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Back in the late '70s, AC/DC was a band on the rise. They had a few albums under their belt, and 1979's Highway To Hell elevated them into the upper echelon of hard rock bands. Then tragically, lead singer Bon Scott died in 1980. Filmed just two months before his death, the concert movie Let There Be Rock was released in September of 1980. Now, more than 30 years later, it is finally available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

The iconic film intersperses a December 1979 concert in Paris with backstage antics and interviews. It gets off to a slow start, but once AC/DC hits the first notes of “Live Wire,” things are off and running. The performances of classic songs like “Highway To Hell,” “Whole Lotta Rosie” and “Let There Be Rock” are raw and energetic. The charisma of Scott and the showmanship of guitarist Angus Young are undeniable.

One advantage of being filmed in 1979 is Let There Be Rock doesn't have the frenetic editing and changing shots every 1/16 of a second like most of today's concert DVDs do. The video quality isn't the greatest, with a lot of dim lighting, but the audio has been remastered and sounds crisp and clear.

In addition to the regular edition, which just includes the concert film, there's a collector's edition available. It comes in a collectible steel case with both a DVD and Blu-Ray, an extensive booklet, guitar pick and other items along with more than an hour of bonus material. The bonus footage includes profiles of Scott and Angus Young, other documentary features and several song-specific interviews.

After Scott's death, AC/DC carried on with Brian Johnson and continue to tour and record today. Many fans were little kids or not even born when Let There Be Rock was released in theaters more than 30 years ago, and this DVD release is a fantastic opportunity to see and hear the Bon Scott fronted version of AC/DC in all their glory.

(released June 7, 2011 on Warner Home Video)



Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.