...and action !!! Angus & Cliff confirm a Belgian tour date !

Bram Willems from radio station Studio Brussel was able to interview the band on their new album:

* WIN WIN WIN * Listen to Rock or Bust ! * The "Battle of the Drummers Tour" *

Win a pair of tickets to the Official Rock or Bust Launch Party on 29 November in Cartoon's in Antwerp, Belgium, thanks to BEDLAM IN BELGIUM and Sony Music. .

Take your chances and use the contact form on your right to send me your name / email / mobile phone number and the answer on the following question (Who plays drums on the Rock or Bust album?), and you might be on the guest list for this evening in style: airbrush tattoo session, duckwalk contest, Dj sets (Dries Van Damme, Alex Agnew and Andries Beckers) with lots of prizes to win.  You could even walk out with a real Gibson SG guitar!!  You won't regret to come dressed up.

A few days before the official release date, you can now listen to the full album Rock or Bust via iTunes streaming:  Click here to get to the streaming

In recent interviews, the boys talk about going on the road whatever happens.  And that is with or without Phil.  Angus gave a good advice for young bands: "Never turn your back on the drummer" and during the first canon of the 21 gun salute in For Those About To Rock: "BOOM - and there goes your drummer".

In the meantime 4 different historical AC/DC drummers have been warming up in the past couple of days.  Even Tony Currenti, drummer on the High Voltage album, Also second drummer Noel Taylor appeared along the sides of Tony on the Let There Be Rock tribute show last week in Australia.   Our favorite Chris Slade seems to be in major shape and also Simon Wright keeps banging the cymbals!  With Damocles' Sword swinging above AC/DC's drum stool, we could start calling it "The battle of the Drummers Tour"....

Chris Slade Razor's Edge - picture from Chrissladetimeline

Tony Currenti

Noel Taylor

Simon Wright

 And Phil?  Well it seems he's seriously considering guitar....:

Phil Rudd

Here's the new video clip: with yet another drummer, Bob Richards:

  

Less than a month before Rock or Bust album release...

... and the band is getting ready to reveal the plans for their 2015 world tour.

The promotional campaign - with teasing material dripping from the band's Facebook and Twitter account - is getting side tracked by some humming noise around drummer Phil Rudd, behaving as a real Rocker. To all fans it was a surprise to see him missing from the official photo shoot and the recording of the new video clips, in which he was replaced by Bob Richards (read full story here).

His story is all smudged out in the tabloid press and by people that know people that never were actually there.  I just don't like to read this kind of crap and you know what happened with sleazy tabloid reporter at the end of the 1986 Danger video...? Right !  I would rather like to think of it as an unfortunate and late promo campaign for his solo record Head Job.  Come on Phil, get your stuff together and prove to the rest of the band you are ready to get on stage during what could be the last tour of AC/DC!  

                                          

Anyways: here's the video of Play Ball, recorded in London last month and released just an hour ago. There's some pretty awesome ball work in there!  

Below there's a video showing the making of.

Rock or Bust !

TRACKLISTING:

1.     Rock or Bust

2.     Play Ball

3.     Rock The Blues Away

4.     Miss Adventure

5.     Dogs of War

6.     Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder

7.     Hard Times

8.     Baptism By Fire

9.     Rock the House

10. Sweet Candy

11. Emission Control

'Play Ball' to air on radio stations worldwide today!

After a 60 second teaser, the new AC/DC single 'Play Ball' will be played on radio stations across the globe today Tuesday 6 October.  You will be able to hear the song in Belgium on Studio Brussel and Classic21 this morning.  Other international radio stations include Virginradio (Italy), Q107 (Canada), CJay92 (France) and TheLoop (US).  Listen to the 60 second cut below, in case you missed it:

The video clip for this new song has been recorded last Friday in a studio in London.  One day later, the band recorded the clip for the title track of the new album "Rock or Bust" in the same studio in the company of somewhat 400 AC/DC fans that flew in from all over the world.  Now it has been officially anncounced that Malcolm Young retires from the band, family member Stevie Young hit the rhythm guitar and Bob Richards (since 1997 in British 60's bands Man) kicked the drums, as Phil Rudd seemed to have a personal emergency.  You can read some interesting stories on those sessions on acdc-abruzzo.blogspot.com . This picture showed the small arena that was built for the occcasion:  

Stay tuned for more news on the album very soon! 

Last words in this story go to Malcolm Young.  With his departure from the band due to illness, AC/DC loses its pulse and backbone.  Ever since the very beginning of AC/DC as well as musically thanks to his steady rhythm guitar work, Malcolm played a leading role in the development of the band.  Together with his little brother Angus, he brought the band -along the long way- all the way to the top.  If Bon Scott was the 'Thunderbolt in the middle' of the band's name, Malcolm still is the secret to the band's electrifying power play.   There is little chance that we will see him again on stage with the band, but he will forever be AC/DC.  We wish Malcolm all the best and are sending him our strength to him and to his family.

Stevie Young will walk in Malcolm's footsteps.  Stevie already briefly joined the band in 1988, so he sure knows the chords.  He recorded the forthcoming studio album 'Rock or Bust' album in Vancouver together with Brian, Phil, Cliff and Angus, and will join the band on tour in 2015.  23 May is rumoured to be the French date on the (40?) show 'Rock or Bust' tour. Rock or Bust!

Phil Rudd says show will go on

The world's greatest drummer announces that there will be another tour AND another record, and he'll be on it.  That sounds like rock 'n roll to my ears!  Phil explains that AC/DC will probably go on until the last one left dies.  Hell Yeah.  The drummer is currently promoting his solo record, titled "Head Job" that will be released by the end of this month.  You will read more about it as soon as I heard it.  Here's the first single called "Repo Man".

On the road again before the end of the year?

We know that AC/DC has left the recording studios in Vancouver after 6 weeks of recording.  The band's gear has left the studios.  Hopefully they had fruitful sessions so we can warm our ears soon enough with this fresh candy.  What's next?  The record or the tour?  It seems like Brian, just hinted via the BrianJohnsonracing.com website that a tour is not too far away.....   

"Hello everyone, i just wanted to thank everyone for their kind words about Cars That Rock. Your encouragement means a lot to me. This was my first ever go at presenting a TV series and even though it may not show, i was real nervous and so am very relieved that you all seem to be enjoying it. We hope to bring you more shows in the near future but, of course, there is the slight distraction of my day job with AC/DC – and it looks very likely that we will be on the road again before the end of the year. So stand by for more music – and more Cars That Rock. thanks – Brian"

With Angus (and Stevie...) Young in the studio ...

Treat yourself to a great read for the weekend and visit the website of SoloDallas for an intimate visit of the recording studios in Vancouver, Canada.  SoloDallas - a lifelong AC/DC fan - was invited to the studios along with Ken Shaffer, the inventor of the Shaffer-Vega Diversity System (SVDS) and got a tour, with Angus as the guide.  The articles provide an insight in Angus' guitar sound and come with great pictures from within the studio.  Yep, now we know what Stevie Young is doing in Vancouver: playing the AC/DC pinball!  Read the articles here (make sure you don't miss part two).

What kind of beast is the SVDS? Well, it was the first cordless system to be adopted by major rock acts because it solved technical problems common to earlier wireless systems. The reliable sound and freedom of movement it provided paved the way for bands to tour with large multi-level stages in arenas. The device is also part of Angus's pumped up clean sound.  More information on the SVDS here and on SoloDallas.com. 

SoloDallas, Angus' guitar Wizzard and Stevie improving the pinball high score.

Pictures copyright of SoloDallas.

Stormy May Day guaranteed in Vancouver!

As announced by Brian Johnson a couple of months ago and in spite of recent turmoil, the band seems about to enter the Warehouse Studios in Vancouver, Canada.

AC/DC's monster sound techs and backline have already arrived in the studio to preheat the valves.  A recent Facebook picture shows Brian and Cliff arriving at some airport.  Also Angus is reported in Vancouver.  Probably not just for a cup of tea.   All signs are there: it is clear the band will meet in the studio.

Of course we are all curious what will come out, how many new riffs Angus has up his sleeves, or pre-registered with Malcolm.  But they first might want to take some time together as a band, reflecting upon past events and with a special thought for Malcolm, before "knocking a few tunes out", as Brian called it.

(pictures ACDCBrasil.net)

AC/DC statement - AC/DC Lives!

"After forty years of life dedicated to AC/DC, guitarist and founding member Malcolm Young is taking a break from the band due to ill health. Malcolm would like to thank the group’s diehard legions of fans worldwide for their never-ending love and support.  In light of this news, AC/DC asks that Malcolm and his family’s privacy be respected during this time. The band will continue to make music."

After the wildest rumours of these past few days, here it is.  An official statement from the band.  It says it all in the first couple of words and in the last sentence.  All in between is very personal and private.  I deeply feel with the Family in these tough times and wish Malcolm all the best.  Malcolm Young is a fighter, a humble and generous man, and has been more than the backbone for this band that has been a beacon for Rock and Roll history for more than 40 years...... and still counting, just like it reads in the last phrase: AC/DC lives !

Vote AC/DC in Stubru's heavy list!

It's that time of the year again.  You can vote your favorite band into Studio Brussel's Heavy List, presented by Alex Agnew.  Click this link to vote: De Zwaarste Lijst  Simply select AC/DC from the drop down menus and your duty 's fulfilled!

If you can't wait until the 21st of April, you can try to get your hands on the vinyl reissue of Stiff Upper Lip and Ballbreaker, two absolute rarities on vinyl, and just reissued for the sake of Record Store Day.  Hurry up while supplies last!

AC/DC, The French Touch

Our friends in France, Philippe Lageat and Baptiste Brelet, have worked very hard and are ready to surprise the world soon with a master piece that assembles all possible traces left by AC/DC during their numerous visits in France.  The high quality book 'AC/DC Tours de France' will cover ALL concerts of the band in France and every possible recording they did.  The book is packed with high quality pictures as well as fan photos, and lots of interviews, even with the band members.  Bravo les gars!

Hurry up if you want your book in a limited edition format: you can pre-order on http://acdc.letsroot.net/
Beware, there might be an oncost for shipping to Belgium, and bien sûr it's all in French......

AC/DC 2014 Anniversary Bash

While racing at Palm Beach Grand prix in Florida, Brian Johnson found some time for a radio interview with a Florida radio station.  Brian revealed plans to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the band with a new album and a world tour. 

The band might start recording a new album as from May 2014 in Vancouver, and the world tour would encompass 40 shows, one for each year the band exists.  Brian also tells that this interviewer has the luck to know about this since the band has up till now always denied such plans, seen the health concerns of one of the band members.  You can listen to the interview below.

We hope all turns out fine and that the band can take great pleasure to hit the recording tapes in the studio as planned! We will keep you posted as soon as more news comes in.

The Boss pays tribute to AC/DC in Perth...

.... by opening one of their shows in Perth earlier today with Highway to Hell!

It opens up quite softly but as from minute three the E Street Band and Bruce Springsteen built a guitar wall that could stand a storm.  Great warmup song! ENJOY.