18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AC/DC fans should get this!, January 14, 2007
This review is from: AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Rock-and-Roll Band (Hardcover)
I have every AC/DC book ever published and this is probaly the most informative of them all. I'm a self confesed AC/DC FREAK and I 've read things in here that I never knew. One of the things I like about this book is the interviews with people that were in bands with Angus and Malcolm before they were in AC/DC. Some of the pictures in this book are rare. I like the one with Angus and Malcolm when they were kids on a rocking horse.. Also the pics of Bon and Brian when they young and the picture of Angus with Tantrum. Anyways, I would highly recomend this for every AC/DC fan out there.. Long Live AC/DC!!
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of Information Without Much Insight, April 13, 2008
First off, AC/DC are my favorite band and have been for years. It took me some time to get around to reading this because it's unauthorized and the band are notoriously mum about what goes on behind the scenes. Still, other reviews gave this high marks, so I gave it a shot.
It's unclear to me at whom this book is aimed. It's a bit maddening because for someone to undertake a read of this size, they would most likely already be an established fan of the band. Therefore, a book that undertakes the history of AC/DC to this level of detail should deliver some new information, impressions, stories, themes, etc., that an existing fan might appreciate. Instead, it reads like an end-to-end string of Wikipedia articles, devoid of any personality, irony, or passion. Where the book falls short therefore, is in its dry exploration of facts that are well-known to most AC/DC fans. Some AC/DC fans will pick up a few bits of new info here and there, but for the most part, this is a clinical history of the band, interspersed with harmless anecdotes that don't give any new insight into the personality of the musicians.
Every once in awhile, the authors will hint at something interesting, or some insightful behind-the-scenes info, but they never deliver. They gloss over Phil Rudd's departure by simply mentioning there was an unspecified problem between him and an unnamed person in "the Youngs circle." Or halfway through the book, a point is made that Angus and Malcolm had a fiery relationship that wasn't always civil during the creative process. But he doesn't expound on how or why that tension existed. It is implied that Bon and possibly other members of the band battled substance abuse, which might have given a new depth to appreciating some of the lyrics and/or stories behind the records. However, such information is withheld or ignored. This is not to say that the book would be improved by the inclusion of lurid and embarrassing stories about the band. Quite the opposite, a respectful examination of such themes and events could deliver a stunning new appreciation of musicians of such high caliber.
For those readers who enjoyed the likes of rock biographies such as "No One Here Gets Out Alive," (Jim Morrison and The Doors), "Hammer of the Gods" (Led Zeppelin), or "The Dirt" (Motley Crue), due to the endless tales of drugs, sex, drugs, sex, drugs, sex, drugs and rock and roll, you will be disappointed. There is none of that here.
For those readers who are looking for a more respectful consideration of the band, this book will be overkill. Find a Mojo, Uncut, or Classic Rock magazine that has done a comprehensive piece on AC/DC and you will be just as satisfied.
I left this book feeling slightly more informed, but without much additional understanding or appreciation of AC/DC.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story of one of rock's greatest bands ever, February 28, 2007
This review is from: AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Rock-and-Roll Band (Hardcover)
It'd be too easy to capitalize on the alleged mentality of an AC/DC fan's inabilitiy to actually read a book. That would be a joke on the snot nosed critics who used to delight in trashing the band only to be forced to deal with the fact that they have perservered over 30 years. Unlike flavors of the month, fashion statements rather than musicians and ditzy pop divas who die quick deaths after one or two years, hard rock and metal music enjoys life spans much longer thanks to love of the music and a sharp focus.
That focus is never more clear than with AC/DC, whom, as we read in "Maximum Rock And Roll" are far more complex, intelligent and talented than many folks realize or care to admit.
This book is a labor of love. Detractors and enemies need not waste their time. For those who value this gutsy loud great rock and roll band (they are NOT metal), the book is a great read, giving U.S. fans particularly a first hand look at the Australian rock culture and the trials and trevails of the Young brothers as they climb to the top, lose their charismatic singer Bon Scott, and then come back even more ferociously with the legendary "Back In Black".
Readers will have to accustom themselves to the British print, slang and puncuation, but that's a small point. The book is not just a definitive look into AC/DC, but one of the better books on any band or musician in quite some time. Listen to "Powerage" at migraine level while you read.
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