AC/DC – Iron Man 2 (2010 Columbia deluxe CD/DVD set)
For the second time, AC/DC have supplied the soundtrack to a movie (see: Who Made Who, the soundtrack to Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive). This release basically amounts to a cool “best of” CD. While Who Made Who had some new material, Iron Man 2 is the straight oldies, with a few unexpected surprises thrown in. Since AC/DC have never released a proper “best of” CD, this is about as close as you’re likely to get. And it’s just fine.
I’m guessing Jon Favreau had a lot to do with the picking and choosing and sequencing of songs, and he’s obviously an AC/DC fan. I mean, “Evil Walks”? There is even a song (“Cold Hearted Man”) from the Backtracks box set and one from the more recent AC/DC opus, Black Ice. As such, Iron Man 2 is a pretty damn good single disc overview of the whole AC/DC shebang. It flows well, it has an excellent mix of Bon and Brian, and the sound is as good as any of the AC/DC remasters available. Lyrically, it even (very) loosely relates to Iron Man 2 (“Shoot to Thrill”, “War Machine”, “Evil Walks”, “Back In Black”; use your imagination). In short, it rocks. Buy this with Who Made Who, and you will essentially have all the AC/DC that a newbie needs to get kickstarted, with a fair chunk of deep cuts as well.
The deluxe edition packaging is awesome to behold, with (very fragile) shiny cover art, a generous booklet (loads of Iron Man and band photos in here) and a DVD. The DVD is nothing to write home about: the new video of “Shoot To Thrill” and a making-of featurette being the main draw. The live stuff is great, but a fair bit has been previously released on official AC/DC DVDs before (including the aforementioned Backtracks box set). Still, I have no complaints. It’s just a bonus DVD from a soundtrack representing a Hollywood action movie; it’s not meant to cater specifically to me. It’s good viewing and you may as well consider it a freebie at this price.
Die hard fans who already own the whole AC/DC back catalogue won’t need this, but I bought it anyway. As a car disc it’s fun due to the inclusion of obscure tracks. But it works. The album flows and rocks, and those obscure tracks deserve a second look-see. I’d forgotten how cool the song “The Razors Edge” is, and it totally fits the Iron Man vibe.
If you need some more AC/DC in your life, some more iron in your blood, go for it. You won’t be let down. Personal highlights for me include:
- “The Razors Edge”
- “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”
- “Cold Hearted Man”
- “Rock n’ Roll Damnation”
But the whole thing is great, not a weak track in the bunch!
4/5 stars
mikeladano.com 
Though only a moderate AC/DC fan, I picked this (single CD edition) a while back and was stoked by how strong and energetc it played – something ‘best of’s don’t always deliver.
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Very cool! I’m glad you enjoyed. So basically you support my hypothesis that if you only need a couple AC/DC, this hits the bill?
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Pretty much! (although I’d never knock back the first couple of Bon LPs if I saw them in a charity shop for a buck!!)
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If I may be so bold, I’d even say “any” Bon album, tho I too am partial to the earlier ones. Dirty Deeds and High Voltage in particular are my two favourite AC/DC albums, probably of all time.
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I have to agree with Vinyl Connection here. This is a fantastic collection of AC/DC songs.
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Glad to have the support of both you fine gentlemen, sirs!
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I never bothered with this because of a lack of anything new. I am a real sucker for RNR Damnation though, song isn’t
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I love that tune as well. I could rock it any day.
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… Too bad either. (Damn these clumsy fingers!)
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Love the pic (Have A Drink On Me)with Jonno and his fro from Back In Black….that’s worth the price of admission right there!
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I never bothered with this in the same manner as Mr 1537 but it does look like an interesting comp. You can tell there was a bit of thought put into it.
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Yeah and I hope that comes across in my review. My feeling is that it was a well done package, and I’m sure AC/DC wouldn’t have released it if they weren’t satisfied.
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I know man it doesn’t even look like him eh? I HAD to post that pic.
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Of course it works as a mix and of course it rocks: it’s friggin’ AC/DC! \m/ \m/
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That could have been my whole review right there ;)
I should try the brevity thing!
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This was my introduction to AC/DC. Went on to pick up Dirty Deeds …, Highway To Hell and Back In Black. Still play this a bit, too.
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