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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All Hail AC/DC, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees!, Mar 18 2003
Yes, it's true: AC/DC has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! For years, the coterie of insouciant folksters (too lame to call rockers) like Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen are finally fading from the forefront as the Great Wall of Indifference erected against hard rock and metal begins to crumble brick by brick. Last year, the first leak appeared in the dam, when Aerosmith was inducted, but now a full-fledged heavy metal band of hard drinking blue collar boys has bust it open. Bon, whereever you are, I hoist a brew for you!So, in the car this morning, I picked this under-rated gem to listen to to get my AC/DC fix, and I was not left wanting. The first time I heard this record, I thought "huh?" But after repeated listenings, it grows on ya. This was accomplished on a cross country drive across Canada: I bought the cassette in Kingston, Ontario, but by the time I left British Columbia and drove into Washington, we were like old friends. One of the things that threw me for a loop was Brian Johnson's vocals; It sounded as though he were singing in an echo chamber, the miking was so far away. Good vocals, nonetheless, but too distant to grab you by the throat. Angus and Malcolm's twin guitar attack is honed sharp as, well, a razor's edge, and I especially love the quintessential AC/DC pentatonic blues scale when employed on this album. Cliff's bass is thumping, and even though I'm a Phil Rudd fan, I like Simon Wright's drumming -- clean, somewhat jazzy, but it is a bit out of place on an AC/DC album; he's too free and loose with the notes, particularly on the ride and high hat cymbals. Phil, on the other hand, is a human metronome, but he's got a sweet sound, particularly when in sync with the bass guitar. Here's some of the killer tunes on the album: Kissin' Dynamite: Just a great power trip. Some Sin For Nothin': Excellent solos, ensemble playing and cool double entendre of the "blatant subtlety" variant that sets AC/DC apart from D.H. Lawrence or Walt Whitman. Ruff Stuff and Two's Up: Really dirty blues backbeat (both) and driving go-go beat (latter). Meanwhile, it may surprise listeners that I think "Heatseeker" is one of the weaker songs in this mix. The rest are just reliable meatgrinders, and once you get a third or fourth hearing, you'll be hooked.
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