ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 19, 1990
By Steve Newton
Just last month the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band (or one of ’em, anyway) was locked away in Vancouver’s Little Mountain Sound with producer Bruce Fairbairn, putting the finishing touches on its next album. No, I’m not talking about the Stones here. The Who? Not anymore, pal. I’m talking AC/DC, the loudest thing on 10 legs. The aural equivalent of a Stephen King novel. Raunch personified.
But it’s still gonna be a while till you get the next AC/DC album in your hot little hands, so in the meantime, let Johnny Crash provide the fast and loose riffs that you depend on for your daily survival. Neighbourhood Threat is a blatant AC/DC ripoff—even song titles like “Thrill of the Kill”, “Axe to the Wax”, and “Sink or Swim” sound like ones Angus Young and the boys would come up with. But Johnny Crash has the AC/DC style down so pat that you don’t really care. Just lay back and pretend it’s the real thing—till the real thing comes along.