AC/DC - Black Ice
 

anyone heard the new album yet? what are your opinions? Discuss the album here. I'm downloading it as we speak and will comment on it as soon as i hear it.

Havent heard the whole album but what ive heard on the radio is very good .

I've heard two songs so far, "Rock'n'Roll Train", which was rather boring at first, but grew on me a little, and "War Machine" - and that song makes me really curious about the album. If it's the full version that the band put on myspace, then it's rather short, but a very good example of the band not slowing down and still producing 'catchy' r'n'r songs. Like it a lot! Can't wait to hear the rest...

Any links to their new songs, guys?;)

Rock N Roll Train is just plain boring. War Machine isn't. Though I would have liked a guitar solo in War Machine.
War Machine is a mix of 'Live Wire' & 'Given The Dog A Bone'. But it sounds good.

Unfortunately the sound is mixed quite flat. The same happened on 'Ballbreaker' and 'Stiff Upper Lip'. I know that 'Let There Be Rock' was flat as well but then the record company said that if they would make it more raw, they would get known faster in the USA.

I would love it if Black Ice had been mixed as 'Let There Be Rock' or 'Powerage' but unfortunately no.
15 songs, 55 minutes. I am not going to listen any more songs then they put on the Myspace site until the Black Ice Deluxe Edition is in my mailbox.

I salute you,
Thunderstrucker

The album didn't really impress me. just a few nice songs and the rest is blah.

Anything Goes might be the most pop sounding song they've ever written.
War machine and Smash n Grab and Money made are the nice songs IMO, and Black Ice is the best song on the album.

I thought AC/DC was done after SUL which didnt impress me as well, only 3 or 4 songs were nice. But they had to stick to their side of the contract and had to make 2 more Studio Albums. Black Ice is one of them. So maybe a live-cd ? Who knows.

Angus started producing a while ago and I think he will stick to it and that their Worldtour is the last one we will see. But again, who knows.

I still liked LTBR and Powerage the most and they will never get to that level anymore.

I salute you,
Thunderstrucker

I love "Ballbreaker", it's probably my favourite AC/DC album, because of the sound and compositions. The songs are really original and quite 'progressive' for them. I can't stand still when I listen to the "The Furor" or my all-time favourite "Burnin' Alive".

"Stiff Upper Lip" fell flat - it had some nice songs, but most of them got stuck in a 3-minute-corset and the lack of originality. At nearly every song I thought they could've done more with the idea. But still, a decent record.

Now the new one coming up. After 8 years your expectations are quite high, and then you hear "Rock'n'Roll Train" and it sounds like a band trying to sound like AC/DC... but it IS them! But just plain boring... simple drum track, standard riff, nothing special... but as I said, it grew on me. "War Machine" saved me from disappointment, because it reminds me of "Ballbreaker", a highly entertaining 3 minute piece. And in these 3 minutes there's a lot more going on than "Rock'n'Roll Train".

But in the end my favourite era of the band are the Bon Scott years.

I liked Hail Caesar & Caught With Your Pants Down the most of ballbreaker

I listened the entire album tonight. It's by far better then Stiff Upper Lip. Catchy riffs again. Still not mixed the way I love it but quite nice to listen to

So I couldn't resist and I listened to the first 6 songs (two of which I knew already). Not the most original work they've ever done, not quite what I expected, but not bad either. Have to say I expected more after an 8 year hiatus. I don't demand them to re-invent themselves or anything, but I demand outstanding songs. From these first impressions I prefer "Stiff Upper Lip" a lot! Time will tell.

1. Rock'n'Roll Train - nothing special and a bit lame, but a grower
2. Skies On Fire - nice chorus, rest didn't catch my attention
3. Big Jack - sounds like a fun song to me, not bad, not super-great
4. Anything Goes - yeah, this is even more pop than "Moneytalks", say "nice"
5. War Machine - so far my favourite, but quite short, sounds like it could hold up with the rest of the catalogue
6. Smash n' Grab - nothing special to me, I only like the "aaahhh aaaahhh ahhhh" in the background of the chorus and the sound of the guitar when it plays this three note-melody

I don't prefer Stiff Upper Lip at all. SUL has too many songs that just seem to be extended because they need to hit the 3 or 4 minutes.
Ofcourse they didn't re-invent themselves and every album is mostly the same. They didn't write good songs anymore after Razors Edge.
Listen Spoilin for a Fight. I think you will like it, there are some new things on this album that Angus never wrote before.

I salute you,
Thunderstrucker

Listening to "Spoilin' For A Fight" right now. It's quite cool, love the guitar. BUT, what annoys me is that all of the songs have one drum pattern going through the songs, no diversity in songwriting or drumming. It's like "Let Phil play the one rhythm he knows, and put our guitars on top". You know what I mean? There was diversity on "Ballbreaker" for example, where they wrote 5 minute songs, that didn't feel extended or anything, but natural and mighty.

These songs fall all a bit flat in that manner. They're not unique enough. Hard to express, but I hope you get what I mean. I know that band quite well, and I don't demand anything they haven't done before or couldn't do. Just seems they became a bit lazy. Like Bon Jovi don't write another "Dry County", they don't write another "Let There Be Rock" or "Whole Lotta Rodie" anymore.

About "Stiff Upper Lip": I think it has some very good tunes, such as the title track or "Safe In New York City". I love it and it was awsome when they played it live in 2000. Also "Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll", "Satellite Blues" or "House Of Jazz" are very good tunes. Half of the songs is not outstanding, true, but still a solid body of work. Though I'm as critical on it as I'm with "Black Ice" now (which I still refuse to listen as a whole until it's really out).

Well I do agree with you on 'SINYC' but 'House of Jazz' just keeps going on and on. It becomes boring. I only like 'SUL', 'SINYC', 'Can't Stand Still', 'Hold Me Back' and 'Meltdown'. 'Give It Up' could be better if they extended it more with a energetic guitarsolo.

I also do agree with your Ballbreaker opinion though. I like 'Hail Caesar' the most of that album, followed by 'Cover You In Oil' and 'Hard As A Rock'.

My favorite albums since 1990:
1. The Razor's Edge (1990) - Because of the good soundmix / solo's in the songs
2. Black Ice (2008) - A small difference of the sound and style compaired to BB and SUL
3. Stiff Upper Lip (2000) - The HAND of AC/DC if you ask me
4. Ballbreaker (1995) - Though a few songs last 5 minutes without getting boring I miss the solo's and am not fond of Johnson's voice on this album either.

I salute you,
Thunderstrucker

Now I listened to the majority of the songs on "Black Ice". The only song that really stands out for me is "War Machine" so far, maybe the title track also, and "Stormy May Day" really has a unique guitar and seems to be a cool groovy track with a bit of a unique flavour. The rest is just uninspired and boring. I'm disappointed. Nothing happenes in the songs. Like the title track has a really cool riff, but fails somehow to produce a memorable chorus - but I admit it grows on me a lot. The songs are just too short, too simple, too much the same. Overall I feel they could have done more with their basic ideas.

I agree that "Razor's Edge" was a very good album. There you have very different dongs (for AC/DC standards), like for example the poppy and upbeat "Moneytalks" is followed by the dark and groovy "Razor"s Edge", which is followed by a "christmas song". I miss this diversity on "Black Ice", it just doesn't exist... or just to a minimum which is nearly invisible.

"Ballbreaker" is my all time favourite AC/DC album because of the sound and the songs. It's just amazing. It has diversity and 'clever' songs. Some songs really build up a 'dramatic' atmosphere, such as "The Furor" or "Burning Alive", or the bluesy "Boogie Man". Songs just don't start, last 3 minutes, and end again.

"Stiff Upper Lip" was like a poorer copy of "Ballbreaker", with some great and a lot of good songs, but still the poorer tracks on SUP sound more original and fresh to me than the BI tracks (so far), from a songwriting point of view.

But I promise I will give "Black Ice" a dozen more listens before I completely build an opinion. I do like the sound here I must say. Guitars sound good, and Brian Johnson also. It's just that the material is way too lame, all the songs have the same groove (unlike other albums). I hope I made clear what I was expecting from the album - nothing out of reach, nothing impossible.

I understand you completely. 'Powerage' is my favorite album. Raw, loud, energetic

I also favour "Powerage" - there is something about it. I absolutely love "Riff Raff", the guitar work is freaking awesome. "Dirty Deeds" was my first album (along with "Ballbreaker" and "If You Want Blood"), and I still dig it.

If You Want Blood was the album I bought and got to know AC/DC. it lasts 53 minutes. The same time as my biketrip to school lasted. So I listened it twice a day for 5 days ;)

Riff Raff is amazing and I like Up To My Neck In You as well. Long long solo :)

Still I don't know why you liked War Machine the most of Black Ice. It's a mix between Live Wire & Given The Dog A Bone.

I salute you,
Thunderstrucker

Together with the (crap) new Metallica the biggest disappointment in 2008 so far! YOu do not have to ask me which was the biggest disappointment of 2007 do you???

Now that I listened to the entire album I found one more song that I like: "Rock'n'Roll Dream". Maybe because it's different from the others, maybe just because it has a cool groove.

Nah, That isn't AC/DC. I think when I rank the album it will be something like this:

Best 5:
Big Jack
Rocking All The Way
Rock N Roll Train
Wheels
Black Ice

Average 5:
Spoilin For A Fight
Stormy May Day
Anything goes
War Machine
Decibel

Worst 5:
Rock N Roll Dream
Skies on Fire
She Likes Rock N Roll
Money Made
Smash N Grab


I took a good listen to Ballbreaker just after I listened Black Ice and what a difference. Quite all songs on Ballbreaker are solid. I never was a fan of this album since now.

My top 10 of AC/DC studio albums will be something like this for now:
1. Let There Be Rock
2. Powerage
3. Back In Black
4. Ballbreaker
5. Highway To Hell
6. The Razors Edge
7. Black Ice
8. Stiff Upper Lip
9. Fly on the Wall
10. Flick of the Switch


I salute you,
Thunderstrucker

You see! ;-)
And wow, you rate "Ballbreaker" even higher now than BI and SUL.

My Top 5 ranking of "Black Ice" would look something like this:

1. Black Ice
2. Rock'n'Roll Dream
3. Rock'n'Roll Train
4. War Machine (it went down a bit in my hitlist)
5. Anything Goes (haha, I don't know, I listened to it the other day and I enjoyed it).

These songs (and "Big Jack") are the standouts for me so far. Still discovering the rest.

My Top 10 of albums would be something like:

1. Ballbreaker
2. If You Want Blood
3. Powerage
4. Blow Up Your Video
5. The Razor's Edge
6. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
7. High Voltage (International)
8. Flick Of The Switch
9. Stiff Upper Lip
10. Highway To Hell

Quite hard to pick actually. For example, "For Those About To Rock" has some great stuff, like "Evil Walks" and "Night Of The Long Knives", as "Fly On The Wall" has "Sink The Pink", but both have some weak material as well. Or to say, I don't listen to them in full. So they didn't make the list.

I didn't add the live albums on my list and I miss 'LTBR' at yours. Don't tell me you don't like that album !
And yes. I do like ballbreaker much more now. Maybe it get's higher in the list after some more listens

I salute you,
Thunderstrucker

Of course I do like LTBR, but the last time I listened to that album I wasn't too fond of it, strange as it seems. It has great songs indeed, but "Go Down" bored me a little, I was never the world's biggest fan of the title track (though live it's a killer), and the studio version of "Whole Lotta Rosie" doesn't do the trick once you've heard the live version from "If You Want Blood". Bon's vocals in the first verse are just lame.
So it isn't in the list because it's not a favourite of mine, while I know only few people would rate "Blow Up Your Video" higher. But I always felt connected to songs like "Nick Of Time" or "Two's Up". For example, "Powerage" doesn't have the classic standout tracks, but feels more like a tight unit than LTBR. I don't know, that list isn't definite...

And yeah, I should add "Live" as I've added "If You Want Blood". If live albums don't count, that would make room for LTBR. ;-)

I am not fond of Blow Up Your Video.
Powerage is just tight and powerful, tighter then LTBR. Besides that I like Johnsons voice more then Scott's. Johnson's is more raw.
I like the Whole Lotta Rosie of the live dvd's more then the one of If You Want Blood. Rosie is shortened there or the set wouldn't have fitted the LP. That version is only 3:48 while the version of SUL is 5:20. Slower and heavy, just the way that song is played best.

I salute you,
Thunderstrucker

Can't wait to buy it ..... :(
I saw it at 13€ at the fnac but it was with their card, I don't have it ... :s
Oh well ... soon, soon .... (a bday coming ;))

I bought the Deluxe Edition of play.com. Hardcover digipack, very nice :)

I just heard on tv that Black Ice is AC/DC's first No1. album after 28 years and Back in Black

I meant in UK

It sold 5 million copies in one week worldwide!!! More than Bon Jovi's LH in 1 year

They played the album on the radio the other day and it sounds amazing !

AC/DC fans like I am had to wait 8 years for it to be released. When a Bon Jovi album would be released after such a long period I think it will sell much better then when an album is released every 2 years.
Although Black Ice isn't THAT good, it still blows LH away since that album just sucks.

I salute you,
Thunderstrucker