SONIC WAVES…..AC/DC/Powerage

Comparisons! That’s what people like to do! In music when bands I mean big bands change out lead singers some bands can make a go of it with continued success.

Case in point….

Van Roth became Van Hagar and continued to sell concert tickets and albums….

Other acts will change out there lead singer put  out a classic record and no one gives a shit about. Case in point Motley Crüe with the criminally underrated Motley Corabi record.

Other acts will just becomes musical whores and change there lead singer out and get a copy cat singer to pease the masses. Case in point Journey with that Arnial guy singing the lines of the great Steve Perry!

Orrrrrrrr….bands will change out lead singers bring in the a new guy and it backfires on all cylinders and a few years later the band brings back one of the original throats CUZ everyone in the band knows there dead in the water with the new guy. Case in point Iron Maiden. Bruce Dickinson splits and is replaced by Blaze Bayley(sorry fella) and Maiden record some ahhhh interesting records with Blaze and a few years later Bruce is back to the save the day and Dekes is happy!

Sometimes though a band can pull it off and well when it comes to ACDC there one of the few that have pulled it off and would continue to sell opius amounts of records with a lead singer change!

This leads me to this review people! Whenever people say “Hey I dig ACDC but I perfer Bon over Brian” or vice versa but to my ears I have never heard anyone diss either guy! I guess that would be the definition of a Smooth Move!

Of course to ACDC it wasn’t a smooth move when your on the cusp of American stardom and poor Bon the partying lifestyle caught up to the guy and he passed away in February of 1980. By July of 1980 ACDC had not only recorded  Back In Black but they were also here in good Ol Tbay! That’s 5 months…Lead singer passes, new lead singer auditions,write and record a album,start a tour and road test your new singer Brian Johnson in dump markets like Tbay to get his chops together before the real big city’s come calling!

Anyways I’m getting ahead here. When Bon was still rolling with the boys in 1978 here comes ACDC with Powerage! Powerage is my fav Bon album whereas Flick Of The Switch is my fav Brian album!

For comparisons though I dig both eras of the band! So I can’t compare the two all I can say is I dig the two!

Bon Scott (RIP) man what can you say about this guy that hasn’t been said! To me though he is one of the best wordsmiths out there! No one could write lyrics like this guy! Talk about clever and if you want lyrics! You got Em on Powerage. Plus his voice man that bar boozed partying type vibe that he portrayed and what  he  was singing was what he was digging!

Give me…..Hiiiiiiiiiiiigh Voooooooltage! Bon N Roll…..

ROCK N ROLL DAMNATION-By golly Bon and the boys lead the charge with a Single kind of! This is a snap happy ACDC telling us all were living in Damnation as we’re all over town! Bon kicks down the door and fires up the party and Angus,Malcolm,Cliff and Phil lay down the groove! Check out the video i posted of this tune! It’s cool I mean look at that Rock N a Roll Hoodie that Bon is sporting! Dude had style circa 1978!

DOWN PAYMENT BLUES-one of my fav ACDC tunes.  This song bleeds Rock n Roll and I’m riding shotgun with Bon as he takes us through the seedier side of life. Angus opens up with a real deal riff opener kinda slows it down to a slow burn and than Malcolm joins in and I love the sonics on this album done by Harry Vanda and George Young. You can hear Phils snare rattling around before he hits the shit out of it and boom when he does he and Cliffy Rock the boat so to speak and once again Bon lays down some real good lines…”I got holes in my shoes….and I’m way overdue” “got me a cadalliac,but I can’t afford the gasoline”

GIMMIE A BULLET-the Young bothers lock horns with Cliffys bass and this is another sure fire winner here at Arena Rock! Bon stews on about GIMMIE A BULLET to bite on! While this is a different kind of ACDC groove but it still packs a enough of a slam to the head to leave Ya sonically spinning around in circles! Love the buildup in the prechorus and the chorus delivers!

RIFF RAFF – hey man it’s the end of side one and here comes riffs like gunfire out of Angus Youngs Gibson SG. And before not too long heres brother Malcolm on guitar adding his awesome rhythm prowess on guitar followed by Phil( I lost my mind in 2014)Rudd on drums and new boy Cliff Williams on bass and together Riff Raff leads the charge and Bon comes and lay downs the law …Bon takes these lyrics and tells me “I ain’t shot nobody never carried a gun!” Fair enough Bon will just kick the living crud out of you with his fists! Great song and man the song just kicks with a straight ahead beat! ACDC slam down there’re law on track 4.

SIN CITY- when I think of evil riffs Sin City comes to mind! The opening riff of this is pure evil! Angus and his devil horns lock in once again with Cliff and were going to Hell kids! Once the whole band joins in were off to Vegas! Bon sez  It all when he sings ” Poor man last Rich man first!” This song just kills and its ACDC at one of there finer moments! Rough and tumble with Bon kicking over the poker tables and taking  the dancers with him! You gonna stop him! Naaa your not! Angus just nails down one off the all time great solos he makes it sound sooooo cool! Love the chill part after  the solo where Cliff lays down a cool groove with Phil and his hi hat and Bon lays it on line with “Rich man,poor man,beggar man thief,he ain’t got a hope in hell thats my belief!” The boys just ramp back up and Wowzers does it get any better than this? Ok now seriously though….I always post videos of the stuff I review and if you check em out! Fantastic man I salute you! I do this as sometimes i review albums that are classics in my burnt out mind so the video posted  may give you a idea on just what the hell I’m talking about or than again maybe not! Ha! This live video of Sin City you have to watch as its ACDC playing in daylight in a huge outdoor stadium that from the distance looks like the set from the Flintstones mixed with Jurassic Park! This vid is raw ACDC there slammimg this bad boy live in the ground! I mean there space on stage is limited but Angus,his satchel and guitar destroy it! Bon like Bon does lays down the friggin law!

WHATS NEXT TO THE MOON-holy hell Bon is tying his woman to the railroad tracks! Great lyrics make this track and the way Bon wrote the lyrics to this tune and how the Young brothers composed the music this tune does sound like a Train coming down the line! Angus’s solo in this song is the lightening bolt from hell! Quick and zippy and it leaves you the listener fried! Added plus is the backing vocals from Cliff and Malcolm! Boom classic. Boom done!

GONE SHOOTIN-now were in the backwoods crusing with a real low chill tune! Angus and Malcolm just have a ton of riffs stored in there noggins back than. You want boogie rock! Check. You want blues based rock with a sledge hammer coming down on Ya! Check. You want some real low down dirty swampy boozey schmoozey Rock ! Check. This is what this one is! It’s a real cool low down vibe! Bon man on this album he’s been in Rock Damnation! Not caring about the Blues! Eating Bullets! Headed to Vegas and than pretending to be  Casey Jones! Now he’s Gone Shootin! Love the rawness of this tune! A great track that lotsa people have forgotten about! NOT ME!

UP TO MY NECK IN YOU-4 on the Floor stomper! Aca Daca pick up steam and Blitzkreig this stomper into submission! Bons tired of his lady! So beat it ! Ha! Angus riffs like a looney tune while Bon and the boys crank into high gear! Crank the video posted!

KICKED IN THE TEETH AGAIN-speaking of High Gear this tune is off the tracks! Boom off the hop Bons a hollering and why wouldn’t he! The band behind him is firing on all cylinders and Wowzers man this is a cooker! The album ends with ACDC not turning off the lights but taking a baseball bat to the lights and smashing everything in site! Oh yeah one more thing! Bring on the dancing girls and put the champagne on ice!

IN CONCLUSION-hey this is my 200 th post and why not do it right with Powerage right?! Actually ACDC is one of those bands I could review all there albums and I probably will! Ha! Be forewarned!  Seriously though Powerage I just love and man wether I’m riding my bike or walking this puts a ton of extra peddling or steps for that matter into my pace! Like why wouldn’t it? Angus is soloing frenzy incorperated! Cliff drives the bass! Phil keeps the shop steady! Malcolm is like i said in my Flick Of The Switch Review that Malcolm is the king of rythm guitar and Bon man he’s the deal all tatted up living the hard rock  lifestyle and if he didn’t like Ya he’d punch your lights out!

Harness all this energy Into a record I call a classic …POWERAGE!