Customer Reviews

The Story of AC/DC: Let There Be Rock

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4 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is written as though it was long article taken from Hit Parader or Metal Edge magazine. It reads very much like a fanzine, or, rather, a fan's own perspective, instead of an actual account of the band's history.

Granted, there is some decent material here, and the photos, many of which have never been printed elsewhere, are a nice addition. But, when discussing former members the author fails to give us any insight as to where they are now, or what led to their departure. For instance, drummer Chris Slade is mentioned, then, suddenly, he's not. We all know he was replaced by AC/DC's second, and longest-lasting, drummer, Phil Rudd, but like the band, she fails to mention exactly why he's gone.

There were a few details missing from the discography section. The author injects far too many "I" comments, personal encounters, and drops the Young brother's names every chance she gets as though she's trying to justify herself to the reader as to just how "important" she is. It borders on cocky. Throwing in her own experiences with the band in the midst of what is supposed to be a book about the history of AC/DC is uncalled for. If a reader wants to know about her own experiences regarding the band, I'm sure we could find a way to contact her.

I wanted to read a book about AC/DC. Instead, I got to read abook about AC/DC and the author. It got to be extremely tiring after a while. Next time, when writing a book about a band, leave it at that.

My main beef with this book is it lacks credibility. There's too much stuff that reads like it was lifted straight out of Clinton Walker's book Highway to Hell (much better book by the way). In fact, I went back and compared some of the passages and they were spookily similar. The other puzzling thing is why is there a whole list of people on the jacket flat who were supposedly interviewed for the book, but among them, not any of the current members of AC/DC? I believe this is an unauthorized biography, but if the author has such a great relationship with them, why wouldn't they authorize her to do a bio? Why did she not get any letters from Bon Scott, who was a prolific letter writer, and was known for keeping in touch with legions of people over the years? She was so close to them; knew them so well, interviewed them so many times, but never a card or a letter? She quotes letters from the AC/DC roadie she was friends with but there's not much specific information in them. I ended up skimming most of it.

This book reads like a list of facts about AC/DC. there is no real personality to it. Masino has written a book based upon her limited aquaintence with AC/DC and thirdhand from numerous books and magazine articles, and it shows. All I read in this book was an account of tour dates and album releases (hell, the book is structured on the albums' releases - that is how the chapters are named.). There is limited info on the members' background, and there is very little on what the guys do besides playing in AC/DC. There are few interesting anecdotes about the band. It does not read like the author knew AC/DC well at all.
From the reviews that I read, I expected to be drawn into the world of AC/DC - both professionally and personally. I got the gist of how hard working these guys are, but I learned nothing about their songwriting or recording techniques, their personal lives (are any of the members besides Angus married? Do any of them have children? What are the names of the wives and children? Where do they live?), or their interrelationships within the band (were there ever any blowouts within the band? What made Phil leave? What made Slade leave? Who was the black sheep? etc.). This book does not even hold a candle to some of the best rock bios out there(i.e. The Love You Make, Hammer of the Gods, The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones) - books that get under the skin of the band and make the reader feel like he/she is right there with the band. You've got to be more aquainted with the band than just visiting with them post show whenever they come to your town. That seems to be the extent of Ms. Masino's personal knowledge of AC/DC, and it is not enough to write a book on.

Well, this is another unnoficial biography where, of course, the Young brothers (or any other band member) were not directly interviewed for it. The difference is that the writer at least knew the guys personally, as a journalist, along various years.

But, it's the work of a fan, sometimes in the worst sense of the word. The kind of AC/DC fan that says "FLY ON THE WALL" is a masterpiece (yes, this is written in the book).

There is almost nothing, nothing new here. The firing of Mark Evans, the exit of Simon Wright, nothing. At least, the writer is honest enough to quote from magazines inside the text itself.

While the Young brother don't release their autobiography (a doubtful event), the best books around regarding AC/DC, in mny opinion, are "AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Rock-and-Roll Band", by Murray Engleheart and Arnaud Durieux and, of course, "HIGHWAY TO HELL", by Clinton Walker. This one one here don't even come close.

Yet another (another!) "unauthorised" publication about AC/DC that offers basically the same information, stories, etc as most previous books about the band.

Try "Highway to Hell : The Life and Times of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott" by Clinton Walker or "AC/DC Maximum Rock & Roll" by Murray Engleheart with Arnaud Durieux They are well researched publications & have absolutely mimimal factual errors.

This book is really more of a tribute than a real biography. Ms. Masino is clearly a serious AC/DC fan and her effusive enthusiasm for the band leaches through in almost every paragraph. In my view, this is a good thing. It takes a real fan to do justice to a band like AC/DC; any author only mildly interested in this type of music(e.g., Springsteen or Bjork types), or, more likely, anyone biased by envy, could do a tragic disservice to those of us interested in learning about this legendary rock and roll institution. Ms. Masino is interested in only telling the real story, a story which has some up and downs but is none the less one of the most majestic and awe-inspiring stories in the history of music. Her admiration only fuels our own as she reviews the evidence supporting why this is the best rock band in history....or at a minimum is a band matched only by the Beatles, The Stones, and Led Zeppelin for both album sales and mythological intrigue.

A few frustrations surface, however, as you read this tome. First, there is lots of tour data, and reading it is mind-dulling. "Two dates in Holland and then three in France and then back to the UK to record and then on to some barn to write new tracks..."--stuff like that. Endlessly. But I guess that is the price you pay for reading a bio about a band that has toured incessantly for going on four decades. And, due to her efforts, I was able to nail down the probable dates in the late 70's when I saw Bon-era AC/DC at two Days on the Green, and a Brian-era show at the Cow Palace. That was fun to do, as I didn't keep good records as a teenager and I thought I'd never excavate that information. But it was in this book.

Another frustration is that Ms. Masino paints a picture of the band members which is woefully superficial. I was really hopeful to gain better insights as to the thinking and personalities of these guys, especially Angus and Malcolm. I've spent over 30 years in awe of these gentlemen from Down Under, and when I use the word "Mythological" I am not exaggerating. At 5'2", and all sweaty and pimply, Angus is still larger than life. He's up there with Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Churchill, Howard Hughes, Hefner, Mick & Keith, John & Paul, Bruce Lee, Ronald Reagan, Jack London, John Muir, John Wayne, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Evel Knievel, Vincent Price, Michael Caine, Clint Eastwood....you get the idea: The Full Pantheon of World-Altering Revolutionaries. Angus is on that list, and towards the top in my opinion. I really wanted to know all about him. Where does he live? What does he smoke? Drugs? Children? Does he have other hobbies, or does he live only to burn incredible riffs into the fabric of the Universe with his SG? How did he get so good on the guitar?

We have a few of these questions obliquely answered in this book, but the picture is thin at best. Angus paints, he has a place in Holland, he drinks some tea, he is really funny, he has a wife named Ellen. He treats all the crews with respect, and although an ultimate superstar, there is not even a hint of arrogance in his bearing. He is a solid man in terms of meeting his commitments to labels, venues, and fans. I already knew that last fact, as does everyone who ever saw them in concert. AC/DC delivers the goods.

There is another part to that which makes Angus so amazing. It is not just the great music, the primal riffs which are so mathematically perfect and neurologically affecting. There is another dimension to his appeal. Angus represents a man who has found his Ultimate Calling, his pre-destined mission in the Universe. Having found that mission, he applies 120% of his energy, day after day, year after year. He is the ultimately fulfilled individual, he has met his true love and he is sweating all over her, and her six strings, in a city near you as I write this, just as he has for the last four decades. It is perhaps this aspect I wanted to learn more about. Was he born with This Calling, or did he just fall half-arsed into it? He's a lucky little fella regardless!! Ultimate fulfillment.

Ms. Masino has a little bit of connection with the band, but not really a whole lot . It does not appear that there were any interviews with the band which were conducted by her for this book. She mostly quotes them from various guitar magazines, and then she quotes a lot of peripheral players from the crew and other musicians who knew the band in their earlier days. There are some really weak simulated hand-written letters from a road-crew guy who corresponded with Ms. Masino for a few years. I think it would have been more effective to simply quote him rather than "reproducing" his letter in faux handwriting. Ms. Masino does recall some of her rather fleeting interactions with the band at post-concert meet-and-greets. These interactions don't add much to the picture, but to her credit it does not appear that she embellishes at all, because these are really minimal encounters, the type of which AC/DC probably has with thousands of journalists and fans every year. Overall, it was like she was trying to make herself part of the AC/DC story, and it appears that she clearly is not part of the story in any significant way.

Ms. Masino also inexplicably starts writing in italicized print at various points. I could never quite nail down her methodology in using this technique. Are the italicized portions her inner thoughts, her whispered confidences, or are they personal asides? Oh well, I guess it visually made the page a little bit more interesting. One final criticism: sometimes incomplete sentences work, and sometimes they don't. Ms. Masino ought to stick to complete sentences. I found her intermittent sentence fragments really distracting.

In the end, though, I found myself really liking Ms. Masino. She did roll up her sleeves and work hard on this, and given the constraint that she did not have access to the band for interviews, I think she still did a good job. And there is zero gratuitous dirt, which would have been sacrilege in my view.

As I initially mentioned, her biggest credential for doing this book is her love of the band and her appreciation of their musical style. I really enjoyed her description of when she first saw them. She had met them upstairs at a club, and she presumed that they were mere mortals. She then saw their set, and by the third song she realized they were of divine inspiration. I appreciated her reaction, because it was similar to my own when I first saw them. And, since then, every band has paled in comparison. Metallica, Springsteen, Roth-era Van Halen, Black Sabbath, Rage Against the Machine, U2, and so many others. No other band comes close. It takes a few days to emotionally recover from an AC/DC concert; they are just on that amazing level where you know you are peeking through a crazed "door of perception" when you watch them play.

The book does a nice job on Bon and his legacy. It probably covers Bon better than Angus. You do come away feeling like you know Bon, and of course you like him even more for what you have learned.

Finally, there are some nice photos in the book. I had never seen most of them and they are worth having. The hardback version of Ms. Masino's book is very well made: it's cloth-covered hardback, which you don`t see often nowadays. Omnibus Press is to be commended. This is a book you may want to keep in your permanent library, and so I recommend getting it in the hardback version.

eviewed By Tracy Farnsworth

Perhaps the most personal and involving biography I've come across in some time, AC/DC: LET THERE BE ROCK delves into the renowned rock band AC/DC. Susan Masino brings an emotional feel to the book that draws the reader in from the first sentence. This book is a must-read for any music lover, especially those familiar with AC/DC.

It is hard to think that there may be people out there who are unfamiliar with AC/DC, but just in case, I'll offer a summation. AC/DC are a group from the 70's forward who came from Australia. Their loud guitar riffs matched lead singer Bon Scott's perfectly. After Bon Scott died, Brian Johnson would take over as lead singer and the band continued their climb up the charts. Their albums are a staple in my household.

The book covers every aspect of the band's history. From the members' childhoods to how the band really got its name, there are jewels of details popping up on every page. Some tidbits are common and others may surprise you. What the book never does is bog the reader down in overplayed information. Everything seems fresh and new. Kudos to Susan Masino for that! Also included is a lengthy discography that will appeal to both new fans and long-established fans.

AC/DC: LET THERE BE ROCK is one for the keeper shelf. With great sections of photographs included, there is a lot to experience. With Christmas right around the corner, this is a perfect gift for both young and old.

Oh my god, that was awesome from start to finish! It's really cool to get some new insight on the band from the author's personal experiences with them. What a hardworking band! I have got to say that I have a whole new appreciation for Bon Scott. The stories about him tell what he was really like on a personal level. I've loved AC/DC for a long time and have always listened to them, but reading this book reminded me just how much I really love their music and the important roll they've played in my life. What a great book!

After reading books by Clinton Walker and that bucktoothed bobbing head loser Malcolm Domehead, it is so refreshing to actually be able to read stories from someone who actually knows the band personally, and not the other two who consider themselves the ultimate AC/DC opinions without ever being close enough to the band to smell one of Angus' farts.

Susan Msino has been a journalist since AC/DC first landed in the United States in 1977 or so and got to meet the band before they where the rock n roll legends they are today.

Susan talks about how she got the deal to make this book, shows letters between her and one of the AC/DC roadies, and tells a lot more information then I have found in any other book on this band.

Not to forget, she tells it as it was & how things really happened. Not the speculation, the lies and myths and the twists on tales that others have put in their book to get it more attention then it's worth.

And the most refreshing thing about Susan's book here, is she does not say anything at all about AC/DC going downhill after 1980 and how Brian isnt Bon Scott. Unlike Domebucktooh head and the others who are morons who can't accept that AC/DC never died, went on to sell more albums then any other band in history and not even their so called "crap" albums have failed to reach multi-platinum success.

I liked reading about the things missing from all the other books. The backgrounds on more then just the Youngs and Bon. It talks about Phill Rudd, Cliff Williams, Mark Evans, Dave Evans and gives the true reson Phil Rudd was let go from the band in 1983, and insight to who played what on what albums. The old myths are laid to rest here as Susan does give detail of who played what tracks on their first album in 1974.

also, I did not know that the tracks "Dirty Eyes", "Cold hearted Man", "Love At First Feel" & "Carry Me Home" where all recorded in England during the same recording session. They never got released as an LP, but those songs have all surfaced on B-sides of single as AC/DC fans know.

The book also beautifully continues on from 1980 after Bons death and gives the Brian Johnson era the respect it deserves. (Unlike Gap tooth baldy and mr know it all Walker) there is so many things in here during the 80's and 90's period of the band that I could just throw my arms around Susan and tell her thank you for writing about the band, for writing a biography about AC/DC, not focusing on the Bon Scott days for most of the book and then 2 or three pages on Back In Black before saying, "AC/DC died in 1980, they suck now, long live Bon" ... well Bons dead now, sure, he was a great front man and will always be missed legend of Rock N Roll, but those guys have to face the fact that Bon would have wanted AC/DC to carry on, and that the Youngs miss him dearly, but continue to rock on for Bon. So those idiots can go get stuffed and dwell in their 20 bucks they make for their unauthorized DVD interviews.

This book contains a few photos of the band from over the years, as well as a full discography in the back, much like the Kerrang Files listing, only a lot more then what you find in that.

Everything is here from A-Z, from pre-AC/DC to Stiff Upper Lip and a bit beyond that. And it's all by someone who was with the band, knew them, has met them, is good friends with them... unlike some others I might mention. And Susan shows she truely is a real AC/DC fan, showing that AC/DC are AC/DC, not a band that ended with Bons death.

For anyone who wants to know the real deal about AC/DC, or where they played (it seemed like Susan has documented every show they ever played) then this book is the one for you. Ignore Clinton Wanker, and Malcolm Cronedome, they haven't a clue about AC/DC.

Written by music journalist Susan Masino, who has followed the career of AC/DC since their beginning in the late-1970s, Let Their be Rock: The Story of AC/DC is the exciting true history of the band. Drawing from interviews with numerous industry insiders including Dave Evans (original singer for AC/DC), Kirk Dyer (tour manager for Cheap Trick), "Pyro" Pete Cappadocia (pyro technician for AC/DC since 1982) and many more, Let There Be Rock covers everything from the band's debut in Australia in the early 1970s to the devastating death of their lead singer Bon Scott in 1980 to their continuing fandom into the 21st century and beyond. Inset sections of black-and-white photograph plates round out this comprehensive look behind the scenes of a rock-n-roll legend.