Friday, December 15, 2017

Throwback Thursday: "The Razor's Edge", by AC/DC



In the early 80's AC/DC enjoyed an explosion of popularity when they brought in singer Brian Johnson to replace the late Bon Scott. The first two albums they did with Johnson, Back in Black and For Those About to Rock were tremendous hits and to this day are still considered classics. After those two albums however the majority of the 80's were kind of a dry spell for the band. Their popularity waned and not many people cared for the music they were putting out. By the end of the decade AC/DC knew they had to do something before they faded away altogether. They answered the call with their 1990 hit release The Razor's Edge.

The Razor's Edge is sort of a return to form of sorts because the production on it is a LOT more crisp, defined, and filled with the right kind of punch in the way that albums like Back in Black and For Those About to Rock were. It's that big, ballsy AC/DC sound that everyone knows and loves. The record features hits like Thunderstruck and Moneytalks, both of which have been kept in AC/DC's live repertoire and are still considered essential material all these years later.

The idea of AC/DC doing a Christmas song always seemed kind of ridiculous to me because I never associated the warm, wholesome, fuzzy feeling of the holidays with the big, sleazy, rocking nature of their music. However, with Mistress for Christmas they managed to not only pull it off, but pull it off well. With the right set of lyrics and some sleigh bells in the background they made a song that in my opinion no Christmas season is complete without.

What can I say that hasn't already been said about Thunderstruck? This is one of AC/DC's most iconic songs of all time. It's an essential part of any live set of theirs and has often been used in sports arenas for games of all kinds all over the world. That quick lick lead guitar with the roaring fist pumping backing chorus of "THUN-DER!" is enough to get any crowd excited and on their feet. With this song AC/DC essentially invented the concept of the arena rocker.

The Razor's Edge as a whole still isn't AC/DC's best album by any stretch of the imagination, but I can appreciate what it did for the band. With a few great songs it managed to bring the band back from the brink of being forgotten and catapulted them back into the mainstream spotlight. I can't say that I'm a big fan of much of what they did up until 2008's Black Ice, but at least now they were solidified enough as one of the big main rock acts to keep them around for years to come because of The Razor's Edge.

The Razor's Edge, by AC/DC receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Track List:

1. Thunderstruck
2. Fire Your Guns
3. Moneytalks
4. The Razor's Edge
5. Mistress for Christmas
6. Rock Your Heart Out
7. Are You Ready
8. Got You By the Balls
9. Shot of Love
10. Let's Make It
11. Goodbye & Good Riddance to Bad Luck
12. If You Dare

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Razors-Edge-AC-DC/dp/B00O75RO26/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?ie=UTF8&qid=1513326847&sr=8-1&keywords=ac%2Fdc+the+razors+edge

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