Whole Lotta Rock

WARNER BROS

Rs 599

They were the bad boys of rock,the ones rumoured to have sold their souls to the Devil to get a slice of the money n fame pie. They were also the ones who laid the seed for the genre called metal,something that was soon to become a part of nearly every rebel kids staple diet across the Western world.

The bands story began in 1973,when Malcolm and Angus Young picked its name from a label on the back of a sewing machine and played at a prominent Sydney nightclub on New Years eve. Well,the management complained that they were too loud and several old-timers in the crowd could be seen hobbling towards the door with their pinkies in their ears,but somewhere down the line the music struck a chord. And before the band even knew what was happening,they were walking into the hall of fame with albums such as TNT and Powerage in their kitty.

Well,a lot did happen in the days between the night at the Sydney nightclub and their 1979 Paris concert,to which Let There Be Rock happens to be a tribute. For one,rumours spread that Highway to Hell,the album they brought out just before the concert,was done in collaboration with the big D himself. Malcolm replied in the negative and Angus said that his mom would kill him if she heard something like that,but a couple of denials were clearly not enough to douse a wildfire.

Shortly after the concert,vocalist Bon Scott died in the back of a friends car and the rumour mongers felt that their claim was vindicated. In any case,it is him that Let There Be Rock pays tribute to.

Digitally remastered on the 30th anniversary of AC/DCs Paris concert,the DVD contains interviews with Malcolm,a doped-out-his-skull Angus,bassist Cliff Williams and an unnaturally sober Scott,besides sneak-peeks into their dressing room and well the concert footage. They talk about life on the road,fly planes and most of the time just sit around rambling after smoking stuff thats a wee bit more potent than cigarettes.

At the concert,its Angus who steals the show with his marked expertise at playing guitar riffs while duck-walking in a schoolboy uniform. With songs like Live wire,Shot down in flames,Hell aint a bad place to be,Whole lotta Rosie and Sin city,it has something for every hardcore AC/DC fan.

The softcore ones neednt worry either the impromptu striptease by Angus,which culminates in a brusque flash of his famous derriere,should satisfy to a degree. Now,it probably isnt very explicit when you compare it to stuff from the Red Hot Chili Peppers stable probably why the DVD enjoys a U rating,but way back in the 1970s,doing stuff like this could get you a good spanking from grandma.

Besides this,the DVD contains featurettes on the band members as well as a piece on the whos who of rock discussing AC/DC songs. So,if you are an fan and dont mind people acting uncouth behind the mic,Let There Be Rock should sound like quite a bargain for the price tag. Go get it,tiger.

jimmy.jacobexpressindia.com