By: Jack Mangan

The mid-80s were a transitional time for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. While the majority of major, established acts of the day were experimenting with new sounds, often flirting with commercial mainstream appeal (or lasciviously groping, in some cases), AC/DC resisted the eyeliner, jingles, and synths, continuing to march to the beat of their own uncomplicated drummer. Their 1985 album, "Fly on the Wall" was not a left turn, it was a solid step forward.

Brian Johnson's run with the band began in 1980 with "Back in Black" - - one of the closest to perfect and most iconic albums ever set to vinyl, cassette, disc, or hard drive. You don't need me to explain the legendary status of this album. The two releases that would follow are also deservedly revered pieces of Metal history, adding further bona fide classics to the overall rock pantheon and AC/DC's legacy. For all of their brilliance, however, "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" and "Flick of the Switch" are also guilty of filler-ism, padding out the spaces between greatness with disposable tracks. "Fly on the Wall" would close out the *classic* Brian Johnson era with their last filler-free album. The first side of the tape (the first group songs, for you youngsters) is rife with strong singles and should-be AC/DC classics, from the rambling of the title track to the infectious sing-along “Aye, aye, oh,” of ‘Shake Your Foundations’, to the opening of ‘Danger’, to the blistering ‘First Blood’ solo to the this-is-why-we-love-Angus folky motif riff of ‘Sink the Pink’.

Fine as this is, though, it's when you flip over the tape (listen to the second half) that you find the soul of the album. I'm going to boldly proclaim ‘Playing With Girls’ as AC/DC's most tragically overlooked tune. Rarely have the Young brothers' guitars strutted with such swagger and soulful noise. I can only guess that it was sunk by the terrible title. The following 4 tracks in the typical "filler" track positions are anything but. ‘Stand Up’, ‘Back in Business’, ‘Send for the Man’, and ESPECIALLY ‘Hell or High Water’ are each unique and undeniable in their strengths, whether it's the catchy chorus, the high-string riffs, the trademarked, bad-ass AC/DC guitar and mid-tempo beat, or Johnson's throaty, bad-boy charisma.

Widely dismissed by critics, some seemed to think this was AC/DC "beginning to lose it". I posit that the negative backlash was more of a snarky reaction to a band sticking to their guns, while their peers and descendants were bringing many new sounds to the Metal front. If you haven't listened in a while, or stayed away because of the bad press, then I highly recommend you go back and give this album a fair shot. For an irreverent bonus treat, plus a glimpse of the ambition of early MTV, find the 5 music videos and watch them in sequence.