Fly On The Wall
	Produced by Angus & Malcolm Young
	Released on July 1985
	UK CHART POSITION #7 . . . US CHART POSITION #32 . . . GOLD RECORD (8/29/85), PLATINUM (1/22/01)
	Find it at GEMM
81263-1-E cover [high resolution photo]

F ly On The Wall is the book report scribbled out in the hour between first and second period. Disappointing, because the band is capable of great things. And yet AC/DC had laid the foundation for half-assed heavy metal, so overthinking the music would be antithetical to their, um, idiom. The trouble with Fly, as it turns out, isn’t the rushed nature of the songwriting but the harsh state of Brian Johnson’s voice. His voice is so unintelligible that a lyric sheet is necessary. Or maybe not, since if you know the song title you’ve got half the lyrics already (“Hell Or High Water,” “Stand Up”). There are a number of AC/DC fans who will tell you this is underrated, good dirty fun, and it is... if your idea of fun is hearing AC/DC live down to their potential with unrepentantly average music. If you don’t like the band, this is just the sort of fuel you’re looking for. Nothing on here belongs with their best work, though you can salvage some of it: “Shake Your Foundations,” “Danger,” “Sink The Pink.” The fact is, AC/DC’s music had become a predictable product: head-banging rhythms, lascivious lyrics, a snarled delivery and lots of energy. Fly On The Wall delivers on these four cornerstones, but barely. The band who exemplified cartoonish rock excess in the ‘70s was becoming a caricature of rock in the ‘80s. Aerosmith kind of had the same problem for a little while. If you’re convinced that there’s no such thing as a bad AC/DC album, I won’t disavow you of the notion. I will agree that what separates a good AC/DC album from a bad one is probably a combination of luck and inspiration rather than hard work. But since they charge the same for compact discs regardless of quality, save your money and buy up the earlier stuff first.

81263-1-E back cover	81263-1-E lyric sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. FLY ON THE WALL    3:43
2. SHAKE YOUR FOUNDATIONS    4:08
3. FIRST BLOOD    3:40
4. DANGER    4:22
5. SINK THE PINK    4:14
6. PLAYING WITH GIRLS    3:44
7. STAND UP    3:53
8. HELL OR HIGH WATER    4:31
9. BACK IN BUSINESS    4:22
10. SEND FOR THE MAN    3:26
    
    All songs written by Malcolm Young/Angus Young/Brian Johnson

CREDITS

BRIAN JOHNSON -- vocals
CLIFF WILLIAMS -- bass guitar
SIMON WRIGHT -- drums
ANGUS YOUNG -- lead guitar
MALCOLM YOUNG -- rhythm guitar
Mark Dearnley -- engineer
Bob Defrin -- art director
Todd Schorr -- cover illustration

return to AC/DC discography

For more discographies visit...

© 2005 Connolly & Company. All rights reserved.