In the Dust

Amen to that Shrimpy, you and me both.

Album Review: AC/DC – Flick of the Switch (1983)

Overview: 

Flick of the Switch definitely follows in the pattern of the last two albums that featured Brian Johnson at the helm.  There is nothing wrong with this as it is still a competent album full of instantly recognizable AC/DC songs.  This album was not met with much acclaim as people at the time were getting tired of the fact that AC/DC’s discography felt like one big album.  I tend to like this album though as I feel it has more hidden gems on it than the other albums from this era that had massive radio airplay.

Tracks you may know: 

Nervous Shakedown – There were not too many songs from this album that the public gravitated to, but this was one of them.  It is more of the same, a traditional AC/DC track.

Tracks you should know:

Landlside – It opens with a very Ted Nugent-ish guitar part and then just barrels full speed ahead through the rest of the song.  Not a terrific song by any means by the speed at which it is played harkens back to songs like “Rocker” from the Bon Scott days.

Bedlam in Belgium – Yet again, another AC/DC song that sounds like the rest of the AC/DC songs.  This is a good one though, I love the guitar riff on this and Brian Johnson’s voice is absolutely one of a kind.

My personal favorite:

Badlands – Does it kind of sound like “Bedlam in Belgium”? Sure.  Is it still a good track?  Absolutely.  

Album rating: 

I can see why fans and critics alike were growing tired of the AC/DC sound.  I, however, enjoyed the fact that this album received so little fanfare that many of the tracks were ones I had never heard before. 

6/10

What's in a Name

After seeing Greystone firsthand, I can't imagine it was just the name that provided the gloom.

A Little Different

The things you had to do to be committed to a mental hospital back in Greystone's heyday were ridiculous.  Things that are celebrated nowadays, like being homosexual, would get you a one way ticket to Greystone or a similar institution.  

The picture above does very little to really illustrate the majesty and architectural beauty of Greystone as a whole.  Unfortunately, Greystone as we know it has been torn down and a more modern facility was erected on the grounds.  The building in the picture above was the last major building standing and the last building in use before 

it too was abandoned.  

Seriously, if you want to see beautiful architecture and what the ravages of time can do to that architecture, 

just Google Greystone.

Not so New Comic Review: Guardians of the Galaxy (1991) #54

                Everything we have learned to this point about the War of the Worlds has involved a huge hole where the fate of Spiderman is concerned.  Even the definitive War of the Worlds story, the three-parter that took place between issue fifty, Galactic Guardians number one and the fourth annual was vague as to what definitively happened to Spider-Man as his body was apparently taken back to Mars.  The cover of this issue shows Spider-Man’s costume.  Does this mean Spidey himself is alive and well on Mars?  I doubt it, it’s been 1000 years, but they sure as shit will let us believe anything in order to buy the book. 

                The good news here is that Scott Eaton is back as guest penciller.  While Kevin West was good at what he did, having a fresh “voice” for the artwork has been a nice change of pace.  We open on Mars, where the Guardians are about to enter the airspace of a planet that has been quarantined since the attack on Earth.  In order to enforce that Quarantine, Sentinels (the old X-Men villains) have been dispatched to watch over the planet and prevent any interference.  They are an old, outdated technology though and are easily dispatched by the Guardians.  Gallagher tries to build up tension, and drags out the fight, but once you hear Vance say to the crew that Sentinel technology is “outdated” you know the outcome. 

                Vance and Talon get into yet another fight, one that Nikki breaks up, leading to one of the weirdest looking panels I have seen in this comic, then we get another account of the War of the Worlds (hooray!)  After that we head down to Mars where Ripjak has seen all of this unfold, even though the Guardians had their ship cloaked the whole time.  The Guardians teleport down to the surface of Mars and immediately see a museum of sorts and begin to look around.  It is a museum of the war, complete with  the costumes and armor of Earth’s fallen heroes.  Vance sees Captain America’s mask and gets all fanboyish.  He opens the container housing the mask in order to take it and it disintegrates.   Let’s get this straight, Vance is on the search for an interplanetary serial killer, someone that has not just killed people, but committed mass genocide, and Vance Astro is more concerned with antiquing.  God damn I hate this character. 

                We see the Guardians going through more of the museum, complete with videos of the attack, until they stumble upon Spider-Man’s costume.  They are also greeted by a sarcophagus emblazoned with Spider-Man’s face.  Apparently the Martians were so taken aback by Spidey fighting them till the bitter end that they had his body enshrined after his death.  They then removed his body from the sarcophagus because the scientists were attempting to create antibodies from his blood to counteract a plague sweeping through their planet. 

                As you ruminate on that nugget of history, we are transported to deep space, where Starhawk begins his quest to learn who is true parents are. 

                Back on Mars, Talon and Vance get into another argument (enough Gallagher, we get it, they don’t like each other) and Talon, Aleta and Yondu split from the rest of the group to go and find Ripjak.  We end the issue with Ripjak welcoming their arrival, and their death.

Next Issue: Hopefully someone dies, or at least Talon and Vance stop acting like little bitches, and can we please hear about the War of the Worlds again!?

One More Stop

A little more on Greystone tomorrow, but in my short time living in New Jersey, it became an obsession of mine to learn as much about the institution as possible.  It's a beautiful place that has unfortunately been torn down by this point.  If you do a Google Search of it though you will see how captivating it is.

Album Review: AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981)

Overview: 

This album feels like Back in Black side B, it is that close to the seminal AC/DC album.  In my opinion, it’s just as good.  The band was on a roll, probably still coming off the high that they garnered with the popularity of Back in Black.  On a side note, in the early 2000s, this album took a stranglehold of my car CD system for a good six weeks.  It’s just that good.

Tracks you may know: 

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) – Another AC/DC classic.  Not much to say about this besides the fact that if you listen to classic rock radio long enough, you’ll undoubtedly hear this song.

Tracks you should know:

C.O.D. – Does it sound like every other AC/DC song?  Sure.  Does that bother me at all?  Not even a little bit.  Every song on this album is just begging to being cranked in your car stereo, this song is no exception.

My personal favorite:

Inject the Venom – It’s not the most popular song in their catalog, but it might be the heaviest.  This song is one that I could listen to on repeat for days.

Album rating: 

I put it on par with Back in Black.

10/10