"Blow Up Your Video" (1988): album creation, recording difficulties, stolen tracks, song list, video clips
"Blow up your VCR." - This is the translation of the title of the legendary album that brought back "AC/DC." to the top of the charts and made adjustments in their work. The record came out in 1988 and was produced by Harry Vandoy and By George YoungThe band's members, who had worked with the band before. It is important to note that this was the last studio recording in which the drummer Simon Wright - He was later replaced by Chris Slade. But first things first: what difficulties did the group face in the studio and why "Blow Up Your Video" almost became The biggest failure in the history of AC/DC?
History of creation
Today about "Blow Up Your Video" The greatest commercial phenomenon in the history of "AC/DC."The band had a lot of positive feedback, huge circulation, success on the radio, and platinum status in the United States. However, the process of its creation was far from easy and rosy: the band members felt lost, and Malcolm Young and went on a binge.
In the 1980s. "AC/DC." were monsters of the rock scene. They drew huge stadiums, but their sales gradually declined. This meant that the band had no margin for error. It was necessary to present the public with a really powerful work that would bring the band back to their former reputation! The band handed over the responsibility of producing To George Young and his comrade Harry Vande. The pair had already worked on the early releases of the band.
The difficulties that accompanied the recording
Alas, the new record did not record as easily as it used to. First of all, it was the fault of Malcolm Youngor rather his drunkenness. George even threatened to leave the group if his brother didn't pull himself together. But all in vain. Because of that, some of the tracks on this album "AC/DC." The story was rather lengthy and even crude. Nevertheless, no one dared to make changes without Malcolm's consent.
Another difficulty was that George and Harry They couldn't figure out how to combine the classic energy of AC/DC with the popular elements of 80s rock music. For this reason they had a heavy and very muddy sound. At the same time, Johnson's vocals were so overlaid by the effects that you could hear them more clearly than Johnson himself!
The drummer played an equally important role in all this mess. Simon Wright: Since Malcolm had been sober for days and didn't care about the album, Wright felt free to do whatever he wanted. He moved away from the style of the band's former drummer. Phila Radaand this immediately affected the energy of the whole band: the sound acquired a kind of mid-tempo and uncharacteristic "AC/DC." style.
But it's not all bad. All of the above factors aside, it's safe to say that the material for "Blow Up Your Video" was really great. Singles "Heatseeker and "That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll" became big hits. The clips for them are actively rotated on television, and today they can boast of millions of views on YouTube. However, not all of the planned songs were included in the album.
Theft of compositions
The potential of the album was undermined not only by the prejudice of some members, but also by the theft of several tracks. We're talking about "Let It Loose." and "Alright Tonight."The pirates profited from it.
Of course, the group attempted to fill the gap: "AC/DC." literally on the fly composed and recorded new songs, but the quality was not the same.
They also removed songs from the album "Snake Eye." and "Borrowed Time.": The likelihood that they, too, had fallen into the hands of pirates was great.
List of tracks
Most of the songs from "Blow Up Your Video" have first-class chips: intros, riffs, hooks, choruses... But true music lovers can find faults in the seemingly perfect record as well. So, already in the middle of the album you can feel the obvious slackening, the lack of energy... Nevertheless, this is only the opinion of the majority of critics. It's up to each listener to judge personally.
"Heatseeker
"That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll"
"Meanstreak."
"Go Zone."
"Kissin' Dynamite
"Nick of Time."
"Some Sin for Nuthin'."
"Ruff Stuff."
"Two's Up."
"This Means War."
The final two tracks are truly gorgeous! The first track shows impeccable melodicism, while the second one is delightfully dynamic. It's a pity that "AC/DC." have never performed these explosive tracks live.
Graduation and Success
In spite of the difficulties that accompanied the recording, the album was greeted by the public to great acclaim. It became the biggest commercial breakthrough for AC/DC since the days of "For Those About To Rock" (1981)! The band confidently broke into radio stations, people again came in droves to their concerts, and the members were elated with their success. Soon they went on a bright world tour!
Interesting Facts
- The title of the record is inspired by a line from the track "That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll".
- This latest albumThe songwriting is recorded in the name of the Brian Johnson.
- When Malcolm Young he came out of the booze, he realized that the drummer had to be changed. Soon Simon Wright left the band and was replaced by Chris Slade. However, it seemed that Wright was only happy to be fired: it allowed him to play more modern music.
- In support of the album was organized tourbut few in the audience noticed that Malcolm did not participate in it! Visually, he performed. Only it wasn't him, it was his nephew. StevieStevie and Malcolm are incredibly similar to each other. They even have the same technique!
