Black Ice AC/DC

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Vinyl LP

  • Release Date: 10/26/2009
  • Original Release: 2008
  • 2 Disc Set
  • Sales Rank: 42,163
  • Label: SONY
  • UPC: 886973837719

Listener Rating: (2 ratings)

Detailed Rating: "Hit Potential" See All

More Formats 
CD - Special Edition$13.59
CD$13.19
CD - Digi-Pak$17.99
 
  • Overview
  • Tracks
  • Editorial Reviews
  • Customer Reviews
  • Details & Credits
Track List
Click on LISTEN or link to hear an audio clip.
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Black Ice

1LISTENRock n Roll Train 4:21
2LISTENSkies on Fire 3:34
3LISTENBig Jack 3:57
4LISTENAnything Goes 3:22
5LISTENWar Machine 3:09
6LISTENSmash n Grab 4:06
7LISTENSpoilin' for a Fight 3:17
8LISTENWheels 3:28
9LISTENDecibel 3:33
10LISTENStormy May Day 3:10
11LISTENShe Likes Rock & Roll 3:52
12LISTENMoney Made 4:15
13LISTENRock n Roll Dream 4:40
14LISTENRocking All the Way 3:22
15LISTENBlack Ice 3:25

About this Artist

Editorial Reviews

Unlike any other band of their stature, AC/DC truly don't care about the world at large. They see no triumph in their longevity, they long ago dismissed not only the idea of artistic statements but the very notion of artistic growth: they aren't good or bad, they simply are. They have nothing left to prove, so perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that their albums lack any sense of urgency or motivation. AC/DC never rush to cut a record; they wait until Angus Young has collected enough riffs to hammer out an album's worth of songs, then they file in one by one to lay down their tracks with a big-budget producer, who inevitably gives them a clean, mammoth sound that's no different than what came before. Rick Rubin couldn't change this pattern on 1995's Ballbreaker and Brendan O'Brien can't change it on 2008's Black Ice. He encourages the band to add a bit of color here and there, so they grace "Stormy May Day" with some sloppy slide guitar and turn "Rock N' Roll Dream" into an expansive neo-ballad cousin of Bad Company's "Rock N Roll Fantasy," but O'Brien's crisp, colorful production only emphasizes how AC/DC could stand to be a little less careful on record.

It's the eternal AC/DC paradox: at its core, their music is brutal and primitive, but their records are slick, overly cautious, and bloated, stretching out to 15 tracks when they should be no longer than ten. AC/DC haven't lost their knack for great, simple rock & roll and Black Ice is graced by a few terrific tracks. In fact, as it opens with the "Highway to Hell" boogie of "Rock N Roll Train," the stuttering "Skies on Fire" and "Big Jack," it seems that Black Ice might be the great latter-day AC/DC record the group has yet to deliver, but as the next 12 tracks spool out over the next hour, the album slowly slides into a too-comfortable groove, fueled by too-tight rhythms and guitars that sound loud but not beefy. This polished, precise rock & roll is good enough, at least in small doses, but Black Ice delivers a whopping dose, puffed out to nearly an hour, running so long it all kind of washes together -- a problem that is endemic to all AC/DC albums after Back in Black. This shift can't be placed on the shoulders of Brian Johnson, who may never have been able to match Bon Scott no matter how much he mimics the man, but it's simply a symptom of the band's massive popularity, where they have no compelling reason to release a record every other year, so they make albums twice a decade, inevitably spending too much time sculpting their recordings when they'd be better off bashing them out. At their peak, AC/DC recorded their albums quick 'n' dirty and the music felt that way, too. Age has turned their tasteless insurgence into vulgar tradition but that's not the problem, nor is it the band's refusal to change because, let's face it, when a band does one thing this well there's no need to change. AC/DC can still sound invigorating -- and make no mistake they do here, as much as they ever do on a latter-day record -- but they just need to tighten up, cut back, crank it up, and sound a little rude again. After all, what's the point of being the filthiest band in rock & roll if you're going to make albums as polite as Black Ice? Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

  • Listener Rating:
  • Ratings: 2Reviews: 1

AGE IS IRRELEVANT TO TRUE ROCK 'N ROLL SPIRITby Mark1961

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

August 29, 2009: Black Ice was long in the making, probably due to the fact that these guys are not spring chickens anymore, and having a life outside of AC/DC has to come into play at some point for the band members.

These guys tour on a massive scale when, and only when, they have new material to support--this is to their credit. Despite their massive popularity and success, though, the fire and energy of their performances has not waned over time, which is all the more remarkable when you consider how long they've been at it. They give their fans what they want. Pandering to critics' tastes has never been a priority to AC/DC.

The album? Very much an AC/DC recording at it's core--tight, crunching riffs with insatiable rhythm, double entendres & metaphors for lyrics which, obviously, refer to sex, rock 'n roll. There are some minor wrinkles here and there, but, with the volume turned down low, it's still recognizably AC/DC--THAT SOUND is unmistakable.

Rock 'N Roll Train starts with a a staccato base riff with a bridge that segues nicely into the chorus--'Highway To Hell' of 2008.

Skies On Fire is an intersting mix--syncopated rhythm figure for the main verses, then a hard rock, power-chord sustain for the chorus.

Big Jack sounds a bit like Back In Black-era AC/DC. As is usually the case, Angus Young's right channel guitar is a lead-type rhythm in the chorus, which complements the left channel distinctive crunch of Malcolm Young's Gretsch guitar--the two compliment each other well.

Anything Goes brings to mind the catchy, pop-like quality that Brian Johnson demonstrates, and his vocal range here belies his age (61). One of the few AC/DC 'pop' songs with background vocals not present.

War Machine is down and dirty, beginning in the key of E, always an ominous sounding key in rock 'n roll music. This one could have been longer with, say, the addition of another bridge toward the end.

Smash 'N Grab starts with an Angus Young minor-key lead motif, unusual for AC/DC since most of their songs consist of major chords predominantly. Not one of the better cuts on the album, in my opinion.

Spoilin' For A Fight--OK, but not one of the better cuts on the album.

Wheels--this one unremarkable upon first listen, but with repeated play, comes across as better than average. Brian Johnson's vocals seem to carry the song, and the background vocals in the chorus are unmelodious.

Decibel--bluesy cut, on first listen thought of ZZ Tops' Waitin' On A Bus--just slightly different riff line.

Stormy May Day-slide guitar by Angus Young, a wrinkle. Song seems to end before it should--3rd verse would have served it better.

She Likes Rock 'N Roll--staccato riff, catchy. Background vocals reminiscent of 'Dirty Deeds'

Money Made- infectious rhythm with swinging, rope-like bass line.

Rock 'N Roll Dream--a stretch, at least in terms of AC/DC; has space and air, along with song structure unique from most AC/DC songs.

Rocking All The Way--unimpressive, nothing outstanding here

Black Ice--blues-based riff from Angus starts the affair here, and it is a pretty solid one, at that.

All-in all, not bad for a group who really have nothing to prove to anybody. They just happen to be a very good rock band.

I take exception to some of what original reviewer expressed:

a)Sound not changed from album to album? Compare Ballbreaker to Razor's...