It appears AC/DC's Black Ice is off to an amazing start in global sales according to this report in The Times Online. In fact, they go on to say that Black Ice could already be the number one album in 19 countries!
The big question in my mind is will Black Ice debut at #1 in the U.S. charts? If it does, that will be another phenomenal achievement for AC/DC after 35 years of rocking and rolling.
Speaking of milestones, Arnaud Durieux of Electric Shock is estimating that AC/DC will play it's 2000th concert on December 2oth in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Incredibly, that's more concerts than even the Rolling Stones (AC/DC's idols) have played in their 46 year career.
In other news, several more favorable reviews of Black Ice have appeared in the last day or so that may make for an interesting read for you. Among the better ones are Still Young at heart from the Herald Sun and There's life in the old uniform yet by The Australian.
For completists, The Belleville Intelligencer feels AC/DC is in fine form with Black Ice and the St. Catherines Standard says the boys have 'shaken off the mothballs' to make their best record in two decades.
One interview we missed earlier in the week was Zane Lowe talking with Angus and Brian recently on BBC1. I highly recommend you give it a listen because, for once, the disc jockey doesn't try to make himself the star of the chat and he actually asks some intelligent questions of the guys. Just a note, the interview starts at approximately the 1 hour and 7 minute mark into the 2-hour broadcast and you must have Real Player installed to hear it.
Lastly, since many of you enjoyed the last AC/DC top 10 list I posted, you might like reading the Essential AC/DC Tracks as compiled by the Arizona Republic. However, I must say I strongly disagree with their opinion that AC/DC hasn't recorded any essential tracks since 1981!
PS> How do you like the new AC/DC News banner at the top of the homepage? I want to thank "bscott288" of the great bootleg forum, Let There Be Rock, for creating such an awesome banner for this site!
It's been revealed that AC/DC's secret show will take place in Wilkes Barre, Pa at Wachovia Arena on October 26 at 7:30pm. Fans who won tickets to that special event have already been notified by email. Congratulations to the winners! We hope you'll post your concert reports here at AC/DC News.
Music Week says AC/DC''s on course for massive global sales which is pretty interesting considering that the rest of the business world is pretty much in a full blown depression (Thanks Dubya!). The Herald has more on AC/DC's amazing economic success in a time where many people are losing their jobs and homes. Is AC/DC the cure for doom and gloom? Maybe...
Additionally, Black Ice has topped the CD sales list of the Canadian music retailer, HMV. For full details on that, click here.
Apparently, there's an AC/DC interview at Absolute Radio but I wouldn't know for sure as they don't seem to like my flash player.
Undercover News has a story about how some Australian's are downloading AC/DC music despite the band's insistence not to sell music digitally.
According to Patrick Donovan, Jesse Hughes, the frontman for The Eagles of Death Metal, is obsessed with Bon Scott. In fact, on his band's new album called Heart On, Hughes has named one of their songs "High Voltage" in honor of his favorite band, AC/DC. There's more on that story at WA Today. To listen to their new album, check out TEODM's MySpace.
The Dwarf and the Basilisk's Matthew Conway has posted his Top Ten AC/DC Songs which you might want to check out. Can't say I agree with his list, (The Furor at #9?) but I think you'll enjoy the post.
SonyBMG has partnered with Triumph Motorcyles for promotional opportunities in the rock 'n' roll world. Their first joint effort, in fact, centers around AC/DC's Black Ice. There's more on that story here, including how you can embed their special Black Ice music player on your own site.
The Cleveland Leader says AC/DC's Black Ice is their best album in over a decade, but that's not saying much really when you consider that AC/DC has released only three albums since 1995!
There's a fairly decent review of Black Ice at Errols Weekly Music Update which you may want to check out. It's kind of difficult to tell where the review actually begins, however, so just scroll down slowly with your reading glasses on and eventually you'll get to the point where they begin to talk about AC/DC. (I promise it's really there...)
If you can stand one more album review, I'd check out Mark Saleki's at the Blog Critic's site because he's obviously a longtime fan of the band with a good sense of humor to boot. Aversion has a take on Black Ice that's an interesting one, as well.
For some odd reason, Sony has created has taken AC/DC's Rock N Roll Train and made it into "the world's first music video in an Excel spreedsheet" which you can read about and download here. To see a sample of their creation head to YouTube.
Also, I should mention that SonyBMG is giving away ten AC/DC flat cap/Black Ice album packs which you can enter the drawing for here. The "flat cap" is what Angus wears, apparently, though I just call it Angus' hat.
Finally, if you're an AC/DC fan looking for something a bit different to read, I recommend Gary Nelson's article Rock wasn't meant to be commercial, a sentiment with which I agree wholeheartedly.
There's so much AC/DC news lately that I almost wish the band would retire again. Just kidding! Anyway, here's everything I could find on the boys since last time so, I hope you enjoy the latest edition of AC/DC News.
AC/DC might not make it to New Zealand until 2010 according this report from Stuff.
Carny Barker says AC/DC has spread themselves too thin with 15 songs on Black Ice.
The Rocky Mountain news gives the new AC/DC record a grade of B+, comparing the band to McDonalds in the process. No doubt millions will be served by Black Ice, though!
Kansas City's newspaper gave Black Ice the thumbs up in their review saying the band has "put together a new slew of power-hooked songs built to rattle the arenas." They also credit Brendan O'Brien for keeping the sound crystal clear which is true according to my ears.
The Washington Post says AC/DC has landed a "double axel on Black Ice" but I was thinking it was more like a triple lutz. Call me crazy... Anyway, if for some reason the article link doesn't work, you can view their review here instead.
Cultural Offering's "In Praise of AC/DC" is a pretty fun read even if you've already crawled through the literal swamp of Black Ice reviews available on the web right now.
Paul Cashmere has posted his exclusive interview with Angus Young at Undercover News. This is, of course, a do-not-miss item!
The Detroit News says Black Ice delivers what's expected and gives it a B. (We'll presume the "B" stands for "badass" or "bitchin'" and isn't meant to be an actual school grade.)
Has AC/DC slipped on Black Ice? The Globe and Mail seems to think so. So does the Badger Herald if anybody gives a damn about their opinion.
AC/DC hates change according to the Dallas Morning News, but they also say that that characteristic is part of what makes the band timeless.
Entertainment Weekly likes Black Ice and you'll probably enjoy their allusion to the movie Alien in their piece as well.
The Fort Worth Star Telegram has advised their readers that it's Time to pull the plug on AC/DC. Oh please, like AC/DC's ever going to stop making noise?!
Heath McCoy of the Calgary Herald has written an outstanding review of Black Ice which every fan should read in my humble opinion. This guy, at least, understands what makes AC/DC tick as compared to most rock critics who mostly come across as know-nothing, self-serving fools.
Entertainment.ie's review is slim on details but has a couple of good jokes in it (at the expense of the band) that you might find, shall we say, entertaining.
MSNBC has, apparently, just noticed that AC/DC has made a deal with Wal-Mart. But I'll give them a pass on this little slip up because I know they've been too busy kissing Barack Obama's ass the last 10 months to know what else is going on in the world lately.
Guitar World's upcoming January issue (on sale in November) includes an interview with Angus Young. In the meantime, they've posted tabs to some of AC/DC's greatest hits as well as a couple of the new tracks from Black Ice. Unfortunately, it seems like you have to click through 20 pages of advertisements to get to the actual tabs but, if you start here, you'll, at least, be a little closer to your goal.
TeleMadrid has posted their recent interview with Angus and Brian on YouTube which you can check out below. Does the guy really call the boys 'bandidos?'
The Village Voice says AC/DC's new album passes the "Send For The Man" test for ordinariness but I don't know what they're talking about because the riff on that song kicks extraordinary ass.
The Daily Iowan has got it right that "there will never be another Back In Black" but they like Black Ice well enough. By the way, kudos to Rebecca Koons for understanding the uniqueness of Back In Black as compared to most professional reviewers who have slobbered all over themselves in their race to compare the new album to AC/DC's 1980 monster ode to the late, great Bon Scott.
The Courier Mail has just commented favorably on the steadiness of AC/DC despite the many lineup and producer changes over the last thirty plus years.
The NME says AC/DC is selling well in the UK this week; even battling the Kaiser Chief's new record for the top spot in the weekly album rankings. (It's more like a thrashing...)
About.com has posted their review of Black Ice which is, frankly, kind of a yawn-fest but, at least, they gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5.
Billboard has noted that "AC/DC's 'Ice' (is) Red Hot At Retail." Can't anybody come up with any good lines about ice without referring to the words "slipped" or "hot?"
Interestingly enough, according to Exclaim, HMR, the Canadian based music retailer, recently bought a full page ad in Billboard magazine to thank AC/DC and GNR for not selling their albums exclusively in Canada,
If you're interested in what Ohio State's campus newspaper has to say about Black Ice, you'll find it here. Some of it you might even agree with what they have to say.
The University of Tennessee's Daily Beacon has posted their thoughts on Black Ice if you care to read yet another review. I swear it's mostly positive, except when it's negative...
I much prefer the Auburn Plainsmen's comments on the new album, however. For God's sake, even the student newspaper of Rhode Island University has something to say about Black Ice!
The New Zealand Herald argues that AC/DC's Black Ice would have been much better if the band has just concentrated on making 10 killer tunes rather than overburdening us all with fifteen. They have a point or do they? You be the judge....
Incidentally, New Zealand TV's "CloseUp" had an interview with Brian Johnson recently that you can watch below. (I'm digging the old dude's beard in this clip, by the way. Beards aren't something you see too often on American TV commentators.)
Cinema Blend has posted their review of Black Ice which you can read here. I guess they couldn't find any actual pictures of Brian and Angus to accompany their article so they've posted photos of dolls (er um, AC/DC figurines) instead.
The Blog Critics have a review out for Black Ice that I enjoyed. Maybe you will, too. Even the gameboy site, IGN, has gotten in on the album review act.
ITN, out of the UK, has put their thoughts on Black Ice in video form which is, of course, available to view below.
Lastly, for today, someone has asked the question "Are AC/DC Too Sexy?" No matter what your opinion of the answer is, I think you'll have a good laugh checking out the video below.
There's a ton of current AC/DC related news available right now, but I'll have to post it in bits and pieces due to my hectic schedule today. Please check back later for more...
How good are the riffs in Black Ice? The Hartford Courant thinks they've got the answer though I'm not so sure.
The Scotsman says Black Ice packs a "the kind of snappy musical punch last heard on...Back In Black. Here's the link for the rest of their review.
Be sure to check out Boston's WAAF Radio for their 6-part AC/DC special that features "Angus, Malcolm, Brian and the boys" playing new songs from Black Ice which you can listen to and download here. This is a do not miss kind of thing!
RTBF of Belgium has one of the most excellent Brian Johnson interviews I've ever come across and it's on video, too, which is even better. If you miss this chat with Brian, you ought not to call yourself an AC/DC fan. By the way, in my opinion, AC/DC fans should feel damn lucky to have Brian because he's 61 and is still in prime form as evidenced by how his vocals sound on Black Ice and by the wit and wisdom he shows time and time again in person.
In other odds and ends, here's an absolutely laughable review you ought to check out. After reading it, all I can think is how can any so-called professional music writer screw up this badly, especially for such a prestigous paper as The London Times?
The Philadelphia Phillies have knocked AC/DC off of the top spot of the ticket sales heap this week, according to Ticket News.
The folks over at Idolator are still upset that AC/DC refuses to sell their songs digitally. It's an extensive piece about AC/DC's sales history that's well researched, though I don't necessarily agree with their conclusion that the band ought to sell single songs through iTunes.
Jim Farber at the New York Daily News has reached a new journalistic low in his review of Black Ice which compares the thrill that fans get from AC/DC's music formula to the excitement that a serial killer gets when repeating his modus operandi. If you ask me, Farber's drawing a thinly veiled allusion to Richard Ramirez; the sick, twisted and sadistic murderer who also happened to be an AC/DC fan.
Brian Johnson, Angus Young and Malcolm Young at the Peninsula Hotel in Manhattan
Hey folks,
I'm in no mood to write today so I'm just going to lay out all the recent news and AC/DC related articles I've found lately.
To begin with, AC/DC has confirmed the following dates for the European leg Black Ice World Tour. They are as follows:
Feb 18 Oslo, NO Telenor Arena Feb 20 Stockholm, SE The Globe Mar 5 Leipzig, DE Halle 1 Mar 7 Dusseldorf, DE ISS Dome Mar 9 Oberhausen, DE KoPi Arena Mar 11 Bremen, DE AWD Dome Mar 15 Dortmund, DE Westfallenhalle Mar 17 Prague, CZ O2 Arena Mar 19 Milan, IT Datch Forum Mar 23 Budapest, HU Papp László Budapest Sportarena Mar 25 Frankfurt, DE Festhalle Mar 27 Munich, DE Olympiahalle
Many of the shows above have already sold out in record times, though a couple of the dates haven't gone on sale yet. Expect many more venues to be added soon. Look for them to be announced here when they're official.
*This just in: The London Times is offering AC/DC fans an exclusive chance to listen to Black Ice online. See their page here for all the details...
Sweden's TV4 has an exclusive interview with Angus Young which is one of the most laid-back, yet interesting, interviews of the man I've ever seen. Check it out here. Incidentally, Angus hints in it that the Black Ice World Tour may go longer than 18 months!
The Age has posted an excellent article called "Solid Rock" about the staying power of AC/DC. Malcolm Young fans should particularly love this one, by the way.
More Black Ice reviews from the major news organizations are coming in every day now. The Guardian is calling the album "nearly Back In Black II." The BBC's lauds Malcolm Young in their's, calling him "As dependable as a Swiss watch and every inch as magnificent a rhythm player as Keith Richards."
It's been announced through emails to contestants that AC/DC's secret show will be held somewhere in Eastern Pennsylvania on Oct 26. Meanwhile, Sony Records is offering fans yet another contest to win tickets to the show. All the details have been posted here on their site.
Not essential reading, but you may want to check out this piece at Sky News called "AC/DC Back 35 Years After Start."
Lastly, The Washington Post has an article about famous bands who've tried to stay successful after losing their lead singer. It's not particularly about AC/DC, but the rock fans who read this blog might really enjoy it.
Well, that's all for now. Love all your comments and news tips. Please keep them coming.
