Advance singles “Rock Or Bust” and especially “Play Ball” were quite solid, especially the latter, which, with that arcane verse riff and a swell traditional chorus... spirited, well-recorded, all those irresistible components in place and firing. Unfortunately, this has turned out to be the liveliest song on the album. Before the peer-in though, resentment is already present ‘cos the album’s only about 36 minutes long. Inexcusable. But then again, that’s what we get for debating whether the fine Black Ice album was too long (I certainly never said so—more AC/DC is always better than less). Quite happy with “Rock The Blues Away” as well, given its melodic, Stonesy, recent Quo feel. Things go south with the Blow Up Your Video-bad “Miss Adventure,” on which Angus (and the sadly debilitated Malcolm—the credits for every song are the two brothers, and not even Brian) gets out his slide rule and looks for a slight permutation not tried within the canon yet.

“Dogs Of War” is an ugly clogged blues blunderbuss as well, and thoughts turn again to Blow Up Your Video, as well as Stiff Upper Lip. “Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder” is less dark but just as dopey, the personification of the Fly On The Wall cover art, and that record’s thrashing in the deep end resistance of free and graceful movement. Of course there’s absolutely nothing there lyrically, which should bother us all at least a little bit. Not saying I have a clue what would be better out of Brian’s craw at this point, but just sayin’ that this is not a take-out order that satisfies. Next up is “Hard Times,” and again, filler, a deep album track no step up from mid-level music from the Ballbreaker/Stiff Upper Lip era of blank stares across the studio floor.

“Baptism By Fire” further underscores this problem prevalent all over these dud-sters, with respect to how the sets of melodies are patched together, hobbled by the elephantine. This one’s heavy, and Phil kicks ass on the drum track, but again, there’s one of those circular riffs “just because” and hooked onto a verse that drops out to nothing. How’s Brian singing? Well, he’s mixed a bit back, he’s very raspy, and yeah, sounds somewhat spent. Hate to say that as AC/DC has coursed through my life a bunch since 1977 and I’m not just bigging up the Bon stuff—to work at BraveWords, Flick Of The Switch has to be your favourite AC/DC album.

Back to this blasphemously past-expiry, near the end of our Van Halen-clocked affair, “Rock The House” is at least illogically laid out, keeping us guessing, although why it’s sort of “Still Of The Night” glommed onto ‘80s party metal is anyone’s guess. “Hard Times” is just as lewd and Crue-d (but at least happy—this record is not happy!), with closer “Emission Control” galumphing back to the Gene Simmons bass farts-type writing. I dunno, maybe Stevie Young’s got more Paul Stanley in him, although one suspects we’ll never find out.