Thumpin' Thursday at AC/DC News

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.

More AC/DC News as it comes across my desk...

Keep rockin, Jon

You Can't Stop AC/DC

In today's AC/DC News we begin with a brief article from New Zealand about the positive reviews that Rock N Roll Train has been receiving lately from the music press. If you feel so inclined, you can also leave your review of AC/DC's first single from Black Ice on Stuff's site or, at least, read what other fans are saying about the record.

But not all of the music press is so enamored of AC/DC. Just ask Neil McCormick of the Daily Telegraph, for example.

In writing his review of a recent Columbia Records listening party, intended to preview their album releases for the Fall and beyond, this village idiot didn't have much good to say about the AC/DC portion of the show:

"Rock and roll will never die and all that.

A fact which was emphasised by a preview of AC/DC's 200^th album, which sounded exactly like every other AC/DC album, and is expected to sell sqaudrillions of copies. Apparently AC/DC are the biggest back catalogue artists in the world ... including the Beatles. Who'd have thought? Angus is still wearing a schoolboys outfit and (ever more decrepit with age) is really starting to look sinister. Bon Scott looks like he just staggered out of a retired working men's drinking club in the north of England in time to deliver his vocals. It is, of course, loud, leery, immensely effective and utterly ridiculous. I am beginning to worry that they are never going to get around to that experimental album."

Don't you love it when some fool who's trying to be so hip and so cool makes such a boneheaded mistake as to refer to Brian Johnson as Bon Scott? If you ask me, McCormick's slip shows just how out of touch with reality a supposed professional music critic can be.

In other news, AC/DC's snub of iTunes has, apparently, pissed the pants off of Apple fanboys far and wide. I first picked up their indignation from this piece in Macworld but the real shining star among AC/DC's recent critics is Bob Lefsetz.

You might remember Bob Lefsetz as the music writer who basically said Black Ice will be next best thing since sliced bread in his August review of the album. Now, on the other hand, Lefseftz has gone out of his way to tear AC/DC a new asshole in his latest diatribe.

Here's a few excerpts for you to get the picture...

"They’re (AC/DC) the second biggest catalog seller. Behind the Beatles. WHY? Because kids have traded their songs and found out how great their classics are. But now they want to fuck these same kids in the ass and make them buy their new album at Wal-Mart. So they can make fuckloads of money. The whole world is listening to files, shuffling their tracks, but these ignorant musicians from Down Under don’t seem to have gotten the message. Why don’t they tell everybody to give up their computers and use typewriters while they’re at it. The joke is illegal acquisition will dwarf CD sales. Whatever is sold legitimately will be distributed online INSTANTLY! Which is great for the band ultimately. Breeding new fans. But, like the rest of the industry, the band wants to ignore this. Even though without the aforementioned trading of the past decade their tour would not instantly sell out.

At least throw kids a bone. Let them buy tracks legitimately. But just like the inane industry they’re part of, AC/DC doesn’t want fans to have it their way. They must have never been to a Burger King…"

The rest of his rant is much rougher on the boys but I certainly can't fault Bob for not liking AC/DC's deal with the devil, er um, Wal-Mart.

Anyway, whatever your personal opinion, Lefsetz's latest AC/DC column is well worth the read. Click here for the article in its entirety.



Lastly, in nicer news, it appears Angus Young will grace the next cover of Q Magazine, Europe's biggest music monthly. From this article in the business section of The Times Online, it appears that magazine is going through an extreme makeover and will start off their revised publication with the man who's putting his famous schoolsuit back on after many long years away from his army of fans.

According to Q's editors, "AC/DC legend Angus Young is the first cover star of the new look Q. In a global exclusive for Q, Angus Young has agreed for the first time in decades to be studio photographed in his iconic schoolboy uniform. It is the first major interview the band has given in eight years. Subscribers receive their own ‘collector’s edition’ of the issue, which will feature a cover designed exclusively for them."

Sounds like this will definitely be a keeper for all those fans who love to collect magazines with AC/DC interviews and pictures in them. By the way, if you never been before, you should check out my friend Fanch's site called AC/DC Archives. He has one of the largest collections of scanned AC/DC articles around and they're all indexed by country of origin.

Keep rockin, Jon

Win Signed Guitars from AC/DC!

AC/DC has just announced a new contest with a couple of really sweet grand prizes.

That's right, the band is giving away an Angus Young signature model Gibson SG and a Malcolm Young signature model Gretsch G6131MY signed by AC/DC to two Grand Prize winners.

All you've got to do is make your own version of the Rock N Roll Train video, upload it to YouTube with a special tag on it, and the band's representatives will choose the winning entries.

For further details, click here. For the complete contest rules, go here.

Dude, Where's My Black Ice Tourdate?

So AC/DC finally announced their Black Ice Tour dates but your city was left out, huh? Well, take heart because you are not alone. They haven't announced any dates in Florida yet, either, and Brian Johnson and Cliff Williams live here!

Also, we all need to remember that this Fall schedule of shows is only the first leg of AC/DC's 18-month long world tour. So let's be patient and see what the boys have in store for the rest of the best fans in the world, eh?

Australian fans can take some comfort, though, as almost unnoticed in the recent news was a small item written by Paul Cashmere about AC/DC's plans for a trip back home to Australia:

"AC/DC will perform in Australia in 2009 at Telstra Dome in Melbourne and ANZ Stadium in Sydney."

No doubt AccaDacca will hit several more cities down under as well as visit all their great fans in New Zealand in the coming year, too.

Of course, some longtime fans have never seen the band perform live in person. Such is the case of Mike Grant, who writes about his AC/DC story in "That's The Way I Want My Rock N Roll!"

If you still want to read more about fans and AC/DC today, I suggest you check out "She's Got Balls" at The Soundtrack Of My Life. It's a brief, but poignant story about how one guy got introduced to AC/DC music.

Speaking of AC/DC's music, it would be remiss of me not to mention Rolling Stone's Fall preview of the Black Ice album. Though there's not that much to it, there is some good background information about how the new music was made from producer, Brendan O'Brien.



Of course, Black Ice has been compared to Back In Black a thousand times already and it hasn't even been released yet so, one has to wonder if it will really be that good? I guess time will tell...

By the way, what's your take on War Machine versus Rock N Roll Train? Do you favor one track over the other now that you've heard them both more than a few times? I hope you'll leave your opinions in the comments section below. I'd also be interested to know what other fans think the song War Machine is all about. Does it have anything to do with the war in Iraq? Has AC/DC made another political track like Burnin' Alive from the Ballbreaker album?


George Young and Harry Vanda
Lastly, for today, Easy Fever provides another history lesson for AC/DC fans who want to know more about the roots of our favorite band. For those that don't know already, The Easybeats were Australia's answer to The Beatles and two of their leading members were George Young and Harry Vanda, who later went on to produce most of the classic AC/DC albums of the 70's.

Keep rockin, Jon

Rolling Stone Kissing AC/DC's Big Balls?

After years and years of loathing, it seems Rolling Stone Magazine is finally changing their tune about AC/DC's brand of rock 'n' roll music.

Yes, once again, Rolling Stone has defied their history by gloriously featuring AC/DC in an another preview of Black Ice which was posted online earlier today.

By most fan accounts, that rag has virtually despised AC/DC their whole career (with the exception of Back In Black) but now they seem to want to help promote the new record by actually offering details of the Black Ice recording sessions while, at the same time, praising the new songs.

Of course, this praise is a far cry from what Rolling Stone has previously said about AC/DC's music. For example, back in the nineties, when they declared Brian Johnson's "banshee vocals are even more shrill these days." in their 2 stars out of 5 Ballbreaker review or the time they said AC/DC had set "a new record for the longest career without a single new idea" with the release of the Razors Edge album.

In fact, not once has AC/DC ever been on Rolling Stone's cover in the United States despite the fact that the band are Rock 'N Roll Hall of Famers and they sell more albums than anybody (except The Beatles) in today's market after 35 years in the music business.

I surmise that this seemingly new found respect for AC/DC has more to do with Columbia Records marketing machine than any true change of heart from Rolling Stone, but I guess time will tell as the band prepares to hit the road soon.



In other AC/DC news, it appears Rock Band 2 might feature some hidden AC/DC songs other than the previously announced, Let There Be Rock.

Apparently, if the above rumored screen shot is to be believed, Shoot To Thrill from Live At Donington will be in the mix, too. You'll find the story about it here and why wouldn't they want more AC/DC tracks in Rock Band? One song is certainly not going to be enough to satisfy the average rock fan!



Lastly, I could really care less about what's on TV these days but, it would be remiss of me not to mention that Rock N Roll Train is being used to help promote the season premier of the CBS show, Criminal Minds, called "NYC Under Attack." (see the video above)

Why they didn't use Safe In New York City instead is something I'll never understand. Oh well, score another big win for the Black Ice division of the record company marketing department.

In other minor news of note, Cinema Blend recently posted a review of No Bull - The Director's Cut and some obscure festival is desperately trying to get some headlines by announcing they want AC/DC to play there next year. But, of course, as has been well said before, AC/DC "doesn't want, or need, to share a stage with anyone."

Keep rockin, Jon

Best Since Back In Black?

Will Black Ice be the best album since Back In Black?

Australia's News.com had the privilege of listening to seven tracks off AC/DC's "Black Ice" earlier today and posted this intriguing review of what they heard.

From what I gather, they feel it's the best thing the band has done since Back In Black. Incidentally, the listening session took place at the world famous Alberts Records studio in Sydney where the group made many a monster recording back in the 70's. Anyway, here's a few selected excerpts from David Higgin's review to whet your appetite for full article.

Anything Goes has the potential to be the band’s biggest hit since You Shook Me All Night Long if released - under one plan - as a second single.

Opening with a guitar sound that recalls Bon Scott’s bagpipes in Long Way to the Top, Anything Goes is a delicious 1970s tune with blood-pumping, 2008 production values.

The Young brothers would disagree, but it is the closest thing to a pop song the band has done and will pull in many new fans.

The songs heard today draw from periods throughout the band’s career.

Black Ice is a head-banging anthem from the For Those About to Rock era, with a riff as good as any the Youngs have written.

War Machine is a hard and fast affair reminiscent of Back in Black’s Given The Dog a Bone.

Meanwhile, criticism of the band's deal with Wal-Mart continues to escalate, at least from some quarters. Goldmine Magazine issued this stinging shot the other day, calling it a "deal with the devil" while another columnist chastized AC/DC has having joined the "corporate rock crowd" which is a far cry from their days as rock's baddest rebels.



Of course, now that the first single has been released fans everywhere are clamoring even more for AC/DC to tour in their area. In fact, according to a recent poll out of Canada, newspaper readers there said that AC/DC is their #1 choice of bands to see on their Fall concert wish list.



Speaking of being #1, AC/DC is not far from it in terms of full album sales from the years 2006 to 2008 according to the Wall Street Journal. In fact, of all the bands in the world, only The Beatles sold more albums than AC/DC in the past 3 years! The Journal says that their success may be partly due to the fact that the group refuses to sell their songs individually through ITunes.




By the way, it looks like the AC/DC store is offering a great deal on a Black Ice Cd/No Bull Dvd (Director's cut) combo right now if you pre-order it directly from them. The regular package goes for $26 whilst the Blu-Ray edition will cost you $10 more. For your money, it appears you'll get a special blue colored AC/DC logo for your Black Ice Cd from that deal. Who's up for it?

In other items of interest, Don Jacobson of the Beachwood Reporter (who?) says "Rock 'N Roll Train" sounds 'exactly like every song AC/DC's done since Brian Johnson joined the band in 1980' but he questions if that's really a good thing or not. His review's kind of fun to read if you don't mind him taking a few pot-shots at your favorite band. Look here for a slighty different take on the song.




Last, but not in the least the least, ACDC.com has an innovative new feature on our favorite band called AC/DC 101. Described as a "crash course in the history of the world's most electrifying rock & roll band, AC/DC 101 provides you with a multimedia show while you read the official story of the lads from down under.

I haven't studied the site very closely but it does look like it will be great fun, especially for the younger fans among us. Wow, isn't it great that AC/DC seems to finally almost have a really decent web site and it's only 2008!

Well, folks, that's all I could find since last time so have a great weekend everybody and stay safe while you're out partying.

Keep rockin, Jon

PS> Thanks for all the great comments lately! Keep 'em coming, eh?

Mystery Riff Uploaded to AC/DC's MySpace Page!

Here's a new riff from AC/DC courtesy of their MySpace page.

Presumably, it's the opening to "Rock 'N' Roll Train," but they've not identified the track as of yet.

(Update: I've been told that fans who attended the video shoot say it is "Rock 'N' Roll Train," but I haven't independently confirmed this to be true.)

2nd Update: Looks like AC/DC's MySpace page took down the sound clip so here it is transferred to a video format. The copy doesn't sound as great but, at least, you'll get the general idea of the track.



In other news of note, Billboard posted a small preview of the "Black Ice" album earlier today. Here's some of what they had to say:

Elsewhere, "Big Jack" nods to the vintage major-key rocker "Who Made Who," while "Wheels" is a hands-in-the-air nod to old favorites such as "Highway to Hell" and "Givin' the Dog a Bone."

Frontman Brian Johnson is in fine form on tracks like "War Machine" ("Better watch your back and cover your tracks!," he warns), the sparse "Decibel," partially sung in his deep, natural voice, and the anthemic "Anything Goes."

"Black Ice" ends with its title track, an old-school blues rocker that finds Johnson growling, "I'll gouge your eyes out."

Sounds pretty good, eh?

Elsewhere, the UK division of SonyBMG has finally unveiled their rehearsal show contest page. Be sure to check out all the entries in their exclusive photo gallery!

Finally, anyone who's ever dreamed of being a long-haired, hard rocker will definitely enjoy Stephen McGinty's latest piece for The Scotsman in which he muses about the greatness of AC/DC and their headbanging demon, Angus Young.

Keep rockin, Jon

AC/DC's "Black Ice" Revealed!

Albert Productions and SonyBMG Australia have announced the worldwide release of "Black Ice," the long awaited new studio album from AC/DC, on October 18.

"Black Ice," the first full-length studio album of all-new material from AC/DC since the release of "Stiff Upper Lip" in 2000, is the band’s debut album for Columbia Records, (New York Based label for SonyBMG) and their 18th for Australia’s Albert Productions.

Track Listing:
1. Rock ’n Roll Train
2. Skies On Fire
3. Big Jack
4. Anything Goes
5. War Machine
6. Smash N Grab
7. Spoilin’ For A Fight
8. Wheels
9. Decibel
10. Stormy May Day
11. She Likes Rock N Roll
12. Money Made
13. Rock N Roll Dream
14. Rocking All The Way
15. Black Ice

Fans of the band will, no doubt, be overjoyed to hear this official news. Especially considering the long wait they've endured since the band released "Stiff Upper Lip" way back at the turn of the century!

Several Australian newspapers and the major wire services covered the breaking news. Samples of which can be seen here, here and here. Entertainment news stalwart, Variety, even suggested that AC/DC might hit #1 with Black Ice.

It's also been officially confirmed that ""Rock 'N' Roll Train," the album's first single, will debut on August 28th and the video will premiere in September," according to AC/DC's MySpace page.

From the looks of things, it seems that Black Ice will be rolled out across the world two days earlier than it will be sold in the United States as Wal-Mart will not be releasing the album until October 20th according to ACDC.com and Wal-Mart's own special AC/DC page.

However, according to Web Wire, Wal-Mart will join with Columbia Records "to launch multiple activities for fans in celebration of the new CD album, including new product features and promotions to come this fall that will bring fans closer to one of history’s greatest rock bands."

Fans may pre-order "Black Ice" through Wal-Mart and AC/DC's own official store beginning today. Reportedly, the album will also be available through Sam's Clubs across the States. You'll have to pay at least $11.88 per CD for this exclusive deal, by the way.

In other news, AC/DC shot the video for "Rock 'N' Roll train on August 15 and a few of the details of that day were printed over at Metal Hammer.

Paul Cashmere of Undercover News also had a short piece on the making of the video which is worth a look, too.

One lucky fan who says he attended the video shoot has even posted a video on YouTube of himself singing the tune to "Rock 'N' Roll Train!" Check it out below...



The singing guy's video apparently inspired another fan to try and transcribe the tune so as to give us all a taste of what the song may sound like on guitar.



Are AC/DC fans a bit excited about Black Ice or what? And what will fans think of the new album's artwork? It's certainly a bit different than anything the band's ever put out before, don't you think? How do the song titles grab you, by the way?

Some of the titles sound quite unusual for AC/DC (Wheels, Stormy May Day, Smash N Grab). However, three of the songs have the words "Rock 'N' Roll" right in the title which obviously reminds us what AC/DC is really about.

So what do you think about Black Ice so far? Are you ready to rock out with AC/DC again? Feel free to leave your comments below.

Keep rockin, Jon

PS> This just in: The fine folks at The Consumerist have posted a very short piece mentioning AC/DC's involvement with Wal-Mart. Read what fans have to say about the deal here.