AC/DC STREAM “PLAY BALL” ONLINE, SINGLE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
AC/DC have posted their new single Play Ball online for streaming. Listen to it below.
Play Ball is the first single to be released from the band’s forthcoming album, Rock Or Bust due December 2nd. To download the single at iTunes, click here.
Rock or Bust is the first AC/DC album in the band’s 41 year history without founding member Malcolm Young on the recordings. It has been revealed recently that Young is suffering from dementia.
AC/DC will undertake a world tour in support of Rock or Bust in 2015. Stevie Young, nephew of founding members Angus and Malcolm Young, plays rhythm guitar on the album and will accompany the band on tour.
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My initial impressions of this song is that it’s a decent track. Repetitive, even for AC/DC standards. It may grow on me once I buy the album. It sounds like something off ‘Stiff Upper Lip’. Also, Brian’s voice is drowned out by the guitars. I can hear him, but I can’t make out the lyrics (Brian, despite his growl is usually coherent). I have read people making comparisons to Airbourne. It’s one thing for a band to be influenced by another band, it’s another thing to clone their sound and bring nothing of your own to the table. Airbourne is the latter, directly ripping off riffs and breakdowns. They are essentially an AC/DC cover band. Zack Wylde is influenced by Sabbath, you can hear it in his music, but you also hear his own style in their as well. And there’s the difference between being influenced and cloning.
Why listen to a second-rate AC/DC wannabe when I can listen to the real thing?
Jimi,
That’s fine, to each their own.
I never said Airbourne wasn’t derivative, and maybe if this was the 80s, I too, would be annoyed by their lack of originality. But, this is 2014 and their retro sound tickles my fancy as compared to a lot of nu metal, which I don’t happen to like at all.
Also, there are plenty whom have criticized AC/DC over the years for their lack of originality and their failure to change their sound. I happen to disagree with that notion, as the saying goes, “if ain’t broke, why fix it,” and this coming from a person whose favorite band is Judas Priest, a group known to constantly experiment with their sound and not be afraid to take risks.
Listen, I hope AC/DC continues for the next two decades, but let’s be realistic, at some point they will retire. So, Airbourne is better than nothing. At least they are trying to preserve that retro sound.
D 🙂
Dana, one thing you are forgetting is that AC/DC’s blues-boogey sound with the familiar gravelly vocals from Brian Johnson makes their sound distinct. It’s their sound to repeat. I just felt this song could have used a bit more variety, and not admonishing the band for staying true to their roots. It’s the fact that they’ve never strayed too far from their original sound that makes them awesome. Think about every other band (Aerosmith, Sabbath, Motley Crue, etc) everyone says ‘Their early stuff was great’ and then they change their sound and ‘evolve’. That’s when most fans jump ship.
Luckily, AC/DC’s catalog is for all time so I don’t feel the need to downgrade to imitators because music now sounds generic. If you want a band that is in the vein of AC/DC in terms of party rock laced with not-so-subtle lyrics, try Buckcherry. At least those guys have their own sound.
Here is a link to a guy who sounds EXACTLY like Brian Johnson. As a long time AC/DC fan, you will not notice a difference. It’s downright eerie and a good song to boot. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBciqJMscGQ
Jimi,
You weren’t kidding. Very similar vocal style, no question.
D 🙂