Holiday Gift Guide 2009: AC/DC Backtracks – Review

With exactly one week left until Christmas, the clock is ticking to finish all that last-minute shopping. I haven’t even started gift wrapping yet – eek! But fear not: If you have a hard rock fan on your list, I have the perfect gift for you just in the nick of time! AC/DC Backtracks is a 2 CD, 1 DVD box set filled with rare songs, videos, and other gems. And there’s still time to get it for the holidays!

I’ve only listened to AC/DC casually in the past, so I wasn’t sure how much of this box set would appeal to me. However, I really enjoyed listening to the rare studio tracks, especially “Snake Eye” and “Borrowed Time” – it’s interesting to hear the band’s evolution on this disc from a blues rock sound in the mid-70s to the more metal edge of later cuts.

And if you’re a longtime fan? You will go wild for this! Not only are there two CDs packed with rare tracks, but there is also a DVD with 18 videos, accompanied by a full-color booklet. And the packaging is great – the box is made to look like an amp! If you have an AC/DC fan in your life, they will be thrilled with this. I am giving this box set to someone on my Christmas list, and I just know they are going to love it. The nice thing is, since this is full of seldom heard songs, fans are unlikely to already own this material unless they bought this box set or have an extensive collection of rarities. And fans are sure to enjoy the great DVD, which features live performances, music videos, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of the videos “Hard As a Rock” and “Rock N Roll Train”.

Track Listing:

CD1 [STUDIO RARITIES]
1. Stick Around: Released on Australian-only LP High Voltage
2. Love Song: Released on Australian-only LP High Voltage
3. Fling Thing: Released on Australian 7” single “Jailbreak”
4. R.I.P. (Rock In Peace): Released on Australian-only LP Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
5. Carry Me Home: Released on Australian 7” single “Dog Eat Dog”
6. Crabsody In Blue: Released on Australian LP Let There Be Rock
7. Cold Hearted Man: First released on Australian 7” single “Rock ‘N’ Roll Damnation”
8. Snake Eye: Released on Australian 12” single “Heatseeker”
9. Borrowed Time: First released on Australian 12” single “That’s The Way I Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll”
10. Down On The Borderline: Released on Australian “Moneytalks” 7”, 12” and CD single
11. Big Gun: First released on World-Wide CD soundtrack “Last Action Hero”
12. Cyberspace: First released on Australian CD single “Safe In New York City”

CD 2 [LIVE RARITIES]
1. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (live) (Sydney Festival, 30 Jan. 1977): Released on Australia-only promo compilation “Long Live The Evolution”
2. Dog Eat Dog (live) (Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, 30 Apr. 1978): First released on Australian 7” single “Whole Lotta Rosie”
3. Live Wire (live) (Hammersmith Odeon, London, 2 Nov. 1979): First released on UK 7” single “Touch Too Much”
4. Shot Down In Flames (live) (Hammersmith Odeon, London, 2 Nov. 1979): First released on UK 7” single “Touch Too Much”
5. Back In Black (live) (Capital Center, Landover MD, 21 Dec. 1981): First released on UK 12” single “Let’s Get It Up”
6. T.N.T. (live) (Capital Center, Landover MD, 20 Dec. 1981): First released on UK 12” single “Let’s Get It Up”
7. Let There Be Rock (live) (Capital Center, Landover MD, 21 Dec. 1981): First released on UK 12” single “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)”
8. Guns For Hire (live) (Joe Louis Arena, Detroit MI, 18 Nov. 1983): First released on UK 7” and 12” maxi single “Who Made Who”
9. Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution (live) (Joe Louis Arena, Detroit MI, 18 Nov. 1983): First released on UK 12” single “Nervous Shakedown”
10. This House Is On Fire (live) (Joe Louis Arena, Detroit MI, 18 Nov. 1983): First released on UK 12” single “Nervous Shakedown”
11. You Shook Me All Night Long (live) (Joe Louis Arena, Detroit MI, 18 Nov. 1983): First released on UK 12” single “You Shook Me All Night Long”
12. Jailbreak (live) (Dallas TX, 12 Oct. 1985): Released on UK and European 12” single “Shake Your Foundations”
13. Highway To Hell (live) (Tushino Airfield, Moscow, 28 Sept. 1991): Released on French mini CD “5 Titres Inedits En Concert”
14. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) (live) (Tushino Airfield, Moscow, 28 Sept. 1991): First released on European CD single “Big Gun”
15. Safe In New York City (live) (Phoenix AZ, 13 Sept. 2000): First released on US Promo CD single “Safe In New York City”

DVD “Family Jewels Disc Three” VIDEOS
Big Gun
Hard As A Rock
Hail Caesar
Cover You In Oil
Stiff Upper Lip
Satellite Blues
Safe In New York City
Rock N Roll Train
Anything Goes

BONUS VIDEOS
Jailbreak
It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll)
Highway To Hell
You Shook Me All Night Long
Guns For Hire
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (live)
Highway To Hell (live)

BONUS FEATURES
The Making Of Hard As A Rock
The Making Of Rock N Roll Train

AC/DC Backtracks is available on Amazon for $26.99– and with Amazon’s rush delivery options, you can have it delivered to your door just in time for the big day!