OK. So the 80’s weren’t such a great time for AC/DC. Their awesome drummer and rare moments of inspiration were shadowed by unimpressive albums and internal problems. So in 1990, the band decided to regain their momentum by releasing their best album in a decade. And guess what? They made it!
For «The Razor’s Edge», awesome drummer Simon «The hobbit» Wright got the boot and was replaced by Chris Slade. Listening to his performance, i can say that he is perhaps the worst drummer AC/DC had, but still perfectly suited to do what he has to do: provide strong backup to A&M’s killer riffs. All the rest of the guys stay on as usual.
This album features 12 songs, of which very few are filler. This commendable consistency harks back to the days of Highway To Hell and veers away from less inspired moments in the band’s recent past.
For this album, AC/DC were:
Angus Young – Guitar
Malcolm Young – Guitar
Brian Johnson – Vocals
Cliff Williams – Bass
Chris Slade (aka «Baldy») – Drums
And here are the tracks:
Thunderstruck – The best-known intro in the history of music, bar none. But this track isn’t just about Angus’ one-handed tapping. There’s also the amazing multi-part structure, Cliff’s solid bass, Brian’s interesting vocals and an awesome solo to top it all off. Of course, with all these attributes, there’s only one rating for this song and it’s (5/5)
Fire Your Guns – Slightly weaker than the previous track, but still better than 90% of what AC/DC did in the 80’s. The structure of this song is very minimalistic and centres mainly around the drums. Once again, there’s a monster pre-chorus and a simple, yet catchy chorus. The solo, however, is nothing special – there’s much better both in this and on other AC/DC albums. All in all, a solid track, but both its predecessor and its follow-up supplant it. (4,5/5)
Moneytalks – Another irresistible intro riff develops into one of the hugest main riffs A&M ever wrote. Cliff’s bass and Brian’s vocals then come on top of it, creating another solid track. The best features of this song are its huge-ass chorus and the amazing solo, once again preceded by one of tose typically AC/Dc bridges which prepare you for what’s coming up... The chorus is a bit overused, but other than that this is an awesome song which deserves (5/5).
The Razor’s Edge – What happened?! After two clearly 5/5 songs and one which came pretty close, AC/DC deliver an uninteresting, uninspired filler song. This track is the perfect example that the Young brothers should not try to complexify their songwriting, although they did on
Thunderstruck, to excelent effect. This, hopwever, is just boring. Skip it. (2/5)
Mistress For Christmas – This one just scrapes through on a good chorus and hilarious subject matter. Other than that, it’s the standard AC/DC song, perhaps slower than usual, but boasting all the attributes the band is known and loved for. Nothing spectacular, but a very enjoyable listen. (3,5/5)
Rock Your Heart Out – Great jumpy bassline, reminiscent of the early days of the band, which is marred by the single most awful chorus in the history of AC/DC. What were these dudes thinking? The out-of-tune vocals on the chorus completely mar an otherwise very enjoyable track. I’m sorry guys, but I’m gonna have to flunk you. (2/5)
Are You Ready – Are You Ready for the quality of this album to pick up again? I sure am! This is a really great song, perhaps the tirad best on the album, where everything is just absolutely irresistible. Yeah, it has a really silly chorus, but who cares? Are You Ready totally delivers the goods and any hard rock fan would demand no less. (5/5)
Got you By The Balls – Apart from the band’s somewhat obvious fixation with balls, this is one of their lost gems. Huge drum pattern, hilarious lyrics (with Brian pimping a girl for the ritzy crowd) and another great Angusian solo make for one of the great forgotten AC/DC songs. Simply awesome (5/5)
Shot Of Love – Just a fun AC/DC song, with good riffing, good choruses, a decent solo, but which never rises above average. There’s better on this album, but then there’s worse. This one sits comfortably in the middle. (4/5)
Let’s Make It Another lost gem, where the verse/verse/chorus structure really works (unlike in
The Razor’s Edge .) This is another one of those humongous chorus this album is prodigal in delivering. All in all, the song is totally irresistible and will stick in your head for days. (5/5)
Goodbye and Good Riddance to Bad Luck – Yeah, so the title’s too big to stick in a chorus, but AC/DC pull it off. The problem is the rest of the song is a tad too generic, and not the type that will stand out in the album at all. Let’s say this song is in the same situation as
Shot Of Love : not great, but not half-bad, either. (3,5/5)
If You Dare – Nice way to round up the album, as this is a strong and catchy track. Not much to say about it other than that, as it is standard AC/DC fare. (4,5/5)
All in all, then, an album that starts off awesome, lags terribly around the middle, then picks up again and takes you on a quite enjoyable musical journey. A reccomended buy for die-hard fans and mere music lovers alike.
