I don’t like to always be looking at the same bands all the time, so here’s a little break from normal. Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk about some of my AC/DC records for a while now, and I figured that this relatively new release was a pretty good opportunity. French Kissin’ Dynamite is, probably no surprise to regular readers of this site, a release from Casino Records. As far as boots go, I like them for their quality and consistency, as well as their choices of shows to release and even their artwork and packaging. I have absolutely no vested interest in this company except that when I see one of their releases for sale at a fair price, I grab it if I can.
I also think this is a good time to remind people not to get hosed on records like these. Through no fault of the company that actually puts these out, prices are all over the map… quite literally. You can find these records for sale in various countries the world over, but the prices vary from fair to absolutely absurd. At the end of the day, this is a boot. Don’t pay 120.00 for one of these unless you have nothing else to do with your money, and you have exhausted your options for purchasing offerings from the band’s officially released catalogue. These types of records are meant for hardcore fans who already have everything else. If we don’t want to see the actual death of physical media, we should strongly consider supporting the band by purchasing officially released material when it’s available.
The best thing I can tell you is to shop around and don’t be afraid not to buy the first copy you see. I know the people hawking these things always make it seem like it’s the last copy on earth, and the best price available anywhere in the known universe, but never trust someone selling you something. Listen to the show in question for free online, and only then decide if it’s worth whatever the asking price is to obtain a copy on vinyl. Of course, you could buy the record and it turns out to be a horrible pressing, which is also a great way to throw money out the door. Then again, I suppose that’s what these reviews are for, right?
So on to the record. French Kissin’ Dynamite is a double LP that comes housed in a full color gatefold jacket. As is usual for Casino Records, it comes in a nice resealable outer sleeve with a numbered hype sticker that has some information about the release. In this case, there are only 450 copies worldwide divided up between red, white and blue wax. The color you get depends on what number you get. In my case, I ended up with white, which is the most boring and possibly the worst color for a record, functionally speaking.
Why do I say white is bad? First of all, it’s boring and ugly. Second, if you use any kind of record cleaning device or solutions, it’s really hard to see what you’re doing on a white surface. Also, it’s nearly impossible to see scratches or damage that would otherwise be plainly visible on almost any other color of wax. Red or blue would have been much cooler, but this release is a bit hard to find for whatever reason, and the price was right. Sometimes you have to suck it up and just get it for the music.
Normally, the Casino sleeves are printed on nice thick cardboard, but this one is a little different. It’s definitely much thinner than usual and is very easily pliable. The printing looks nice, but it’s more of a matte style compared with their normal glossy finishes. Despite being on white wax, the labels look nice. They are a little plain, perhaps, but get the job done.
The pressing itself is nice and flat, with no visible issues or warps. The discs are a little crackly at the beginning and end, but that’s pretty standard with a lot of records. Any noise on my copy faded out by the time the music began and didn’t come back. Since it’s not listed, I can’t be sure, but this sounds like an audience recording to me. In any case, it’s a very good one. There’s minimal crowd noise, and the levels are very consistent throughout the show.
Live Recording – Zenith, Paris, France 6th April, 1988
A1 Who Made Who
A2 Shoot To Thrill
A3 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
A4 Back In Black
A5 Heatseeker
B1 Jailbreak
B2 Hells Bells
B3 Nick Of Time
C1 The Jack
C2 That’s The Way I Wanna Rock N Roll
C3 You Shook Me All Night Long
C4 High Voltage
C5 Whole Lotta Rosie
D1 Let There Be Rock
D2 Highway To Hell
D3 TNT
D4 For Those About To Rock
The concert itself is a great one, and I can see any AC/DC fan wanting this one on vinyl. This show was part of the “Blow Up Your Video” tour, and it’s a great setlist. The performance is as good as you would expect from such a legendary band. I actually prefer Brian Johnson to Bon Scott (I grew up listening to Brian, take it easy on me), and he gives a hell of a performance here. I can’t imagine how challenging it must be to keep up that crazy singing voice and high energy level for an entire show.
As a guitar enthusiast, Angus Young is obviously the real star of the show as far as I’m concerned. There are a lot of great guitar solos here with lots of improvising and extended versions of the songs. “Hell’s Bells” in particular stuck out to me as a favorite. Side D, however, is worth the cost of entry on this set alone though, as far as I’m concerned. As you can see from the setlist, that’s a strong set of four songs to end any concert with. There is a particularly interesting extended guitar solo at the end of “Let There Be Rock” that perhaps alludes a bit to the as yet unreleased “Thunderstruck”. Give it a listen and see if you can hear it, too.
In the end, I really enjoyed this release. The sound isn’t perfect of course, but it’s still really good. If I had to find a criticism about it, I would say that the audio is a bit microphonic or “tinny”. It’s one of those things that you only really notice for the first few seconds and then you get used to it. It doesn’t always work that way, especially if the sound is outright bad, but that’s not the case here. Overall, I give the physical pressing and packaging a solid 9/10 (only due to the thin sleeve) and the actual sound quality of the pressing an 8.5/10. Great release, so pick it up in you happen across it! Just try and go with the red or blue over the white.