AC/DC - Live on BBC, 1976
All right, all right – settle down. I know that you, my faithful readers, get tired of me posting music only I find interesting. But how fun would things here be if all I ever posted was Zeppelin boots?
In appreciation of your patience, I found an old AC/DC live recording for you; something originally broadcast by the BBC back on July 8, 1976. The location was the Paris Theatre in London, which the Beeb used to use for live performances. AC/DC were on their first tour of the U.K., the “Lock Up Your Daughters” tour.
The sound quality here is very good. The performance of the band itself, though, is an interesting contrast to the AC/DC that would appear a couple of years later on the
If You Want Blood live album. The audience here is sedate, almost polite, and the band itself rips through the five songs mostly staying faithful to the album sound and with little of the snarl of later performances. You’d think they were trying to make a good impression or something.
A couple of the tracks performed at this show, “Soul Stripper” and “Baby, Please Don’t Go” were released on AC/DC’s debut Australian album, but didn’t show up here in the States until the 1984
’74 Jailbreak. Also be warned that you’re going to hear Pete Drummond chat between each of the songs.
Pete Drummond Introduction.mp3 Live Wire.mp3 It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).mp3 Soul Stripper.mp3 High Voltage.mp3 Baby, Please Don’t Go.mp3 Labels: AC/DC, Australian, live music
Can You Go a Little Deeper: AC/DC
In this age of iPods and iTunes and random singles, it’s unusual to sit and listen to an entire album. This past week, though, I’ve been in the mood to put on an album (OK, a CD, whatever) and listen to the whole thing. Call it random song burnout, but I’ve gotten tired of hearing whatever comes up on “shuffle.” I want control over my musical destiny.
One of the disks I listened to this weekend was AC/DC’s U.S. debut,
High Voltage. I specify the U.S. debut, because that’s the one I have, and also because this version was actually a compilation of AC/DC’s first two Australian releases,
High Voltage and
T.N.T. Their Aussie debut release also had a much different track list than what the rest of the world would get. The album that hit these shores in May 1976 included only two tracks from the original Australian release, with the rest of its songs being pulled from
T.N.T.The track I’m reaching out for today, “Little Lover,” is one of the two from the original release that made it onto the international version. Typical of many AC/DC songs from this era, it’s a sleazy, bluesy romp about a groupie (“When the band said goodnight, I had to say hello”). It’s also one of my favorites from this album and one you probably never hear anymore.
Little Lover.mp3 ~~~~~
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Can You Go a Little Deeper is an irregularly recurring feature here wherein I resurrect old favorites, lost songs, and other things you maybe haven’t heard in a while)
Labels: AC/DC, Australian, classic rock, deep tracks
"Shut the Door and Cover Me..."
The other day, while searching through eMusic for a couple of songs, I stumbled across a bunch of compilation disks. These disks all have names like those old
KTEL releases – things like
Trailer Park Hits and
Monster Mullet Rock. If I saw these in the cut-out bin (do they still have those?) I probably wouldn’t even give them a second glance.
As I skimmed the song titles, though, I saw these disks were filled with cover versions I’d never heard: Roger Daltrey and Slash doing “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” Ted Nugent playing “Rag Doll.”
I’ve ‘fessed up before that I love to hear a good cover of a good song. Rarely can a cover surpass the original, but it’s almost always interesting to hear a musician stamp a song with their own style. Case in point: Faster Pussycat. I’m not going to even get into their whole evolution from Motley Crue wanna-be’s to Marilyn Manson wanna-be’s, but did you ever think you’d hear an
industrial version of “Misty Mountain Hop”? Also, check out Yngwie Malmsteen’s take on “Dream On.” Whoever’s singing is no Steven Tyler, but Yngwie just
shreds the song. Joe who?
No More Mr. Nice Guy (Alice Cooper cover).mp3 ~ Roger Daltrey and Slash
It’s a Long Way to the Top (AC/DC cover).mp3 ~ Lemmy
Squealer (AC/DC cover).mp3 ~ Genitorturers
Viva Las Vegas.mp3 ~ Johnny Ramone
Tie Your Mother Down (Queen cover).mp3 ~ Lemmy and Ted Nugent
Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin cover).mp3 ~ Faster Pussycat
Dream On (Aerosmith cover).mp3 ~ Yngwie Malmsteen
Rag Doll (Aerosmith cover).mp3 ~ Ted Nugent
Money (Pink Floyd cover).mp3 ~ Edgar Winter
If you haven’t done so already, you need to check out
eMusic. For a fair price, they have become my number one source for independent, DRM-free music.
~~~~~
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Picture Note: The pic is of Gen, singer and founding member of the Genitorturers, from the band's MySpace)
Labels: AC/DC, Aerosmith, classic rock, covers, guitar heroes, industrial, Led Zeppelin
If You Want Blood...
You’re only as popular as your last post, as my grandfather used to say, and with my hits here dropping like the dollars in my 401(k), I thought it might be a good idea to post a little more frequently.
That said, those of you who are still prisoners of government radio are probably unaware that Sirius Satellite Radio recently launched
AC/DC Radio. It’s been quite a while since I’ve spent any amount of time listening to AC/DC, but it’s been fun tuning in for a couple of hours here and there and hearing some songs I haven’t heard in years.
This all-AC/DC-all-the-time channel is part of the media blitz surrounding the October 20 release of
Black Ice, the band’s first studio album since 2000’s
Stiff Upper Lip. I’m looking forward to hearing the album, which singer Brian Johnson has said is harder-edged than its predecessor. There’s also the news, reported by
Rolling Stone, that for the first time on album Angus Young will be playing slide guitar.
Jumping fully on the AC/DC blitz bandwagon, I’ve decided to post up a few of the band’s songs today. Like I’ve done in the past, I went through the disks I have and pulled one song from each, trying where I could to stick to the deep tracks.
Some trivia notes – where applicable – about today’s music:
Gone Shootin’: Written by Malcolm and Angus Young, and Bon Scott, is about a heroin overdose. The song was re-recorded in 2007 with Brian Johnson on vocals.
Love at First Feel: One of only two tracks from international AC/DC albums not available on the band's Australian albums. It was released as a single in Australia, however.
The Jack: According to interviews, the song stemmed from real events when the five members of the band were sharing a house. A groupie who had slept with most – if not all – of the band contracted gonorrhea and subsequently accused one of them of giving it to her.
The live recordings of “The Jack” have very different lyrics than the original studio versions. Whereas the studio version of the song uses poker metaphors as sexual innuendo, the live version tells the story in a literal manner.
Night Prowler: In June 1984, a highly publicized murder case began revolving around Richard Ramirez, who was responsible for several brutal killings in Los Angeles. Nicknamed the “Night Stalker,” Ramirez was a fan of AC/DC, particularly the song “Night Prowler.” Police also claimed that Ramirez was wearing an AC/DC shirt and left an AC/DC hat at one of his crime scenes. During the trial, Ramirez shouted “Hail Satan!” and showed off the pentagram carved into his palm. On VH1's Behind the Music on AC/DC, the band claimed that while the song had taken on a murderous connotation by Ramirez, it is actually about a boy sneaking into his girlfriend's bedroom at night.
Chase the Ace: One of two instrumental tracks from the Who Made Who album. This album, which serves as a soundtrack for the Stephen King film, is also the closest thing AC/DC has to a “greatest hits” album.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Train: The first release from the upcoming Black Ice album. On August 30, the first Saturday of the U.S. college football season, the song was played extensively on ESPN and ABC college football broadcasts as intro and bumper music.
Can I Sit Next to You Girl.mp3 ~ from
High VoltageGone Shootin’.mp3 ~ from
PowerageLove at First Feel.mp3 ~ from
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt CheapThe Jack (live version).mp3 ~ from
If You Want BloodNight Prowler.mp3 ~ from
Highway to HellHave a Drink On Me.mp3 ~ from
Back in BlackChase the Ace.mp3 ~ from
Who Made WhoMeanstreak.mp3 ~ from
Blow Up Your VideoIf You Dare.mp3 ~ from
The Razor’s EdgeBig Gun.mp3 ~ from
The Last Action Hero soundtrack
Rock ‘n’ Roll Train.mp3 ~ from
Black IceLabels: AC/DC, classic rock, guitar heroes
Some Random AC/DC
I ran across something the other day that seemed like it might have some potential: A boot titled
AC/DC: Shockingly Rare. As it turns out, the main shocker on this disk is that so little of it is AC/DC.
There are 13 tracks on this collection. Of those, at least three aren’t AC/DC at all. Then there’re a few others where the only connection to AC/DC is a guest spot by a member of the band. Bottom line, this disk was a little disappointing.
But since I’m a pretty decent guy, I’ve cut through all the bullshit for you and honed
Shockingly Rare down to four songs. I’ve never heard any of them before, so I’m hoping they’re new to you as well.
The first track, “Johnny B. Goode,” may be from a jam with Cheap Trick. From
Crabsody in Blue: “A CD has been released by the Cheap Trick fan club featuring a previously unavailable live jam with members of AC/DC performing the track 'Johnny B Goode.'
The album, put together by Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos and titled 'Bun E's Basement Bootlegs,' contains a number of onstage collaborations with artists such as Roy Wood, Alex Harvey and Cozy Powell. The track, which features Bon, Malcolm, and Angus, is ‘Johnny B. Goode’ and was recorded in 1979. The CD is limited to 1000 copies and only available to members of the Cheap Trick fan club.”
“Shot in the Head” is a track by the Marcus Hook Roll Band. MHRB was an identity assumed by Harry Vanda and George Young at the very end of their four-year stint in London as session musicians and independent record producers. George Young, of course, being the older brother to Angus and Malcolm Young. In 1974, the band recorded 10 tracks, using Angus and Malcolm on the recording. The album eventually saw limited release in Australia as
Tales of Old Grandaddy, but “Shot in the Head” did receive some notice as the band’s “theme song” of sorts.
“Whole Lotta Rosie” is the AC/DC classic, covered by Guns n’ Roses, with Angus Young on guitar.
“Boom Boom” is a bluesy sort of jam that Brian Johnson and Angus Young recorded live during an interview at a French radio station.
Johnny B. Goode.mp3 Shot in the Head.mp3 Whole Lotta Rosie.mp3 Boom Boom.mp3Labels: AC/DC, live music, rock
In appreciation of your patience, I found an old AC/DC live recording for you; something originally broadcast by the BBC back on July 8, 1976. The location was the Paris Theatre in London, which the Beeb used to use for live performances. AC/DC were on their first tour of the U.K., the “Lock Up Your Daughters” tour. 
