Rock Or Bust

Hey everyone, I've read a lot of reviews here about this album and I have to say that the mixed review bag has surprised me somewhat. This review may be a little self indulgent and nostalgic but please know it's from the heart. AC/DC have finally done what I knew one day they would... They have written another Back in Black.I have been an AC/DC fan since I was 7 years old and I convinced my mum to let me buy my first record. I then blasted DC's Dirty Deeds every day for years much to the chagrin of my mother! She created a rock monster and she knew it!That was back in the mid 70's and since then I have always been a fan. It hasn't always been plain sailing though. Up until Flick of the switch the DC's rode high in my mind and because of my love of their stuff they became (and still are) my favorite band of all time.So what happened at Flick of the Switch? Maybe it was discovering Led Zeppelin, Dio, or Ozzy! It's hard to say but something was different.I still liked 'Flick' but Fly on the wall, Razors Edge, and Blow up your video were just so 'average' sounding. Ballbreaker had it's moments and the others an odd track or two but something was missing and for many years AC/DC took a back seat.It wasn't until 2007 when Stiff Upper Lip came out that I started to pay more attention to AC/DC. The title track was amazing, I was so excited for a new album, and when I bought it, I tried and tried to find that love again but simply couldn't it seemed Stiff Upper Lip was a step in the right direction however.When Black Ice came out I purposely listened to none of the hype, none of the early releases of recordings, none of the singles. I wanted to hear it when I had the full album. And thank the DC gods... What a great album it was! Black Ice was a return to form that once again excited me, I played that album a 'lot' but I started to believe that my favorite album of all time would never be repeated, or even challenged. This was fine.. Back in Black was enough for anyone, so happy to have it.ROCK OR BUST REVIEW REALLY STARTS HERE - SORRY :)Then the release of Rock or Bust. This time I did listen to the singles and the moment I heard Play Ball I knew, this was going to be a great album. Then hearing Rock or Bust just before release... I got that tingle, that feeling that everything was going to be ok.The album is a return to what the DC's do best, I'm unsure of what that formula may actually be but Rock or Bust manages to hit every note with perfection. Theres something about how the album progresses, how it seems to take them in a 'slightly' different direction that makes this album a contender for the top slot. Will it ever beat Back in Black. I am unsure it will, but in that unsure-ity (is that a word? lol) lies it's true brilliance.Lets talk about the two singers... Lets NOT argue about them. It makes me so angry that people find it so necessary to label one of them as the 'best'. They both have their place in AC/DC history and they both pull it off with equal passion and vocal talent. Back in the day AC/DC were a little more rough around the edges, they tried more musical ideas, the albums were much more of a mish mash of songs than a collection, they were gods, and they knew it. The Bon Scott era is a magical time in rock history.n another review here I saw someone 'blame' Mutt Lange the producer for AC/DC's later predictiveness (after Highway to hell - the first album he worked on) in music and to a degree, they may have been right.Mutt Lange is a producer who loves 'formula' musically but don't take the previous three best AC/DC albums away from him. Highway to Hell, For those about to Rock, and Back in Black are masterclasses in how to make rock albums, equal in part to Mutt Lange as well as the band themselves. I strongly believe he steered AC/DC more in a direction of stamping a style on themselves, something they did amazingly well.The new album is, in my mind a high point of AC/DC's career. As Back in Black before it the album is shrouded in tragedy. The loss of Malcolm Young to dementia is saddening to the point it actually hurts like he's a member of my own family, how the young family must feel is beyond my comprehension.But somehow that tragedy has (once again) managed to fuel the band for a greatness thats only visited rarely by ANY band, let alone the mighty ac/dc. Stevie young (who possibly deserves a place in the band more than he does??) has taken the bull by the horns and plays his heart out on this album.Maybe this injection of new blood has spurned something, maybe the sadness of Malcolm not being around... all these things add to the greatness of the songwriting and playing.Something here makes this album top five material. Something here makes this the best DC album since Back in Black.Thanks for reading my waffle (if you did) I hope you realise I'm just passionate about itFor the TL:DR crew...The album is AMAZING - Go buy it.For the rest of you, thanks... Enjoy the album.

It must be well over twenty years now since AC/DC went into the semi-retirement phase. This is the period where they only release on album every five to ten years, usually with minimal effort. The last release before this was the enjoyable but not great Black Ice. It had been eight years between that album and its predecessor. This time it was six years between albums. Thankfully, the results were a lot better wit 2014's Rock or Bust.The general consensus on Rock Or Bust is that it is simply more of the same and you'd have to be an idiot to disagree. The difference between this record and the previous though is that it is considerably more focused. The band have kept all the songs to three minutes or less, and the album around the thirty five minute mark. This means that the album not only feels satisfying but it doesn't feel overly long and tedious. You'll hear influences from the likes of Chuck Berry to Jimi Hendrix through out this record. The way the band utilise these different sounds and limited the overall album length is a very wise move from the band and it definitely plays to their strengths.The one thing that has been bugging me about AC/DC for a VERY long time is their sheer lack of variety. They don't write any fast songs any more and instead prefer to plod along like the rock dinosaurs that they are. It's a bit of a shame really and this really showed on Black Ice. Rock Or Bust was a little different however. There is a few more up beat songs than the previous record and it makes all the different. Granted, it isn't exactly Riff Raff but it's a lot better than what we got before.The band themselves sounds great. Angus Young as expected is still one of the top rock n roll guitar players in the world. He is backed up by his relative an mean sounding guitarist Stevie Young, replacing the late great Malcolm Young (R.I.P.). You've got to give the bloke credit here. He does a damn fine here, really holding his own. Like a lot of previous AC/DC albums, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams play the songs in their own simplistic manner. It's a trademark sound that only they can get away and sound great doing it. Brian Johnson's coarse voice is in all its glory here. The man hasn't changed for so long, there is no point in doing it now.The sound of Rock Or Bust is great. The album really rocks when cranked up to unreasonable levels and that's the way it should be. The instruments all have their space in the mix and there are no traces of loudness anywhere. This is a great sounding record that will age very well. At this point, it is always so cheap that most rock fans can take a safe gamble on it. I doubt they're going to be disappointed as this is a good solid short but sweet effort that has no real drawbacks.

Simply put: Great! AC/DC are in top form, even after faced with sad news about Malcolm Young's dementia. Luckily the Young-family seems to be full of guitar playing talent as Malcolm and Angus's nephew Stevie Young, who actually filled in for Malcolm in the late 80's, was a no-brainer replacement. All members of the band are in top form. Brian Johnson still sounds great on vocals, Angus Young's lead work is as schorching as ever and the Cliff Williams/Phil Rudd-rhythm section provide a rock solid backbone to the band. Stevie Young also fits to the picture admirably well. Phill Rudd will be replaced by Chris Slade on drums on the upcoming tour, so this might be the last time in a while, or ever, that Rudd's excellent drumming work with AC/DC can be heard.The songs are great old school hard rock anthems, loyal to the AC/DC-formula. The songs are actually drawn on older ideas, "drawer songs" so to speak, that never made it to previous AC/DC albums. And oh boy, there are some standout riffs here and it seems to be a small crime they weren't used before! Malcolm Young is still present in spirit and song-writing credits. Standouts include the title track, 'Rock or Bust', 'Play Ball' and 'Dogs of War'. The album's runtime is approx 35 minutes over 11 songs, a bit short. But in the other hand this is a good sized portion of songs sounding quite similar, which means the album never gets tedious to listen.The album truly feels fresh and old fashioned at the same time, but I will bet the vast majority of AC/DC-fans and rock-fans in general wouldn't have it any other way. If it aint't broke, do not even consider fixin' it! To me this album ranks

Good purchase

Very good and fast delivery