Live at River Plate

The great thing about AC/DC is that, when you lay your money down, you know exactly what you're gonna get: a heavy dose of heavy rock & roll. That's as true of their live albums as it is of their studio albums, and perhaps it might even be a little more so, as not only is the sound familiar but so are the songs. The 2012 set Live at River Plate -- available both in video and audio -- finds the Australian group hawking its new album, Black Ice, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2009. New songs, including the opener "Rock n Roll Train" and "Black Ice," are threaded between their warhorses, and they sound sturdy, as if AC/DC have always played these tunes. If Brian Johnson sounds a little worse for wear -- his growl is so gravelly it's sometimes impossible to discern distinct words -- the brothers Young, Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd remain as solid as a boulder, so Live at River Plate winds up as a pretty good time. Perhaps it's not necessary but it is fun. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine