Just curious if anybody knows

I started a thread about this a few months back:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...highlight=acdc

Haven't heard any updates.

They were never the same after Bon Scott died. You could never replicate a Bon Scott - he was one of a kind.

IS there an AC/DC greatest hits disc around yet? That I would be interested in.

I love AC/DC, but I'm afraid they're running out of junior high-level sex puns for songs in much the same way that Taco Bell is running out of combinations of their six basic ingredients.

I have heard that they have been looking at venues for a tour late this year/early next year. So I would assume an album would be soon.

Also, heard that they may have enough material for a double album. Although, it seems like every artist says that anymore.

I have seen a lot of this information online at www.93x.com (radio station in Minneapolis)

That's exactly what I'm waiting for too! A 2-disc "The Essential AC/DC"

Maybe you can't replicate a Bon Scott - but they didn't need to. Brian Johnson was absolutely perfect for them, and Back In Black is by far their best album. Hell, it's one of the best albums ever released by anyone, and Brian Johnson had a lot to do with that.

I like their Bon Scott era albums, but I prefer the Brian Johnson era albums.

I agree, and I think the fact that the band could carve out a new sound, maintain (if not add to) their fan base, and still be selling out arenas twenty five years after changing lead singers speaks volumes for the band. I prefer the Bon Scott material, but it's all good to me. It's sort of like Van Halen, in that, whether you prefer Diamond Dave or Van Hagar, you have to admit that the band still rocked with each.

I heard they're trying to get Brian Johnson to agree to a man on man duet with Rob Halford of Judas Priest. Halford has already agreed. It's what the industry wants and the public demands.

It's NOTHING of the sort. While AC/DC rocked with or without Bon Scott, Van Halen NEVER rocked with Hagar. NEVER! Way too many ballads and keyboards. That is not rock!

It's best to ignore dear old art, otherwise you'll end up engaged on straight man-on-man action and none of us wants to see that.

It's hard to take seriously anyone who doesn't appreciate Brian Johnson AC/DC. Yeah Bon was great and all but Back In Black is the blueprint by which all other hard rock albums must be judged. There's just no way around it.

Bon Scott sang some great songs and had a look that was challenging in its conflicting notions of masculinity/vulnerability. Brian Johnson might have had a good voice initially but his look was pretty blunt and conservative. I mean, a baseball cap that looked as if it was superglued on is hardly going to make people think. His singing about "knocking me out with those American thighs" etc is pretty conservative also. Bon, in contrast, sang about jailbreaks and 15 years in hell, as well as getting ripped off on the way to the top.

Well you convinced me that Bon is gay!

Powerage = best AC/DC album (scientific fact).

Duh!

I've always thought that the lessening in quality of AC/DC's material in the '80s was mostly due to the change in their songs' subject matter. As much as it puts the band in a specific category, AC/DC is at its best when singing about good times, fast women, wild nights out etc. But with material like "Heatseeker" and - dare I say it - "Let Me Put My Love into You" the band went on a distinctly '80s power trip that didn't seem true to their spirit. And while nothing will ever replace Bon Scott's dirty blues (a la "Shot Down in Flames") for me, I have always accepted Johnson as a worthy replacement. His bombastic, anthemic singing may not be as intimate or seductive as Scott's, but for me, stuff like "Moneytalks" fits the AC/DC formula to a T and Johnson does it beautifully.

PS. Just ordered "Family Jewels" yesterday.

Agreed.

Hey...he did dress in drag in the video for Baby Please Don't Go! Nah...Bon was a stud.

Seriously though, I much prefer the Bon Scott-era stuff. The music style was more bluesy (and ballsy). True that they hit worldwide success with BIB, but I have always been curious as to how much of that material was completed before Bon died. I know he had significant involvement because Brian Johnson wrote many of the lyrics for their mid-80s albums and look how they turned out.

There's an article in the latest Guitar World with the Youngs and Johnson about the 25th anniversary of Back in Black. I can find exact quotes if you like but they basically flat out state that Bon had pretty much no involvement in that record. Some of the material was written, but I don't think Bon had done any of the lyrics and there sure as hell was never any demos recorded with Bon on them. I think the majority of the album was written after he died and Johnson had a decent amount of input. He even stated that "Rock and Roll (Ain't Noise Pollution)" was written in Jamaica right as they were wrapping up the album. He and Angus felt the album needed one last song so they hashed it out in an afternoon and recorded it the next day.

They also mentioned that Bon Scott was a fan of Brian Johnsons and had played an album from Johnson's previous band to the guys so they could hear his voice. They said that was one of the main reasons they auditioned him.

Interesting - I'll have to pick that up. I have always heard rumors about Bon's apparent involvement with this album and had heard of bootleg cuts of some tunes (though never heard them). I did know of Bon being a fan of Brian Johnson though - in an article I read a while back, he referenced Brian Johnson and Geordie -- I eventually tracked down some of these tunes and Bon was right - they are pretty damn good.

I did not know about Johnson's stuff before AC/DC.

art might contend that if Bon was gay he might still be alive if he chose to swallow manspunk instead of vomit.

Bad taste? Maybe so. But can we blame art for my transgression?

If interested, seek out the cd 'Strange Man' - it's a compilation of his hits from the band Geordie. An interesting album to say the least.

What's it like? Is it arty? Rock? Mellow?