Published on Feb 19, 1998
And disco begat new wave, and new wave begat punk, and punk
begat pop metal.
As the ’70s were closing down, it seemed like about a thousand
different rock subsects were fighting for influence over the ’80s.
Of these, pop metal probably had the most lasting impact. Forget
that they still play “I Will Survive” at whatever miscellaneous
drinking establishment you attend on weekends, or the
synthesizer-laden pop of top 40 years gone by. Everyone from
Nazareth to Led Zeppelin were still heavily manipulating trends in
popular music.
And then there were the Deecees. Completely original, but you’ve
heard them before. Driving guitars with incredible hooks. And they
even did away with the obligatory late ’70s metal ballads on their
albums. (How many times must I listen to “All My Love” on the radio
in a single day?) You had the Young brothers fighting on guitar,
and you had Bon Scott screaming out the words to songs he only
half-remembered in his perpetual drunkardness.
Of course that killed him, but I’m not one to nit-pick. The 5-CD
restrospective
Bonfire is a sometimes touching, always rocking collection
of killer live tracks and rare studio outtakes, along with perhaps
the best metal album ever made. Who could ask for anything more but
Scott’s decaying body right there in the box? Death surrounds these
tracks, and death fuels them. Nothing you could possibly want is
lacking. Every classic song is here, sometimes two or three times,
and every riff combination imaginable is used, which you can
practice with your brand new AC/DC guitar pick!
There is a lost of cool freebie filler in the box including a
poster, temporary tattoo, keychain/bottle opener, and bumper
sticker. The keychain’s my favorite. It’s a nice metal alloy and
has a big rubber logo, so my friends can ask all day: “What the
!@#$ is AC/DC?” I always reply, “That’s what Butt-Head’s T-shirt
says,” and they follow with, “Cool.”
The first disc was initially a radio only promotional concert,
live from the Atlantic Studios in New York, sometime in mid-1978.
Since this is a “radio concert,” we have the pleasure of hearing
the band in a live setting without the constant applauding and
screaming. At eight tracks, and running just over 45 minutes, some
fans might feel ripped off, but every moment is priceless, from the
freestyle solo in “Live Wire” to the harrowing Phil Rudd drums in
“Rocker.” Then of course the nine minute version of “The Jack.” I’m
sure this song was much more offensive 20 years ago. Overall, this
is a terrific set of songs, and would be worth buying by
itself.
Of the eight tracks on the first disc, five are repeated on the
second disc, which is actually two discs. Flash forward one year.
AC/DC is now an international success, and is on a world tour. This
is the live AC/DC you know and love. The disc(s) is from the same
concert which was filmed and released as the 1981 concert film
Let There Be Rock, so this is called the soundtrack. This
isn’t exactly true, since there are many songs in the movie not
featured here, and many featured here that aren’t in the movie. I
won’t argue about semantics, however, because this is 90 minutes of
pure glory.
Filmed in late 1979 in Paris, all the key album tracks from
their seminal mid-70s work is here, as well as their newer radio
hits, such as “Highway to Hell”, and “T.N.T.” The thirteen-plus
minute “Bad Boy Boogie” is very enjoyable, but the ten minute
version of “Rocker” is nowhere near as good as the one from the
first disc, which is only half the length. Overall, the core of the
album is here, and these two discs are worth the purchase
price.
The third disc is the weakest here, but is still very
listenable. The skeletal versions of classics, with alternate
lyrics, are cool for hardcore fans, and the few key tracks missing
from the first discs are put here in their studio glory, (i.e.
“It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)”). The
best part of this disc, however, is the sound bites from Scott in
his final days, which are intriguing, if heartbreaking. He was
always drunk. I don’t think he could stop drinking. Even in these
interviews, he is slurred and half-coherent. He was really
bottoming out.
The final disc is
Back In Black. It has already been reviewed here, so I won’t
say anything about it. The remastering is very nice, and the
miniature gatefold album sleeve which replaces the jewel case is
very cool. It is obviously one of the great albums of all times.
Enough said.
The attached booklet is enjoyable, and I learned a lot about the
band. The freebies are neat. The music is simply incredible. A few
classic songs didn’t make the box, even “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt
Cheap”, but what is here more than makes up for it. Even the box
design is very cool.
This is a very extensive, expensive box set. Diehard fans will
love it, and it’s a good introduction for those looking to become
fans. At $70+ at record stores, and $55+ at electronic stores, it
is one of the more costly boxed sets produced. If you can afford
it, however, get it. It is definitely worth it.