I’ve read a lot of books about rock and roll since I was able to read and some of them, I’ll be honest, have left me wondering why I even bothered in the first place. They tell me nothing I didn’t know already and they tell the facts, which most fans would probably already be aware of. That’s why ‘AC/DC Let There Be Rock’ is a breath of fresh air. It doesn’t just tell you the facts about the band, it tells you the stories.
Susan Masino is frank about the fact that she has met AC/DC on several occasions and got to meet the late legendary Bon Scott. However, she doesn’t do this in a ‘I’ve met the band, you haven’t, I’m better than you’ way, she does it in a ‘I’ve met the band, let me tell you about it’ way. Unlike some books that rely entirely on facts and interviews done with bands by other people, this doesn’t. The book is compiled from interviews Masino herself has done with the band spanning over 30 years.
Masino starts at the beginning, talking about when the band were young, where they grew up and what they were like. Every part of AC/DC history is in this book, from the singles and albums, to the non stop touring, to the tragic death of original lead singer, Bon Scott. However, it doesn’t stop there, Masino goes on to talk about how the band reacted to Scott’s untimely death and their new lead singer, Brian Johnson.
A fantastic detail about ’AC/DC Let There Be Rock’ is that you get every emotion running through your veins. Whether it be just pure happiness reading about what the band members got up to on the road, to laughing hysterically at the way they reacted to a hitch in their first tour of England when Paul Kossoff died, read at page 43. However, with the good comes the bad and there are times through this book when you will feel pure heartbreak for the band and Masino herself. This comes to light on page 105 and onwards throughout the next chapter, when it was announced that Bon Scott had died and Masino visits her terminally ill mother.
Whether or not you have ever had the pleasure of meeting, Brian Johnson, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Phil Rudd, Cliff Williams, Bon Scott or any of the other members that have at some point been a part of AC/DC, you will feel that you know them that little bit more once you’ve read this book. I have never had the chance to meet them, however if I do, I shall be thinking, ‘I know what you got up to in 1976!’.
‘AC/DC Let There Be Rock’ truly is an amazing read for any AC/DC fan or any rock fan for that matter. Every emotion goes with every detail of the book and you honestly will not be able to put it down. You read the stories and feel as if you’re face to face with Susan Masino and she’s telling them just to you. A definite 10/10.