AC/DC Maximum Rock & Roll

I discovered AC/DC back in college (circa 1988). Since then I've gotten all their albums and done a fair bit of reading on the group. Maximum Rock N'Roll (to this point) is the most in-depth look at the group that I've come across. The book checks in at 460+ pages with numerous black & white and color photos to liven up sections. There's some excellent pictures of old backstage passes, concert flyers, etc... to remind you of just how long the members of AC/DC have been rocking and rolling. The authors deliver a solid rundown of the band's history and albums are covered in each chapter taking us from High Voltage all the way to Stuff Upper Lip. In reading other reviews I do notice many people wonder why the band's personal lives have been glossed over at points to focus more on the music. My first understanding upon reading is that not every band has as many demons as say Motley Crue or Guns N Roses so perhaps the home lives of lazy Brian or tea-totaling Angus aren't all that exciting compared to the concerts and albums. This is evident in that 65% of the book chronicles the band's early years and the colorful life of Bon Scott (clearly more of a character 24/7 than Brian Johnson) than their post 1980 years. All I know is while reading the book I had the desire to listen to my iPod's in-depth collection of DC songs...LOUD. This book is an informative read and will make you WANT to listen and appreciate the solid rock and roll from the Thunder from Down Under for quite some time!

It'd be too easy to capitalize on the alleged mentality of an AC/DC fan's inabilitiy to actually read a book. That would be a joke on the snot nosed critics who used to delight in trashing the band only to be forced to deal with the fact that they have perservered over 30 years. Unlike flavors of the month, fashion statements rather than musicians and ditzy pop divas who die quick deaths after one or two years, hard rock and metal music enjoys life spans much longer thanks to love of the music and a sharp focus. That focus is never more clear than with AC/DC, whom, as we read in "Maximum Rock And Roll" are far more complex, intelligent and talented than many folks realize or care to admit. This book is a labor of love. Detractors and enemies need not waste their time. For those who value this gutsy loud great rock and roll band (they are NOT metal), the book is a great read, giving U.S. fans particularly a first hand look at the Australian rock culture and the trials and trevails of the Young brothers as they climb to the top, lose their charismatic singer Bon Scott, and then come back even more ferociously with the legendary "Back In Black". Readers will have to accustom themselves to the British print, slang and puncuation, but that's a small point. The book is not just a definitive look into AC/DC, but one of the better books on any band or musician in quite some time. Listen to "Powerage" at migraine level while you read.

Having become an AC/DC obsessive back in the late 70s/early 80's, I've eagerly devoured anything and everything I could find about the band's colorful history and although some due credit must be given to a handful of prior attempts, nothing realy comes close to the caliber of this new effort. Having read it twice now in the past few weeks, I'd have to say I've absorbed more credible and accurate history than I've garnished from all other sources combined. Kudos to authors Engleheart and Durieux, a true labor of love. With a thorough foundation laid for the Australian music scence in the late 60's/early 70s, the book takes the reader back to the bands inception with perhaps the most colorful and accurate representation of what it must have been like during those early days of infancy. Early photos of Malcolm and Angus in bands prior to AC/DC are classic and until now, unseen. Unlike most other texts on the subject, the book avoids the rumor and innuendo surrounding Bon's death in early 80 and instead provides a stark and somber look at those troubled days as the band struggled to rebound from the tragedy. Without the usual bias for or against Brian, the text continues on with an extensive history of AC/DC's then-new frontman with the band as they continued on to conquer the world with Back In Black and FTATR and onwards though the decades If You want Blood, This Is It. Hands down, its the best book out there.

I have every AC/DC book ever published and this is probaly the most informative of them all. I'm a self confesed AC/DC FREAK and I 've read things in here that I never knew. One of the things I like about this book is the interviews with people that were in bands with Angus and Malcolm before they were in AC/DC. Some of the pictures in this book are rare. I like the one with Angus and Malcolm when they were kids on a rocking horse.. Also the pics of Bon and Brian when they young and the picture of Angus with Tantrum. Anyways, I would highly recomend this for every AC/DC fan out there.. Long Live AC/DC!!

At last, a very well written publication about AC/DC. It is highly informative & presented in easy to read language & format. It avoids regurgitating the now old & discredited myths & rumours about the band and instead provides an interesting analysis of the history and music of AC/DC and its musicians. It takes the reader on a well researched journey through 30+ years with the band. Thankfully, authors, Engleheart & Durieux, have taken great care to get the facts straight & have shown a particular undertanding & knowledge of the band's early history in Australia, their influences & the history of the Australian music scene. The photos are well selected & an added bonus. It is a book for fans who want fact rather than glitz. I would recommend that this book be read in conjunction with Clinton Walker's book "Highway To Hell: The Life & Times of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott".