Customer Reviews

Backtracks (2CD+DVD)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Two discs 46,78 minutes each approximately. The sound is uniformly good. The tracks have been cleaned up a bit,and the band comes through loud and clear. The DVD is icing on the cake,with a number of great performances. The box itself is cleverly done. The outer box resembles an amp/speaker,with all the settings on 10. Inside this is a fold-out package with the three discs,which snap-in,which seems to be the way record companies are packaging things these days. The booklet consists of many color photographs of the band on stage, and reproductions of band info/biographies etc. There are two pages devoted to track information,which while printed in small typeface,is pretty complete.

The first disc consists primarily of singles and tracks (not on the U.S. release) starting with the band's first album,"High Voltage". These tracks show the band from their formative (1974) period,and are presented in chronological order,which is helpful,as it shows the growth of this band into the r&r juggernaut they became. Not all the tracks are full-on r&r("Love Song" as an example),but by the time listeners hear track four, "R.I.P.(Rock in Peace)",this is the AC/DC familiar (sample lyric,"I get my kicks playing my licks and laying my chicks down on Route 66") to everyone who likes primal,full-on r&r. Even the slower songs (like "Crabsody in Blue") have that dirty,primal sound that the band was so famous for.

There are many listeners who feel that the (late) Bon Scott era was a high water mark for the band,and listening to the tracks with Scott,its hard to disagree. Scott's voice is pure,visceral r&r at its best. However,with the addition of Brian Johnson,replacing Scott,the band seemed to solidify into the overwhelming,powerful group that went on to define what r&r is all about.

Disc two is filled with what AC/DC was/is all about-live in front of an ecstatic audience. Starting with "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap",the band shows what real deal r&r is all about. The vocals are over the top yet spot on. The sound of the guitars will leave marks in your head. And the rhythm section (the bands secret weapon) keeps everything moving-seemingly propelling the rest of the band to greater heights. This is a band that had not one,but two great vocalists. Never mind which one listeners feel is better-on this collection it doesn't really matter. The pounding,exciting groove laid down by the band,as a whole,is simply devastating.

Everyone will have their own favorites from this ("Live Wire","Let There Be Rock",just two examples) collection. Suffice to say,if you don't know what AC/DC is all about-give this a listen. This collection will tell you all you need to know. For fans of the band-pick this up soon-you won't be disappointed. In this day and age of limp reformations of old bands,and new imitators,AC/DC clearly defines what makes great rock & roll. This is timeless music,laid down with no thoughts except to pump out the best music possible.

Amazon delivered this right on release day. I immediately started up CD #1. These are the songs that have been on foreign releases only to be heard on expensive imports or murky copies floating around. Now they are remastered and bring Bon Scott back from the dead and some lost tracks from Brian Johnson. It does make a fan wish that there were two parallel AC/DC bands creating music over the last thirty years with Bon Scott still penning lyrics and singing in version 1 and Brian singing in version 2.
1. Stick Around: Bon Scott: 9/10
2. Love Song: Bon Scott: A ballady song. Glad they only made one love song. Still good to hear Bon. great guitar
3. Fling Thing: Primarily an instrumental right out of a Scottish pub.
4. RIP: Bon Scott: A cranker upper 8/10
5. Carry Me Home: Bon Scott:
6. Crabsody in Blue: Bon. Lyrics only Bon would sing. It will make you itch hearing about getting crabs. 9/10
7. Cold Hearted Man: Bon. Dark lyrics, blues style guitar. 10/10
8. Snake Eyes: Brian Johnson One of the better 80s tracks
9. Borrowed Time: Brian Good stadium thumper
10. Down on the Borderline: Great rhythm and Brian in great voice 8/10
11. Big Gun: The only thing good about Last Action Hero. The video on disk #3 is hilarious. Arnold carrying around Angus like a little Chucky doll.
12. Cyberspace: Ac/dc singing about computer stuff. Good to have, but like the Love Song, there was a reason to keep in a B-side. Still, fun to listen to.

CD #2: Live tracks. I wish there was more of Bon era live stuff. Brian's era is recorded with higher end equipment and he tears the roof off material never released live before on CD.

DVD: Rock and Roll with Angus turning up in the strangest places. The making of video makes you appreciate the fact that Angus is willing to take some risks, do all of his own stunts and put himself in harm's way. Reveals what a great band they are still having fun making blistering rock.

Like many die hard AC/DC fans, I've been waiting for a single release with all of the hard to find Australian and B-Side stuff. I was extremely disappointed that Disc 1 on the standard set and Disc 1 on the deluxe set are different. The Deluxe set has all of the Standard set songs plus alternate versions of songs released in the U.S. I'd have rather had those 6 songs than the entire Disc 2 of the live rarities. Here's what we're missing:

"High Voltage" (Australian Release)
"It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" (Original Australian Release)
"Rocker" (Original Australian Release)
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (Original Australian Release)
"Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to be a Millionaire)" (Original Australian Release)
"Who Made Who" (12" Extended Mix)

While there are more things in the Deluxe set (a working amplifier, an LP for those that STILL have a working turntable, another CD, an additional DVD, and some misc promo stuff), I was only interested in the 6 additional songs on Disc 1. They certainly could have included them, they just chose not to. While I'm glad they finally released the songs that have been floating around on bootlegs for years, I wish they'd have done it RIGHT - for the fans, not the profit. If you have $200 burning in your pocket pick up the deluxe edition, otherwise definitely pick up this set.

Ok, alright, I admit it: I WAS going to use this review as an opportunity to moan and complain and whine but ultimately...ouuuff... (very long exhale and sigh...) I changed my mind...I decided that, other than relieving myself, such a review wouldn't end up being much more useful. And so, instead of writing the review immediately after getting this box, I waited a couple of months in order to chill, make most of my whining privately, and THEN write something a bit more objective. But before digging into the actual review, I still feel compelled to give you all a bit of the thoughts I have entertained in the back of my head for the past couple of months, so please bear with me.

As you probably know by now, there are 2 versions of "Backtracks": a 2 CD + 1 DVD "standard" one, available pretty much anyplace where CD's are still sold (fewer and fewer of those every day...), and a limited, super-duper, "there go the keys to Angus' car" Deluxe version that comes in a guitar amplifier-shaped box that ACTUALLY WORKS as amplifier!!! At 200 bucks, it's hardly a bargain! Needless to say, most people are sticking to the budget version.

On paper, this is a fantastic idea: after decades (literally!) of lurking in obscurity, releasing some of the rarest, most sought after AC/DC material is a dream come true for diehards. Indeed, for years AC/DC's catalog was consistently butchered, starting with the questionable decision of creating a "compilation" out of the band's first 2 Australian releases for international release, changing the running order and song lineup of albums, throwing together quick cash-ins ('74 Jailbreak), using shorter length edits of songs and so forth.

The 1997 "Bonfire" 5 disc box marked an opportunity to clear the decks of ALL Bon Scott-related goodies, but alas, that didn't happen. Then with the turn of the millennium AC/DC announced that they were switching labels to Columbia and taking their entire catalog with them. This move represented the shiniest chance to right all those wrongs, completely revamping the entire AC/DC catalog, restoring all the missing songs to their rightful place and maybe even issuing the first 2 Australian albums as they were intended. Once again, no such luck.

So in all honesty, being a huge AC/DC fan myself, I had mixed feelings when this release was announced: I wasn't too crazy about the prohibitive price tag for the deluxe edition, or the fact that it was going to have so much more material than the regular one (3 CD's, 2 DVD's, a 180 gram vinyl LP, among many other goodies) but still, my inner, rocking self got the best of me and I decided to order it anyway.

Unfortunately, there was still some more disappointment to come, when I double checked the song lineup of the "Rarities" CD and confirmed that, instead of 18 songs as on the deluxe version, the regular version would only have 12 songs, skipping the longer "Australian album versions" of several songs. I find this fact to be really hard to justify, considering that the omission has absolutely nothing to do with running time/song length issues (the Rarities CD is barely 46 minutes long). Oh well...

Enough nitpicking: all things considered, "Backtracks" still packs quite a punch, and it will be a great addition to any AC/DC fan's collection. Although some of the tracks here had been previously available as b-sides and/or international album releases, Disc 1 is obviously the biggest treat here, finally unearthing for the world at large 7 obscure tracks from the Bon Scott era and 5 from the Brian Johnson years. "Stick Around" and "Love Song", originally from the Australian "High Voltage" album, are the opening salvos (finally making available ALL of the tracks that appeared on their debut), and they show a contrast that is quite unique: the former is a nice, slow burning rocker that can probably remind you a bit of "Rn'R Damnation", while the latter is the ONLY "ballad" in AC/DC's entire career, and while it is not one of my favorites tunes here, it is not the terrible, throwaway track that some reviewers are making it out to be either; "Fling Thing" is a quick, mostly instrumental take on a traditional folk song that had previously surfaced as "Bonny" on 1992's "Live".

"R.I.P (Rock in Peace)" and "Carry me Home" are another pair of mid-tempo rockers that really cook, and the lyrics of the latter are prretty funny, although a bit ironic in retrospect, considering Bon's untimely demise due to alcohol abuse related causes; "Crabsody in Blue" is the slowest, blusiest of the bunch, and to be honest, not one if my favorites...I'm not quite sure why...it may have something to do with the fact the vocals follow the exact same melody of the guitar (or is it the other way around? and the same applies to "Love Song", come to think about it)... Anyway, it's not bad, but it doesn't really do it for me; "Cold Hearted Man" on the other hand, the final Bon Scott track, is another terrific song with great lyrics and performance from Bon, one of personal favorites of the pack along with "Carry me home".

The "Brian Johnson section" consists of 3 outtakes from the "Blow Up Your Video" sessions, a soundtrack tune and a "Stiff Upper Lip" leftover. The nasty "Big Gun", recorded with Rick Rubin for the soundtrack of the infamous 1993 non-blockbuster "Last Action Hero" flick is, in my humble opinion,another one of the highlights of this release: it features a slick, crystal clear production that's unlike anything else in AC/DC's catalog (before AND after), and the sonic contrast is immediately apparent to anyone familiar with the band, but still manages to rock your socks off big time! It's funny, `cos I really don't remember ever noticing that before, but I also have to admit that I hadn't really listened to the tune in ages...the thing that amazes me the most is that its sound isn't even close to that of "Ballbreaker", which was also produced by Rubin only a couple of years later.

The "Blow Up Your Video" tunes are really cool, and I can't help but wonder what criteria could they possibly have followed to leave them out and use songs like "Go Zone" and/or "Mean Streak" instead...don't get me wrong, those aren't bad songs either, but I firmly believe that, had these 3 tracks been used instead, "Blow Up Your Video" would've been a much stronger album and it would be held in much higher esteem on the AC/DC pantheon as a result. "Snake Eye" and "Borrowed Time" are great rockers, with powerful, driving riffs and great beats, while "Down on the Borderline" slows down the pace somewhat but still rocks along nicely; "Cyberspace", from the "Stiff Upper Lip", is a short and fast burst of energy that closes disc 1 on a high note. All in all, 5 stars for this one.

Disc 2 features "Live Rarities"...eeeh... not exactly my cup of tea...first, only 4 songs are from the Bon Scott years, and while they are great, I can't help but feeling that they could have/should have given us some more; second, many of these songs (8 out of 15) had already been released in a live format on "Live", so they could (should?) have included some other choices of songs not available in live format, such as "Hell ain't a bad place to be", "Ballbreaker", "Hard as a rock" and/or "Hail Caesar", all available on the pricier version of the box; third: (and I know I'm going to take a lot of heat over this one...) I personally am not a big fan of Brian's early 80's, "screeching" falsetto voice...I happen to believe that Brian didn't truly find his voice until the late 80's, and I'd take his performances on "Live" over these ones any day of the week (but again, that's just me...); and last but certainly not least, I'm not too crazy about the final mix of these tracks: don't get me wrong, they don't sound bad at all, but if you compare them (and I have...) with the tracks on "Live", these ones sound tiny and distant, whereas "Live" had a roaring, in your face quality that really made you feel like you were there. So in this case, I'd say "nice, but not great"...3 out 5 stars.

And finally, the DVD..."Family Jewels 3"...again, not exactly up my alley...I'm not a big fan of DVD's, music or otherwise (my "library" consists of the Star Wars DVD's and that's it...), so I wasn't particularly looking forward to this one, either...but hey, that's just me, and I'll be the first one to admit that I'm a total freak from another world, so don't rely on my opinion alone to judge this one! If you're a fan of the visual and you enjoyed the first 2 volumes, then this is a must for you: all of the band's videos from 1993 to 2009 are included here, not to mention alternate takes of some older material ("It's a Long Way to the Top if you Wanna Rn'R", "You Shook me All Night Long"...) and a couple of funny "behind the scenes/making of" documentaries. All in all, it makes for an entertaining viewing experience, which I'd rate with 4 out of 5 stars.

Oh, yeah, I always forget to mention: the booklet! It's pretty cool, with lots of funny, candid, outrageous and rocking pics of the boys throughout this 30+ year odyssey. In a world of constant change where it's easy to sometimes feel adrift, it's nice to know (and in this case, SEE!) that some things, (good things, that is) never change. The liner notes provide adequate information about the source of the material herein, except with disc 1, where the information about band lineup is missing. Oh well, no biggie.

The bottom line: all complaints aside, this is a great set, and a must for true AC/DC fans everywhere: 5 stars for disc 1, 3 stars for disc 2, and 4 stars for disc 3, for a average of 4 stars overall. Of course, if you really, really have money to burn, then I'd suggest you give the Deluxe edition a try. If you don't, but you really and truly enjoy AC/DC, you need to get this. Then, and only then, will your AC/DC collection be complete.

This is the release without the guitar amplifier, though I would have wondered what it sounded like with my Stratocaster through it, since neither Angus nor Malcolm play one.

"Backtracks" is not a "greatest hits" album. AC/DC have steadfastly refused to do one. The closest you're going to get on that is "Who Made Who."

This is more of an odds 'n sods album, largely unreleased live material and studio material only released in Australia up until now. Most fans know that the Australian releases of the early albums are different to the ones released in the rest of the world (album art, track listing, etc.). This gives you some of those tracks.

Three stand out: "Crabsody In Blue" (you'll itch after listening to it; my wife said "ewww!"), "R.I.P." (Rock In Peace), a solid AC/DC Bon Scott era straight-ahead, no BS, Aussie hard rock 'n boogie, and "Love Song." I believe this one was written about Bon's then-wife, Jane, and has to be heard to be believed. Gentle, non-distorted guitar and Bon professing his love in an almost Beatle-esque fashion (or, to be more accurate, in the style of the elder Young brothers Aussie pop band, The Easybeats).

The CD with the live tracks are...well, if you've seen AC/DC live (I have), you'll know what to expect! Turn it LOUD! Brian Johnson really tears the paint off the walls with his renditions of songs both old and new.

The DVD is interesting mostly as a curio, but the addition of the video of "Highway To Hell" is almost disturbing, since Bon would be dead soon after.

And, as with AC/DC, don't take it too seriously. Quaff your favourite Aussie beverage (Fosters, XXXX, etc.), and, as I said, play it LOUD.

What this set is missing is their first single.
Can i sit next to you girl/Rockin' in the
parlour. This featured their first singer before bon scott.
One of these days they'll get it right and
we'll get the full albums in chronological order
with bonus tracks and rarities on each one instead
of bits and pieces on compilation discs. For now,
this will do.

this is what us hardcore fans fans have been waiting for all those tracks we've heard about but never got released,and here they are "crabsody in blue,cold hearted man,rock in peace" and a bunch more all sounding great. and these come along with the great live rarites that will get you rocking and as a bonus for all those people who complained that the family jewels collection ended at 1991,you get get disc three of that collection with the rest of ac/dc's music videos right up to the present day,there is no reason why any ac/dc fan should not have this collection.

Finally AC/DC release some lesser known tracks!
Disc 1 - Studio rare tracks are excellent and a good addition to your collection.
Disc 2 - Live rare tracks is awesome and shows what the band do best, and capture
some of Brian's best live vocals ever (Largo '81 show - Unstopable!)
Disc 3 - Brings Family Jewels up to date with all the videos post 1991, which
was a bug bear of mine about the original Family Jewels. It does
include some bonus videos and makings of, which are funny.

First point, I Put The Finger On You (live Largo '81) is not on Family Jewels disc 3.
I have the audio of it and a copy of the video on an old vhs.
It is absolutely smoking, when are we gonna get that whole Largo show from 81?
What they have released on FAmily Jewels, Plug Me In & now Backtracks is balltearing!
However all hardcore fans have all this stuff, but I guess now we get good versions.
My problem is, where are all the other unreleased songs? Let It Loose, Alright Tonite, The Cock Crows?

AC/DC have way more unreleased stuff. 5 extra songs recorded for Flick Of The Switch,
Blow Up Your Video (although we already have three - Snake Eye, Down On The Borderline & Borrowed Time)
and there was also another five recorded for Stiff Upper Lip (which we already have Cyberspace).
I am sure there are more than that as well.

It is a bit half baked considering most of this has been available in Australia (Where I am from), as b-sides and original album tracks on their early albums (why cut them up for America anyway?). But I absolutely love back tracks, but it could of been ALOT better in a hardcore fans eyes!!! Seriously worth it's money though.

if you are a ac/dc fan you will love this cd new footaged that i have never seen good quality.

... how complete you want your AC/DC collection to be. This patches up some up some holes. Every studio song released by AC/DC since Bon Scott became their singer is now available stateside. I'd be lying if I said that means that we have a holy grail here. A couple of these songs are classics ("Crapsody In Blue" and "Cold Hearted Man") but I'd have been able to live a full and fruitful life had I never had heard "Love Song" (an AC/DC power ballad and you thought there was no such animal). The Brian songs range from passable to forgetable. What's missing are the Australian edits of songs long available here that appear om the shamefully overpriced full version of this boxset and the Dave Evans 45 which has a better than Bon version of "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" - apparently the boys are gonna make us wait on that.

The live disc is nice but inessential for the most part.

The Family Jewels 3 Dvd again patches up some holes. It's something worth having but how often you gonna pull it out?

This is definitely worth the money that Amazon is selling this for but I seen prices around $40.00 at the Best Buys and such. Even a diehard like me would have problems shelling that out.