The infamous AC/DC are preparing to release their 18th album, the last having been released in 2000.

Frontman and lead singer, Brian Johnson, has confessed he and his bandmates have been working on the upcoming album, due out in January 2008, for some time now. He mentions, as stated in this article, that the band is aiming for the album to be “perfect.”

But “perfect” is far too vague of a word. Does “perfect” mean the members of the band are looking to make as much profit as they have from other albums in the past? Is Johnson implying that AC/DC would like the sound of their music to be exactly the same as in their previous recordings?

Normally, I do not feel comfortable when an artist or musicians claim they pursue success as being based on the quantity of revenue that is made. In this case, however, judging by the two possibilities that I see (other than simply being content with the lyrics, music, arrangements and quality of recordings, which I am assuming is what Johnson truly meant, although this will be set aside for the mere sake of argument, as you will soon understand), I would much rather root for a hardworking musician to make money over creating music that sounds very similar as songs of his/her own which has been previously released.

First of all, the music industry, more than ever, is about recreating oneself and one’s music in small ways from time to time. There is no need to drastically jump from one style of music to another simply for the purpose of pleasing the general public or particular audiences, but the style needs to change slightly every now and then. Otherwise, how will fans, who are also growing and changing with time, remain interested in the musician?

Secondly, what makes an artist just that - an artist - to begin with, is  the fact that he/she should not be afraid to take action towards something that is completely different than any other typical artist in mainstream music. Having the confidence to pursue one’s own style, direction and gut instincts is essential, otherwise the public will end-up with a large batch or artists that sound more or less the same. Think of boy-bands, girl groups, overly-promiscuous teenage/young females and so on. Music should be about variety, not similarity.

Thirdly, take a look at INXS’ most recent album release, “Switch.” With JD Fortune as a new singer and frontman of the band, an opportunity to release new styles of songs and somewhat re-invent themselves was handed over to them. Yet the release of “Switch,” despite immense fame prior to Michael Hutchence’s suicide, who used to be the lead singer, has proven the band members are afraid of change. Almost every song on the album contain similar guitar riffs and changes in patterns of intensity and loudness as songs they have released on older albums. Even Fortune’s voice is reminiscent to that of Hutchence’s - a little too eerie if you ask me. Having attended one of their shows during the “Switch” tour, I felt like I had been placed back in time, regardless of which song they performed.

All of this to say, I certainly hope AC/DC do not follow the steps of several other bands out there, including those of INXS. Being a big fan of theirs, it would be a great disappointment if AC/DC went as low as INXS “leap” into their most recent album. Evidently, AC/DC’s reputation outweights that of INXS by far, but this is the music business - and artists and fans alike can never be too weary.

Tags: AC/DC, INXS, New Releases, Recording Industry, Rock n Roll, Singer Songwriter|
Posted By: purna | Jul 19th