AC/DC: Classic or Dud

but what the band could get away with releasing and yet has not released

this is the thing - they're proud of their albums as individual works, they reasonably think there's no need to fleece fans, the two movie soundtracks are functional best-ofs, Family Jewels has almost everything you'd want to see, and the DVD in Backtracks has the alternate videos.

and as one of the best-selling bands in the world, they're likely not under any irresistible pressure to cash in from any record companies. (and even if they were, I'd guess have enough control via George and Alberts to refuse if they wanted.)

Name me some other best selling acts with no greatest hits on the shelves.

Conversely, New Order (a band I imagine sells reasonably large numbers) has more compilations available than proper studio albums.

Name me some other best selling acts with no greatest hits on the shelves.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, April 16, 2014 9:23 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Metallica

Good call.

Oh yeah, good one.

kind of amusing to think of what those would look like, though. lots of bands do periodic greatest hits (ie, "Best of 1983-1989"), can you imagine how rankled the diehards would be with a "Metallica Greatest Hits: 1991 - 2011" release.

Nutallica has its own very devoted following of people who have almost nothing in common with the fans of the 80s stuff.

totally, and it'd sell really well, but I'm just amused thinking of all of the diehards going "THE CD SHOULD BE A BLANK CD-R" on newsgroup message boards (ok ok it's 2014 not 1996 but w/e)

if AC/DC was going to do any kind of best-of, they'd probably have to do a Bon and a Brian comp separate

what Metallica and AC/DC also have in common is that they were two of the biggest holdouts in not putting their music on iTunes for years before finally giving in. interesting how it's a couple bands who have dozens of singles in permanent rock radio rotation that are really trying to uphold the sanctity of the album.

Bon disc 1 and Brian disc 2 comp would be pretty killer. Van Halen should've done that, too, but they had to go and mix up their comp chronologically, which seems like a terrible idea.

Van Halen should've done that, too, but they had to go and mix up their comp chronologically, which seems like a terrible idea.

otm

Name me some other best selling acts with no greatest hits on the shelves.

I ought to have been clearer: obviously the band don't want to do it, and their sales success gives them the ability to reject any suggestions*. Presumably most best-selling acts are happy to sell EVEN MORE copies of Greatest Hits Vol. III / come up with the idea themselves.

*or to do it twice in the same non-obvious way

Well, yeah, that's why I respect AC/DC's decision. They could, and it would sell millions, but they clearly don't want to. See also: the delay selling stuff online, the dogged dedication to formula, the lack of some weird trendy outlier in the band's catalog ...

Well, yeah, that's why I respect AC/DC's decision. They could, and it would sell millions, but they clearly don't want to. See also: the delay selling stuff online, the dogged dedication to formula, the lack of some weird trendy outlier in the band's catalog ...

this is why I feel this strange melancholy at the idea of AC/DC shutting down, even though I have no interest in hearing more material or seeing a 2014 show. Loosing that singleminded dedication to formula with the Ramones long gone and Motorhead wobbly too. I've always assumed it was Malcolm who was the force behind that.

the lack of some weird trendy outlier in the band's catalog

We were Back in Black/but now check this rap!

Apparently Malcolm is indeed the band's undisputed leader/creative director. And, vitally, co-writer of everything.

Brian Johnson would have probably looked good with dookie chains on though.

Wait, they've apparently got a nephew replacing Malcolm!?!

ugh, why

I guess Stevie Young subbed for him in 1988?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HuQdjgltFA#t=115

Stevie filled in for Malcolm on occasions during the Black Ice tour when Malcolm wasn’t well and on the 1988 Blow Up Your Video tour when Malcolm was being treated for alcohol dependency. Stevie’s first band Starfighters also supported AC/DC on the 1980 Back In Black tour.

I mean I'm not even remotely one of those lineup pedants, I can appreciate incarnations of bands through changing lineups, but being w/out someone that founded the band and was integral to the band's sound like that, I ain't down with at all.

for the occasional live show, ok...but recording w/out him, which I saw some articles suggest = fuck that.

Hopefully he and Wolfgang and Jason can form a band called the Reboots.

I ranked every AC/DC album for Stereogum. Have at it, if you can get the thing to load.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tky4USPxFok

http://www.nme.com/news/acdc/79959

Unfortunately, due to the nature of Malcolm’s condition, he will not be returning to the band

:(

Frontman Brian Johnson previously said he toyed with the idea of calling the album 'Man Down' in reference to Young's absence, "But it’s a bit negative and it was probably just straight from the heart. I like that."

I love the band and like having them around, but kind of screw them for not calling it quits.

They didn't quit after Bon died so why now?

Didn't Stevie Young fill in for him in the 80s at some point?

Yeah, the cousin or nephew or whatever? This isn't filling in, though. Mal is gone.

I dunno. I guess we'll hear the results, but everything I've read has stressed how vital and valuable Malcolm was as a songwriter (as far as that goes) and as the band's rudder, while Angus even considers his brother a better guitarist. I hope the new album sounds like AC/DC and not like AC/DC trying to sound like AC/DC.

When Stevie filled in, Simon Wright was the drummer, leaving one original member (Angus) for those shows.

Yeah, and how did the music fare?

Supposedly, says the internet, most fans did not even know, because they look close enough:

http://www.ac-dc.cc/shared/members/photo_stevie_young_150x200.jpg

I would assume the music fared poorly, but mainly due to Rudd's absence.

Fun fact, though: Paul Thompson was among those who auditioned for the job after Rudd left. I think I could've gotten on board with that.

Yeah, Rudd-free AC/DC was pretty barf.

When they say "nephew," it's important to remember that this isn't a Richie Faulkner-in-Judas Priest situation where the new guy is half the age of the rest of the band. Stevie Young is 57; Malcolm is 61.

Even so, I'm kind of tired of no bands breaking up, ever.

I'm really glad I got to see the 2008 tour twice.

Didn't the band state that AC/DC would continue until they're all dead?

Even so, I'm kind of tired of no bands breaking up, ever.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, September 24, 2014 10:46 AM (37 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

AC/DC will eventually become a ghost band, like the Count Basie Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, or the Mingus Big Band (all currently active entities).

"Stevie Young presents the AC/DC Band!"

i dig that they were actually considering naming the album "man down" but agree it's a little mean - the beauty of "forget the hearse cuz i'll never die" is that they're not directly referencing bon so much as refusing to alter their course, "rock or bust" is definitely more appropriate

as to whether this will be any good, whether they should break up, all these questions were resolved about thirty years ago

rock or bust!

:(

AC/DC's Malcolm Young reportedly in care for dementia in Sydney

https://albumoriented.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/162-young-boys-03.jpg
I'll always love those young bros

as to whether this will be any good, whether they should break up, all these questions were resolved about thirty years ago

A-plus

Hey btw if any of you missed Phil's Stereogum article that's linked above, it's a great read, even got me to check out some of the later albums. And "Powerage" is a weirdly underrated album.

may have even said it on this thread but i like to think of powerage as a concept album about bon scott belatedly experiencing being dumped for the first time in his life and just losing his mind about it. "hell ain't a bad place to be" on the last album even being kind of a foreshadowing

Dementia at 61? Man, I wonder what's going on. My dad had a rare form of Alzheimer's called post cortical atrophy, but I don't think that affects short term memory as radically as that article indicates Malcolm is dealing with.