Sorry, sorry, sorry to the devoted readership! I had a pick for Friday, but was so dispirited about the will-there-won’t-there-be-a-Houston-concert that I couldn’t finish it. Today, Bibi is still not much consoled about this (hopefully) temporary set back, but I must carry on with my pledge to everyone needing to know the next to-die-for AC/DC classic. So, this post will reveal not only Friday’s selection, but one for the weekend, as well. I know you’re disappointed that there’s only one song for the entire weekend, just like your desk calendar (of cute cats?) that uses one page for Saturday/Sunday, but it will also allow Bibi to recharge. It’s been so stressful worrying about the Houston concert that additional naps have been required just to maintain a semblance of sanity. Be reassured, though, that Bibi has not gone off the deep end with the treats or catnip/alcohol in this time of dread and the litter box training has stayed intact.
Friday’s pick is from The Razor’s Edge, my least favorite cd. It’s played the least, but it will come as no shock to anyone that my fave is (and I am) Thunderstruck. And how could it be otherwise? This hard-edged, glorious rocking ode to wild, youthful abandon: broke all the rules, played all the fools, just blows you away! AND, Texas is mentioned! From its etched-forever-in-your-brain, meticulously played, guitar picking opening, to the booming repetition of the title and the primal chanting by Malcolm and Cliff, whew, it’s a rollicking, non-stop ride to and from Angus’s solo—he cuts loose with incredible confidence in that strong left hand and blasts away until Brian repeats those unforgettable lyrics: I was shaking at the knees/Could I come again please? Listen, just once—or better yet—see them play this in concert and you will, likewise, be Thunderstruck, by this one forever.
My weekend pick is from a live album, If You Want Blood. The one disappointment in this cd is that it does NOT include, If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It). However, that aside, this entire cd is well worth owning for any one song it showcases. They’re mostly monster AC/DC hits as well as being concert standards AND they are all superbly executed. If you’ve never been to an AC/DC concert, Bibi is oh, soooo sad for you, but your disappointment about this state of affairs can be somewhat assuaged if you get the dvd Live at Donington and this cd. I love all the cuts on the cd; AC/DC’s energy and in-your-face attitude is well-served, as well as their talent in sucking us inexorably into their rockin' world. So the winner is a tie: The Jack (Angus’s blues solo is out of this universe—it just wails) and Bad Boy Boogie, raw, wild, “gonna show you how good a bad boy can be.” No joking around, babe! BBB is no longer on the concert set list and that’s too bad. As much as we all love Brian, listening to Bon’s voice transforming BBB into that influence old people/parents obsess about when it comes to rock n roll, you can understand how they would worry. Parents of adolescents be warned: do not let your children listen to this song over and over. The spell cast by the lyrics and the music is irrepressible, all-entangling and unforgettable. You will never break the magic of these three chords—as Angus has said, they’re really good chords.
The Jack is true, old school AC/DC. Unrepentantly a guy song, it is such a cornerstone number, it’s not officially an AC/DC concert if this song is not played. I was set NOT to like it at the beginning of my AC/DC romance, I mean, c'mon, a song about an STD?, but the blues riffs and Angus’s virtuosity with them, making the song sound fresh each time he plays it, just will not allow such heresy. In this version, he’s particularly on--the SG giving us down and dirty blues every which way. You can hear and feel his devotion to the sound he’s creating--and it's fabulous! These days, it's also the song he does his strip to, and what I found amazing at the concerts was how he was still so focused on the blues licks, all the extraneous stuff aside. You could enjoy the fun, silliness of the onstage antics and still count on Angus do the song justice and allow you to just sink on into it. On this song, again, Bon comes through as the quintessential rock singer, feeling and revealing the pain and the glory of it all. EXCELLENT!!
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