AC/DC's upcoming album leaked online |
21 Comments |
Posted by Marc Saltzman at 9:50 AM | E-mail this post
Hundreds of websites, file-sharing programs and BitTorrent search engines have copies of AC/DC's latest album, Black Ice, available as a free download, though the CD is not slated to appear on Canadian retail shelves until October 20.
The fifteenth album by veteran Australian rockers AC/DC has been leaked online, available at countless websites, newsgroups, file-sharing programs and BitTorrent search sites.
On one BitTorrent site we visited, three different rips of the same CD are available in its Top 100 Music downloads page, with nearly 5,000 "seeders" (a computer that has a complete copy of the torrent file) which helps to distribute the pirated music quickly and efficiently.
Now that's something for Brian Johnson to scream about.
Not scheduled for release until October 18 in Australia, or two days later for other markets, the album Black Ice is the band’s first album in eight years (since 2000’s Stiff Upper Lip).
Produced by Brendan O'Brien, the 15-track disc was recorded at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver.
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Posted by Marc Saltzman at 9:50 AM in Portable Device & MP3 Players
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| Comments (21)
Cliff on October 8 at 11:25 AM | Report abuse
I woouldn't walk accross the street to pee on AC DC or any of these so called rockers!
cory on October 8 at 11:27 AM | Report abuse
who care's if it was leaked all of there stuff sounds the same anyways
Sue on October 8 at 11:35 AM | Report abuse
That's cuz yer a loser Cliff
Patrick Patenaude on October 8 at 11:55 AM | Report abuse
WOW!! As a fan of AC/DC disappointed that this happened. Even though its available on line I will be buying the album. This is the kind of situation where bands will not want to produce another album ...
Laura on October 8 at 12:13 PM | Report abuse
As an AC/DC fan i have heard on song from the new album Black Ice but can't wait to buy it when it comes out AC/DC rock and i love all their music and no it doesn't all sound the same
Gurp on October 8 at 12:40 PM | Report abuse
i leaked it.
Justin on October 8 at 12:44 PM | Report abuse
Honestly if this album is any good then it will still sell well. The problem, with reports like this is now the artists have a fall back if they release a piece of crap they can just cry and blame their poor sales on "Piracy" rather than admiting the fact their not releasing anything worth buying.
I don't see myself buying this album but that also doesnt mean im going to go steal it, I'll just wait till they start playing the good tracks on the radio.
Auchin on October 8 at 1:12 PM | Report abuse
Well, all you download f-ers have obviously really screwed it up for us LP and CD lovers anxiously awaiting "Black Ice"....I've been following and collecting AC/DC since 1975, have already seen 'em four times and I love them LOTS! If that makes me an old fart, so be it, but their hard rock 12-bar blues songs are NOT all the same...open your ears (and your mind will follow).
Nathan on October 8 at 1:36 PM | Report abuse
Who cares if it was leaked? I will buy it anyway, unlike any music from Guns 'n Roses who deserve not to sell anything after swearing at the crowd and then walking off the stage in Montreal, causing a riot. Gee Axl, paying for your riot mess didn't leave me any money to buy any more of your songs, so now I have to obtain them creatively, like you did when you sold me a ticket for your show you didn't give. The lesson is don't piss-off your fans and they will buy your music even if it can be obtained in other ways.
riven on October 8 at 1:39 PM | Report abuse
Musicians should record music because they are inspired too. Not because they want to go Gold or make a gazillion dollars. So what its leaked ? People who care are still going to buy it for the art and the sake of possession.
If the band doesnt want to produce another album because of something as petty as this, then good. I hope they dont. Their are lots of undiscovered artists that have things to express that just want to SHARE it not capitalize on it. The more people that listen to it, the happier they should be regardless of finances. Besides how much money do they make of a cd ? everyone knows that bands make their money doing shows, n they are still gonna pack an arena though their music is "leaked" all over the internet. If i was them, i would leak it on purpose. Now look, its getting extra hype. And perhaps some people who download it for free who wouldnt otherwise listen to it may buy it, where as all the true fans buy it anyway. If the music is good then it can only be a good thing.
The problem with an article like this, as you say, may be that they have something to fall back on. . .to blame if it doesnt sell well. But, really, people who blame are suckers who dont get what life is about. And so let them use it as an excuse if they want. . .what does it matter ?
the more disturbing problem i see is that the article is self defeating. . .what the article is doing is telling everyone that the cd is leaked and available online. ! ! ? ? . . they are advertising for this leaked cd but at the same time saying . . oh what a bad thing this is. The more people that know, the more copies get downloaded. simple. Its like telling starving people that there is free food over there but really, you should go to the super market and pay for it. They may have worked to get the money to go to the supermarket cause they werent aware of the alternative but know they now. Which makes me think, that they leaked it. they already know. . .they want it this way.
peace
dee on October 8 at 2:10 PM | Report abuse
hey ac/dc rocks and i,ll will waite to buy BLACK ICE. ALL THOSE OTHERS THAT DOWNLOAD TUNES FROM THE INTERNET CAN SUCK IT UP AND BUY THE CD !!!!
EddieM on October 8 at 2:24 PM | Report abuse
AC/DC FANS I am sure you are happy to hear the new Recording in advance there is something kinda cool about that!
But are you being fair to the Band ? It takes a ton of people working to make a Cd and promote it and organize tours, to get maximum attention it cost the band a fortune they put their money back into the band so they can do tours at a quality level you like to see.
You know it is funny if I asked the Plummers and the Undertakers and the Teachers and any other person who works for a living; would you care if some just took a part of your pay check or asked you to work for free I already know the answer.I think RESPECT IS in Order or is it too late ! The Music industry has been in a depression since 2000.Recording Studios around the world have sold for pennies on the dollar. No one is putiing money into acts why would you ,they might get sucessful and get downloaded???
Rock bands have to be happy with T-shirt sales and tours.It will be too late when the fans finally understand it costs a fortune to maintain an act of any popularity on the road.Don't let your hardrives crash because all you will have for Music in the future will be your memories! Because ther will be no motivation for any one to distribute good music it will be a luxury for extremely wealthy as it once was for Kings and Queens .I know it is too late ,downloads are a way of life now It is just real sad people around the bands we love breach their trust leak an important recording and the fans being fans do what human nature would predict. Kinda like huggin a little kitten you really love and not knowing when to loosen your grip. Sick.
Peter Wolchak on October 8 at 2:34 PM | Report abuse
Riven wrote:
> Musicians should record music because they are inspired too. Not because they want to go Gold or make a gazillion dollars.
> Their are lots of undiscovered artists that have things to express that just want to SHARE it not capitalize on it.
Really, Riven? I don't know what you do for a living, but a plumber, doctor, carpenter or CEO wants to get paid for his/her work. I write and edit for a living and it's a great job, but I do want to be paid for it.
You don't think musicians should be paid as well?
Peter
ds flynn on October 8 at 4:00 PM | Report abuse
I think its time for governments around the world to crack down severly on these hackers ,privacy has gone out the window and federal law agencies had better crack down before people take matters in there own hands and deal with the perpetraters first hand with dire consequences
danw on October 8 at 7:29 PM | Report abuse
so, ac/dc's new album has been leaked on the internet...
i understand the people upset with piracy and all, though i think that if its good enough it would sell anyways. many albums i have downloaded songs from, and it hasnt stopped me from going out and actually buying it if it was good enough.
ac/dc was a great band in their day, but i loathe the fact that the album is only set to be released at walmart, or at least thats what ive heard. i dont see why i should give them my money if i did want to buy it. deals like that take money from smaller stores with far better selection in terms of music. how does a deal like that represent the idea of a "free" market?
if this record doesn't sell, im sure angus and brian can wipe their tears with their millions of dollars they've already made from their other twenty or so albums. if theyve got a problem with the album being leaked and think they arent getting paid what they deserve, then they should think about the new artists who are going out there trying to make enough gas money to make it to the next gig and arent getting it. in terms of money problems, there are millions of artists out there who are getting ripped off everyday by idiot promoters and clubs. who cries for them?
most of the money from the albums goes to the record companies and the stores (or in this case, exclusively walmart) that distribute it anyway. ive got no sympathy for either.
ac/dc is gonna be just fine people, call off the dogs and support new artists who need the help.
Bustyn on October 10 at 12:42 PM | Report abuse
It is about time that artists and others in their industry wake up, and realize that this is a new age and a new world. People have been sharing music, movies, and books for as long as those things have existed. Now it is simply easier to do so. This is not something that is going to be stopped. The days of so called "artists" getting wealthy from producing a song or two are now over. The real artists will emerge. The artists who create art for art's sake. Not to get rich. I think we'll all be better off now for it. Piss on the Madonas and Brittney Spears of the world.
jmz on October 10 at 2:15 PM | Report abuse
it's disheartening to see the consumer backlash against the music industry. mainly because it is a misguided swipe at the people that were ripping us off. first off, huge acts are not hurt. secondly, the fat cats in the music industry are not hurt(you know, the guys in the ties whose only connection with music is the money that comes from you and goes into their pockets before what is left trickles down to the actual artist).
ultimately, it is the artist that pays the price for downloading. the public still gets the music, the fat cats still get the lion's share of the money (what!?! you ALL can't possibly believe these people will suffer for the sake of music!). but the hard costs of recording, producing, distributing etc REMAIN THE SAME.
a new age HAS arrived,but theft....is still theft.
the public and the artists are on the same side. does no one remember musicians fighting for fairer prices on cds years ago? or how that turned out, and why? the music CORPS (this is not an artist by the way) fought AGAINST lower prices and won.
in a new age, we should be looking at who the despots are. and go after them.
the pay-what-you-will scenario (ie:radiohead) MIGHT HAVE been the answer. for a ridiculously small amount of money, people could get their music. and in this case, the band reaps far more money than the old industry template. read between the lines, and you will see that the label fatcats are not in this equation. hmmmmm.
plausible, fair, and do-able. but it is a great idea still-born, simply because of rampant theft!!
cheers
malarkey on October 10 at 3:12 PM | Report abuse
try this concept on for size.
a business invests in a product. the product is released to the public. the return in investment is not realized. the same thing happens to all of the products.
THINK PEOPLE THINK.
investments for new products are now allocatted for established products (ie: money-makers).
the non-return trend continues. questionable products are left undeveloped. prices on existing products rise. support for new endeavors are held back.
and much like ALL businesses, the workers (artists) at the bottom of the heap pay. how exactly? lost wages, benefits, and apportunities.
THINK MUSIC LOVERS THINK
this is the ongoing cycle that downloading has brought.
so...my question to the free-loaders is...as a struggling artist, how do i pay the rent? how am i compensated for the music you are currently enjoying? with inspiration?
utopia, indeed
B.L. Zeebub on October 10 at 5:56 PM | Report abuse
when a new-fangled phone comes out, and the service provider gouges you...do you go after the people who invented the product? no. of course not.
when you feel you're being gouged on the price of a cd, who do you go after? the artist. but, of course!?!
am i living in bizzarro-world?
can any one of you many downloaders justify this flip in logic?
if you can't, then i can. downloading is a witness-free theft. so park the conscience elsewhere, and screw the unseen victims!!
BOB FIDDAMAN on October 10 at 6:14 PM | Report abuse
Rock N' Roll...with an edge
With an 8 year absence of any new studio recording AC/DC fans have had to make do with DVD's of rare footage, most of which your average hardcore AC/DC fan already has. To hear Black Ice is refreshing. For a while Aussie
unknowns, Airbourne, were taking over the kings of Aussie pub rock. Not now.
Black Ice has the usual riffs, drumbeats, heavy bass lines and screeching vocals that accompany any AC/DC record, production wise it's infallible, Brendan O'Brien did a great job and deserves a mention as do the vocals of
Brian Johnson, so hats off to Mike Frazer on the mix.
Track by track
1: Rock N' Roll Train.
Released a few weeks ago as a single, typical AC/DC, simple and foot stomping. By no means the strongest cut on the album but for marketing 'Rock N' Roll train will probably see shops stocking miniature trains with the
AC/DC logo emblazoned on the side. Hey, I'm a cynic.
2: Skies On Fire
The harmony in this is what one would expect of Cliff and Malcolm, 'SKIES ON FYYYYY YERRRR'. A mid-tempo beat which kind of gets going as it approaches its end. Brian excels with the vocals with Phil keeping things tight behind
the skins.
3: Big Jack
This oozes rhythm, almost like a train rolling along, touches of Rock N' Roll Damnation. An anthemic chorus that the kids [40 years plus] will love to sing along to at the up and coming gigs.
4: Anything Goes
There are a lot of hardcore fans I know that are kind of split with this song. Personally, I think it's the best on the album. It's AC/DC meets Nazareth meets The Darkness meets 80's rock. Brian sings along Springsteen
[Born in the USA] style while Phil beats the skins. It has a good feel factor about it and for some reason a Christmassy type of feel to it. Many will want to play it over and over, some will want to skip it after it's first listen. I like it... I like it a lot.
5: War Machine
Surprisingly short in length but none the less a fairly decent song. Starts off moody and builds up momentum as it steams along. Malcolm holds things together whilst Cliff picks away. The guitar work of Angus along with
Brian's vocals make this a definite inclusion in any set list... Maybe the strip routine halfway through?
6: Smash N' Grab
Great harmonies once again from Cliff and Malcolm, Brendan O'Brien seems to enjoy getting the backing vocals right throughout this album. It has a catchy chorus: "SMASH, GRAB AND TAKE IT". Yeh, I'll take it thank you very much.
7: Spoilin' For A Fight
Pure AC/DC, This is what they are all about. 'Shot of Love' + 10. I tend to follow Malcolm whenever I listen to AC/DC albeit on my air Gretsch. Things are picking up now on this album.
8: Wheels
Oh my! Add a piano and some brass to this little beauty and you have a masterpiece. Of course I jest, I don't think AC/DC would ever go down that route but close your eyes for a second and you can hear a piano and a fanfare of trumpets blow in appraisal of this killer track. How do the Young brothers come up with such great, yet simple riffs?
9: Decibel
Hmmm, really not sure about this one. For me, it doesn't really get going. It's not weak and certainly not a filler. Maybe it is positioned wrong on the album? Some great guitar work from Angus but it loses pace for me midway through.
10: Stormy May Day
There was a lot of talk before the 'unofficial' launch of this album via torrent sites that Angus used slide on one of the songs. This is the song, although it's not spectacular slide, it is a change for Angus Young. Imagine
the mood of 'Badlands' from 'Flick of the Switch'
11: She Likes Rock N' Roll
Who invented the term 'Rock N' Roll'? They should have trademarked the term, they would have made a tidy sum of money from AC/DC. Not one of my favorites though the chant in the middle is 'interesting'
12: Money Made
One has to look [listen] past the vocals of Brian to hear the genius of the Young brothers on this track. Psychic, they really work off each other on this piece. I don't know what Brendan O'Brien said to them when they laid
this down but whatever it was, it worked. A song to drool over.
13: Rock N' Roll Dream
Starts off very slow, unusual for a song with 'Rock N' Roll' in its title. Anyone who said Brian Johnson cannot carry a tune, listen to the opening sequence. It moves from slow to upbeat to slow to upbeat. Hard to fully let
yourself go and almost definitely not one for the set-list.
14: Rocking All The Way
Ah, keep smoking those cigarettes Brian, the gravel voice at the start of this track more or less tells you what you are in for. Jump aboard the Malcolm Young showboat. This little baby rolls and is infectious. Slightly repetitive chorus line but hey, that's AC/DC.
15: Black Ice
Kept thinking of Blackmore's Rainbow when I first heard this track... until I heard Angus. To be honest, a bands title track should be remembered. 'Highway to Hell', 'Back in Black', 'Let There Be Rock' etc. Black Ice, the
track, can't stand next to any of the aforementioned. Sadly, this is the one filler on what is otherwise an enjoyable album.
8.5/10
Fid
Wayne Bissonnette on October 10 at 6:35 PM | Report abuse
Sony leaked the Black Ice Cd but most songs are not on the upcoming cd : it was announced on radio today to throw off the internet uploaders.My thought is it would make this a collectors item of sorts.Sounds like past albums and cannot live up to Highway to Hell or Powerage.