A Really Good...But Not Stellar AC/DC Album

If you are a fan of AC/DC then there really aren't any "bad" albums, there may be some you like better than others, but AC/DC always supplies it's fans with a handful of songs on each disk that show way the band has been recording music over the past 4 decades. "Blow Up Your Video" is a pretty solid album, without any pizzazz. The songs like "Heatseeker", "Some Sin for Nothin", "This Means War" are all standard AC/DC fare with solid bluesy rhythms, great guitar work and Brian Johnson's unique vocals. I think the stand out tracks on this cd are "That's the way I want my Rock n' Roll" and "Go Zone", everything just clicks on these tunes and they fit nicely along side AC/DC classics "Highway to Hell" and "For Those About To Rock". I know AC/DC kind of fell to the back-burner in the 80's when bands like Cinderella and Britny Fox dressed up AC/DC's sound in hair-metal, but like most great bands, AC/DC bided their time and have continued to produce great music while the imitators have faded away. "Blow Up Your Video" may not be on on par with "Dirty Deeds" or "Razor's Edge" but it's still a worthy addition to your cd collection.

Best thing to come out of the late 80's

This album, compared to other bands and albums of the late 80's, stands prettty tall. The classic thing about AC/DC is the fact that thet never really changed their style, and that is why this album is so good. This holds up well against othe 80's efforts (though no back in black, hardly any come close to that). Just about each track has memorable riffs, and brians voice sounds amazing on this. This is also the last album were he helped write the songs.

Track listing



1. Heatseeker - cool riffs, brians sings really well, but there are better on the album 7/10

2. That's the way I wanna rock n roll - very cool track, my fav on the album, bluesly but with a hard rock edge 10/10

3. Meanstreak - A slower track with a good beat, funny lyrics 7/10

4. Go Zone - cathchy tune, not bad but not the best 7/10

5.Kissin Dynamite - my least fav on the album, because I can never remember how it goes 6/10

6. Nick of time - excellent fast paced track with cool lyrics and guitars, on the best and most memorable 9/10

7. Some Sin for nuthin' - a good track with a catchy chorus 8/10.

8. Ruff Stuff - Great, extremely catchy and memorable, one of my favourite AC/DC sex songs 9/10

9. Two's up - Another good track with great riffs, all the instruments mesh together nicely, but i dont like how the first verse is about gamblin and the second about a threesome, should have kept it about gamblin the whole way through. 8/10

10. This means war - good fast paced track with cool changing riffs, although to me seems a bit like filler 8/10.



It aint the best AC/DC album, but very close to the most underated. Buy this before The Razors Edge.

GOOD AC/DC

There a lot of people that think this cd as well as Fly On The Wall are AC/DC's weakest work. Well, I beg to differ. This is a really good cd conisdering the time frame that it came out. I prefer to listen to this or Fly On The Wall over listening to The Razors Edge. From the opening track of Heatseeker to the closing of This Means War, it's nothing but good solid rock. If you don't have this cd, give it a try, it's worth the money.

Had to write a review for this...

I couldn't resist writing a review for this album, as I'd only seen one on this page, and one giving it only three stars (I give this 4½ stars)! I realize that this album, along with Fly on the Wall, are considered AC/DC's "Lost Albums" or "Weakest Works" and things like that for some reason (and in all truth, Fly on the Wall probably is...but that's not to say it isn't great) but this is one of the first AC/DC albums I've ever bought, and I loved it straight from the start, and still do (I've got all of their albums!).

I don't know what hard rock fans couldn't like about this album. Tracks like "Heatseeker," "Meanstreak," (which is my favorite from this album) "This Means War," and "That's The Way I Wanna Rock N Roll" really light it up. Sure, it's no Back in Black, but I think it certainly measures up with "The Razors Edge," another multi-platinum album, and the one which only came a couple of years after this one. If you doubted this album before, give it a chance, man!

Is this AC/DC ??

The worst AC/DC album ever. It's even worst than " FLY ON THE WALL ". When they release the band catalogue, this album is almost forgotten. What went wrong ? SImply, the songs are bad, everything sounds rusty and ninspired. Maybe Malcolm and Angus realized that, and after this drummer Simon Wright left the band, replaced by bald-headed Chris Slade.

it's better than you remembered...

I've read some scathing reviews for this album, but I don't get it. I always thought if you meshed Back In Black with Let There Be Rock, you might get the vibe of Blow Up Your Video IMO...loud, heavy, and butt-shakin'. How can any self-respecting AC/DC fan NOT feel like strutting around the house when "Meanstreak" blares through the speakers? I might earn a negative rating for saying this, but IMO "Meanstreak" is one of AC/DC's most criminally underrated songs. The band picks up the pace on quite a few tracks ("Heatseeker", "That's The Way I Wanna Rock & Roll", "Nick Of Time", "This Means War"), which was something that was lacking on their previous album, the decent but somewhat lethargic Fly On The Wall. Strangely, the song from BUYV that DID get most of the attention ("Heatseeker") arguably has aged less gracefully than the others. In a nutshell, I'll say this about the album: none of my Top 10 AC/DC songs come from Blow Up Your Video, but none of my bottom 10 either...it IS one of the band's more consistent efforts, however, and little filler is to be found IMO. If you dismissed this album years ago, do yourself a favor and give it another listen...

One of AC/DC's best albums!

Blow Up Your Video, for me, is one of AC/DC's best albums. Every time I put this CD on, I swear I can smell cigarratte smoke and taste whiskey thanks to Brian Johnson's gritty bar room style vocals. Plus, the brothers Young sound so raw and powerful on this CD that you'll think their guitar amps are about to blow up...not your video. Another thing I dig about this CD is that it's more fast paced than the previous Brian Johnson albums and reminds me of the rythm and blues laced tracks like "Let There Be Rock" that the band performed with original frontman Bon Scott.

The opener, Heatseeker, is a real kick in the teeth. Up tempo, powerful, agressive and striking are just a few ways to describe it. This track sets the tone for the whole album and lets the listener know their in for a wild ride. That's The Way I Wanna Rock N Roll is up next. This song is essential AC/DC. Very raw, very blues orientend and all-out rock. The cool thing about this track, is that the band builds up tension and anticipation with this one before stepping on the gas and going full throttle into a fast tempo. Then, some of AC/DC's most catchy songs that casual fans may have never heard are on here including: Go Zone, Nick of Time and Ruff Stuff. All of those tracks could have been singles, they're that good. They grab your attention instantly with an infectious groove and powerhouse sound. Finally, the album wraps with the lightning fast This Means War. If you like the unique fast guitar lick Angus Young played on Thunderstruck, then you'll dig this song too.

This Means War is the perfect way to end such an in your face album.



If you own the original CD release of Blow Up Your Video you'll want to pick up this remaster as well. I always thought the original recording lacked depth, but here everything is crystal clear and personified in all the right ways. Plus, the new packaging is pretty cool.

If you only own Back in Black, or are just a casual listener of AC/DC, I urge you to pick this CD up and hear what you've been missing. It deserves a prominent place in any rock fans CD collection.

One of AC/DC's better 80s efforts

That's a nice review, Mr Jacko Monteo. But don't you think that Mr Greg Prato would be offended? You know...the guy who actually wrote this review?

You really shouldn't just copy-paste someone elses reviews. Bad Wacko Monkey-o.



Anyway.

Three stars? Four stars? This one is tough to grade.

I ended up going with four stars after performing a simple test on this album:

I haven't listened to it for a long time (a couple of years, I think), but looking at the track listing, I could actually remember at least part of all the songs without too much trouble.

Can't say that about too many records, can you?



This album isn't as uniformly strong as "Back In Black" or 1990's "The Razor's Edge", but the hit singles "Heatseeker" and "That's The Way I Wanna Rock n' Roll" are great, and several of the "lesser" songs are very good as well, with only a little bit of filler ("This Means War" and "Go Zone").



I always liked "Nick Of Time", with its descending wail of a chorus, and "Ruff Stuff" and "Some Sin For Nuthin'" are great as well. "Video" doesn't have the substance of "Highway To Hell" or "Back In Black", but it will be a fine addition to your AC/DC-catalogue once you've got those two, "The Razor's Edge", and "Let There Be Rock".