..:: audio-music dot info ::..


Main Page      The Desert Island      Copyright Notice
 Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz


AC/DC: Rock or Bust

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Sony Music
Released: 2014.11.28
Time:
 34:55
Category: Hard Rock
Producer(s): Brendan O'Brien
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.acdc.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2014
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Rock or Bust (A.Young/M.Young) - 3:03
[2] Play Ball (A.Young/M.Young) - 2:47
[3] Rock the Blues Away (A.Young/M.Young) - 3:24
[4] Miss Adventure (A.Young/M.Young) - 2:57
[5] Dogs of War (A.Young/M.Young) - 3:35
[6] Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder (A.Young/M.Young) - 3:22
[7] Hard Times (A.Young/M.Young) - 2:44
[8] Baptism by Fire (A.Young/M.Young) - 3:30
[9] Rock the House (A.Young/M.Young) - 2:42
[10] Sweet Candy (A.Young/M.Young) - 3:09
[11] Emission Control (A.Young/M.Young) - 3:41

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Brian Johnson - Vocals
Angus Young - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals on [5,10]
Stevie Young - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Cliff Williams - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Phil Rudd - Drums

Brendan O'Brien - Producer
Billy Bowers - Engineer
Mike Fraser - Engineer
Tom Syrowski - Engineer
Ryan Smith - Mastering
Josh Cheuse - Art Direction, Photography
Istvan - Cover Art
Guido Karp - Photography
James Minchin III - Photography
Geoff Banks - Equipment Technician
Richard Jones - Equipment Technician
Ricky St. Pierre - Equipment Technician

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded in 2014 at Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, British Columbia.



Economy counts for a lot on an AC/DC record. As meaty as they are, they sound best when they're lean -- when there's not much fat on the bone, when they choose not to indulge in a fourth chord. Rock or Bust, the group's 15th studio album, benefits from a modest sense of scale. It's just 11 songs, the fewest number of cuts since 1995's Rick Rubin-produced Ballbreaker, but a better way to view it is that it's not even 35 minutes long, making it the shortest album AC/DC have ever released. Maybe that's a reflection of the album's difficult birth. During recording, the band revealed that founding guitarist Malcolm Young was suffering from dementia, leaving his brother Angus in full charge of the band. Angus and producer Brendan O'Brien, who helmed the group's 2008 predecessor, Black Ice, enlisted the Young brothers' nephew Stevie to fill out some parts and the band whipped the record into shape in short order (admittedly with not much help from drummer Phil Rudd, who was tardy in the studio and effectively left the band in a cloud of criminal allegations prior to the album's release). Malcolm may have been missing but his presence is felt. Angus completed the songs from old riff tapes he and his brother demoed, so Rock or Bust doesn't feel markedly different than any other AC/DC album. If anything, it's oddly light on its feet, with "Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder" and "Hard Times" containing some swing and air in their rhythms and "Sweet Candy" feeling like part of a line of nasty bubblegum rock that stretches back to the early days of Harry Vanda and George Young. This being an AC/DC album, Rock or Bust isn't perfect -- the biggest stumble is the heavy dirge of "Dogs of War," which may or may not be a protest song -- but the entire thing moves, never wasting time on extraneous licks, and this no-nonsense approach means the songs stick in a way they never did on Black Ice. If Rock or Bust does indeed wind up as the final AC/DC record -- they did indeed weather many setbacks during its creation -- it will stand as a suitable career-capper. It may be no different than what came before, but Rock or Bust is by many measures stronger than most latter-day AC/DC albums, serving as a testament to why their good-humored raunch and industrial-strength riffs made them a rock & roll institution.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music Guide



Rock or Bust is an album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the band's fifteenth internationally released studio album and the sixteenth to be released in Australia. It is the shortest studio album ever released by the band; at approximately 35 minutes, it is two minutes shorter than their previous shortest album, Flick of the Switch, released in 1983. The group released the debut single from the album, titled "Play Ball", on 7 October 2014. The song has been a commercial success, reaching the top 40 charts in various nations such as France (at number 39) and Switzerland (at number 19).

Released on 28 November 2014 in Australia and 2 December 2014 elsewhere, Rock or Bust marks the band's first original recordings since 2008's Black Ice. Rock or Bust is the band's first album without founding member and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who left the band in 2014 for health reasons. Malcolm's departure was later clarified by the band and their management, saying that Malcolm was officially diagnosed with dementia and will possibly never play again. Before the album was officially announced, Brian Johnson admitted that it was difficult to make the album without Malcolm Young. He brought about the idea that the album could be called Man Down, but believed the title felt too negative towards Malcolm's situation and overall health. On 6 November 2014, drummer Phil Rudd was arrested for attempting to procure the murder of two men. AC/DC made a statement the same day: "We've only become aware of Phil's arrest as the news was breaking. We have no further comment. Phil's absence will not affect the release of our new album Rock or Bust and upcoming tour next year." It is not yet clear whether Rudd will remain with the band or not, or who might be his replacement. The attempted procurement charge against Rudd was dropped the following day; charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of cannabis and a charge of threatening to kill remained.

The album was recorded at Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, Canada, with producer Brendan O'Brien and mixer Mike Fraser. When Rudd was ten days late for the recording sessions, O'Brien was ready to replace him with another drummer, but Rudd arrived and recorded his parts. The songs were constructed largely by Angus from material accumulated by the brothers during the recording of previous albums. Angus used a device called The Schaffer Replica on several tracks, a device built for him by AC/DC longtime fanatic, Fil "SoloDallas" Olivieri, to replicate the sound of an original wireless device used in the 1970s and 1980s by Angus that gave him part of his unique sound.

Wikipedia.org



AC/DC's Rock or Bust starts as the influential band's third No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart with 172,000 sold, according to Nielsen Music. The hard rock band's 15th studio album also debuts at No. 1 on Hard Rock Albums and No. 3 on the Billboard 200, where it's the group's ninth top 10.

Rock or Bust is the band's first new set available for purchase on iTunes since ending its holdout from the digital retailer in 2012. The new album was also available for pre-release streaming on iTunes the week before its debut. With digital sales available, physical sales still account for 72 percent of the set's first-week figure.

AC/DC had last charted with 2008's Black Ice, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 784,000 copies sold in its first week. The title was initially sold exclusively through Walmart, Sam's Club and the band's website. Black Ice is the band's only No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200; the band also reached the summit with 1981's For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (in its third week on the chart).

The new album is the Australian group's 26th charting title on the Billboard 200 and first album without founding member Malcolm Young, who departed the band this year because he's suffering from dementia.

On the Mainstream Rock Songs radio airplay chart, the Rock or Bust title track rises 37-26 in its second week. It also leaps 42-29 on the airplay/sales/streaming-based Hot Rock Songs list. First single "Play Ball" peaked at No. 5 on Mainstream Rock Songs and No. 17 on Hot Rock Songs.

MOON SHINES: Walk the Moon scores its highest album chart ranks and best sales week with its third set Talking Is Hard. It starts at No. 5 on Top Rock Albums and No. 26 on the Billboard 200 with 24,000 sold. Fueling the figures for the synth-rock band: "Shut Up and Dance," which spends a fourth week at its No. 8 high on Hot Rock Songs and rises 10-9 on Alternative Songs.

Walk the Moon's self-titled 2012 album debuted at No. 15 on Top Rock Albums and No. 36 on the Billboard 200 with 11,000 sold.

VOICES HEARD: Matt McAndrew, a contestant on NBC's The Voice, strikes again as his cover of Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter" debuts at No. 4 on Hot Rock Songs. The track marks McAndrew's highest rank on the chart after he previously reached No. 8 with a cover of Hozier's "Take Me to Church" and Nos. 13 and 38 with two Coldplay covers, "Fix You" and "Yellow," respectively. The Rice remake starts with 92,000 downloads sold (and debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 40).

McAndrew's performance of "Daughter" on The Voice spiked sales for the original version (12,000 sold, up more than 3,000 percent), spurring its debut on Hot Rock Songs at No. 15. The track from his 2001 debut album O has sold 573,000 downloads to date. In November, the Irish singer/songwriter released his first album in eight years, My Favourite Faded Fantasy, and scored his highest rank on Top Rock Albums (No. 3) and the Billboard 200 (No. 15).

Another Voice contestant, Taylor John Williams, also scores his highest rank on Hot Rock Songs as his interpretation of Lorde's "Royals" starts at No. 10 (38,000 downloads sold). Williams previously charted with his cover of the Beatles' "Come Together" (No. 11) and Tears for Fears' "Mad World" (No. 18).

© 2014  Billboard Magazine



Treue wird bei AC/DC belohnt: Zwar lässt Rock Or Bust , das neue Album der australischen Legenden, noch bis zum 28. November auf sich warten. Aber dafür kommen Vorbesteller der digitalen Version der Platte bereits jetzt in den Genuss der Hitsingle Play Ball . Für Rock Or Bust hat sich das Quintett aus Down Under etwas ganz Spezielles einfallen lassen - so erstrahlt das Artwork als dreidimensionales Lenticular, das das ikonische Bandlogo förmlich ins Gesicht des Betrachters explodieren lässt. Sowohl die CD- als auch die Vinylversion des Albums kommen in den Genuss des innovativen Designs. Rock Or Bust wurde im Frühjahr von Brendan O Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen) in Vancouver, Kanada produziert, Mike Fraser übernahm den Endmix. Nachdem sich AC/DC für den Nachfolger ihres letzten Albums Black Ice , das weltweit über acht Millionen Exemplare absetzen konnte, sechs Jahre Zeit ließen, steigt die Vorfreude weiter an.

Amazon.de



Sie zocken seit 40 Jahren dasselbe Riff mit denselben Kneipenreimen. Derlei liest man bei jeder der rar gesäten Neuveröffentlichungen AC/DCs. Aber was erwartet man von einer Band, die ihre Tracks ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken "Whiskey On The Rocks" nennt? Insofern gibt es bei den Australiern nur ein ernstzunehmendes Kriterium: Rummst es oder rummst es nicht?

Von den Alben seit 1995, als Drummer Phil Rudd zurückkehrte, dürfte "Stiff Upper Lip" (2000) da vermutlich am besten abschneiden. Gleichwohl sind die Songs von "Ballbreaker" (1995), "Black Ice" (2008) und eben "Rock Or Bust" im Kern nicht schwächer. Im Gegenteil: Das düstere "Dogs Of War", mit der beste neue Track, muss 2015 einfach ins Liveset durchmarschieren! Auch die typisch groovenden "Hard Times" oder "Rock The House" würden auf der Bühne bestehen.

Zumal: "Rock Or Bust" stellt eine echte Zäsur in der langen Bandhistorie dar, vergleichbar höchstens mit Bon Scotts Tod 1980: Der an Demenz erkrankte Bandmitbegründer Malcolm Young ist nach über 40 Jahren raus. Dass Rudd parallel fast wegen Auftragsmord angeklagt wurde, mutet dagegen fast wie ein Witz an.

Er muss sich aber wegen weiterer Delikte in Neuseeland vor Gericht verantworten, u.a. Drogenbesitz. Bandleader/Leadgitarrist Angus Young und Basser Cliff Williams deuteten jüngst in einem Interview an, Rudd habe sich verändert, es sei schon schwierig genug gewesen, ihn ins Studio nach Vancouver zu bewegen. Von zehn Tagen Verspätung ist die Rede. Noch ist nicht ausgemacht, ob er 2015 live die AC/DC-Felle bearbeiten wird.

Immerhin trommelte Rudd "Rock Or Bust" gewohnt solide ein. Malcolms Part musste dagegen Stevie Young übernehmen. Am Songwriting war Malcolm gleichwohl beteiligt. Viele seiner Ideen seien eingeflossen, sagt Angus, der diesmal hauptverantwortlich zeichnet: "Man nimmt ein paar neue Ideen und ein paar alte ... Über die Jahre sammeln sich viele Sachen an".

Seinem Neffen Stevie dürfte Malcolm jedenfalls ein gutes Zeugnis ausstellen. Der spielt seinen Job so runter, wie es die Blues getränkte Hardrock-Maschine verlangt. Das Rhythmusfundament sitzt, zumal die ungewohnt kompakten 35 Minuten Spielzeit keinen Raum für längere Gitarrensoli bzw. Instrumentalpassagen lassen. Alles läuft noch direkter auf die Refrainslogans und kurzen Finals hinaus, wie bei der Leadsingle "Play Ball". Vielleicht eine direkte Folge von Malcolms Absenz.

Hervorragend liefert Sänger Brian Johnson - der Mann geht auf die 70 zu und hört sich auf Platte wie vor 20 Jahren an ("Rock The Blues Away", "Miss Adventure"). Über die inhaltliche Ebene gibt es bei AC/DC gewohnt wenig zu sinnieren. Aber die Refrains respektive Vocallines und Backingchöre dahinter bleiben in jenem unkomplizierten roughen Mitgröl-Modus ("Baptism By Fire", "Rock Or Bust"), den nun mal nur die alten Männer von AC/DC so cool bringen.

Natürlich klingt die Platte so, wie alle erwartet haben. Und Angus könnte vermutlich umgehend ein, zwei weitere nachschieben - ohne Malcolm. Das einzige, was AC/DC auch 2014 abgeht, ist vielleicht ein Überhit im Sinne von "Highway To Hell", "Hell's Bells" oder "Thunderstruck", genügend gute Tracks haben sie seit "Big Gun" (1993) trotzdem abgegeben.

Eberhard Dobler - laut.de-Kritik



Mit dem neuen Studioalbum »Rock Or Bust« melden sich AC/DC nach sechs Jahren zurück. Das starke Artwork und das Video zu »Play Ball« konnten wir schon beschnuppern. Eines ist klar: Es wird zwar das kürzeste AC/DC-Album bisher (35 Minuten), aber jede Minute lohnt sich.

Im Vorfeld der Veröffentlichung von »Rock Or Bust« kommunizierten AC/DC, dass Gründungsmitglied Malcom Young die Band aus gesundheitlichen Gründen verlassen habe: Er leidet an Demenz. Für erhebliches Aufsehen sorgte auch die Verhaftung von Drummer Phil Rudd, dessen Zukunft in der Band zwar noch nicht zur Diskussion steht, der aber eventuell für einige Zeit fehlen wird.

Das Wesentliche bleibt natürlich die Musik der Resttruppe von AC/DC auf »Rock Or Bust«: Viel Midtempo gibt den Ton an – das haben diejenigen verraten, die bereits die gesamte neue Platte anhören konnten. Wichtig ist für eingefleischte Fans natürlich auch zu wissen, ob AC/DC die Alten geblieben sind oder nicht. Klar, sind sie. Das rockt immer noch ganz gewaltig und gewinnt in Songs wie »Baptism By Fire« fett an Fahrt. Für die Qualität des Albums, das im Frühling 2014 in Vancouver aufgenommenen wurde, steht Produzent Brendan O’Brien. Mike Fraser hat die Songs abgemischt.

Mit dem neuen Album »Rock Or Bust« werden AC/DC in 2015 auf Welttour gehen. Die Gelegenheit, die Band live zu sehen, sollte sich wirklich kein Fan entgehen lassen. Man weiß nie, wie viele Alben und Tourneen es noch geben wird.

»Rock Or Bust« macht die sechs Jahre Wartezeit vergessen. Alles drin und dran, was ein AC/DC-Album braucht.

JPC.de



»Auch ohne Malcolm Young bleiben AC/DC die Meister des effizienten Hardrock.«

Rolling Stone, Dezember 2014)
 

 L y r i c s


Currently no Lyrics available!

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


Currently no Samples available!