[edit] AC/DC: Highway To Hell

Producer: Robert John "Mutt" Lange Recorded: Roundhouse Studios, London Released 1979 on Albert Productions (through EMI)

Track Listing:

Side One 1. Highway To Hell 2. Girls Got Rhythm 3. Walk All Over You 4. Touch Too Much 5. Beating Around The Bush Side Two 6. Shot Down In Flames 7. Get It Hot 8. If You Want Blood (You've Got It) 9. Love Hungry Man 10. Night Prowler

(all songs Young, Young, Scott)

The Highway To Hell album sees AC/DC blossom into a worldwide force. Having conquered England with the Let There Be Rock and Powerage albums, the band set their sights on the USA. This album is their tightest and slickest so far, every track a high quality rocker bursting with energy. On the production side, the sound is heavier with a better all-over balance between guitars and bass than on previous albums. Backing vocals have been brought to the fore and lose their trademark "evil pixies" quality (for better or for worse), and the drums sound punchier and tighter than ever.

The reason for this change in sound was due to the album being recording in a different studio with a different producer at the controls. While not reaching the multi-tracked heights of albums like Back In Black and For Those About To Rock We Salute You, the sound is definitely bigger and more rounded. Originally scheduled to record the album with Eddie Kramer at Criteria Studios in Miami, they canned the project after three weeks and headed off to England.

Musically there is less of a reliance on the 12-bar-blues structure, and although the Chuck Berry tributes are still there they are more cleverly (and originally) disguised.

The original album cover is displayed here.

Starting the album is the title track "Highway To Hell". An all time favourite with AC/DC fans, the inescapably catchy riff and carefree lyrics provide a perfect platform from which to launch the rest of the album. Often cited by religious zealots as proof of AC/DC?s "devil worship", this song is sung by Scott with a permanent smile on his face. That the humorous point is lost on those who wish to persecute AC/DC is not insignificant - those with no sense of fun will never understand bands like AC/DC and will always fear their fans. But back on planet Earth, this is just one heck of a great rock song. The pulsing bass of Cliff Williams in the chorus (a skill seemingly lost on today's rock bassists) is butt-swaying simplicity in itself, while crafty use of the 6th by Angus Young gives the solo a distinctly country flavour. Scott's delivery is wonderful - a three minute lesson in showmanship.

Hot on the heels of Highway To Hell is Girls Got Rhythm. This song features a catchy guitar riff, a smart tempo and some telling lyrics. Now a real international band, Scott acknowledges AC/DC's international status for the first time with the line "...I've been around the world..." The young fellas had now grown up! The solo contains some nifty double stop work by Angus Young.

Next is Walk All Over You. Here the Young brothers really bang out the power chords like never before. This technique would be honed to perfection over the next few albums. Smart songwriting sees a menacing tempo change in the chorus, while the verses are blistering. The backups in the chorus are found to be clear and strong. This was a new string to the AC/DC bow and Cliff Williams can take the lion?s share of that credit.

Touch Too Much follows. With a moody feel Scott leads us on a voyage to seduction in which he is the one blown away. Again the solo tips its lid towards Chuck Berry without being too obvious and the song breaks down nicely in the final third.

Closing side one is the rollicking, raging fun of Beating Around The Bush. The song opens with a blistering riff before the drums kick in and we're away! Steaming southern-boogie, Beating Around The Bush is the most reminiscent of all these songs to their earlier work. The power chords keep coming through the solo in which Angus Young tastefully leads us through a restrained blues fest. His playing on this album shows much maturity and he seems to feel less inclined to have to prove himself in every bar of every song. A great crash ending and we can all get our breath back!

While not featuring any outright "comedy" songs, Shot Down In Flames does provide us a tongue-in-cheek story of our hero spying a nice looking lady near the jukebox, approaching her and being rejected. Scott grins the line "..I said baby what's the going price, she told me to go to hell". Shot down in flames indeed! But when he sings "...ain't it a shame/ to be shot down in flames..." in the chorus we known he's not really that heartbroken about it all! Great rhythm and pacing make this song an all time AC/DC classic.

Get It Hot comes next. This is as close as the band get to the actual rock 'n' roll feel of previous albums, though they play it straight instead of swinging it. Clocking in at 2:24, it's one of AC/DC's shortest recorded songs.

Seemingly coming a year late, If You Want Blood (You've Got It) is a hard rocking title track from AC/DC?s blistering live album of the same name. The guitar riff and bass propel the song with gusto, but it must be recognised that this song does sound a little forced - like they started with the title and went from there.

Next is Love Hungry Man. This song was abandoned by the band not long after recording, almost as an embarrassing aberration. Not a band to issue genuine love songs, Love Hungry Man was seen at the time as being a bit wimpy. Given a fair listening, the criticisms seem a bit harsh. There is genuine emotion on offer here, and it's nowhere near as corny as the ham-fisted and creaky "Love Song" from the High Voltage album - a song deemed ok for release as a single(!). There is a great groove on offer here with some tasty riffing from Cliff Williams's bass. Maybe a little too far towards the "pop" side of things for real head-banger tastes, but in this reviewers opinion a song rather unfairly relegated to the don't bother basket.

The last song on Highway To Hell is Night Prowler. This song is a wonderfully slow, menacing and threatening romp with a 6/8 feel. Angus Young shines with a great opening solo, bending those notes to perfection. This is Bon Scott's last appearance on record before his death and it's almost as if he knows it in advance, giving one of the best vocal performances of his career. He absolutely wails in the chorus and keeps it moody in the verses. It's a stunning display which provides a perfect blueprint for any aspiring frontman to follow - though none really have and as a result the rock world has been short of genuinely stellar lead vocalists ever since. It's a shame that the performance here is undercut somewhat by the lame "Mork from Ork" impersonation at the end of the song ("...Shazzbutt - nanoo-nanoo...") but that's Bon Scott - never too serious.

As a document of proof that AC/DC are the real deal when it comes to hard rock, Highway To Hell cannot be surpassed. Confident and mature (with a touch of humour) this album is a high quality package of guitar rock. It propelled to band into superstardom - all of their dreams were just starting to come true. This makes it all the more tragic for Bon Scott, a man who spent his life dedicated to his craft and only just starting to reap the rewards, who died only seven months after this album was released. The band continued on with great (and justified) success with Brian Johnson. That this was the end of an era is an understatement - Johnson is still referred to as the "new guy" even today, 25 odd years later.

[edit] AC/DC: Highway To Hell

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