REVIEW: AC/DC – Live (Remastered 2 CD collector’s edition)

AC/DC – Live (1992, 2003 Epic remastered collector’s edition)

AC/DC and their label did something very clever for their first live album with Brian Johnson in 1992.  Instead of putting out a full-on and expensive double live album (well over $30 on CD in the 90’s) they allowed fans to choose a more economic option.  A single “highlights” version of AC/DC Live was released simultaneously with 14 of the 23 tracks on one disc.  AC/DC must have been one of the first bands to release a “collector’s edition” of an album with an extra CD at a higher price.

Of course to a real AC/DC fan, the single disc is for rookies.  Sure, its firepower can’t be denied, but anybody with the dollars and a hard-on for AC/DC shelled out for the double.  Their last live release was 1978’s If You Want Blood You’ve Got It with Bon Scott, a mere single disc.

Here’s the only serious flaw with AC/DC Live (either version).  Like The Razors Edge, it was produced by Bruce Fairbairn.  Why would AC/DC need a studio guy like Fairbairn to produce a live album?  Astute fans have picked apart the release and compared it to bootleg recordings from the same shows.  Like most live albums, even AC/DC succumbed to post-concert studio overdubs.  This is not particularly obvious on one listen, but it was always suspected due to the clean and near-perfect sound of AC/DC Live.  Where is the raunch?  Mixed out and overdubbed.   That’s unfortunate.  More bands should just pick the version of a song they like best, suck it up and put it on the album as-is.

Since 1992, AC/DC have released a lot of live material, both current and from the Bon era.  Notable is Live at River Plate (2012), another double, with Phil Rudd on drums.  A valid question would be, “How badly does a fan really need AC/DC Live in 2016?”  With so much to choose from, especially on DVD, AC/DC Live serves today as an historic document.  The Razors Edge album was a huge comeback for a band that never stopped, the tour was massive, and the resultant album is a document of this period.  With period hits like “Moneytalks” and “Heatseeker”, there are a few songs you won’t get live on some other releases.  (These two are even on the single CD version.)  There are also a couple nice long extended Angus jams, if you’re into the solos.  Lastly, AC/DC Live is the only live album with then (and present) drummer Chris Slade.  While no one will deny that Phil Rudd is “the man” when it comes to AC/DC, Chris Slade is well-liked and deserves his place in history.  He’s even on the album cover.

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Of note, the original (non-remastered) printing of AC/DC Live came with a neat bonus:  a little Angus $1 bill, like the ones they used to drop on the crowd during “Moneytalks”.  This memento was not included in the remaster, so when I traded my original copy in for a remaster I said “fuck it” and kept the $1 bill.  It’s too cool to throw away, and I’m sure many of those old Angus bills have been lost or destroyed since.

Ever so lucky, the Japanese fans received a bonus track:  “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place to Be”.  Fear not, everyone else.  This track was included on the live 1992 “Highway to Hell” single, which is fairly common.  Worth tracking down; it’s also on the Backtracks box set.

3.5/5 stars

27 comments

  1. Oh man, I used to own this! Ages ago, when I used to come shop in your store! I never knew what happened to my copy (I wouldn’t have sold it, I don’t think) but it just vanished on me. Anyway, whenever I remember to, I look for a replacement copy and can never find it. It’s always the 1CD version. Of course, I could just go on Amazon and order one, but where’s the thrill of the hunt in THAT?

    Anyway, I remember this really rocking. Because AC/DC.

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  2. They were giving out those AC/DC dollar bills one of the times I saw tribute ban Hell’s Bells. It’s a great souvenir. When I buy a live album, I do so with the expectation that there will probably be some studio interference with it. With that in mind, I just try to forget about it and listen and enjoy.

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  4. Track Listing on the Deluxe is A-Ok in my book! Never thought of it as a dubbed up live album as Gene And Paul are The Kings in that dept!
    What an Ass Crackin version of For Those About To Rock on here …..
    We Salute You Edmonton…..

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    1. They look really cool and I’m happy to have one, even though it technically didn’t come with this CD. The original double I had, came with an outer slipcase which most people tossed away.

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  7. I see the single disc copy pretty much every time I’m looking in a secondhand music store. Always dead cheap, too … probably more copies of this than Spice World out there. Two discs is always a better option, but I reckon half a disc would be plenty for me.

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    1. I remember that foldout. I didn’t have a longbox though. I think (I may be wrong here) but I think they were phased out in Canada earlier than the US. I say that because I remember looking at a copy of Images and Words by Dream Theater in the US, in a long box, and I’d never seen one in a long box before.

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