Wait, what? Back it up. AC/DC released a new album? Is it like, remixes of "Back In Black" (1980) or something? There must be a catch.
Well, surprisingly enough, there is no catch. Actually, that's a lie too. If you consider the fact that AC/DC is now entering its 40th year of service — and that they probably shouldn't be releasing a new album — to be a bad omen, then that's one hell of a catch right there.
The album, fittingly titled "Black Ice," has been in the works for nearly three years, with the band first entering the studio to begin recording sometime in January 2006. What's truly unfortunate about the entire situation is the undeniable reality that producer Brendan O'Brien had his nasty little fingers all over the entire project.
Mr. O'Brien isn't a name familiar to most, but to me, he is the epitome of all that is wrong with music production in the modern era. If you look up his discography on Wikipedia.com, it's likely he's produced something you've heard. Most famous for his work in the '90s with post-grunge rock bands such as Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine, O'Brien went on in the 2000s to single-handedly (well, maybe not) destroy one of my personal favorite bands, Incubus, and I can never forgive him for that. Sorry, Brendan, you're on my sh-t list.
But more to the point, O'Brien, with his uncanny ability to make any mix sound like sludge, has produced the latest AC/DC album. According to an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the jerk even had the gall to tell lead singer Brian Johnson, famous for his shrill scream-singing, to try to belt out some "soul crooning" instead. I don't really care if Johnson has a fantastic soulful voice; that just ain't right.
After all this ranting about my dislike of O'Brien, I admit I have not actually heard the new album yet. With midterms upon us, I, like you, fellow student, have been relieving myself in my britches due to stress, and therefore have been unable to legally pick up a copy of the album.
My main concern here is that the band members will commit one of the famous faux pas of rock and try to change despite knowing that they're really in no shape for an alteration at this point. That's why it only concerns me even more that O'Brien is in on the project, because he's famous for doing just that. Pearl Jam and Incubus had bright futures in front of them until O'Brien stepped in preaching the benefits of mediocrity.
There is hope, though. AC/DC is one of the few bands still around these days that I trust with being able to hold its own in the presence of a single-minded and bullheaded producer. If the band was able to go from 1980 to 2000 without significantly altering its style from what it wanted it to be, I feel comfortable enough that one wily producer won't stand in its way at this point.
What it all comes back to (duh) is that if the band itself wants to change, then I fully support it doing so, but its members should only do what they feel, in their heart of hearts, is right, and if the past 30 years are any sign, they just like to plain old rock out, and that's totally legit. The biggest mistake they could make at this point is to doubt themselves and give into the ways of a coercive producer, but hey, it's not like that's ever happened before, right? METALLICA.
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Grant Beighley is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at Grant.Beighley@tufts.edu.
