One of the best hockey arena songs ever written is now 18 years old: “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. 1990′s The Razors Edge yielded the aforementioned classic along with “Moneytalks” and the album’s dark, driving title track; it’s an uneven album, but it is “Thunderstruck” that hockey fans who weren’t yet born when it was recorded know from rinks across the country.
When Angus Young’s fast-fingered fretwork blares forth from the big arena speakers, you can feel the crowd’s energy level spike. Few tracks rival Thunderstruck to fire up a crowd; in fact, many of those similarly effective songs are by this same band (“Back In Black”, “Hell’s Bells”, “You Shook Me All Night Long”, etc.). As John Buccigross put it in his recent paean to AC/DC’s classic album Back In Black, “AC/DC is the official music act for the sport of hockey.”
It’s been a long time since AC/DC released an album that mattered, and 8 years since they released anything at all. In that time, modern music has yielded fewer and fewer arena rockers (Foo Fighters excepted). Sure, bands still produce interesting and high-energy music, but as much as I enjoy Radiohead, for instance, even their heavier-guitar tracks don’t fit the vibe of a hockey game.
Well last night AC/DC hit the Phone Booth in support of their new album, Black Ice. As one of the definitive arena rock bands and a band whose catalog is in heavy rotation at rinks around the world — for example, we heard “Shoot To Thrill” in Moscow — AC/DC was overdue for an album that would would rise to the occasion . . . a double-entendre that the band would likely appreciate.
So how does Black Ice fare in the context of AC/DC’s catalog? Well it’s actually terrific, their best since For Those About To Rock, We Salute You. Mind you, AC/DC isn’t exactly known for being particularly innovative — but they do what they do, and they do it better than anyone else does. On Black Ice they inject fresh energy into an old formula, and it works as well as it ever has.
Despite AC/DC’s mildly irritating distribution strategy of selling Black Ice exclusively at Wal-Mart and not
offering online downloads, AC/DC’s new album topped the charts with
784,000 units sold in its first week, good for the second-best debut of 2008. That’s an impressive tally given the economy and the recording industry’s continuing
decline. Pretty sweet for a band
whose first album hit stores 33 years ago.
Black Ice is filled with classic Angus Young riffs, Brian Johnson’s gargling-nails growls and screams, and the band’s classic driving-to-destruction rhythm section. Like Chris Chelios, this band’s age seems to have little impact on
their ability to perform (yes, I know, another double-entendre).
A few tracks on the new album stand out as perfect for hockey arenas. “Spoilin’ For A Fight” seems custom-written for an NHL pugilistic highlight reel . . . that, or Donald Brashear’s entry music/theme, like some WWE wrestler. The dirty shuffle and wicked slide guitar of “Stormy May Day” is reminiscent of Physical Graffiti-era Led Zeppelin; its title and lyrics (“Storm is ragin’ / No one’s gonna rescue you”) would be ideal for playoff run deep into May.
Radio-friendly rockers like “Big Jack” and “Rock N’ Roll Train” are also well-suited for hockey; the latter has already made the Capitals’ song rotation. And the title track has more going for it than just its hockey-apropos name — the riff-and-groove jam makes for a menacing prowl of a song that’s guaranteed to lodge firmly in your brain.
After a prolonged absence, AC/DC is back with a classic album of riffs
and roars that stands among their best, still rocking and rolling like
pros. So schlep over to Wal-Mart (or their website), crank Black Ice up to 11 in your car, and enjoy AC/DC proving the maxim that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
10 Comments
Angus Young made one of the great rock n’ roll quips of all time: ‚ÄúI get really pissed off when people say I‚Äôve recorded the same album twelve times. In fact, I‚Äôve recorded the same album THIRTEEN times!‚Äù
But hey, AC/DC packed the Rogers Centre here in Toronto last weekend with tickets selling for around $100 a pop. No fixing seems to be required, ’cause it sure don’t seem broke to me!
TW
I can find fault with only one aspect of Ordered’s
otherwise distinctly thoughtful review: he seems overly impressed by the big sound generated by four when one its equal (or for some bigger) is put out by just three:
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=Geddy+Lee&init=q&sid=878fd7e3825be236e34b227f3b4c3ded#/photo.php?pid=30063673&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=15465891508&aid=-1&id=1519413765&oid=15465891508
Great review. I agree that it is their best since “For Those About to Rock.” Much more consistent than most of their later stuff.
I agree that the high points on “The Razors Edge” make that a “hit-and-miss” album. I am going to see them on December 8 in LA. I am actually going to see ACDC, Metallica, and a Pacific Symphony performance of Holst “Planets” featuring NASA HD footage of the planets. Hope my ears survive!
“I am actually going to see ACDC, Metallica, and a Pacific Symphony performance of Holst “Planets” featuring NASA HD footage of the planets.”
Wow! I had not heard of that and I’m quite jealous. “The Planets” by Gustav Holst is spectacular. Who is doing “Mars, the Bringer of War”?
@pucksandbooks,
Ha!
That link is NOT what I expected. Nicely done!
Good review, but um, Mike, I couldn’t tell from it if you were actually at the show or not. I thought you were out of town this weekend
Unfortunately I didn’t see their Phone Booth show — I just timed my album review to coincide with the band’s appearance in DC.
I think Thunderstruck and Shook Me All Night should be banned from all arenas in both countries…..Send Zombienation and Gary Glitter with it! Not because these songs aren’t good (well…the zombie song is horrible), but because it’s overdone!
I prefer arenas that take chances with their music (like Dallas using Saga-On the Loose, or Aldo Nova-Fantasy…..University of Wisconsin using “Jump Around” or better yet Ottawa rolling out “Raise A Little Hell” from Trooper. )
I’ll give Hell’s Bells an exemption because it’s that good, but aside from that, let’s get away from the groupthink that is ‘arena music’ and while we are at it….BRING BACK THE ORGAN!!!!!
Maybe the Caps will break out “I Need a Mistress for Xmas” during the holiday season at the phone booth.
Getting away from groupthink (in the arena, or anywhere else for that matter) is a great idea in theory, but nigh impossible in application. Hearing “People, C’mon” by Delta Spirit or “What It Look Like” by Spank Rock or “Burning Inside” by Ministry instead of AC/DC or “Who Let The Dogs Out?” would be amazing, but the thousands of American Idol-weaned tools drowning in cola and marketing around you would be dumb-founded to the point of rioting faced with something new. People are horrible.
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