Saturday, August 20, 2022

AC/DC - Dirty Big Balls 2-LP

Label: Fuck The Mother Records (Unofficial); Year: 1989; Format: Double Vinyl LP

So, about time AC/DC get an entry on this blog of mine as they truly were my very first musical love back in 1979 when my parents out of nowhere decided to gift me the "Highway To Hell" LP for Christmas said year. But more about that when I will be reviewing that classic record. As a matter of fact the concert on this Double-LP bootleg was recorded three weeks prior to me getting my introduction into rock'n'roll. As one would expect with a bootleg the sound quality isn't great but in all fairness it's not horrible either hence making this an enjoyable trip down memory lane. If you're into Bon Scott-era AC/DC then you pretty much know what to expect and that's exactly what you get delivered on this cheaply made bootleg which I have gotten many years ago at the warehouse of a record store owner back in good ole' Switzerland. The concert was recorded on December 3 of 1979 at the Eissporthalle in Berlin and was according to Jeff Apter's "AC-DC 1973 - 1980 The Bon Scott Years" book the last gig on the Highway To Hell tour of Europe. According to the AC-DC.net website support act was Judas Priest and a ticket cost 18 Deutsch Mark. Bon's voice is pretty beat but that's hardly a surprise considering how non-stop the band toured. Still, the songs deliver despite the bootleg quality and I for one have no idea if it was just somebody recording it on a tape recorder close to the stage or whether it is taken from the soundboard as the drums are pretty loud. One of you sound experts out there could probably clarify this as the whole concert is also to be found on Youtube. I for one found myself tapping with my feet throughout my listening experience today and AC/DC with Bon Scott were one of the best rock'n'roll bands ever, period. RIP Bon. 

Thursday, August 18, 2022

the Blitzz - So Free and Go Now Single Reissues


Label: Sing Sing Records; Year: 2011; Format: 7" Single

The NYC based Sing Sing Record label (long-time defunct) reissued some great stuff about a decade ago and I was buying up everything in the very beginning but lost track after some time surely missing out on some goodies. In terms of information or any historical facts little to nothing can be found about the Blitzz from Holland. Apparently they released two singles back in '78 and that was it. Both came out originally on EMI-Holland and must have been widely available. So what you get with these two singles is not some KBD-type muzika but two well produced singles that are actually both very enjoyable. 'So Free' draws equally from glam rock, pub rock and power pop and is in my opinion just a great pop song whereas 'Degeneration' is probably the most '77 punk influenced song on either of the two singles. Think the Vibrators or the Boys and you'll get the general idea. I've seen comments on the Killed By Death website about these singles and they vary from good stuff to absolutely awful, but I sure as hell like them both hence on to the next one. 


Label: Sing Sing Records; Year: 2011; Format: 7" Single

The 'Second Single' is just as good as the first one ladies and gentlemen. 'Go Now' is definitely a power pop track with a tendency to be a bit on the cheesy side yet still delivered with enough conviction and drive hence it would be wrong to discredit it. 'You got what you want' on the other hand is a truly fantastic power pop song with a strong '77 punk influence, just a smasher of a track worth alone your hard earned money. As I had mentioned above I really don't know anything about this band so if anyone out there in the vast galactic of the intranet has any stories about these guys rocking out in their dutch klompen shoes then please go ahead and share them with the rest of us.