AC/DC- Live
In my personal opinion, AC/DC has always been more of a live band. The rush they provide to the audience with their hear-ponding material really shows on stage. AC/DC Live, was recorded on 91' Razors Edge tour. On 92', it was released as one disc. But later, in 2003, was released as a two disc, collector's edition pack, giving the listener more options and more of AC/DC's ground-breaking hits on an amazing Live recording. The two discs combined arent exactly one concert. It's more like tracks from 4 or 5 shows on the tour. Mostly Europe. As you can tell from Brian's comments. If youve heard or seen Live At Donington, you may know what were dealing with. But if you havnt ever heard this band live, youre in for a godamn treat.
AC/DC-
Angus Young- Lead Guitar
Malcolm Young- Rythm Guitar
Brian Johnson- Vocals
Cliff Williams- Bass
Chris Slade- Drums
DISC ONE
The excellence of their stage-work kicks us off with the same opening as Live At Donington. Thunderstruck starts off with about an extra minute of the crowd chanting for Angus, and you can hear police and helicopters over-head. This song in my opinion is the best opening to any show ive ever heard. And yea, I probably said that before. But you would have to listen in to really feel it. The disc continues through with others that were featured on the DVD, but among some that werent, are tracks like Sin City, which also ranks in as an explosive track. Another noticeable track here is The Razors Edge. It astonishes me. Sounding three times as better than the recording, along with the crowd and the expanded guitar and drum-work. Jailbreak is interesting, and if youve read the Donington review, you should know. To some people, random improvised soloing, is annoying. To me, about 11 minutes of Angus losing his mind on stage is one of the real reasons I bought the compilation. He completely shreds up the night with his guitar-work that leads up to the song, and on the bridge. for about another 4 minutes. Its great stuff. As far as the actual musicians at the show go, they do an amazing job. Angus does everything in his power to put on a great show for the audience. Brian 'gets it up' as he would say and gets the crowd more and more into the tracks. Malcolm and Cliff add back-up vocals that make the ambience of the songs sound complete, and Chris makes every measure of every song more enjoyable by adding great material. And I guess you could count this here crowd as part of the show. The crowd makes the tracks seem like the best ever. And the song selecting on each disc was amazingly done, because to this day, I really cant decide which is better. They both have all amazing tracks on it. But what I can say, is that the first gets you ready for the next in a very good way. Dont lose your mind just yet.
Disc Score- 5/5
Reccomended Tracks- Thunderstruck, Sin City, Fire Your Guns, The Razor's Edge, Jailbreak
DISC TWO
Like I said, you really cant decide. Its AC/DC pouring all their talent into one great collection. Both cd's are worth a listen for a long time to come. The second one starts off with an amazing setlist. Hells Bells, Are You Ready, and Thats The Way I Wanna Rock N Roll. If I could explain the change in energy in the arena, once the crowd hears that first bell. Hells Bells is probably one of the best tracks on this collection, as it is extended just a bit, and with a faster-tempos. Are You Ready, has some great back-up work by Malcolm, and shows that he's there as much as everybody else. While Thats The Way I Wanna Rock N Roll, has the best drum-work on the whole compilation. A very, very enjoyable to listen. moving along through other favorites, like High Voltage, another crowd favorite, and Whole Lotta Rosie, which features the big dirty balloon, although you cant see. We come along to Let There Be Rock.Its Jailbreak, revisited. Sorry to tell you. Angus does it again. The song's bridge is also a huge highlight here. The crowd helps out a bit, and adds to the lyrics. And then, possibly the three most notorious crowd-favorites ever. Highway To Hell, T.N.T., and For Those About To Rock, create a closing possibly as explosive as the beginning. These three are where the band really belong, and it shows. Angus gives it his all, as you can hear from the solos on each, and Brian donates outstanding vocals to the listener. For Those About Rock's outro ranks in at around 5 or 6 minutes and gives the crowd what it really wants. Great closing, great disc, great ***ing show.
Disc Score- 5/5
Reccomended Tracks- Hells Bells, Whole Lotta Rosie, Let There Be Rock, Highway To Hell, T.N.T., For Those About To Rock
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Pros
+Increase of original tempos
+Added Material
+Angus' Solos
+Most Amazing Crowd
Cons
-All I can say is, I'd have wanted more. :(
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First off here, I'd like to apologize if this review seemed unnecessary, as a lot of the material on here was already on Live At Donington. But since a lot of favorites were left out of the DVD, and the ones that were on both are different shows, I wanted to make it feel more complete. Since Donington got a 4.5, and this ones getting the king's score, it has the reasoning. Fans that are just getting into the band wont be looking for a DVD, they'll be looking for some of their best work that represents the band as a whole. And I'm sure most people go straight for Back In Black, or maybe High Voltage. But this is the one to pick up. Theres no substitute for a place to start other than AC/DC live. And hey, even if youre a big fan, and somehow havent heard this gem yet, I suppose you'll know what to do.
Let There Be Rock
5/5
