Sometime late last night or early this morning (depending on your time zone) AC/DC's Black Ice was leaked on one of the BitTorrent sites and I'm sure it will quickly become one of the most popular downloads around. A couple of hours ago, the complete album was also uploaded to YouTube.
SonyBMG/Columbia Records are probably in the midst of attempting heavy damage control right about now as their hopes to keep the album under wraps have been forever dashed nearly two weeks before the official release date of October 20th.
More details to come...
In other news of interest, Sirius XM has announced they're giving one lucky winner a free trip to AC/DC's special rehearsal show on October 26. You may enter the contest here if you're a legal resident of the contiguous United States and are at least 21 years of age.By the way, according to Ticket News, AC/DC are continuing their dominance as the hottest act in the USA currently. This is the band's third straight week as the overall top ranking act. Not bad for a bunch of guys who've seemingly been retired the last 5 years, eh?
Lastly, for now, here's an "interview" Angus recently did for Japan's Rock City show...
40 comments:
If I can get the album via Bits Torrent or some such before the 20th, I will. But, that will not stop me from buying the album on the 20th.
Yeah i downloaded the new AC/DC album and the only thing i have to say is AWESOME! If it's gonna show up in my country im going to buy em all! I wont ruin the surprise so i wont tell you anything more. Peace!
Talk about ambivalent feelings. My heart both leaped and dropped when I followed that link. Not that I haven't been know to Napster a bit my day ;), but I just couldn't bring myself to download these. I pre-ordered the album the first day it was available and I'm gonna wait for that. I feel bad for the boys that this has come out before the official release. Geeeeezzzeee!!! :(
The album was leaked way before last night. I've seen torrent sites hosting Black Ice going back to early September.
Yes, Black Ice was listed at various torrents but those were all fakes.
Yeah, those were fakes, but this is REAL!!!! It's amazing!!!! Really really cool. Of course i'm still buying the album but i couldn't resist the urge to listen to them!
It simply Rocks, and Hard!
I just watched part of the interview. Thanks for posting that. Wow, did Angus get old or what??? As long as he can still rock and roll on stage, that's all that counts, I suppose...
holy illegal download batman!
this will surely put to the test the mettle of those fans who agree with angus' hardline disapproval of illegal downloads and "e-distribution" of AccaDacca's music!
What fan is going to be able to resist listening to these tracks before the "official" album launch? Kick, if you can last until next week, i salute you...
I really like this album and even if i downloaded it, im going to buy it anyway. Hope they dont react on this leak like Guns N Roses did. I think its pretty common for leaking these days, i remember i downloaded the new Metallica too 2 weeks before official release.
I just heard the songs on you tube. No doubt that this will be an awesome record. I don't care if they are leaked before time. I have allready ordered the cd's in all 3 colours and the vinyl's so AC/DC and the record company wont be missing any of my money. Did I mention that the record is excellent?
I will pirate the shit out of anything. I'll sell Bill Gates a copy of Vista from a release group. But no way on this. We need this music back in mainstream again. AC/DC brings back the goodness of what we remembered good times and good tunes. I'll download human beings over my usenet account but I will NOT hurt these guys. They are a class act and they deserve every last bit of our thanks. Keep rocking on AC/DC. :)
I hope some of the songs
contain sexual innuendo!
I downloaded the leak, if it's any good, I'll still buy it when it comes out. I followed the same logic with Metallica's Death Magnetic - listened to the leak for a week, loved it, bought it the day it came out to show my support.
Interview video no longer available ...
damn.. ooof.. will I wait?
no.. sorry.. but I will most definitely buy the album anyway
I couldn't steal from these guys..
I'm not gonna download this. I'll wait till the album comes out.
Pigs Arse Mate! The torrent is real, I have it, and I am currently rocking away to Acca Dacca as we speak. The Album sounds Shithot.
Im not a bit surprised that the album leaked. Don't they all nowadays?
Excellent album. I hope they leaked it on purpose. Everyone gets to hear it, and those who can afford it will buy a copy when it hits stores. And of course, everybody buys tickets to the gigs to hear these songs done live. Every AC/DC album was shared amongst friends. I had a mate in primary school who must have run off 30 or 40 tapes of Back In Black when it came out. And it was his brother's copy. I'd reckon most of those kids became life long AC/DC fans, and have probably spent thousands on AC/DC tickets, records, collectibles and particularly DVDs since they got their first AC/DC freebie. It's the biggest secret of the music industry today - having your new album 'pirated' and in the top 100s on torrent sites can actually good for CD and DVD sales. Ask Metallica.
This will probably be AC/DC's best selling album since Back In Black. It absolutely smokes. Ten listens in and there's barely a single duff song in sight.
Angus' riffs are inspired, and you get to hear Brian do some vocal work that will snap your head around and make you immediately hit rewind. Was that Brian singing that low, smokey part back there? Yes it was.
War Machine will haunt you after a few listens, and unless I'm hearing the words wrong, there's actually a bit of politics in the lyrics of some songs.
Black Ice just might be the (temporary) cure to all the financial horror between now and Christmas. When you put it on, jack up the stacks, you don't care what else is going on.
When Black Ice hits the stores, there will be a rush of middle-aged men pouring into hospitals with neck injuries, after suddenly being overcome by the urge to headbang viciously for the first time in two decades.
Are there fifteen songs on the album when it comes out? I've seen torrents with 10 songs, others with 15.
I have absolutely NO sympathy for AC/DC. Bypassing iTunes because they ONLY want to be able to sell their album as a whole? They're fully aware there are crap tracks on there and god forbid they don't make the maximum amount possible.
Why do you think they came out of retirement? $$$$.
Ya, guy, the members of AC/DC were simply starving from their best-selling DVD's, best selling back catalogues and merchandise. So they had to put this out to make more money to make the rent. They weren't in retirement.
Frankly any AC/DC album has more quality songs than most others. And they can put any conditions on their product they want. If you want to only listen to You Shook Me All Night Long, because you like the song, but not the band, they're telling you you can get bent. I agree.
Why do they need your sympathy anyway? This will sell more records than less. These are inferior sound quality samples of the real recordings. As has been made clear on a majority of posting on YouTube, mostly everyone is buying it no matter what.
AC/DC wasnt retired i got many booteleg shows from 2003. - 2007.Who cares its about money? Like the Gene Simmons from Kiss said: "If you say you dont need money, give it to me. I know how to use it."They are all millionaires, expecially Ang. Just be happy they made something new and awesome! ^^
You don't have to wait until October 20th. You don't even have to drive to Wal-Mart! Why waste all that gas and time when you can fire up your browser and download AC/DC's "Black Ice" RIGHT NOW! In superior 320 kbps quality! With no DRM!
Record companies no longer care about customers. They just care about business. Extracting the most dollars possible. Labels don't even give a shit about careers. What's a career? My tenure at the label and my severance pay? The acts? We last longer than the acts. The acts are grist for the mill. Whatever it takes to meet our numbers, that's our philosophy. And you wonder why the manager is the new label.
Because the manager truly cares about all 360 degrees of the act. In PERPETUITY, or at least until the cessation of his sunset clause. The manager's not going to do something expedient. That would be like squandering your child's college fund on a Cadillac. Something with a distinct lifespan, whereas an education lasts a lifetime, with an education you can ADJUST TO THE FUTURE!
And what is the future we're presently experiencing? One in which there's too much music, most of it crap or niche, and even the young 'uns are turning to the classics. Like AC/DC. The Internet keeps aged acts alive. What would the Doors be without the Internet? Better yet, PINK FLOYD! All those kids hearing "Dark Side Of The Moon" for the first time... Where do you think they got it? Fingering albums at the record store? In most towns, THERE IS NO RECORD STORE! And Wal-Mart doesn't carry "Ummagumma" and the rest of the catalogue. Why can't labels see that the hardest thing is to get people hooked, and they must do everything in their power to aid in this process?
Sure, you can listen to tunes on MySpace Music. But you can't take them with you. Like you're supposed to take the CD of "Black Ice" on a trip. If you're under the age of twenty and show up with a CD binder you're going to be a social outcast, if you're not one already. Where were you that you didn't get the memo? Living under a rock? Even HOME SCHOOLED kids have computers. That's how you communicate with the outside world!
But the major labels know nothing about the outside world. And to the degree they do, they want to deny it.
If you don't want your album leaked, traded in advance before release date, then you cannot let anybody hear it. You can't even let it be duplicated. Then again, if you're manufacturing, you're asking for leaks... Unless you get the FBI to police your plant. Instead of putting useless FBI logos on CDs, the labels would be better off looking within. The customer is not the enemy, the customer didn't leak the album, YOUR EMPLOYEE DID!
Or maybe you need no physical distribution. The day the CD is dead is not far off. 548,052 of Coldplay's 1,773,932 albums have been sold digitally. And they own the second biggest album of the year. I'd say that's a true indicator. That soon people will only want the file.
But somehow, Down Under, AC/DC has not realized all this. I'd hate to believe Angus Young is that dumb, but never underestimate the ignorance of a musician, some of the best live in a bubble. But those days are numbered. Today's musician MUST BE TECH-SAVVY! Because that's how you make a record, with Pro Tools and hard drives. Maybe even GarageBand. And when the act comes to the label and the guy working there doesn't know what they're talking about, do you really think this new band is going to sign with the company?
I've got a question for you... The four major label groups own a large percentage of MySpace Music. WHO GETS THE PROFITS? Are they going to trickle down to the acts? What, did you just fall off the turnip truck? With enough pressure, maybe they'll kick some pennies to the performers, but I haven't heard any rumblings yet. THERE IS NO MYSPACE MUSIC WITHOUT THE ACTS? How come they're getting screwed? How come they don't get the lion's share of the profits of MySpace Music? Probably for the same reason they get less than a dime for iTunes sales. Isn't that a laugh. They took a hit to promote the CD, left their royalty rates low, and now there are no manufacturing and shipping costs and they're STILL getting screwed. Those 360 deals? The ones the majors sign ignorant acts to? Is the royalty rate still a pittance on iTunes? Why? The old logic was the label can screw you because they're building your name and you're going to make money elsewhere, they're only profiting from music sales. But if the label's taking a piece of everything, shouldn't the act get a fair shake for music sales? Not in the topsy-turvy, Wall Street-like major label world.
Instead of mortgages, we've got acts who've sold their souls, who've profited from rocket trips to the stratosphere via MTV and have crashed back to earth and have been left with nothing soon thereafter. Where are all the acts the majors have built in the last fifteen years? Backstreet Boys play theatres, at best. While AC/DC can sell out STADIUMS! Yes, the acts got a raw deal. In exchange for brief fame, they gave everything to the label. And the heads of said organizations profited mightily. Doug Morris and Jimmy Iovine work for a public company, why are they so handsomely remunerated? They presided over a drastic decline in the value of their operations. They shouldn't be rewarded, they should be castigated, FIRED! For missing the revolution!
Just because AC/DC says their productions must be listened to as albums, that doesn't make it so. That's like TV stations saying you've got to watch every episode of the season, that you can't view "30 Rock" out of order. The consumer gets to choose. If you produce something incredibly good, people will want to hear it all. If they don't... Then maybe they're just not interested, maybe what you think is so great is really a turd.
So what has AC/DC accomplished here? The Internet kept their fame alive and they've decided to deny it. They got in bed with the oppressor, the retailer who censors records. Meanwhile, their fan base will just download the damn album for free. The hypocrisy is stunning. They don't care about their fans, they just care about money. Their handlers should have drilled into them that their album should be sold on iTunes. Hell, Kid Rock didn't and interlopers covered his hit track and it went to the top of the chart. That's not smart business, that's dumb. It's one thing if you're Gucci, some high end manufacturer who wants exclusivity. But the goal of a band is to be heard by as many people as possible. So you're going to keep your product OUT OF THE STORE? Away from the future? Bottom line, people are going to steal it anyway.
And if iTunes is only about the singles, how come Coldplay sold all those fucking albums? Because THEY'RE SEEN AS AN ALBUM BAND! It's about credibility and music more than the ability to cherry-pick on iTunes. Metallica's biggest single track sits at number 90 on the digital chart, having moved 153,295 copies, but the complete album sits at number 4 and has sold 108,803 digital copies. It's not rocket science. It's only a singles world if you're a singles band. And the future is digital. And kids want portability. If you're spewing this horseshit about CDs and keeping your albums from Apple to protect their integrity, you're just signaling you're a greedy fuck. And this greed leads your fans to steal your music. It's like denying there's a drug problem because you don't sell dope. That's got nothing to do with the rest of the world. The record business used to be the hippest on the planet. Now it's completely backwards, and untrusted by the public. The goal used to be to work at Warner Brothers, now you want to go north, to Google. Where intelligence and innovation are rewarded. Where they live in the present and care about the future, not the past, like the labels.
http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
Please gimme a tipping jar instead. I don't care about the physical CD or the distributors (virtual or real) but I do care about more good music being made.
Since they are ripping off hard-working people by charging $80+ for an upper arena seat on this tour, nobody should be complaining about this leak or downloading it for free. I once saw AC/DC live, second row for $15 in the early 90's. They must be high if they expect the real fans to show up for $80. The shows may be selling out but I'm sure tix are not going to these "real" fans but to corporate scum who will just resell for more of a profit.
I had discussed the news of this being leaked with my best buddy who is a huge AC/DC fan as well. He kept telling me not to do it, so I listened to him. About 1.5 hours later I started the torrent. Then I thought...well what joy would I get with buying the album on the 20th if I do this? So I deleted my torrent and never looked back. I have waited this long, I can wait 11 more days. I'll enjoy the officially released stuff (War Machine and R&R Train) and have that tide me over.
y Jon check this out (Its no suprise but its worth an update):
Update: Black Ice removed from YouTube
Update #1: MusicRadar spoke to a senior representative from Sony USA on the morning of 8 October, 1pm GMT. The representative offered a terse "no comment" before slamming down the phone.
Update #2: 'PeterDDark's YouTube page - previously, with the whole AC/DC Black Ice album streaming - now has dead links. 8pm GMT. Sony's lawyers have, understandably, stepped in.
More: http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/acdcs-new-album-black-ice-leaked-online-176671
Excellent album. They have outdone themselves. Taking the time into consideration of how long they were out of action (for new music), it is great to see it did not affect the quality of their music. I am suitably impressed.
Tour date in Norway confirmed!
http://www.telenorarena.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60:acdc-telenor-arena-onsdag-18-februar-2009&catid=37:arrangement
Ah great. Here come the conspiracy theories. You are right, of course, no fan is actually going to that concert. All tickets were bought by MegaCorp which is owned by... wait for it... WAL-MART. Wal-Mart is owned by... wait for it... THE MAN! That's right, you've been had by THE MAN!
But the huge, gaping, glaring, drive Rosie straight through it, hole in your theory is this:Abstractly - If no one is going to buy commodity X for $2 because the price is too high - how is buying up all of commodity X at $2 and then trying to resell it at $5 going to work? Nobody wanted it at $2. You show me that, and I will show you a river that flows with milk and honey.
FYI - those tickets did go to real fans. I'm one and a lot of others I know are too.
And maybe, just maybe these prices wouldn't be so high if people who think everything should be for free weren't ripping off everything that isn't bolted down or guarded by shotgun.
"Oh, I don't like the price of this, so I'll just steal it."
Tell you what, my tickets were $95 a piece (before ticketmaster charges) and it is worth every spittin' penny. After the show sold out in a matter of hours, some customers of mine offered up to $1000 for my two tickets. No flippin' way, not even $5000.
In an interview they even thought they were doing a good thing getting the deal with Wal-Mart and offer their album up cheap for $11.99. Anybody appreciate that? Nope.
Some people here are right. The boys must live out of touch with the times. They have no idea what nasty, mean, whiny, cheap, spoiled, clawing, back-stabbing, controversy making, nitpicking, Marxist loving, amoral, tone deaf creeps we all have become.
I'm buying my copy (yeah, I listened to the leak - wouldn't have made any difference to me) and it's going to feel exactly like when I bought For Those About to Rock when I was 11.
AC/DC is ripping off hard-working people(?!)... may we all burn in hell.
Happy Birthday Rocket! xoxo
BURN BOYS BURN...
HE HE !!!...
I have to say ... this is the best album since Back in Black. I love the fact that it's a bit more overdubs than usual, more hooks, Brian isn't SCREAMING all the time. And the sound, god damn, this sounds real good.
Btw, I have a acoustic version of Rock n roll damnation on my website.
I downloaded Black Ice from a torrent site the other day and gave it a listen. I think ACDC is one of all time greatest bands, but this album doesn't do it for me. 1 or 2 decent songs and rest not so much. Sadly, alot of the songs are weak, bordering on lame. Glad I won't be wasting any money on this one. I'm bummed!
I've downloaded the album
I just couldn't wait.
But I pre-ordered the album so there's no theft
by the way I own every AC/DC record at least 3 times in all formats vynil, cd and cassette in every version I can collect.
Got lots of albums with different tracks (there are a lot of rareties if you take the time to scoop around when you're on holliday)
Got one thing to say about Black Ice
GO BUY NO MONEY LOST.....
(Knowing me I go for all different cover versions)
yep AC/DC or being a millionaire wel you might have guest it
I spended my money on AC/DC
no regrets just angry neighbours.
Gaijn72
Some people can't wait or won't buy from Walmart, or both! If I only knew this last week.
Rock N' Roll...with an edge
With an 8 year absence of any new studio recording AC/DC fans have had to make do with DVD's of rare footage, most of which your average hardcore AC/DC fan already has. To hear Black Ice is refreshing. For a while Aussie unknowns, Airbourne, were taking over the kings of Aussie pub rock. Not now.
Black Ice has the usual riffs, drumbeats, heavy bass lines and screeching vocals that accompany any AC/DC record, production wise it's infallible, Brendan O'Brien did a great job and deserves a mention as do the vocals of Brian Johnson.
Track by track
1: Rock N' Roll Train.
Released a few weeks ago as a single, typical AC/DC, simple and foot stomping. By no means the strongest cut on the album but for marketing 'Rock N' Roll train will probably see shops stocking miniature trains with the AC/DC logo emblazoned on the side. Hey, I'm a cynic.
2: Skies On Fire
The harmony in this is what one would expect of Cliff and Malcolm, 'SKIES ON FYYYYY YERRRR'. A mid-tempo beat which kind of gets going as it approaches its end. Brian excels with the vocals with Phil keeping things tight behind the skins.
3: Big Jack
This oozes rhythm, almost like a train rolling along, touches of Rock N' Roll Damnation. An anthemic chorus that the kids [40 years plus] will love to sing along to at the up and coming gigs.
4: Anything Goes
There are a lot of hardcore fans I know that are kind of split with this song. Personally, I think it's the best on the album. It's AC/DC meets Nazareth meets The Darkness meets 80's rock. Brian sings along Springsteen [Born in the USA] style while Phil beats the skins. It has a good feel factor about it and for some reason a Christmassy type of feel to it. Many will want to play it over and over, some will want to skip it after it's first listen. I like it... I like it a lot.
5: War Machine
Surprisingly short in length but none the less a fairly decent song. Starts off moody and builds up momentum as it steams along. Malcolm holds things together whilst Cliff picks away. The guitar work of Angus along with Brian's vocals make this a definite inclusion in any set list... Maybe the strip routine halfway through?
6: Smash N' Grab
Great harmonies once again from Cliff and Malcolm, Brendan O'Brien seems to enjoy getting the backing vocals right throughout this album. It has a catchy chorus: "SMASH, GRAB AND TAKE IT". Yeh, I'll take it thank you very much.
7: Spoilin' For A Fight
Pure AC/DC, This is what they are all about. 'Shot of Love' + 10. I tend to follow Malcolm whenever I listen to AC/DC albeit on my air Gretsch. Things are picking up now on this album.
8: Wheels
Oh my! Add a piano and some brass to this little beauty and you have a masterpiece. Of course I jest, I don't think AC/DC would ever go down that route but close your eyes for a second and you can hear a piano and a fanfare of trumpets blow in appraisal of this killer track. How do the Young brothers come up with such great, yet simple riffs?
9: Decibel
Hmmm, really not sure about this one. For me, it doesn't really get going. It's not weak and certainly not a filler. Maybe it is positioned wrong on the album? Some great guitar work from Angus but it loses pace for me midway through.
10: Stormy May Day
There was a lot of talk before the 'unofficial' launch of this album via torrent sites that Angus used slide on one of the songs. This is the song, although it's not spectacular slide, it is a change for Angus Young. Imagine the mood of 'Badlands' from 'Flick of the Switch'
11: She Likes Rock N' Roll
Who invented the term 'Rock N' Roll'? They should have trademarked the term, they would have made a tidy sum of money from AC/DC. Not one of my favorites though the chant in the middle is 'interesting'
12: Money Made
One has to look [listen] past the vocals of Brian to hear the genius of the Young brothers on this track. Psychic, they really work off each other on this piece. I don't know what Brendan O'Brien said to them when they laid this down but whatever it was, it worked. A song to drool over.
13: Rock N' Roll Dream
Starts off very slow, unusual for a song with 'Rock N' Roll' in its title. Anyone who said Brian Johnson cannot carry a tune, listen to the opening sequence. It moves from slow to upbeat to slow to upbeat. Hard to fully let yourself go and almost definitely not one for the set-list.
14: Rocking All The Way
Ah, keep smoking those cigarettes Brian, the gravel voice at the start of this track more or less tells you what you are in for. Jump aboard the Malcolm Young showboat. This little baby rolls and is infectious. Slightly repetitive chorus line but hey, that's AC/DC.
15: Black Ice
Kept thinking of Blackmore's Rainbow when I first heard this track... until I heard Angus. To be honest, a bands title track should be remembered. 'Highway to Hell', 'Back in Black', 'Let There Be Rock' etc. Black Ice, the track, can't stand next to any of the aforementioned. Sadly, this is the one filler on what is otherwise an enjoyable album.
8.5/10
Bob Fiddaman
Birmingham, UK
I will wait til the release of the album. No doubt about it. My friends keeping asking me if I want to listen to the new album Black Ice.. No way mister!! I Will wait to the release..!! Damn I love the Rock n Roll Train and War Machine...! Rock on brothers! Rock on ! // Mika from Sweden !
Fantastic I like no any reason thats nice
I am waiting painfully until monday to buy the album. Anyone else who does...FIRE!! We salute you!
Post a Comment