Saturday, August 16, 2008

Rolling Stone Likes The New AC/DC Album???


Fans of this blog probably realize that I think the opinions of Rolling Stone Magazine are virtually worthless when they're reviewing AC/DC's (or anybody's) music. However, they posted an early mini-review yesterday of the new album, Black Ice, in their latest issue that has shocked and awed many an AC/DC fan on the interwebs.

Sweet vindication! Last year in this column, AC/DC singer Brian Johnson promised that they’d tour in 2008. Well, he wasn’t kidding. Soon they’ll begin rehearsals in a secret location, before hitting U.S. arenas in late fall. We heard this news at the Sony HQ on New York’s Madison Avenue, before hearing all 15 tracks of the band’s earthshaking new Black Ice, recorded in Vancouver in just eight weeks with Brendan O’Brien. On it, Brian wails about skies on fire, blood in his eyes, storms raging, lightning flashes, hard rain and pretty women. Angus Young shreds throughout (we dig his slide work on “Decibel”), and the rhythm cats — Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd — are solid as a rock. The first single is “Rock ‘N Roll Train”; “She Likes Rock ‘N Roll” will be a stripper anthem; and “War Machine” (our favorite) will tear you to pieces.

So what does this really mean? Is the new album kickass like Back In Black kind of kickass or is this just hype intended to sell magazines to middle-aged AC/DC fans? I guess we'll have to wait and see for ourselves but the new songs certainly sound promising, don't they?

Well, I guess they should be awesome songs considering all the time it took the band to produce a new album (8 years!).

Anyway, the song title "Rock 'N Roll Train" is now back on the table, apparently, though Undercover News said earlier it would be called "Runaway Train."

Perhaps some lucky fan who participated in yesterday's video shoot in London will fill us in on what song they heard so as to clear up this confusion? I hope so...

Btw, Rolling Stone certainly liked the song "War Machine" which makes me wonder if the lyrics to it reflect some sort of leftist leaning, anti-Bush kind of message.

Hmm, wouldn't that be interesting if AC/DC got a little political like they did when they wrote "Burnin' Alive" which was apparently about the Waco incident?

-



In other AC/DC News, I've neglected to mention that a Director's Cut of the "No Bull" DVD is coming to the Blu-Ray on September 9th which will also include the following, according to Undercover News.

The new version of the disc will include the previously unreleased live versions of `Cover You In Oil` from Gothenburg, Sweden and `Down Payment Blues` recorded in Daytona, USA.

The Blu-Ray disc has also been updated to include `Angusvision` for the tracks `Shoot To Thrill`, `Hail Caesar`, `Rock and Roll Ain`t Noise Pollution` and `You Shook Me All Night Long`. On these tracks, you`ll see what Angus Young was seeing.

There's a nice promo site set up for it on ACDCrocks.com right now if you'd like to pay them a visit, btw.

-


Lastly, a Swedish publication has posted a rumor (supposedly from someone in the band's production company) that AC/DC will play Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden sometime during the Summer of 2009. Read it for yourself here in Swedish or in Google-translated English.

Keep rockin, Jon

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was one of the lucky fans at the lodondon video shoot on Fiday the 15th for runaway train.Can't confirm if its going to be called runaway train or rock n roll train as neither Brian or the director seemed to know either.I can confirm that it kicks ass and you can tell in the first 3 cords that this is an AC/DC song.Video looks set to be explosive!!

Anonymous said...

I sure hope "war machine" isn't a political song.
People listen to Rock n' Roll to hear Rock n' Roll not preaching and politicking!

Anonymous said...

The first single kickass!

I expect to hear the other songs soon!

And praying to a Ac/dc tour in Brazil.

Yeah!