AC/DC: Live at Donington

This is good snapshot of the band in that era, but definitely not the best example of ACDC live.

It's entertaining and the band still had plenty of energy, with Brian becoming more of a stage performer - later on of course he became even more comfortable up there.

Slade was a fine drummer but regularly played the songs too fast, spoiling the stomping feel somewhat.

On that tour Angus deviated strangely to a more distorted sound which was not typical of his previous sound. Subsequently the twin guitars are not quite the classic sound which you can hear on Youtube before or after this era.

Brian sounds great, even though his voice sounded quite churned up and ragged in that era, it suited the raw power of the music, and in reality it was his last tour as a real balls-out power singer, though he has certainly showed flashes of that here and there in each tour since. His best live work and quality of voice can be found in the 80s stuff - there's no shame in admitting that.

Overall it's great stuff, but the most representative Brian-eras are with Rudd on drums. It's a '7' by their standards but an '8' or '9' compared to what else is out there.

There weren't many well filmed gigs in the late 80s/early 90s, and this one does manage to capture a lot of the feeling of being there.

Comparisons can be dangerous, however in this case I think justified. Comparing this to No Bull 1996, this is far and away superior sound mixing and recording. As for the show itself, a brilliant reproduction of the band and for best results, viewed on large widescreen and LOUD 5.1 surround sound. Angus at the front of the stage keeps the audience spellbound with his own unique blend of riffs and lead breaks. Cliff and Malcolm add solid metal rock by just being there. Brian continues to pick up where Bon Scott left off and Chris Slade holds it all together on the skins. That's the closest to a live show without being there. Simply superb. Onya' Angus.

Superb performance by one of the best hard rockers ever! The best live recording of the band, even better than Let There Be Rock. Angus Young's (lead guitarist) guitar techniques have been perfected and he is still young enough to fly low around the stage as a winged duck... Brian Johnson's (lead singer) high pitched voice works unexceptionable and his performance are as eminent as Angus'. Steady and tight performance by Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar), Cliff Williams (bass) and Chris Slade (drums). It's a huge party with lightning music. This is AC/DC at their peak. The filming is a chapter of its own. Filmed in 35 mm with 26 cameras it documents AC/DC's performance perfectly. Cameras are placed among the audience, in a helicopter and underneath the stage filming through Plexiglas... The sound is also perfect, far better than for example the No Bull concert. The only thing a real AC/DC fan would miss, is Phil Rudd's (drummer of AC/DC until 1983 and again from 1995)laid-back drumming, but Chris Slade is doing great in his own furious style. A real must-see for all AC/DC fans and others who wants to watch a perfect timed and spectacular concert with a rare trustworthy performance.

HIGHLIGHTS: Back In Black, The Jack, Whole Lotta Rosie and For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

AC/DC: Live at Donington (1992)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Hard rocking concert from AC/DC features all their hits as twenty-six cameras pick up all the action in 35mm. This group has released countless concerts over the years and even the bootleg market has quite a bit of footage out there but I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a better show than this. The original release and current DVD/CD contain a great mix and some wonderful visuals that put the viewer right in the center of the concert. Angus Young steals the show with his frantic guitar playing proving that he's one of the most underrated out there. Brian Johnson's lead vocals are incredibly strong and among the best work in his career. The highlights for me are the underrated "Money Talks" and a really hard hitting "You Shook Me All Night Long". The standard classics like "Back in Black", "Highway to Hell" and "For Those About to Rock" also sound terrific. AC/DC fans are certainly going to eat this up but even non-fans will probably enjoy it as long as they're into classic rock.