Search - Ac, Dc :: Fly on the Wall

(3.5 stars) Brian loses his voice, but Angus and Malcolm are

finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 06/19/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Aaaah! What happened to Brian Johnson's voice? He sounded so good on Flick of the Switch, and now, a mere two years later, he sounds like he's vomiting into the microphone. You think I'm exaggerating? You haven't heard this album's title track. Which is probably a good thing, because it's one of the worst AC/DC songs in history. Oh, sure, Angus can still make fireworks come out of his guitar, but when is that anything new? It's not a good song by any means! Neither is "Danger," once again harmed by Brian's ruined larynx. The anti-booze lyrics are interesting, making it a near descendent of "Ride On". Only not half as good. Or good at all. Still, you know something? This album isn't as bad as we've been told it is by many fans. It's not a personal favorite of mine, and it's not a lost jewel like Flick of the Switch, but some people sure give it a lot of hassle it doesn't deserve. Even with Brian's vocals, "Shake Your Foundations" is still great, and Angus does himself proud with his whammy bar. And the shout-along chorus never gets old. "First Blood" is good, too. It's a bit formulaic in the beginning, but the tempo change near the end is something AC/DC rarely ever did. And, other than the main riff, which was stolen from the clean-guitar break in "Shoot to Thrill" (like many other late-period AC/DC songs), I thoroughly enjoy "Sink the Pink". It's paint-by-numbers, but Angus, Malcolm, and Brian are such good craftsmen I honestly don't care. "Playing with Girls" is pretty much a first-rate fiery rocker, other than Brian Johnson's annoyingness. The guitars soar on "Stand U," And while two "Shoot to Thrill" rewrites should be enough, drummer Simon Wright stands (or rather, sits) and delivers on "Hell or High Water," adding a funky drum intro to an otherwise mechanical, factory-made rocker. I'll admit I'm not a massive fan of "Back in Business". It's a generic blues-rock song. Far from bad, but I can get a half-dozen of these anywhere. And "Send for the Man" isn't much more than adequate. But there's nothing wrong with adequacy! I don't really have any major complaints about many of these tracks - all of the songs end in the same way (Brian screams, the drums go crazy, the guitar lets out one final chord, and the song thuds to a close), but compared to most mid-'80s hard rock? This is brilliant! And it's good by AC/DC's own standards, too, which are pretty far above that of your average hair-metal band."