madison Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 DATE: Jan. 23, 2009SOURCE: The Dallas Morning NewsRock 'n' roll veterans' new albums push genre back into spotlight10:34 AM CST on Friday, January 23, 2009By MARIO TARRADELL / Music Critic mtarradell@dallasnews.com Rock 'n' roll, baby, will never die. That's pretty much a given. If nothing else, look at the continuously healthy sales of classic rock CDs such as AC/DC's Back in Black from 1980, Metallica's 1991 self-titled opus, Guns N' Roses' seminal Appetite for Destruction (1987) and newer releases such as 2003's Fallen by Evanescence and 2005's All the Right Reasons by Nickelback. But even the most jaded fans have to admit that 2008 was a banner year for the genre. The attention centers on three albums – AC/DC's Black Ice, Metallica's Death Magnetic and Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy. Those three records put a much-needed focus on rock, especially in an era when hip-hop, R&B and anything Disney-related seem to steal most of the pop-culture thunder. The AC/DC and Metallica efforts, critical and commercial successes, were heralded as back-to-basics triumphs by fans and critics. Black Ice , sold exclusively through Wal-Mart, has moved 1.95 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Death Magnetic, produced by the ubiquitous yet respected Rick Rubin, has so far sold 1.6 million copies. This brings us to GNR's Chinese Democracy, perhaps the most anticipated and simultaneously maligned rock CD in the history of the genre. Democracy is a mostly self-indulgent, inflated and yet sometimes brilliant 71-minute opus that took more than a decade and cost millions to make. Its sales, 514,000 copies to date, are a flat-out disappointment for such a newsworthy effort. Make no mistake, though, Chinese Democracy grabbed headlines. From the Dr Pepper debacle to frontman Axl Rose's long tirades defending his disc to the decision to have Best Buy as the CD's sole retailer, Democracy got more than its fair share of ink. So once again, rock takes center stage in a sold-out arena. Speaking of stages and arenas, AC/DC slams onto the American Airlines Center platform tonight. The current tour supporting Black Ice, which stretches through June, has brought out the veterans and the newbies. The set list omits much of the half-baked material after Back in Black , concentrates on the songs everybody wants to hear ("You Shook Me All Night Long," "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," etc.) and delivers about five tunes from Black Ice, including the incendiary single "Rock N Roll Train." The word of mouth is positive. The resurgence of AC/DC, Metallica and Guns N' Roses proves to everybody, particularly those young fans of commonplace emo rockers and techno rockers, that the best rock comes from the veterans. They eat and breathe the genre. They keep it thriving. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...n1.4efb248.htmlRelated forum discussion:http://www.mygnrforum.com/index.php?showtopic=136409 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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