ALL HAIL DVD!!! Gone are the days when a poor rocker had to pay waaaaay over the odds for a 15 minute VHS tape which contained 4 promo videos. No extras at all, no interviews, no commentaries and no wee amusing links, nothing. Now DVDs come with loads of bonus features that would never have been dreamed off 10-15 years ago.

The past masters of paying too much for very little are AC/DC. Don't get me wrong I love 'DC, they are my favourite band but even I realise that when compared to the likes of Iron Maiden & Metallica whose merchandising are industries in themselves 'DC fall far behind. The perfect case in point is the 'Danger' single from 'Fly on the Wall'. The 12" version is the EXACT same as the 7". The B side was 'Back in business' and…. Well that's it. No live tracks, no bonus unreleased songs, just the same as the 7".

Whilst the aforementioned Maiden & Metallica were releasing multi-format singles, albums, videos, DVDs & Box Sets containing all of the above & more, 'DC were firing out the odd single, album & later a live video or DVD documenting a live show from the attendant tour. Meanwhile, if Lars Ulrich thought he could sell one of his stool samples he would, autographed.

It's not as if there is a lack of rare footage of the band out there. Bootleg videos have been doing the rounds for years which feature the band performing for various TV shows & live footage. 'Rock Goes to college' Tokyo 1981 & Detroit 1983 are just some of the high quality bootleg videos available. After the massive success of Led Zeppelin's 'DVD' & Iron Maiden's 'Early years' DVDs it's not much of a jump to assume that 'DC would follow suit & release a career spanning & defining DVD which through live material would trace the History of the band using the multitude of footage available. Ferchrissakes last year they released a DVD of a 1977 show which was recorded for the BBC but pulled it shortly after it was released in Japan. I've seen it & it ROCKS!!!! Apart from this little nugget there has never been any other 'Rare' AC/DC footage released officially….until now.

Family Jewels (FJ) is a double DVD set, disc one features the years 1975-80 which of course is the Bon Scott era. This is made up of various TV appearances, promo videos & live tracks from around the World.

Six of the first 8 tracks on disc one are taken from Australian TV show 'Countdown' & are a mix of the band playing in the show's TV studio & specially filmed promo clips for the show.

The first track is a studio performance of the band's cover of 'Baby please don't go' from April 1975. This is notable for Bon Scott being dressed up in a schoolgirl outfit complete with a blond wig & pigtails. Apparently the band knew nothing about this until Bon took the stage, judging by Phil Rudd's expression I have no reason to doubt it.

The next 2 songs are promo clips of 'Show business' & High Voltage. Both were filmed at the same live show but whilst 'Show Business' is a live version 'High Voltage 'has the studio version playing over the band's performance. These videos are from June '76 look as if they were edited in such a way as to appeal to the fans of the Glam bands who were big at the time such as 'The Sweet', 'Mud' etc.

'It's a long way to the top…' is next & is a 'Countdown' promo. The band is filmed being driven around downtown Melbourne on a flatbed truck whilst playing the song. They even have 3 pipers on the truck with them. Its brilliant stuff to watch as Bon Scott bounces round the place with a set of bagpipes under his arm.

TNT is from an appearance on the show whilst Jailbreak sees the band monkeying around a quarry, smashing up rocks whilst dressed as prisoners & prison guards. 'Dirty deeds done dirt Cheap' & 'Dog Eat dog' follow & it becomes clear that the band are maturing into a more professional outfit who are clearly at ease with is necessary form of publicity.

The video for 'Let there be Rock' is one of the defining moments of the band's rise. Bon Scott preaching the word of ROCK from the pulpit whilst the rest of the band pumps out the music from the front of the altar sums up what 'DC were all about at the time. The part where Scott screams "Let there be Rawwwwwwwk then jumps off the pulpit over the rest of the band is worth the price of the DVD alone, especially when you notice Bon eying up the jump nervously before making it.

The 'Rock n' roll Damnation' promo that follows is tame by comparison as the band mime to the track onstage, a theme that continues later. Sin City' is taken from the American TV series 'Midnight special'.

Next up, 'Riff Raff'. Now we're chatting. This is a live performance from the Glasgow Apollo in April '78 that most of the live album 'If you want blood…' is taken from. This is a cracking version of the song to watch as well as listen to, the band crank it out at full pace. Brilliant. 'Fling Thing/Rocker' is taken from the same show, the band appear resplendent in full Scottish football rigs, even Cliff Williams is wearing one & he's from Manchester. Once again the band pumps out the song at full tilt & needless to say, it's just fantastic.

Another live track follows. 'Whole lotta Rosie' is taken from a BBC show called 'Rock goes to college', the band played a 35 minute set & this is lifted from that. This is AC/DC as raw as you're ever likely to see them. Frankly, Bon Scott looks half shot & the band are in manic form as they blast their way through possibly their most famous song.

Disc one ends with 6 songs from 'Highway to Hell'. The first 4 of the 6 are promo videos for 'Shot down in flames', 'Walk all over you', 'Touch too much' & 'If you want blood…'. These videos were obviously filmed on the same day, they are too dark & apart from Angus getting impaled on a guitar at the end of 'If you want blood' nothing much happens except for the band miming their way through each track. The music is just fantastic but the videos are pedestrian. Bon Scott acts up for the camera a bit but that's it in the way of interaction with the band.

The final 2 tracks are taken from a Spanish TV show called 'Aplauso'. Filmed 10 days before Bon Scott's death these are the last appearances the band made before that tragedy.

All in all Disc one is a brilliant overview of a band quickly moving from it's somewhat Glam roots through its break out of its homeland to the brink of tragedy & ultimately Worldwide Stardom.

DISC 2

The set up of the 4 videos from 'Back in black' that open disc 2 strongly resembles the 4 from 'Highway to hell' on disc one. Basically the band are filmed on a stage miming to 'Hells Bells', 'Back in black', 'What do you do for money honey?' & 'Rock n' Roll Ain't noise pollution', and that's about it. Once again these were clearly filmed in one day with the band going through the motions. Brian Johnson doesn't seem out of place or uncomfortable despite only being in the band for 4 months. Yet again these videos are too dark & seem a bit lifeless. Perhaps they hadn't shaken off the cobwebs just yet; maybe they don't like doing video shoots.

2 more live tracks follow. The first is a version of 'Let's get it up' filmed at a gig a couple of days before Christmas 1981. It's just outstanding. The band are on fire here & Johnson had by this stage developed a stronger presence on stage to compliment Angus. 'For those about to Rock' is from a Detroit gig in November '83, once again the band are on top form & it's easy to see how 'DC earned their formidable live reputation. Unfortunately this is the end of the live material, as I said before; I hope they release more of this rare & previously unreleased material.

We're back on cheap 'n cheerful mode for the next 2 videos for 'Flick of the switch' & 'Nervous shakedown'. This time they didn't even bother building a stage, instead the band are filmed in their rehearsal area which looks like a Warehouse. In saying that, I haven't heard these songs in quite a while & after watching this DVD I pulled out my copy of 'Flick of the switch' for a listen. They must have been doing something right.

Something strange happened in the AC/DC organisation in 1985. Somebody must have pulled the band & the record company to one side & said "I have a whacky idea. Why don't we actually spend some money on videos", "we've been churning out videos that cost next to nothing to produce for 6 years & frankly, they are crap. We can afford it, that 'Back in Black' album is doing alright; why don't we actually make some kind of effort for a change"……and they did.

Released in 1985 to accompany the 'Fly on the wall' album, the imaginatively titled 'Fly on the wall home video' contained the promos for 'Fly on the wall', 'Danger', 'Sink the Pink', 'Stand up' & Shake your foundations'. Not only did the videos have a theme but there was a plot running through them of 'DC playing in a shitty club in New York whilst various customers are followed as the 'night' progresses. It works brilliantly, it looks the part, production values are higher & for the first time in years it looks like the band are actually enjoying themselves. This last point is important as whenever Bon Scott is on screen a cheeky grin is never far away from the surface & he involves the rest of the band. During the Johnson videos it's almost as if they are afraid to smile even though in the 2 live clips the band look to be a lot happier.

For the first time in their history 'DC embraced the video medium fully & in the process laid the groundwork for what was to follow.

If the 'Fly on the Wall' videos were a step up then the 2 promos the band made for the 'Who made who' album got them squarely to the top. 'Who made who' is just a cracking video with loads of Angus 'clones' all over the place. Once again the band seems to be having fun. Great stuff.

The second video from 'Who made who' is 'You shook me all night long' (YSMANL). Originally the band filmed a promo along with the other tracks from 'BIB' back in 1980 but decided to make a new one instead. In my opinion this is the best Rock video ever. The collective tongue is so firmly stuck in cheek that would mistake it for an abscess. Everybody involved is having a ball especially Brian Johnson who comes across like a Rockin' Harold Steptoe. The best of the bunch by far.

Clearly on a roll the band keeps the cracking videos coming. 'Heatseeker' has Angus bursting through a giant TV screen & a missile flying through the air with a drawing of the guitarist on it, 'That's the way I wanna Rock 'n' Roll' with Angus bursting in on people that can't make one of 'DC's gigs. Thunderstruck has the camera underneath the stage, 'Moneytalks' with the bags of 'DC currency falling from the sky & finally 'Are you ready' with the guy getting the band's logo shaved into the back of his head.

Every one of these promo videos is outstanding, the band looks as if they care and like they are having a good time, you can tell that big money has been spent.

There you have it. 40 tracks spread over 2 discs, 20 tracks on each disc. The sound on each of these is incredible; it's obvious that the songs have been remastered to suit the modern age resulting in the music to fill the room. On top of that the packaging is excellent, nothing fancy but great to look at just like the contents of each disc.

In conclusion I would highly recommend this set for any Rocker's collection. This really is perfect drinking material & I defy you not to enjoy what's on offer. If I have a gripe it is that compared to recent releases by Zeppelin & Maiden who both have broken the 5 hour barrier for their DVDs this is rather short with not enough live material for my liking. In saying that, it would be a foolish man indeed to argue with this package & we can hope for some rarities to be released in the future.

"Are there any Bonus Features?" I hear you ask. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA