Listening Post: AC/DC Blow Up Your Video

They wrote one of the 10 greatest RAWK songs ever. The pretty much invented the fist pumping, devil horned, head banging arena rock sound. The lead guitarist is the star, in his outrageous schoolboy uniform but the real backbone is the Rhythm Guitarist. Without Malcolm there is no AC/DC. Just a lead singer and a cock of the walk screecher.
I have heard about a dozen or so songs, and, like everyone who grew up in the 70s, Back in Black was your graduation present.
But aside from the big tunes, what do I really know about the Aussie boys?
Let's find out.




AC/DC - Blow Up Your Video - 1988 (buy it)

Okay. I'm more than a little daunted here. After the last two albums, and knowing just how much is on it's way, I think the only thing I can do here is to LiveBlog the listening experience to this album.
Let's get some crap out of the way first. This album comes THREE years after Fly On the Wall. Which is the longest span between releases by the band. And, as of now it's 20 years old. It came out the year after GnR ripped off everything AC/DC had ever done and went through the stratosphere with Appetite.
So, let's start.
Okay, it's not so bad.. The sound is awful but that's sort of endemic of the era. Where everything was sort of squashed and quashed and flattened and melded into one wall of noise. if not for that they actually sound good. The band is tight and the songs, so far, aren't all that offensively screechy. I know this is the last time Brian Johnson will be allowed to write lyrics for the band, probably a good thing. But something like "That's the way I wanna rock n roll" could have been written in the old days. It's just that, by now, metal was all about Metallica and Pantera and the like and unless they get back to their roots, just who is this for?
It might actually be that someone asked Brian to try to sound a little more like Bon. And he kind of does when he gets out of the screech. But, holy crow it's dull.
Halfway through and I just think they've run out of ideas. No one's pushing them to discover anything and I am bored beyond tears......
One thing I have noticed about Malcolm Young in the 80s is his penchant for ripping of Pete Townshend. He really likes the Baba O'Reilly sound. It's very noticeable. Just sayin. Not all that original. Can I turn this off now? 2 more songs????? Okay.......
All right. The album was almost ALL filler. After the first two tracks it was a chore to say the least. (I deserve something in compensation for this shit, I tell ya) The final track "This Means War" actually shows a glimmer of the old AC and gives me a sparkle of hope for the next album....


Grade D+
A side: Heatseeker
Blindside: That's the Way I Wanna Rock N Roll & This Means War
Downside: Meanstreak