AC/DC: Fly on the Wall

i'm sure that if you check this little number out you will not be disappointed. The tunes are catchy and bouncy. If the music is not quite your cup of tea then i'm sure you will find the animations amusing. this is far from the best of what this band can offer but is still worth merit. there is a bit of acting in it while the band play on a stage in the club where most of the songs are shot. everything comes crashing down at the end of the video. Sit back and watch something different for a music video. and don't stop video too soon. there is a good track (the last one on the album) played along with the credits.

This is included on the excellent AC/DC "Family Jewels" DVD collection. It was originally circulated on VHS but went out of print quite a few years back -- the Family Jewels is a great way for fans to relive this video, as well as many others, that have long since stopped appearing on television and video.

"Fly on the Wall" was a 1986 AC/DC album that didn't make much of a fuss when it came out. The videos from that album take place in a small bar (reminded me of the one in "Blues Brothers") wherein the videos themselves are placed between brief segments (mostly humorous).

It opens with two bouncers kicking out a paparazzi photographer, which causes a sleeping animated fly to awaken from his rest. Inside the bar, AC/DC begins to play the song "Fly on the Wall," which is intercut with segments of the fly itself buzzing around.

This type of back-and-forth segment-intercutting is done throughout the 26-minute video. It's quite odd and unique and I found it entertaining. A must-see for casual fans, a must-own for AC/DC fans (I'm somewhere in between, myself - and I appreciated it very much).

4.5/5

AC/DC's 1985 album, "Fly on the Wall", seems very overlooked these days. None of the songs have really shown up in the band's live sets for a while, and a lot of fans seems to rate the album low too. But as a kid it was the album that introduced me to AC/DC (if not hard rock/metal itself), thanks to the videos for "Danger" and "Sink the Pink" that got decent rotation at the time on Mtv. This home video includes those two, plus the title track, "Stand Up", and "Shake Your Foundations". This VHS tape is long out of print, but fortunately the entire thing has now been included in their "Family Jewels" DVD set.

The videos are all set in a dive bar with a tiny stage, which perfectly fits the no-frills raw rock n' roll sound and look of AC/DC. Everything here is strung together like a mini movie. We start with two bouncers throwing a paparazzi photographer out of their bar and onto the curb with the rest of the trash. This wakes up the animated fly, shown on the album's cover. After an introduction from the skinny hack comedian MC, AC/DC takes the stage to play the song "Fly On The Wall", as the animated fly moves from one place to another, offering some comic relief.

As the band goes through their set, we see what the other characters in the bar are doing. They're purposely 1-dimensional characters made for a really fun watch. (Who the hell is looking for Oscar material in a rock band's home video anyway?) The MC gets his face slapped with every woman he talks to. A rich couple gets the wrong drink. The photographer keeps coming back, always dressed in the traditional tan trench coat, "PRESS" label stuck in his hat band, sunglasses, and carrying an over-sized camera. In the song "Danger", he snaps photos of the bartender pocketing money and other blackmailing shots.

For "Sink The Pink", a pool hustler named Suzy Cue comes in to challenge the handsomely scruffy-looking guy playing at the pool table with the unusually pink "3" ball. (Incredible how a music video can change the meaning of a song that would have otherwise been censored! Just look at Tom Petty's "Last Dance with Mary Jane".) Though the final version aired on Mtv was different than what's shown here; I remember Mtv showing guitarist Angus Young at the end using his guitar as a pool stick to knock in the last ball. But next, a limo of secret service men pull up and mechanically strut in sequence to the serious-sounding "Stand Up". The band brings the roof down -- literally -- on the closing number, "Shake Your Foundations", which original Mtv VJ Martha Quinn once said was one of her favorite videos.

This is simply a fun little novelty to watch, especially if you're a fan of AC/DC. I can't think of too many other bands who tried presenting music videos like this, as a string of parts in a conceptual mini-movie. It seems to be taboo these days to show people having care-free fun unless it's supposed to be shocking or self-humiliating, not to mention have music that is expressive while being free of pretentiousness. But for those who remember when music videos were fun, and not blurry shots of people whining in a restroom, check this out.

The Fly on the wall album was launched back in 1985, the year that saw a new drummer and a new feel to the bands style of music. The Album does not rate high in the ranks with the AC/DC faithful, but i liked the sound of the album. Tracks on the "Fly on the wall" DVD/Video are great to the ear, but the Director of the video was poor. Angus Young memorably walking out on set labelling the videos showing them in a poor light. The running of the Video is under 30mins and can be watched on AC/DC Family box set 2003. Tracking down an Original of the FLY ON THE WALL VHS could prove tricky, but not really worth the bother. I am a huge fan of AC/DC and would never like to put them in a bad light because they are too good. Although, i'm afraid that the FLY ON THE WALL VIDEO is poor. I have rated it high, but my vote is only strictly on the sounds of on VHS/DVD, not the visuals. They have produced some fantastic videos to get down rocking to. I would give it a look, but beware any person who was wondering who AC/DC were would see this video as sheer non-sense. They have produced better ones. The final track is the best,"Shake your Foundations" where the sounds coming from Angus, Malcolm and Cliff on guitars create havoc and the smashing drumming from Simon Wright really gets the house wobbling, then the excellent, rich and powerful vocals from front man Brian Johnson brings the place crashing down, it is clear that the band are having a great time in filming the final track, probably because they know that after that they could escape and record the next album for Stephen Kings "Maximum Overdrive" film titled "Who made who". I hope that this has helped anyone who is thinking of viewing an AC/DC vid and choosing this one for a first...i would recommend Videos like "Heatseeker", "You shook me all night long" and my favourite live track "Lets get it up"...Buy the AC/DC DVD from Amazon called "The Family Jewells" this is the best official way to follow the band.