Iron Man 2 (soundtrack)

Background

AC/DC's album was announced on January 26 and is seen as being used in the same sense as Who Made Who was for Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive, not a greatest hits collection but a compilation album which contains both hits and lesser known tracks. Unlike Who Made Who, however, there are no new songs. Co-Chairman of Columbia Records, Steve Barnett said "Jon Favreau's vision and passion for AC/DC's music blend seamlessly into this incredible film; the music really underscores the high energy and excitement of the film." The album features an almost half-and-half mix of songs from both the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras of AC/DC. The album features fifteen tracks from ten different albums, ranging from 1975 to 2008, all of whom were remixed by Mike Fraser for possible film inclusion. Only two songs ("Shoot to Thrill" and "Highway to Hell") were used completely in the film, while one song ("Back in Black") was actually featured in the previous film. "Thunderstruck", "War Machine", and "The Razors Edge" were used in trailers and commercials for the film.

Personnel

Music video

On January 26, 2010, a music video was released featuring "Shoot to Thrill" with exclusive footage from the film Iron Man 2. The live concert footage used in the video was filmed in late 2009 in Buenos Aires, later featured in the concert film Live at River Plate. Upon the album's release, another music video featuring footage of the Buenos Aires concert and Iron Man 2 footage was released, this time featuring live audio from the "Highway to Hell" performance.

Reception and chart performance

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the online music database AllMusic gave the soundtrack a mixed review, stating that "this is good guts-and-guitar music, its only flaw being that it plays it totally safe…unless you stop to consider that it might be a bit of a risk to pitch a collection of 30-year-old music to the teenage audience of Iron Man 2." The BBC gave the album a positive review, stating "Younger listeners might find it all a bit clichéd, but remember: AC/DC are the originators, their imitators responsible for diluting the package’s potency. For those about to rock, raise another salute to your enduringly enthralling forefathers."

Iron Man 2 debuted at No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart upon its release, giving AC/DC their third No. 1 album in the U.K. after Back in Black and Black Ice. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 76,000 copies in its first week of release. It became the band's eighth top 10 set in the U.S. It reached No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Albums and stayed No. 1 for five consecutive weeks.

Track listing

All music composed by John Debney unless otherwise noted.

Reception

James Christopher Monger from Allmusic felt that Debney "had to contend with a near constant barrage of classic AC/DC songs when putting together his score". Monger felt "I Am Iron Man" was "a rousing, heroic, old-fashioned blast of all American guts and glory that sounds ripped (in a good way) from an old A-Team episode. Antagonist Ivan Venko's theme is appropriately muscular and Russian sounding, while action cues are beefy and peppered with bursts of distorted guitar (presumably a nod to Angus Young's omnipresent riffage), resulting in a score that’s more than worthy of its narcissistic, heavily armored protagonist."

Additional music

Music not included in the Iron Man 2 soundtrack but featured in the film: