Expensive, But Worth Every Dollar....

Obviously this set is for the dedicated & die-hard AC/DC fan. Newcomers go to the search box above and enter "Let There Be Rock". "Powerage" or "Highway To Hell".
But, if you own the first 10 AC/DC albums on vinyl (like I do), and are looking to upgrade to the "cd" format, this set is the way to go. With the remastered sound, these recordings have never sounded better (the brand new USA "deluxe" releases sound almost exactly the same). You're gonna eventually get every cd anyway, so why wait. Once you have this in your hands, you'll be as excited as the day "Let There Be Rock" hit your turntable for the first time. Believe me, the 3 bills you dropped won't matter anymore. And a little tip....Just have it shipped to the office and your wife will never know.

Worth every cent, essential for fans of hard rock

Where do I begin? Well, I guess I'll get right to the point.

AC/DC is awesome, and if you like hard rock, and you don't have any of their CDs, you owe it to yourself to get this box set as soon as possible. This is THE best box set EVER. It's got the Australian 1995 remasters of AC/DC's first 16 albums, and the Stiff Upper Lip 2 Disc Set, meaning they're the best versions ever of the AC/DC albums. Here are the albums you're getting:



1. [High Votage] (1974)

AC/DC's debut! The slower, softer pace than their other stuff may turn off some AC/DC fans, but still a good CD. A few of these songs never made it to America, too.



2. [T.N.T.] (1975)

"T.N.T." Need I say more? It's arguably AC/DC's best song. [T.N.T.] is another good AC/DC album, even though a few songs are boring or repetitive. This album was never released in the U.S.



3. [Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap] (1976)

[DDDDC] spawns some classic AC/DC tunes like "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Problem Child", and "Jailbreak". This is MUCH better than the U.S. version, which came five or six years late, censored, AND missing some songs.



4. [Let There Be Rock] (1977)

[Let There Be Rock] is regarded as AC/DC's first truly great album, with such songs as "Let There Be Rock", "Whole Lotta Rosie", and "Bad Boy Boogie". The import version has "Crabsody in Blue" instead of "Problem Child". This is the only place to hear this song.



5. [Powerage] (1978)

Another great AC/DC CD that sounds more like the AC/DC most people are used to (eg. [Back in Black] and [Highway to Hell]) Sadly, none of these killer songs became hits. [Powerage] didn't get nearly as much respect as it deserved.



6. [If You Want Blood, You've Got It] (1978)

An awesome live album containing ten great AC/DC hits, like "Let There Be Rock", "Problem Child", and "Riff Raff". This is an all-around excellent CD.



7. [Highway to Hell] (1979)

One of AC/DC's best albums with one one AC/DC's best songs ("Highway to Hell"), plus several other excellent songs that didn't become hits.

This is AC/DC's final work with their lead vocalist, Bon Scott. R.I.P.



8. [Back In Black] (1980)

"Hells Bells". "You Shook Me All Night Long". "Back in Black". "Shoot to Thrill". This is AC/DC's best album, hands down. Every song is good, and new vocalist Brian Johnson does a fantastic job.



9. [For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)] (1981)

A great follow-up to [Back In Black], with a classic title track that's as good as any AC/DC song.

This CD is way underrated. Critics dissed it because it wasn't as good as [Back In Black]. Well, it isn't, but it's still very good.



10. [Flick of the Switch] (1983)

Another solid AC/DC release, sounds a lot like [Back In Black]. This isn't a very well known album, even though it's awesome. [Flick of the Switch] is AC/DC's last great album until 1990.



11. [Fly on the Wall] (1985)

AC/DC takes a nosedive with this album. Well, there are a few good songs, I suppose, but there are some awful tracks on this CD, too. It's clear that AC/DC didn't put any effort into making this album. The bad songs are supplemented by bad production, and Brian Johnson's voice is deteriorating, making the mediocre songs sound even worse.



12. [Who Made Who] (1986)

This CD bundles 6 AC/DC classics like "Hells Bells" and "For Those About to Rock" with 3 new songs. The 3 new songs are pretty good, but this album is mostly stuff you've already heard.

Real Fact: [Who Made Who] is actually the soundtrack to the Stephen King movie "Maximum Overdrive".



13. [Blow Up Your Video] (1988)

This is a good album, better than [Fly on the Wall], and spawned "Heatseeker" (an amazing song). But there's some bad stuff: [Blow Up Your Video] sounds different than all the other AC/DC CDs, contains a few throwaway songs, and still isn't as good as their previous stuff.



14. [The Razors Edge] (1990)

AC/DC's return to greatness! "Thunderstruck" and "Moneytalks" are classics, and all the other songs are vewry good as well. Sadly, Brain Johnson's voice hits it's all-time low here. His voice sounds terrible! He still does a good job, though, because he has a lot of charisma and enthusiasm.



15. [Live] (1992)

[AC/DC Live] offers some bang for your buck. A bunch of AC/DC classics on 2 discs. 23 songs makes for a lot of listening time (over 2 hours!). None of these songs are as good as their original versions (except for "Thunderstruck", and maybe "Moneytalks" and "Whole Lotta Rosie"), but this album is still very good... after all, it's the closest thing AC/DC has to a greatest hits album. Nearly all of the classics are here.



16. [Ballbreaker] (1995)

"Hard As a Rock" and "Ballbreaker" are excellent songs. Every other song is mediocre to bad. AC/DC has lost their direction. This is their absolute worst. Still, you need [Ballbreaker] to complete your collection, and the two aforementioned excellent songs are worth it.



17. [Stiff Upper Lip] (2000)

AC/DC returns to their roots. [Stiff Upper Lip] is a good album, with a classic title track, plus Brian Johnson's voice sounds better than it has in years. The CD has a few lame or reptitive tunes, but is mostly good.

This version comes with a bonus disc with live material (most of which can't be found anywhere else).



In the end, most of these 17 CDs are great, and its a fantastic box set overall. Here are some more good things:

1) The first 4 albums are different than their U.S. counterparts, and have songs never released in the U.S.

2) The bonus live disc in [Stiff Upper Lip] is awesome.

3) These are probably the best versions of the albums. These versions sound as good as the new Deluxe versions.

4) All albums except [Stiff Upper Lip] have lyrics booklets lincluded.



Long story short: You're getting a history of what may be the best hard rock band ever, through a bunch of awesome CDs. Don't pass this up because of the steep price. It's essential for any hard rock fan, and worth every cent.



I give this box set my highest recommendation.

wrong usage of artists

A Music Fan: You said "Phil Rudd is second only to John Paul Jones." Phil Rudd is a drum player, and John Paul Jones is a bass player. The correct usage would have been "Phil Rudd is second only to John Bonham"