There's something to be said for longevity in music, and so, if nothing else, even if you can't stand AC/DC and what they've stood for over the last thirty years or so, you have to respect the fact that they've lasted that long, despite losing their original lead singer, and going through some of the worst tragedies to ever have to endure as a rock band (the stampeding of fans in the late 80s).

In 2000, the band released Stiff Upper Lip, their first album in five years, and the follow up to their bitterly disappointing 1995 record Ballbreaker. In many ways, Stiff Upper Lip is a much welcome return to form for the group, although it does fail to reach the heights of the band's peak. However, it is probably the best AC/DC record of the last 15-20 years.

Since the band has been writing about the same subjects for oh, three decades now, each new release becomes less and less about the lyrical content, and more and more about the guitar riffs that Angus and Malcolm Young can come up with. And so, it is no surprise that Stiff Upper Lip's strength as a record is derived directly from the solid riffs and guitar work that color the entire record.

The album's biggest strength comes towards the middle, where a small stretch of songs are as hard hitting as anything the band has released in the two decades after Back in Black, the shadow of which the band has been trying to shake since. Safe in New York City has a great creeping guitar line that is at once somewhat quiet, bluesy, and heavy all at once. It is similar in tone and sound to Tom Petty's Running Down a Dream, but this comes off as a bit more dark and evil sounding, and with a bit more swagger as well.

Can't Stand Still is next, and the riff here is similar to that of the 1990 hit Thunderstruck, just played more slowly and tightened up a bit. Behind it though is a great blues stomp, a stomp that is punctuated by the terrific solo laid down by Malcolm that just fits the song to a "T."

After a short break for the boring You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll, we then hit the album's penultimate moment, Satellite Blues, which is about as raw as the band has sounded in a long long time. The song wouldn't sound out of place at all on an album like Powerage or Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, and it is by far the song above all others on this album that will make you want to don a schoolboy's outfit and do the Angus boogie while playing air guitar. Quite frankly, if this song doesn't make you do that, I seriously question whether you love rock and roll.

Many of the other songs here are enjoyable enough thanks to the riffing of the Young brothers. Some of it has been heard before on other AC/DC albums, but songs like Give It Up and the title track display the band's knack for writing a solid hook when they need to. And don't miss the other great blues stomper here, Meltdown, which will have you nodding your head in approval. Ultimately though, you just wish there were more tracks that truly stood out. While the album is an enjoyable listen from start to finish, outside of about 3-4 tracks, it is also an eminently forgettable one.

With that said, though, fans of the older AC/DC albums who have been wondering where the band they loved went will get more out of Stiff Upper Lip than perhaps they ever thought. I know I did.

3.5 stars, rounded down.







Recommended: Yes