My review of AC/DC’s Rock or Bust

                I am an AC/DC fan going back to 1987 when I first discovered them. I love AC/DC and their style of rock and roll. I also love Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Rolling Stones, and other similar styles of music. For the record, I also like bluegrass, C&W, heavy metal, and just about anything other than opera.

                I am now old enough that I’m not enamored by AC/DC, meaning that I won’t say that something is good just because it came from a group I like. It’s either good or it’s shit.  Every dog has it’s day, and the question is; Does AC/DC still have it?

                I have long felt that AC/DC have been going downhill since The Razor’s Edge. They weren’t so hot before that album either. I have long felt that Chris Slade was the reason for The Razor’s Edge success. He had a tight sound which helped the aging rockers sound younger and fresher. I love Phil Rudd, but only his earlier work, not his latter. He was really good up through Flick of the Switch, but these modern albums of his are sloppy. It’s also partly visual aesthetics. Phil sits back there and looks lazy on the drums with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, ashing all over his snare drum head. Chris Slade had an open kit where the crowd could see him, and he looked like he was alive – having a wonderful time!

                I purchased Ballbreaker, Stiff Upper Lip, Black Ice, and now Rock or Bust as soon as I could get my hands on them. In fact, I am still waiting for Rock or Bust to get here, but thanks to the internet, I have heard the new tracks and I am able to write this review.

                Also for the record, my favorite AC/DC albums are their Australian T.N.T, Australian Dirty Deeds, and Powerage. Back in Black is about #6 or #7 on my list and Stiff Upper Lip, Ballbreaker, and Fly on the Wall are at the bottom.

                I will rate the songs on a five star basis.

                1 star songs are songs that are almost unlistenable. These are songs that make you want to flip the record or hit Fast Forward. Rock in Peace off of the Australian Dirty Deeds is a 1 star song. Cyberspace is an example of a 1 star song.

                2 star songs are filler. They aren’t worthy of playing at a party. They’re songs that you sit through until you get to the next good song. “Love Hungry Man” is a 2 star song. I feel a lot of “Fly on the Wall” and some of the tracks on Stiff Upper Lip and Ballbreaker fall into this category. There aren’t too many 2 star songs on the older albums.

                3 stars will be average. It’s a good AC/DC song and isn’t really filler. It doesn’t have much depth though. It’s just good old AC/DC. “Sink the Pink” would be a 3 star song in my book. So would “Shake a Leg” from Back in Black.

                4 star songs will be great AC/DC songs that have more depth to them. There’s something about the song that makes it a little extra special. “Mistress for Christmas” would be 4 star. Why? It has Christmas Bells and is a memorable song, and it’s a damned good song to boot. A lot of the Razor’s Edge and Powerage albums are 4 star songs.

                5 star songs are top shelf AC/DC. These are songs that are unforgettable. “Thunderstruck” is a 5 star song. It’s intro is emulated by almost every rock and roll oriented teenager starting out on guitar. It the same story with “Hells Bells” and “Highway to Hell”. These are songs that people play when they pick up a guitar in a guitar store.

                That being said, I will now rate Rock or Bust;

1.           Rock or Bust (3 stars - barely). Not a stellar song. It’s par for the course. I almost give this song 2 ½ stars. I’m not sure why they picked this song as the second single other than the title. If the rest of the album were of this quality, I wouldn’t be very happy. Thankfully, this is about as bad as it gets on this album.

2.           Play Ball (3 ½ stars) It has a little more depth than the average AC/DC song in that it has radio airplay written all over it. It’s catchy and I catch myself singing the lyrics from time to time which tells me it’s not too shabby.

3.           Rock the Blues Away (4 stars) Really catchy intro. Brian’s voice fits really well with this song. The lyrics aren’t stellar, but the melody is. The chorus is different than any other AC/DC. It has an 80’s vibe to it. This song must have been sitting on their shelf for some time. I’m glad they dusted it off.  I can see this song being a sleeper that grows on me with time.

4.           Miss Adventure (3 stars) The only thing keeping this song from being less than 3 stars is that it has a nice little guitar breakdown part way through and the chanting and chorus can be a tad catchy, but not much. If it weren’t for the little aforementioned flourishes to the song, it would be 2 star for sure.

5.           Dogs of War (5 stars) I debated on whether to give this song 4 ½ or 5 stars. Already there are people on YouTube emulating this song. It is catchy as hell and is full of depth. It’s a song that won’t be forgotten. I cannot believe they didn’t release this song as a single. This too must have been a song sitting on the shelf since the late 1970’s through 1980’s. This song could actually blend in with anything on Back in Black or For Those About to Rock. The song starts off with a fade in, something relatively rare in modern rock and roll. It reeks of 1970’s rock and roll from the get go. After the intro which has a haunting sound, we’re greeted with a micro-second of silence before the guitar comes in. It starts off simple and mellow, setting the stage for the rest of the song. It is the foundation that this great song will be built upon. The chanting comes in and helps set the mood. It’s not even part of the chorus at this point. Just as the thunder in “Thunderstruck” sets the mood, so does the chanting in “Dogs of War”. The lyrics are stellar. On paper they don’t look the greatest, but they fit the song wonderfully. The riff is terribly catchy. The lyrics and Brian Johnson’s singing are at their best. The chorus is as good as any AC/DC song ever made. In fact, it’s hard to believe that they made this song in 2014. I can only imagine this song taking the place of “Shake a Leg” on Back in Black. This is probably one of my favorite AC/DC songs. The solo is simple and to the point, very much like the Back in Black era. The song also fades out in a manner not heard in many other AC/DC songs. It’s just a kick ass song all around. If nothing else, it feels like it’s shorter than it should be. It leaves you wishing for more. This song could have easily been stretched out to 7 minutes and turned into an epic song without making it go stale. Top notch stuff here. Definitely not like anything they have put out in the past 20 years.

6.           Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder (3 stars) Good song with a catchy riff. Brian does pretty good singing this song. The chorus has an 80’s feel to it again. It’s straight forward AC/DC, with a little extra depth – but not much. I can see this song having been written around the same time as The Razor’s Edge. The only thing holding this song back is Phil Rudd’s sloppy drumming. If Chris Slade were to tighten the song up, it could easily be 4 star. It also fades out at the end which I say again, is something that you just don’t hear much on songs being released today.

7.           Hard Times (3 stars) Another run of the mill AC/DC song. The lyrics aren’t stellar, but the chorus is catchy. Another song that could have been put on The Razor’s Edge. It is a little more bluesy, Stiff Upper Lip style, but I don’t think it’s that modern.

8.           Baptism by Fire (3 ½ stars) It starts off with the same sound that you’d find on Powerage. However, once the song kicks in, it’s apparent that this isn’t your standard AC/DC song. In fact, it has a Sammy Hagar/ZZ Top twist. This song may grow on me. The pace is fast and instead of the staccato sound that AC/DC has adopted in these later years, you’re delivered a “wall of sound” which is refreshing for AC/DC. I don’t think the VU meters move a whole hell of a lot during the course of the song. This is another song that could grow on me. Brian did a really good job on this song. Again, the drums sound sloppy to me. Too much cymbal that just lingers. It should have been a lot crisper.

9.           Rock the House (4 stars) Solid 4 stars at that. At first listen, I didn’t like this song, but I listened to it again and realized that this is AC/DC with an infusion of Led Zeppelin. The riff is right out of Led Zeppelin’s playbook. The cadence of the lyrics is very “Robert Plant”. The chorus isn’t all that catchy, but the main verses are. The guitar work is top notch. If Led Zeppelin and AC/DC had a baby, this would be the offspring.

10.       Sweet Candy (4 stars) Is Jimi Hendrix in the house? The song starts off with a little Hendrix sounding intro. The rest of the song is just very catchy. It seems plain when you look at the individual parts, but when put together, it makes for a song that will stick in your head. It has some guitar play that is simple, but very catchy. I’m not sure what is keeping this from 5 stars other than it’s drumming again is all cymbals that never seem to end.

11.       Emission Control (3 ½ stars) It’s a fairly catchy tune and I’m not sure why. I don’t particularly like the lyrics. The double entendre here isn’t as good as many other AC/DC songs, but it’s not a wash out. The main riff is very simple and if played any number of ways, it could sound like anything coming from Led Zeppelin to Black Sabbath. The melody is simple and the chorus is as well. I’m still not sure why I give this the extra half a star, but my gut tells me to.

                Conclusion: This album was reportedly made using material that Angus Young and his brother Malcolm had accumulated over the years. It’s apparent in listening to the album that it strays from the direction that AC/DC has been heading since The Razor’s Edge. A lot of the material on this album has 70’s and 80’s rock smeared all over it. The engineering that went into the album complemented the music wonderfully. The fades in and out on some of the songs were a nice change compared to modern techniques in song recording. Again, it harkens back to the age of vinyl and 8-Tracks. Overall, I give this album 4 stars. It has one song of 5 star caliber and one 4 star song that could have been a 5. There were no 2 star songs on this album. Rock or Bust is their weakest track. They released it to the public and the public ate it up. If you like that track, you should love the entire album.

                Finally, while we miss having Malcolm in the band, it’s only in spirit. To our ears, Stevie Young delivers the AC/DC sound perfectly. The videos for “Play Ball” and “Rock or Bust” even show him using a Gretsch guitar with the neck pickup removed like Malcolm. All he needed to do was stuff a sock in there like his uncle! All in all, if you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t even know there was a switch at rhythm guitar. The drums are sloppy and I’m not sure how much of that is Phil Rudd or poor decision making on the part of Brendan O’Brien. The cymbals are too flourishy and they linger too long. It’s distracting. The snare should have been more pronounced and the sound could have, and should have been tighter. Cliff Williams was the stalwart that he always has been and Angus’s guitar has that old sound back. I read somewhere that Angus use a wireless device that is a replica of one that he used in making Back in Black and that had the effect of giving his guitar that old sound back. Whatever it was, it worked. As for Brian Johnson, he did really good on this album. I assume the band stayed tuned down on this album. It’s hard for me to hear the difference, I’m just taking a wild guess as Brian’s voice doesn’t hit those really high shrill notes he once hit. I for one, however, like it when he sings lower in the range. He really impressed me on this album. It’s an album quite worthy of owning and adding to your collection.