AC/DC: No Bull: Director's Cut

Introduction

To any music fans, of any genre, Australian rock band AC/DC should not require any introduction. Imitated but rarely duplicated, the classic rock five-piece featuring brothers Malcolm and Angus Young on guitar have a distinctive, signature sound that is well-known to millions in forms such as "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Highway To Hell", and "Back In Black".

This DVD release, "No Bull: Director's Cut" is a look back at their 10th July 1996 concert at the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain. Re-edited and re-mixed after a rushed initial release, "No Bull" features 20 of the bands best-known tracks, performed in front of a packed audience in the famous bullring.

Video

Video is presented in 16:9 anamorphic NTSC (Region 0), and is quite good for a concert DVD.

The first thing to note, of course, is that this an NTSC release, although in this day and age, it's unlikely that your TV is going to have a problem with that. What is interesting, though, is that the original release from 1996 had a PAL transfer.

There are issues with this transfer, too, in particular that the video is a little soft, and lacks definition when viewed on a larger screen. It's far from unwatchable, but it would be interesting to compare the Blu-ray release for posterity. Also, some of the shots here seem to be intentionally grainy, for artistic effect, but frankly this reminds me - though, thank goodness, not to the same awful extent - of the terrible job done by Mitchell Sinoway on Van Halen's "Right Here, Right Now" DVD release. Certainly, I would have preferred the cleanest, most descriptive transfer possible instead.

Audio

Two audio options are available in Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1. The surround option is clearly superior here, with a thundering bassline from Cliff Williams laying the foundation for the guitars, in particular Angus Young's lead guitar. Brian Johnston's vocals are as clear as I've ever heard them in a live setting, and although drummer Phil Rudd's sound isn't allocated as much in the mix as he probably would like, their effect is still largely there. Overall, it's a very warm concert sound, as an AC/DC concert should sound, with a big surround presence, as some crowd noise and monstrous guitar playing come through the rear speakers.

The 2.0 track, aside from being significantly quieter, simply lacks the fill-the-room presence of the 5.1. That's understandable, of course, and despite that, this is a very strong 2.0 showing. The vocals miss out a little in this track, and there's just a little too much treble here for my liking, but this still can rock your socks off with a little help from the volume knob.

Extras

A very nice young lady introduces the extras to us, which come in the form of two live performances from the same "Ballbreaker" tour, and three "Angus cam" songs, focusing on the band's iconic guitarist.

For the latter, there's a mixture of close-ups and long shots, from front and back, so it isn't just a matter of getting the same constant look at the man, or having close-ups of his guitar-work. For anyone other than Angus die-hards, this is an extra you'll watch once, and never again.

The two bonus tracks "Cover You In Oil" and "Down Payment Blues" aren't really representative of the best of the band, nor are they the greatest recordings.

Overall

With a set-list that features many of their greatest hits, fans of AC/DC, or of the classic rock genre, are really served up a treat with this cut of "No Bull". With the crowding jumping in unison during the likes of "You Shook Me All Night Long", the energy is consistently high on stage also, and the quality of the musicianship makes for wonderful listening - this is much closer to the quality of the studio releases than most bands are able to get.

With good visuals and a thunderous Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack which is befitting a rock band of this standing, there is indeed "no bull" about this excellent release.