and Arnaud Durieux
AC/DC "Maxiumum Rock N Roll"
Although there is still no 'official' biography, this is the latest AC/DC biography to hit the store shelves, one of many that seem to have recently been published over the last couple of years. What sets this one apart from the others, however, is that it contains the most comprehensive AC/DC band history information in one source that all other AC/DC biographies in the past have failed to do. Written by Australian music journalist Murray Engleheart and AC/DC expert and former rock journalist Arnaud Durieux, this book steps through the bands history from the beginning, each chapter covering each of the bands albums, up to their latest album, which still currently remains 2000's "Stiff Upper Lip". The authors did a remarkable job at outlining the bands career through the decades, and giving the reader an enjoyable and interesting story to follow from beginning to end.
Not only is it well written, It does not contain factual errors about AC/DC's history, as most of the other AC/DC biographies on the market do. The general flow of each chapter of this book keeps the reader interested and wanting to read more, and essentially this biography sums up the bands career to the present time, and should answer the majority of the questions that most AC/DC fans have always wondered. The book also contains many rare never before published photos which add the the whole package.
Certainly there are more chapters of the bands career that have still not taken their place in history, but until then, I would recommend this book as 'the definitive AC/DC biography', and a perfect read for the AC/DC fan.
For more information or to learn how to order this biography, please visit the home page here:
REVIEW 1/8/07
AC/DC LET THERE BE ROCK By Susan Masino
ISBN: 0825634695
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Susan Masino
From the publishers of AC/DC's music comes the definitive BIOGRAPHY of this classic rock band, now enjoying renewed attention after 30+ years from the next generation of hard rock fans. Let There Be Rock traces the band's roots, from their Australian beginnings, through the early years and the untimely death of singer Bon Scott, through their most popular album Back in Black, and finally to the present day where their album and tour sales continue to astound the mainstream music press. Wisconsin author/journalist Susan Masino has been an AC/DC fan since the early days, and her early press raves helped increase the band's profile, as well as guaranteeing her access to backstage life and personal details on the band members. Decades of research went into this book, including interviews with former band members, stage crew staff, record executives, tour managers, roadies, and fellow musicians such as Robin Zander of Cheap Trick and Keith Emerson of ELP. ©2006, hardcover, 244 pages. |
I received the new AC/DC biography just before it's release,
and unfortuantely due to certain issues outside of my control, it took me a
lengthy duration of time to complete it. Now finally finishing through the last
pages of this book I can offer you my opinion as an AC/DC fan and journalist
myself.
The book is well written, and Susan touches into some personal history between
herself and the band members, as having been lucky enough to have met them
in the 1970's, and stayed in touch with them since. This bit of personal history
and recollection of interactions with the band makes the book stand out from the
other AC/DC biographies on the market, and makes it an extra good read for the
AC/DC fan, or for anyone interested in reliving some of the lesser known moments
of the bands career.
The book travels through the bands history from their beginning to their current
status and achievements, and is overall a good read with lots of thorough
information for the AC/DC fan to absorb. One comment I wish the author had left
out of the last chapter was regarding the new AC/DC album tentatively being
titled "Strap It On", which the general populace
of the "AC/DC Community" definitely knows is untrue, and is nothing but a fake
title created on an AC/DC forum many years ago... goes to show how far rumors
can get.
Well worth the read, two thumbs up from me.
www.storyofacdc.com
REVIEW 1/8/07
THUNDERSTRUCK DVD REVIEW
I wasn't sure what to expect when I began to watch this film. The movie started off with a very AC/DC orientated theme, and since I was aware of that much, knowing the basis of the plot (ie. 4 band mates get back together to bury their now deceased friend next to Bon Scott's grave site, as they promised this vow to eachother if one would die) and
I got interested. The movie then takes a bit of a turn, and has a fair share of 'long spots' which I found a bit boring, and the dialogue a bit uninteresting. It picks back up again, and has several attempts at humor throughout the movie, some of which land, and others that miss the target by a fair distance. My final verdict on this DVD would be- if you're an
AC/DC fan, it's worth watching, and has it's moments. But if it were a movie by itself, without the AC/DC aspect I wouldn't have had found it to be of any interest.
REVIEW 10/17/06
ANGUS YOUNG AND MALCOLM YOUNG LIMITED EDITION "GUITAR HERO" SCULPTURES
AC/DC GUITAR HERO AUTHORIZED COLLECTOR SERIES ANGUS YOUNG AND MALCOLM YOUNG GUITAR SCULPTURE FIGURINES
BY KNUCKLEBONZ (GUITARHERO.NET)
I received these sculpture figurines in the mail for my review, and was pleased to see the high quality of these sculptures upon opening the box. They are packaged in colorful AC/DC logo boxes with photos of the figures on the outside, which almost makes them displayable just like this. Upon opening the boxes, the sculptures are securely fastened in their confines to protect them from damage. Each of the sculptures is individually hand numbered on the bottom of their bases, which in turn declares the uniqueness of these figures, making them a definitive collectors item for the near future. They are a VERY LIMITED EDITION Run of only 3,000 worldwide.
The Malcolm figurine comes with an AC/DC Logo base, which can be affixed with the provided glue, and then placed on the wooden base bottom. The Angus figurine comes with a round stage base surrounded by a devil tail, which can also be affixed by the provided glue and then displayed on top of the wooden base bottom. These are collectible figurines, not "action figures" or "dolls" as some speculation after the first announcement of these figures amongst some fans seemed to assume.
As a long time AC/DC fan and collector, a limited edition item like this, that is well made, and of high quality is definitely worth the investment as L.E. items will always increase in collector value in the long run..
These sculptures may be purchased directly through Guitar Hero (Knucklebonz). They are both available individually for $99 each:
OR for a limited time, being offered together as a set for a reduced price of $178 HERE
Guitar Hero also offers a variety of other Rock N Roll sculptures, including Slash, Zakk Wylde, Dimebag Darrell and more!
REVIEW 09/24/06
AC/DC A CLASSIC ALBUM UNDER REVIEW BACK IN BLACK DVD
AC/DC BACK IN BLACK A CLASSIC ALBUM UNDER REVIEW "Limited collectors
edition" DVD
ALL REGIONS DVD (0)
UNAUTHORIZED DVD
EXTRAS: SPECIAL FEATURE "TONY PLATT IN THE STUDIO", "THE HARDEST ACDC BACK IN
BLACK QUIZ
IN THE WORLD EVER", "FULL CONTRIBUTOR BIOGRAPHIES", "BEYOND DVD SECTION"
RUNNING TIME 113 MINUTES
PURCHASE THIS DVD DIRECTLY FROM MVD ENTERTAINMENT
Here we have yet another new 'unauthorized' AC/DC DVD, this one should be hitting the shelves on October 31st, 2006. I received an advance copy of this DVD for my review, and was pleased to discover that in addition to the opinions of the speakers throughout the DVD, that it also included live footage/clips of AC/DC as well as interview footage with Bon Scott. The DVD focuses on the album "Back In Black", and after the introduction, it goes through the album song by song, offering a lot of interesting tidbits about the recording process and the song writing process behind this masterpiece of an album. Particularly, the Tony Platt interview footage, the man who was there and mixed the actual recording of the album proves to be quite interesting. Tony discusses much of the recording and mixing process, working with the band, and working with Mutt Lange.
From the tragedy of Bon Scott's death, to finding Brian Johnson, and offering
comments and opinions of each song from authors such as Malcolm Dome, Paul
Stenning, Clinton Walker, members of the U.K. AC/DC Tribute band Dirty DC, and
others, this DVD encompasses an excellent review in a sense of one of the
greatest albums ever recorded. Although I don't personally agree with many of
the opinions reflected by author Malcolm Dome throughout the DVD, he does make a
specifically bold statement regarding the lyrics to the 'Back In Black' album,
which he states as a fact, as having seen it with his own eyes. Well, I'm
not going to reveal to you what exactly it is that he says in this review,
you're going to have to find that out for yourself...
The DVD also offers some special bonuses, including a Tony Platt interviews
section, biographies of the guests, and the supposed 'hardest AC/DC Back
In Black Quiz in The World Ever", which yours truly scored 24/25. The one I got
wrong was something I still have yet been able to verify.
Overall, I would recommend this DVD to the AC/DC fan, as it offers a 'fans'
insight to the album as a whole. Not only to the depths of the recording and
writing of the album, but the track by track discussion of each song. And last
but not least, I believe that it offers a peek into answering a portion of a
long lost debate amongst AC/DC fans regarding this album, but that will be for
you to decide.
CONGRATS TO THE FIVE WINNERS OF THE AC/DC DVD CONTEST WHO WON COPIES OF THIS DVD COMPLIMENTS OF MVD ENTERTAINMENT & SPONSORED BY WWW.ACDCCOLLECTOR.COM
REVIEW 09/13/06
AC/DC RECORD GUIDE (BOOK)
The AC/DC Record Guide (2005) (Germany)
This is a great record collectors guide privately published
from a fan and collector in Germany. It contains hundreds of color photos and
descriptions of AC/DC records from around the world (Soft-cover/bound book). The
book focuses primarily on AC/DC Bootleg vinyl's, and pictures the very rarest
and hard to find records to be found, including colored vinyl's, acetates,
and very low limited edition pressings. This is a very cool book for the avid
AC/DC collector, or for even someone who is interested in getting into
collecting as a beginner. Not only does it picture bootleg LP's, but plenty of
mega-rare official releases as well, covering 45RPM 7" singles, Unique LP
releases from different countries around the world, picture disc's, test
pressings, and different LP labels from a variety of countries.
Definitely a MUST-HAVE release for any AC/DC collector. The book is very
limited edition.
Those who are interested in purchasing this book can contact the
author. Price is 25 EUROS plus shipping costs.
REVIEW 09/05/06
AC/DC DVD "IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP"
AC/DC "It's A Long Way To The Top" DVD (UK) Pickwick
entertainment
2006
RUNNING TIME 46 MINUTES
Purchase this DVD from
AMAZON UK
This is another unauthorized DVD release, which was recently issued in the UK.
The DVD is essentially an AC/DC Biography, which is narrated, and spans from the
bands start through their history to present.
It contains a variety of interviews from people in the music industry giving
their opinions about AC/DC, as well as a good portion of interviews with
original AC/DC singer Dave Evans.
Unfortunately, during the narration, there are several factual errors stated.
Live footage of an AC/DC Tribute band (I'm guessing Acca Dacca, as their lead
singer is also interviewed throughout the DVD) is used, which was a bit strange,
since the special effects added to the footage appeared as if the documentary
was trying to disguise this footage as being the real AC/DC.
Many real AC/DC Still images were used throughout the DVD during the narration,
which were likely from magazines or the internet. There is otherwise no actual
AC/DC interviews or music contained on the DVD. The time is only 46 minutes, so
it goes by rather quick, but I would say overall that this release was somewhat
bland, and not offering anything new aside from the same general biography
information that most AC/DC fans are already familiar with.
It does contain a (text only) discography of albums, singles, DVD, and bootlegs,
as well as an "AC/DC Quiz" at the end of the disc, in which this author scored
15/15. \m/\m/
REVIEW 07/18/06
AC/DC BOOK "TWO SIDES OF EVERY GLORY- The Complete Biography" by Paul Stenning
AC/DC BOOK "TWO SIDES OF EVERY GLORY The Complete Biography" By Paul
Stenning (CHROME DREAMS) (www.chromedreams.co.uk)
I first received this book for review several months ago, along with it's
"companion" CD AC/DC "Life Before Brian" (a DVD which was quite
interesting), and I have finally had the time to complete the reading of this
"complete biography" and to look back to reminisce certain areas of the book for
further thoughts.
First, I mention this being a "companion" to the DVD, because most of the
dialogue and interviews throughout the biography are quotes taken from the
interviews done for the DVD. In the same fashion as the DVD, it does give an
AC/DC fan a different peek into the very early beginnings of AC/DC as a band, as
well as band members Angus and Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott's lives during
their childhood years, which is certainly quite different than you can find in
any of the other 'typical' AC/DC biographies on the market.
I do, however, have some issues with this book. The book is riddled with errors.
Perhaps the author should have done more thorough research before
publishing this book, instead of misleading the reader with incorrect
information as simple as Bon Scott's birth date, amongst other easily spotted
errors.
Errors aside, the book is a fair attempt at an AC/DC biography, with much of
it's content taken from internet sites (many quoted in the credits, mine
included), with a different approach than other bio's, as it observes AC/DC's
early years. A recommended read for the hardcore AC/DC fan.
BUFFALO "Only Want You For Your Body" CD (AZTEC MUSIC) (www.aztecmusic.net)
The first word that comes to mind when I first put this
CD on was "WOW!"...The second word after the first few songs was "Awesome"...
Makes me wish it was the 1970's again...(well, aside from how I normally would). This CD Rocks, simply put! Dave Tice and company (John Baxter, Peter Wells, and Jimmy Economou) play early Australian boogie blues rock at it's finest. This unit creates a very powerful, intense rock and roll atmosphere on this album, and takes you there for an excellent experience in musical enjoyment. Perhaps, being an AC/DC fan, the boogie-blues riffs of this band appeal to me at a higher degree, however I think overall that this album is a perfect example of another band, aside from their much more famous counterparts, AC/DC for a fan to peek into Australia's early boogie rock roots from the 70's. The album was originally released in 1974 on Vertigo records in Australia, and has been reissued through Aztec, completely remastered, and repackaged (complete with a fold out CD cover and multi-page booklet including full lyrics, pictures and info) in 2005. The reissue here also includes 2 bonus tracks- "What's Going On" (the single version), and "United Nations" (live version). If you dig guitar oriented classic rock with a bluesy edge, I highly recommend this album!
REVIEW 11/20/05
AC/DC DVD "AND THEN THERE WAS ROCK" Life Before Brian (AC/DC Unauthorized 1973-1980).
Chrome Dreams (UK)
Catalog # CVIS379
AC/DC DVD "And Then There Was Rock...Life Before Brian"
(AC/DC Unauthorized 1973-1980).
This is not the typical AC/DC Biography one would expect, with the same general
rehashed information you can find on just about any AC/DC website on the
internet. The new DVD "And then there was rock...life before Brian" gives AC/DC
fans a glimpse into AC/DC's very early beginnings as a band, and touches on Bon
Scott's, Angus Young's, and Malcolm Young's early roots. There's even a shot of
Angus as a youngster, provided by one of his school year friends.
The DVD features some great interview footage with Dave Evans (original AC/DC
singer before Bon Scott), Vincent Lovegrove (the other singer w/Bon in The
Valentines and Bon's life-long friend), and even Colin Burgess (Original AC/DC
drummer from 1973, former Masters Apprentices).
The vintage Fraternity rehearsal footage (provided from
Vincent Lovegrove's personal archives) alone is enough for me to recommend this
DVD to any AC/DC or Bon Scott fan, as it gave me chills watching it. There's
also some great early footage of Bon riding through the hills of Australia on
his motorbike. This was part of the footage that was intended for Clinton
Walkers AC/DC movie, which never happened. Clinton is also interviewed
throughout this DVD.
The DVD is unofficial, and not approved by the band or their management, and
does not include any AC/DC music. It does feature some interview clips with Bon,
and some rare pictures. Overall, I would recommend this DVD to any AC/DC fan,
because it gives a well put together and informative recollection of AC/DC's
early beginnings as a band and how they started.
DVD (Multi-Region)
This DVD is available from Chrome Dreams (UK)
http://www.chromedreams.co.uk
"COVERED IN BLACK" AN INDUSTRIAL TRIBUTE TO THE KINGS OF HIGH VOLTAGE AC/DC
CAT# COM ZEB 24
ZEBRA label a division of Cherryred records, UK.
TRACKLISTING:
1. The Electric Hellfire Club:Highway to hell
2. Genitorturers:Squealer
3. Die Krupps:It's a long way to the top
4. Spahn Ranch:Shot down in flames
5. Godflesh:For those about to rock
6. Joined At The Head:Whole lotta Rosie
7. Pigface vs. Sheep On Drugs:Back in black
8. Birmingham 6:Thunder struck
9. Razed In Black:Hells bells
10. Psychopomps:Badlands
11. Klute:The furor
12. Terminal Sect With En Esch Of KMFDM:Who made who
13. Sister Machine gun:TNT
14. 16 Volt:Dirty deeds done dirt cheap
Industrial is typically a label put on a music style, that in all honesty, I would not hesitate to just shut off under normal circumstances. COVERED IN BLACK- An industrial tribute to AC/DC is a new tribute CD that I am giving a listen to. This nicely packaged reissue was released as a digipak in the UK through cherryred records and provides a different taste to the AC/DC fan, and at the same time, a different taste to the industrial music fan, melding the two into one entity.
As an AC/DC fan, I knew from the start to be as objective as possible before attempting to give this a listen. After I finished listening to this CD, I can say, that overall, it is a good package for a tribute album. Better than some of the other AC/DC Tribute albums that I have heard. Some of the style gets alot of getting used to, where other bits and pieces are not very likeable. There was a mix and match of good songs, as well as bad songs, with the rest of the CD getting an average vote on the material. 14 tracks total. 4 could have been left off altogether making it an even 10 song CD for an extra star. I will provide an outline for each track to follow, with a short review of each to give a better understanding of what is contained within.
MY TOP PICKS- Birmingham 6, joined at the head, psychopomps, sister machine gun
TRASH- godflesh, pigface vs sheep on drugs, razed in black, klute
The electric hellfire club-Highway to Hell They still keep the context of the song, songstructure and chorus intact. The vocals arent too bad. A good renditon for the opening track choice. A pretty good start here so far.
Genitorturers -Squealer The heavy guitars and bass beginning is very cool. Female vocals add a different touch to this song. It is very gothic sounding, another good, and an interesting version of an AC/DC song. I like the vibe on this one.
Die krups- It's a long way to the top This is a fast paced and heavy intro. The vocals kill it. Bon would not be proud of this one. The changeup gives it an interesting touch, then goes back to the heavy, typical thrashmetal sounding attempt at this classic.
Spainranch- Shot down in flames The guitar sound sounds like rehashed 1980s dance synth guitar...then the machine sounding drums accompanied by the computer voice emulated vocals mixed together blend right in. It is a very unusual version of the song. With all dislike of the techno sounds set aside, not a bad version overall.
Godflesh- ForThose About to Rock What were they thinking? The intro wasnt half bad. Very heavy sounding guitars with a lowend rhythm section...seemed to draw out for a bit. Once the vocals started, I hoped that the begining kept going. The droning, monotone incoherent babble of the vocals ruined this one. 2:30 into the song I had to move to track 6.
Joined At The Head- Whole Lotta Rosie Very good! A tremendous improvement from the previous track. The music, AND the vocals. I really liked this one. The singer did his best to do a Bon Scott imitation, which came out more like Mark Slaughter, but either way a very good job at covering this classic. Impressive. So far the best on the CD.
Pigface vs Sheep on Drugs- Back in Black I think the sheep on drugs won. Awful! Industrial noise, and nothing more. surprising that something like this was even eligible to be included. Makes the godflesh sound good. next....
Birmingham 6- Thunderstruck The intro isnt bad. A little different from the real version, yet the same structure. The vocals arent bad either. I like this one. One of the better from this disc.
Razed in Black- Hells Bells Are those bells I hear? I wasnt too sure. The synthesizer intro is a bit odd. The guitars enter and it sounds pretty cool, but nothing at all like hells bells should sound. The vocals are ok- typical industrial/alternative or whatever you call it. Objectively speaking, i guess you can say they are doing their "own" version of the song. But its not hells bells at all. Maybe they just couldn't figure out how to play it right.
Psychopomps- Badlands Good choice for a song. Different than what one would expect a band to pick for a tribute CD. Badlands is a great and much overlooked song from the flick of the switch album. The first verse was a bit noisy, and was turning me off, the second verse and chorus picked up a bit and I got into it more. The break right before the solo kicks some ass. Pretty cool version.
Klute- The Furor Another interesting pick for a song. The furor, a choice from AC/DC's ballbreaker album. However.........Hip hop dance rap pop techno. Arrghh. awful!!! 30 seconds was all i could stand of this.
Terminal sect with en esch of KMFDM -Who made who The beginning sounds totally 80s pop. I'd almost expect to hear Belinda Carlisle's or Tiffany's voice come in. The song doesnt sound much like who made who. But again, objectively speaking, I guess an attempt at their "own" version of the song. Not all that bad. Though not all that good either.
Sister Machine Gun- TNT This is more like it again. The guitar is there, the vocals are there, the chorus, the backing vocals. It's all here. This one rocks. A good cover version of this AC/DC Classic.
16 volt- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Very heavy metal sounding intro. Pretty cool intro actually- doesn't much sound like the riff to dirty deeds at all though. The vocals are pretty lousy, and annoying. The only part that is reminiscent of the actual song is the chorus part. The guitar solo is missing. a mediochre rendition at best.
This CD is available from Cherryredrecords
