AC/DC Album Discussion and Listening Party - NP: Rock or Bust and Power Up

[jingle.boy]

When was the last time you guys actually sat down and listened to these albums?

So I have listened to the albums as you have posted them. Not paying attention to the Australian this or the US that, to me it's High Voltage and then Dirty Deeds. Neither one are go to AC/DC albums for me, especially Dirty Deeds. I haven't listened to that in decades, easily.  I like High Voltage a lot more. Dirty Deeds feels so....I don't know..immature. And I don't mean lyrics wise, but music wise. I have no idea how they made this and Let There Be Rock back to back.

To me, the standout track of this early era is Jailbreak.

I guess it's all in the impact it made on us in the age that we were first exposed to it.  Jailbreak is a middle-of-the-road song for me.  Dirty Deeds (track), Rocker, Squealer, Problem Child, Ride On... all top shelf.  Long Way to the Top, TNT... same.  And of course, Big Balls has a charm all unto itself.

[Stadler]

When was the last time you guys actually sat down and listened to these albums?

So I have listened to the albums as you have posted them. Not paying attention to the Australian this or the US that, to me it's High Voltage and then Dirty Deeds. Neither one are go to AC/DC albums for me, especially Dirty Deeds. I haven't listened to that in decades, easily.  I like High Voltage a lot more. Dirty Deeds feels so....I don't know..immature. And I don't mean lyrics wise, but music wise. I have no idea how they made this and Let There Be Rock back to back.

To me, the standout track of this early era is Jailbreak.

I guess it's all in the impact it made on us in the age that we were first exposed to it.  Jailbreak is a middle-of-the-road song for me.  Dirty Deeds (track), Rocker, Squealer, Problem Child, Ride On... all top shelf.  Long Way to the Top, TNT... same.  And of course, Big Balls has a charm all unto itself.

Yeah, for me, the "Australian" songs on DDDDC are good not great.  I like that album, but it's the songs I heard the first time that resonate. 

Are you going to talk at all about the videos?   On the "Plug Me In" set (and a bonus disk on the Backtracks set) there are some great videos from around this time.  They seems so.... quaint and dated, but they are interesting to get a feel for the growth of the band.   It's so clear that it's Mal's band, and Bon and Angus are the sort of "trained monkeys" leading the way.   Not really how I want to say it, but you'll get the point.

[jammindude]

Dirty Deeds is a really good album, but it does suffer a tad from being that album that falls before and after much better albums. One thing that hit me on a re-listen to this album is that AC/DC had really found *their* sound with TNT, but for all of Dirty Deeds “fun loving party anthem” feel, several songs come across as standard blues retreads, and not as much of a “breathing new life into an old idea” (which both TNT and LTBR did IMO)

And I really should touch on some of those videos. That’s a great idea. I just don’t own the home videos (though I wish I did) so I don’t think of them.

I’ll look at a couple tomorrow after work and post them.

[Kwyjibo]

Yeah, Dirty Deeds for me often falls under the radar. When I think of early AC/DC I think of High Voltage or LTBR, but when I listen to Dirty Deeds it's always a good listen.

[EPICVIEW]

Not my fave by them... Powerage blows it away IMO  but I love all their stuff

[Stadler]

Huh.  I think LTBR is over-rated.  Well, maybe not "over-rated", but certainly not head and shoulders above what came before.  I think DDDDC is just as good, and I like Powerage better.   Musically it's certainly more mature - the guitar work in the title track is almost worthy of the amazing story behind it - and this is Phil Rudd's coming out party.    But Go Down is not their best album opener (in fact it's very low on the list) and I'm not enamored of Bad Boy Boogie.  Problem Child is killer, but we've heard that before.   I'm hit or miss with Whole Lotta Rosie; sometimes I think it's amazing and sometimes I think it's stupid.   

In any event, this is the album where the darkness I mentioned before creeps in.  There's nothing terribly... "fun" about this album like there was on the previous two (and I'm not just referring to the silliness of "Big Balls"). 

EDIT:  I put this on to listen to it while I wrote about it... holy crap, how good is Problem Child.   I think that might be the song I'd pick if someone asked "what does the Bon era sound like?"   It's kind of the middle ground between the naive early stuff, and the REALLY dark stuff that was about to come.    It's got a humor to it but it's got muscle too, and man, that's probably the first great example of how Malcolm can make simple block chords sound MASSIVE.  Just listen to the chords behind the second verse leading into the second chorus (from about 1:05 to 1:35).  It's so simple, yet....  everything I love about AC/DC, right there in about 30 seconds.

[TAC]

Huh.  I think LTBR is over-rated.  Well, maybe not "over-rated", but certainly not head and shoulders above what came before. 

Of course you do..

[Stadler]

Huh.  I think LTBR is over-rated.  Well, maybe not "over-rated", but certainly not head and shoulders above what came before. 

Of course you do..

I don't want to disappoint!   

Loving the new one, too. 

[TAC]

The elevation of Let There Be Rock from Dirty Deeds is fucking nosebleed inducing.

[jingle.boy]

Huh.  I think LTBR is over-rated.  Well, maybe not "over-rated", but certainly not head and shoulders above what came before. 

Of course you do..

I don't want to disappoint!   

Loving the new one, too.

I’ll back ya on this Bill. Dirty Deeds grabbed me at just the right time in my musical journey as a teenager. LTBR and Powerade weren’t for me (at the time) We’ll see if that’s still the case in the coming weeks.

[Stadler]

This is for TAC.  I think Angus was drunk at the time, but he DID say it:  https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/angus-young-names-ac-dc-album-that-defined-the-band/

[TAC]

This is for TAC.  I think Angus was drunk at the time, but he DID say it:  https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/angus-young-names-ac-dc-album-that-defined-the-band/

 

That album crushes all!

[jammindude]

Very sorry about the delay, guys.

My youngest son left the nest yesterday. Leaving the northwest behind to move to Florida and marry the love of his life next month. So it was a bit of an emotional whirlwind this weekend, but I will do the Let There Be Rock write up tomorrow night.

I did some digging for some videos for the Dirty Deeds period, but there really wasn’t much there. Seems they tried to make a big splash with TNT/HV(I), but with the mixed response to that, and the even worse feedback for DDDDC, there wasn’t a ton of promotion for it. Which is a real shame. Because even though it’s not quite in TNT’s league, it still boasts at least 3 established classics that make regular appearances in AC/DC set lists to this day. DD, PC, and BBB. Not to mention Jailbreak, which hasn’t made a concert appearance in awhile, but is still held in high regard. It’s just too bad they didn’t do more to promote it.

Plug Me In skips this brief era altogether from what I can tell, and the Family Jewels DVD has only one promotional appearance from DD which is a live appearance on ABC’s Countdown at 5 that I couldn’t find on YT.

But this all gets turned around when LTBR lands like a 2 ton meteor.

More on that tomorrow.

[Stadler]

Yeah, I'm looking too, and I don't think I realized how little was actually from DD.   Most of it is from HV (both) and TNT.    There is this, though:  https://youtu.be/g8xScxmekQk


This is interesting:  https://youtu.be/rxJuhlryBb4

[jammindude]

Let There Be Rock (Australian Version

Side1:

1. Go Down
2. Dog Eat Dog
3. Let There Be Rock
4. Bad Boy Boogie

Side 2:

1. Overdose
2. Crabsody in Blue
3. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
4. Whole Lotta Rosie



Let There Be Rock (International Version)



Side 1:

1. Go Down
2. Dog Eat Dog
3. Let There Be Rock
4. Bad Boy Boogie

Side 2:

1. Problem Child
2. Overdose
3. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
4. Whole Lotta Rosie

"There was always a siege mentality about that band. But once we all found out that Atlantic had knocked us back the attitude was: 'Fuck them! Who the fuck do they think they are?’ So from that point onwards it was: 'Fuck, we’ll show them!’ We were seriously fucking pissed off about it. It didn’t need to be discussed. We were going to go in and make that album and shove it up their arse!”

— Mark Evans

I know Stadler has spoken his opinion that this album is a bit overhyped.  But I gotta disagree with you on this one, my friend.  As much as I love TNT and DDDDC, there can be no doubt that this album was a STATEMENT album.    The other albums are fun, and naughty, and loud...but this album just smokes them all.  The first time I heard Go Down, I didn't even know what that meant.   Now I can hardly believe something so blatant ever got released in 1977.    Of course I loved every track right away. 

Let There Be Rock was recorded in Jan-Feb 1977 (literally immediately after the release, and subsequent backlash of DDDDC, so the wounds were extremely fresh), and released in Australia the very next month.  AC/DC were actually on a tour in the UK when they wanted to shoot the cover, so fingers on the fretboard are of Chris Turner from the Australian band Buffalo.   Apparently, the photographer who had been asked to shoot the cover was briefly a member of Buffalo at the time, and AC/DC were out of town touring.  So he took some shots of Chris playing a fretboard and VIOLA.     But for the international version, a more professional shot from a concert on March 19th 1977 in Essex, UK was paired with the, now iconic, red letter "lightning strike" logo designed by Gerard Huerta who also did artwork for Boston, Ted Nugent, Blue Oyster Cult, and a ton of others. 

It's hard to know what to say about this album except that it's nearly flawless.   This is the one album that I have to give a lopsided win to the international track listing.  "Crabsody in Blue (Bon Scott's "ode to pubic lice") is a novelty at best.   I always tell myself that it's one of their worst songs, but I have to admit that every time I do listen to it, I get it stuck in my head for over an hour.   So there is somewhat of an "earworm" quality to it, but it seems so out of place in quality compared to the other tracks that it's hard to believe that it's actually part of the original album.    The only reason it was cut was because Atlantic pretty much said "Ok, we've let a lot of double entendre pass...but we're NOT releasing a song about getting crabs!"   So CiB was dropped and they lifted Problem Child from DDDDC, and you have the magic formula for one of the greatest hard rock albums ever recorded.   

Most of these songs still get in rotation in AC/DC set lists.  Even Dog Eat Dog gets pulled out once in awhile.   But my dark horse favorite is Overdose.   Who knew Bon could actually write a fairly passable love song without being laughably crude???   

So, discuss.    Or gush.   I still think better things were still to come, but there's no doubt that this album deserves to be mentioned in the top 3 AC/DC albums of all time.   Angus Young just recently stated in an interview that this is the album that "defined AC/DC", and that's a pretty good assessment.   

 I'll post some videos in a couple of days. 

[jammindude]

And again, I can’t get the images to post. I’m doing the same thing I did for the first three albums but now it’s not working and I don’t know why.

[jammindude]

For those who have never heard Crabsody in Blue...

https://youtu.be/vmGOEdjoMAU

Even though the US track list is hands down the best version, I still find myself listening to the Australian track list just because, if I’m listening through the albums, PC is redundant. And TBH, CIB is not that bad. As I said before, I sometimes think it’s dumb, but then I walk around singing “WAAAAALKING SIDEWAYS.....SIDEWAYS WAAAALKIIIIIIIINNNNN”

So the song must be doing something right. 

[TAC]

And again, I can’t get the images to post. I’m doing the same thing I did for the first three albums but now it’s not working and I don’t know why.

[Stadler]

For those who have never heard Crabsody in Blue...

https://youtu.be/vmGOEdjoMAU

Even though the US track list is hands down the best version, I still find myself listening to the Australian track list just because, if I’m listening through the albums, PC is redundant. And TBH, CIB is not that bad. As I said before, I sometimes think it’s dumb, but then I walk around singing “WAAAAALKING SIDEWAYS.....SIDEWAYS WAAAALKIIIIIIIINNNNN”

So the song must be doing something right. 

The song is stupid, but I LOVE the sound of those guitars.  So warm, so intimate.   The vibrato Angus gets is almost perfect.

[Stadler]

I know Stadler has spoken his opinion that this album is a bit overhyped.  But I gotta disagree with you on this one, my friend.  As much as I love TNT and DDDDC, there can be no doubt that this album was a STATEMENT album.    The other albums are fun, and naughty, and loud...but this album just smokes them all.  The first time I heard Go Down, I didn't even know what that meant.   Now I can hardly believe something so blatant ever got released in 1977.    Of course I loved every track right away. 
 

I don't deny it's a statement; but I view it the same as "Lick It Up" by Kiss, the so-called "return" of the band.  Yet, I like Creatures far better.   I would agree this WAS a statement: we're a serious band, not to be fucked with.   It's sort of a new direction (darker; I've said this before.  That's why, IMO, Crapsody In Blue didn't fit) but I think they did better with this "direction" later, that's all.   I think TAC is right: the jump from DDDDC to LTBR is HUGE, arguably the biggest shift between albums of any in the catalogue other than Fly On The Wall to Blow Up Your Video.   I just don't think the music on the album sustains that stylistic jump, that's all.  Other than Problem Child, I'd rather put on High Voltage or Powerage or Highway To Hell.

Some of this may be because I LIVED with "If You Want Blood..." when I got it, and most of those versions are preferable to the studio ones, also IMO.

[TAC]

I know Stadler has spoken his opinion that this album is a bit overhyped.  But I gotta disagree with you on this one, my friend.  As much as I love TNT and DDDDC, there can be no doubt that this album was a STATEMENT album.    The other albums are fun, and naughty, and loud...but this album just smokes them all.  The first time I heard Go Down, I didn't even know what that meant.   Now I can hardly believe something so blatant ever got released in 1977.    Of course I loved every track right away. 
 

I don't deny it's a statement; but I view it the same as "Lick It Up" by Kiss, the so-called "return" of the band.  Yet, I like Creatures far better.   I would agree this WAS a statement: we're a serious band, not to be fucked with.   It's sort of a new direction (darker; I've said this before.  That's why, IMO, Crapsody In Blue didn't fit) but I think they did better with this "direction" later, that's all.   I think TAC is right: the jump from DDDDC to LTBR is HUGE, arguably the biggest shift between albums of any in the catalogue other than Fly On The Wall to Blow Up Your Video.   I just don't think the music on the album sustains that stylistic jump, that's all.  Other than Problem Child, I'd rather put on High Voltage or Powerage or Highway To Hell.

Some of this may be because I LIVED with "If You Want Blood..." when I got it, and most of those versions are preferable to the studio ones, also IMO.

Lots to chew on there, Stadler.

I'm not a fan of Crapsody. Too much like The Jack., another song that I think blows.


While listening to LTBR this morning, I was also thinking about its relationship with If You Want Blood.  If You Want Blood was literally the first Bon Era AC/DC album I bought. It may have been the first AC/DC album I bought period. (I'm trying to think if I had the Back In Black 8-track by that time..I digress..).. 5 of the 8 LTBR tracks are on IYWB, and they are great versions, although I love the studio version of Whole Lotta Rosie with the extended instrumental part.
I would have loved to have heard Riff Raff if it would've been recorded during the LTBR sessions.


It isn't the jump up from Fly On The Wall to Blow Up Your Video, it's the fact that Fly On The Wall sounds like such ass. But Blow Up Your Video does indeed sound great.


Creatures-Lick It Up....I suppose if I had to pick one, I go Creatures, but the songs are stronger on Creatures. I wish it had LIU's production.

[jammindude]

Thanks for posting the artwork, TAC. 

[TAC]

I've always found the back cover pic of Angus interesting. It's a great pic, but I have never really thought it looked like him.

[jingle.boy]

Thanks for posting the artwork, TAC. 

Anyone out-tech'd by Tim should feel shame!

LTBR is indeed a most excellent album.  No filler here at all.  I'm unsure which live version of LTBR (song) I prefer - If You Want Blood, or '91 Live.  Brian really does a great job on it (and all Bon-era songs, really).

[TAC]

Thanks for posting the artwork, TAC. 

Anyone out-tech'd by Tim should feel shame!

 

So true!

[Cool Chris]

Speaking of album covers... is it me (the very casual ACDC fan) or do they have the worst album covers?

[jammindude]

Speaking of album covers... is it me (the very casual ACDC fan) or do they have the worst album covers?

I don’t like either of the HV covers. But TNT is kinda cool. I like the idea of the Australian DDDDC cover, but it looks like an amateur rough draft. The international version is dumb.

But I LOVE the international LTBR cover.

But I agree that a lot of AC/DC album covers are very hit and miss.

[Stadler]

Speaking of album covers... is it me (the very casual ACDC fan) or do they have the worst album covers?

I don’t like either of the HV covers. But TNT is kinda cool. I like the idea of the Australian DDDDC cover, but it looks like an amateur rough draft. The international version is dumb.

But I LOVE the international LTBR cover.

But I agree that a lot of AC/DC album covers are very hit and miss.

HAHA!   Of the Bon-era albums, the Intn't DDDDC cover is my favorite.   I count 11 of them:

1.  DDDDC (the grey one with the eye-bars)
2.  Powerage
3.  Highway To Hell (Angus looks like Mick Jagger and I think Bon looks cool)
4.  High Voltage (International cover)
5.  High Voltage (Australian cover)
6.  DDDDC (Australian cover; it's only so high because I like Angus in the background; otherwise it blows
7.  T.N.T.
8.  If You Want Blood (It'd be better if it wasn't blurry; it looks cheap)
9.  Let There Be Rock (International cover)
10. Let There Be Rock (the Australian cover)
11. High Voltage (The neon original European cover)

[jammindude]

Live at Atlantic Studios

Side 1:

1. Live Wire
2. Problem Child
3. High Voltage
4. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
5. Dog Eat Dog

Side 2:

1. The Jack
2. Whole Lotta Rosie
3. Rocker

I know you guys were probably all hyped up for Powerage.   But I think there is a very important event, and release that happens here. 

Even though Live at Atlantic Studios was not *officially* released to the public until it was part of the Bonfire boxed set in 1997, it was in fact released as a promotional LP to radio stations to promote the band in early 1978.  It has even been reported that Atlantic did issue a promotional only CD as well in 1986.  It was widely bootlegged and treasured by hardcore fans for years.   

But the HUGE event that happened just before this, was the firing of Mark Evans in May of 1977, just one month after the international release of Let There be Rock, immediately following a 12 day European Tour opening for Black Sabbath.    Michael Browning, their tour manager at the time, knew that there had been a bit of back-and-forth between Mark and the Young brothers, but didn't think it was anything so big that they would consider a change.   Mark Evans would later reflect the following:

With Angus and Malcolm, they were put on this earth to form AC/DC. They're committed big-time. And if they feel your commitment is anything less than theirs, well, that's a problem. Angus was intense. He was AC/DC 100 percent. His work ethic was unbelievable. When I was with him, he expected everybody to be just like him, which is pretty impossible...At the time, Malcolm said something about them wanting a bass player who could sing, but I think that was a smokescreen. I don't know if there was any one reason. It's just the way it went down. I felt the distance growing between me and Angus and Malcolm. When I was fired, it wasn't so much a surprise as it was a shock. There was a lot of tension in the band at the time. We'd just been kicked off a Black Sabbath tour, and this was right when a trip to the States was cancelled because the record company rejected the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap album. So it was a hard period.

I guess it just goes to show, you don't mess with the Young brothers.    But, as much as I'm still a fan, the one thing that makes me lose A TON of respect for Angus and Malcolm, was taking Mark out of the RNRHOF induction.    Mark WAS a part of the original induction made by the HOF.   But just a few weeks before the ceremony, Mark's name was erased, and no explanation or public statement was ever made.    Of all the RNRHOF injustices, this is one of the biggest.   To this day, about a third of every AC/DC setlist contains songs that Mark Evans originally played on.   He was a HUGE part of the legacy of this band, and deserves to be at least recognized for his contributions.

BUT....rant over. 

With Cliff as the new bass player, AC/DC went on a summer tour that focused on smaller markets, but eventually landed dates at The Whiskey a Go Go in LA and CBGB's in NYC.    (I WOULD LOVE to go back in time and see AC/DC play the Whiskey in the summer of 77)  And in December they played a gig for a small audience at the Atlantic Recording Studios in NYC which was broadcast live over WIOQ in Philly.   That recording became this promotional only release.   

This is a fantastic set by a band that is riding the heels of one of their best albums and really hitting their stride.   Since this is a listening party, I wanted to share this amazing, but shorter live set with all of you.   

Feel free to post videos you enjoy.   I've been swamped with planning a trip to Florida and trying to sell a car.   But this gives me a brief "me time" on a Sunday night to reflect on some amazing music. 

Link to the full 45 minute set:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylX1zKcfq0g&list=PLwItFtSCuSo5AxsFDqNvba9SzSnUQQ1KR

[TAC]

Nice, I've always wondered why they made a change of bass players.

I'll check this out tomorrow.

[EPICVIEW]

lovin this thread    lovin Power Up

[TAC]

Live at Atlantic Studios

Side 1:

1. Live Wire
2. Problem Child
3. High Voltage
4. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
5. Dog Eat Dog

Side 2:

1. The Jack
2. Whole Lotta Rosie
3. Rocker

Just ran through this. It's not my favorite tracklist by any stretch (they loved themselves some Dog Eat Dog on this tour).



I should've mentioned this earlier. I like Live Wire. I just don't love it. The only song here that I love is Whole Lotta Rosie.

[jammindude]

I know you’re not huge on the High Voltage material, I think it’s really fun. But I think all the HV material gets 100% better live. All the HV songs live are better than their studio counterparts. I have a particular fondness for HAABPTB. And Rocker just flat out smokes.

AC/DC has always been a live band, especially with Bon. I’m a bit disappointed he talks over the intro at the beginning, but Live Wire absolutely explodes out of the gate. I just feel like the quiet intro sets the stage for the huge opening chords.

I’ve heard better sets from them (we will get to that on IYWB), but the fact that they were just arriving in the US, and now had their (fairly) permanent rhythm section, this is a great snapshot.

[TAC]

I know you’re not huge on the High Voltage material, I think it’s really fun. But I think all the HV material gets 100% better live. All the HV songs live are better than their studio counterparts. I have a particular fondness for HAABPTB. And Rocker just flat out smokes.

AC/DC has always been a live band, especially with Bon. I’m a bit disappointed he talks over the intro at the beginning, but Live Wire absolutely explodes out of the gate. I just feel like the quiet intro sets the stage for the huge opening chords.

I’ve heard better sets from them (we will get to that on IYWB), but the fact that they were just arriving in the US, and now had their (fairly) permanent rhythm section, this is a great snapshot.

I definitely really like Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be, and it's great on IYWB. And yes, High Voltage is much better live.

[Stadler]

I like the Atlantic Studios stuff, but it pales in comparison to IFWB and - we haven't mentioned it yet - the Paris show that is "LTBR - The Movie".     I made a playlist that is the entire Glasgow set (using songs from Plug Me In) in proper order, and it's a helluva show.