Like every year around this time, I'm posting stuff from my drafts folder while vacationing in Greece - once more in my favorite island, Antiparos. For some time it was touch and go whether we'd make it this year, as the covid-19 pandemic is flaring up again - indeed I had to show a recent negative PCR test in order to be admitted in the country, and one still has to walk around in a face mask, although you can dispense with it when you're at the beach - or a restaurant, or bar, or any place which is non-public which is of course most of the time so it's not too bad. I wonder when (if ever) life will go back to normal.
Apparently it's been more than 5 years since I last presented an AC/DC album in this blog, which is a pity because I own almost all of them and play them often. Which begs the question: why bother? don't they all sound the same anyway? Well, I'm pretty sure that even the band's biggest fans will have trouble dismissing that argument, except with something like "you can never have too much of a good thing". Ballbreaker is one of their middling albums: not up there with Highway To Hell or Back In Black, but it still delivers the goods. Which, in AC/DC's case means big fat riffs, exciting solos and catchy choruses with dumb lyrics about sex, drinking and rocking out. I wish I could tell you the lyrics are "so dumb they're actually smart" but songs like "Hard as a Rock", "Cover You In Oil", "Honey Roll" etc. are just a lazy parade of sexist cliches. Good for a chuckle, at best - but then again, that is how AC/DC have always been. This time they try to diversify a bit by including some basic social commentary with "The Furor" (anti-censorship), "Hail Caesar" (anti-politician), and "Burnin' Alive" (about the Waco massacre). But enough about the lyrics, no-one listens to AC/DC for the words. Ballbreaker, like every AC/DC album, is based on the well-oiled Young brothers' guitar machine which works just as fine as ever, effortlessly churning out riffs and solos. With original drummer Phil Rudd back in the fold and shrieky Brian Johnson in his usual good form, it was all a matter of getting everything on tape the right way. Enter hotshot producer Rick Rubin, renowned for helping artists find their lost mojo. He worked his nagic with AC/DC, trying to recreate the band's 70's sound evn using vintage equipment. He succeeded in delivering a solid LP that pleased longtime fans but didn't yield any classics like the previous album's "Thunderstruck" or "Money Talks". "Hard as a Rock" and "Hail Caesar" offer memorable choruses, "Cover You in Oil" is one of their funkiest pieces, and "Boogie Man" their bluesiest song for 20 years (since "The Jack" from their debut). "Burnin' Alive" and "Whiskey on the Rocks" are also fun, but the album as a whole is workmanlike rather than inspired.
A nice addition is the Marvel comics album art (samples above) - AC/DC would return the favor by providing the soundtrack for Iron Man 2. The album would be greeted as a return to form, as it always happens when veterans release something non-embarrassing. But the fact that only "Hard As A Rock" survived in their live setlist past the "Ballbreaker Tour" says something about the quality of the material. I'll give them this: Ballbreaker is a decent album that saw the band leave their mid 80's slump behind and helped re-establish them with new and old audiences. It's fun to listen to, especially in the car. Does it matter that it's just business as usual? Not at all, business as usual is what I expect from AC/DC. I'm glad they can still deliver it - even more so with the rumor that Brian Johnson has overcome his health problems and that a new album is in the works as of this year.
**** for Hard as a Rock, Hail Caesar
*** for Cover You in Oil, The Furor, Boogie Man, The Honey Roll, Burnin' Alive, Love Bomb, Caught with Your Pants Down, Whiskey on the Rocks, Ballbreaker
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