Bonfire

When Malcolm Young and his younger brother Angus brought Bon Scott on board as AC/DC’s lead vocalist, the slightly older Bon was still known as a bit of pop singer for his work with The Valentines. The Bon that emerged—the true Bon—was a whip-smart hellion with a voice and onstage charisma that could churn both wizened bikers and naive teenagers into a frenzy. His 1980 passing was a huge blow to the band but his life is celebrated in this digital box set. The biggest draw here might be the <i>Live from the Atlantic Sessions</i>, recorded at the New York Atlantic Studios in 1977. You can practically smell smoke rising from the over-worked amps on tracks like “Problem Child” and “High Voltage”. Also included is an off-the-rails live set recorded two years later in Paris during the <i>Highway to Hell</i> tour. A handful of demos and early versions add extra flavour (most notably “Dirty Eyes”, which is basically “Whole Lotta Rosie” with different lyrics). <i>Bonfire</i> also includes the first album to be recorded after Bon’s passing, <i>Back in Black</i>.