Plenty of AC/DC news to get to today so I guess I better get off my lazy ass and post it...
For starters, Brave Words let me know a few days ago that they'd scored an exclusive interview with Mike Fraser, a veteran producer who's list of credits reads like a Who's Who in Rock 'n' Roll.
Mike's done plenty of work for AC/DC over the years including the mixing on albums like Stiff Upper Lip, Razors Edge, and Ballbreaker not to mention remastering their entire back catalog since 2003. He was also instrumental in preparing the Plug Me In and No Bull DVD's for release so you bet your bottom dollar that this guy knows what AC/DC is supposed to sound like.
Here's one of the highlights from their chat with him:
BW&BK: How much pressure is there knowing that Black Ice is easily one of the most anticipated rock/hard rock records over the past few years? Do you guys feel it inside?
Fraser: “Oh sure, I do. I’m not sure if the band does. They are pretty low-key, easy-going guys. They don’t think about any of this kind of stuff. They just come in and get it done. As Malcolm (Young) says, when they are writing songs, if you can thump your foot to it, it’s worth a go. I don’t think they think in terms of that. For sure Brendan (O’Brien) and I did. It’s been nine years since Stiff Upper Lip and at one point there I was thinking, is there ever going to be another AC/DC record, because that’s a long time. Finally they gave me a call. We started March 3rd on the record and I was like, ‘Somebody pinch me; we’re actually sitting here listening to new AC/DC!’”
For more of the interview, check out this page. Brave Words promises more to come from Mike Fraser soon, by the way.
In other exciting news for AC/DC fans, it seems the band is selling incredible numbers of CD's back in Australia right now. Paul Cashmere has reported, in a story picked up worldwide, that AC/DC has no less than six albums in the Australian Top 50 albums list at this moment! In fact, their sales combined outpaced the number one album on the list last week.
Before you click the link above, see if you can guess which six AC/DC albums are selling so well. I'd bet you can't name more than half of them because the list is somewhat surprising. And before I forget, Defamer supposed that the ghost of Bon Scott must be smiling about this week's ARIA charts and I'd have to agree.
But Australians aren't alone in their love for AC/DC as "Rock N Roll Train" debuted at #1 on the Canadian singles charts upon it's release August 28th. Incidentally, RNRT is the first song ever to debut at No. 1 on the Rock charts compiled by Broadcast Data Systems since they began compiling data in 1997. For more on this historic event, see the rest of the story at Blabbermouth.
Now with all the hoopla going on about the new AC/DC album, we're still in the dark as to exactly which band members wrote the lyrics for the new songs. Rock N Roll Train seems to be from the Young brothers alone if you ask most fans, but many are wondering if Brian Johnson was a part of the writing team for the other tracks. Nobody but AC/DC knows for sure, but Time Magazine has just indicated Brian did participate in the lyric writing for the Black Ice CD. Good news, if it turns out to be true...
Last in today's news, but not necessarily least, two new television commercials for Rock Band 2 featuring AC/DC's Let There Be Rock have made their way to YouTube. Both feature essentially the same footage, but one ad lasts a full minute while the other clocks in at just 30 seconds. Incidentally, is it just me or does the timing appear off in both clips?
So here we are, almost in mid-September, and no official word's been released on when ticket sales will begin for the next AC/DC tour. Supposedly, the Black Ice tour is set to start in late October, according to Billboard and other sources.
Hmm...what does that mean? I'm starting to wonder if that little birdie that whispered in my ear the other day about the tour not commencing until 2009 was right.
Say it ain't so, Angus! Say it ain't so!
Keep rockin, Jon
3 comments:
Thanks for keeping us in the loop with all the current news, Jon! I'm going to be jumping on this site every day now for the latest! Interesting that so many Brian-era albums are on the charts again.
Angus and Brian were on Howard Stern yesterday (Tuesday) announcing an "AC/DC" channel starting Monday September 15th on both Sirius and XM.
well the their website and other sources have confirmed it to start in october many syaing the 31st and some radio stations are announcing alleged dates. the thing is why wait till almost a month before the concert to sell tickets and tell everyone kind of a short notice.
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