The Razors Edge
Studio album by
Released24 September 1990 (1990-09-24)
Recorded1990
StudioLittle Mountain Sound (Vancouver)
GenreHard rock
Length46:11
Label
ProducerBruce Fairbairn
AC/DC chronology
Blow Up Your Video
(1988)
The Razors Edge
(1990)
AC/DC Live
(1992)
Singles from The Razors Edge
  1. "Thunderstruck"
    Released: 10 September 1990
  2. "Moneytalks"
    Released: November 1990
  3. "Are You Ready"
    Released: 28 March 1991

The Razors Edge is the twelfth studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. Released on 24 September 1990, through Albert Productions/CBS Records International in Australasia and Atlantic Records in Europe, it was recorded in 1990 in Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada, and was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser and produced by Bruce Fairbairn. It was a major comeback for the band, featuring the hits "Thunderstruck", "Are You Ready" and "Moneytalks". This is the only studio album to feature Chris Slade, who was the drummer for AC/DC from 1989 to his dismissal in 1994.

Critical commentary for the album was generally mixed, with one complimenting Brian Johnson and Angus Young, while the other criticises its similarity to the band's past works. The album reached number 2 on the US Billboard 200 and number 4 on the UK Albums Chart, a smash commercial success that returned the band to the popularity of its glory years of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The album earned multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the US. To support The Razors Edge, the band undertook the Razors Edge World Tour, starting in November 1990.

Background

In 1987, the band had recorded Blow Up Your Video (1988) with their original producers, Harry Vanda and George Young.[1][2] It was a commercial success – the album reached number 2 in the UK,[3] and Australia.[4] The Blow Up Your Video World Tour began in February 1988 in Perth, Australia. following live appearances across Europe, Malcolm Young announced that he was taking time off touring, principally to begin recovery from his alcoholism. Another member of the Young family, their nephew, Stevie Young, temporarily took Malcolm's place on rhythm guitar.[5][6] In 1989, drummer Simon Wright left the group to work on British heavy metal band Dio's fifth studio album Lock Up the Wolves (1990); he was replaced by session veteran Chris Slade.[6] Brian Johnson was unavailable for several months while finalising his divorce, so the Young brothers wrote all the songs for the next album, a practice they continued for all subsequent releases through Power Up in 2020.[7]

Recording and composition

Malcolm Young in 1990

The Razors Edge was recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada, and was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser, produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who had previously worked with Aerosmith and Bon Jovi.[8][9] and mastered by George Marino, at Sterling Sound in New York City.[9] According to the book AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, George Young was involved early on but had to bow out because of personal issues.[10]

The instantly recognizable opening riff to "Thunderstruck" features Angus Young alternating between fretted notes and playing the open string. In a 1993 interview with Guitar World's Alan di Perna, the guitarist recalls, "I was just fiddling with my left hand when I came up with that riff; I played it more by accident than anything. I thought, 'not bad,' and put it on a tape. That's how me and Malcolm generally work. We put our ideas down on tape and play them for one another."[11] He expanded in greater detail in the liner notes of the 2003 re-release of The Razors Edge:[12]

It started off from a little trick I had on guitar. I played it to Mal and he said "Oh, I've got a good rhythm idea that will sit well in the back." We built the song up from that. We fiddled about with it for a few months before everything fell into place. Lyrically, it was really just a case of finding a good title...We came up with this thunder thing and it seemed to have a good ring to it. AC/DC = Power. That's the basic idea.

"Moneytalks" is also one of AC/DC's biggest hits, peaking number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100,[13] the UK Singles Chart,[3] and the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.[14] It is still the band's highest-charting single in the United States, at number 23.[13] During their subsequent world tour, thousands of "Angus Bucks" were dropped on the audience during the song.[15] A music video of the song, directed by David Mallet, was also released, featuring a live performance during the tour.[16]

Author Murray Engleheart states in his band memoir AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll: "On songs like 'Mistress for Christmas' and 'Moneytalks', Malcolm and Angus showed their working-class roots, despite multi-millionaire selling albums, by taking aim at the high flyers in the business world".[10] In a February 1991 interview with Guitar World, Angus Young stated that the funniest song from the album was "Mistress for Christmas", and then said that the song was about Donald Trump. In the same interview, he declared that his best guitar solo on the album was on the song the title track, which also features a rare foray into finger picking.[17]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal9/10[19]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[20]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Select[23]

Released on 24 September 1990,[8][24] through Albert Productions/CBS Records in Australasia and Atlantic Records in Europe,[25] The Razors Edge received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. AllMusic complimented both the vocal performance by Brian Johnson and the guitar playing of Angus Young, and said that the album was "arguably [the band's] strongest album in over half a decade".[18] Entertainment Weekly gave the album a very favourable review, saying that "this is one album that really delivers".[21] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff defined the album "tight, highly strung and menacing... entirely worthy of its status as the grand comeback of legendary rock 'n' roll runts".[19] Rolling Stone, on the other hand, gave the album two out of five stars, criticizing its similarity to past AC/DC works, and said that "with The Razors Edge, AC/DC sets a new record for the longest career without a single new idea".[22]

The album was a major comeback for the band, featuring the singles "Thunderstruck" and "Are You Ready", which reached number 5 and number 16 respectively on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart,[26] and "Moneytalks", which peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200, and stayed on the chart for 77 consecutive weeks.[27] It also reached number 4 on OCC's UK Albums Chart.[3] The Razors Edge received certifications, including 5× Platinum in Australia,[28] Canada,[29] and the US;[30] 2× Platinum in Germany,[31] and Switzerland;[32] Platinum in Argentina,[33] Austria,[34] Finland,[35] New Zealand,[36] Spain,[37] and Sweden;[38] and Gold in Denmark,[39] France,[40] Italy,[41] and the UK.[42] The album has sold approximately 18.8 million copies worldwide, making it the third highest selling AC/DC album after Back in Black and High Voltage.[43]

To further promote The Razors Edge, the band undertook a world tour starting on 2 November 1990 and ending on 16 November 1991. Several shows on the Razors Edge Tour were recorded for the 1992 live album titled AC/DC Live. The album was produced by Fairbairn, and is considered one of the best live albums of the 1990s.[44]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Angus Young and Malcolm Young.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Thunderstruck"4:52
2."Fire Your Guns"2:53
3."Moneytalks"3:48
4."The Razors Edge"4:22
5."Mistress for Christmas"3:59
6."Rock Your Heart Out"4:06
Side two
No.TitleLength
7."Are You Ready"4:10
8."Got You by the Balls"4:30
9."Shot of Love"3:56
10."Let's Make It"3:32
11."Goodbye & Good Riddance to Bad Luck"3:13
12."If You Dare"3:08
Total length:46:11

Personnel

AC/DC

Production

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[33]
Spanish Version "El Filo de las Navajas"
Platinum 60,000^
Australia (ARIA)[28] 5× Platinum 350,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[34] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[29] 5× Platinum 500,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[39] Gold 10,000
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[35] Platinum 63,926[35]
France (SNEP)[40] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[31] 2× Platinum 1,000,000^
Italy (FIMI)[41]
since 2009
Gold 25,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[38] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[32] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[30] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for The Razors Edge
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 24 September 1990 [8][24][25]
25 March 2003
[68]
19 November 2012 Digital download Columbia [69]

References

Citations

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  4. Kent 1993.
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  6. 1 2
  7. Elliott 2018, p. 173.
  8. 1 2 3 Elliott 2018, pp. 174, 184.
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  10. 1 2 Engleheart & Durieux 2008.
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Sources

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