ACCA DACCA WEEK…AC/DC/Let There Be Rock (Australian Version)

Muc was the first guy that I knew of that owned Let There Be Rock. At the time when  I heard Let There Be Rock for the first time (early 1981) Back In Black was raging supreme in sales so when I sauntered over to Mucs house that cold Jan day and kicked the snow from my boots ….there it was ….

LET THERE BE ROCK….

The cover said it all. I mean who needs a million words when one pic will do and that’s the cover of Let There Be Rock! Band on stage in action with a ray of light from the heavens shining down on them! Ok that sounds corny! But look at the pic for the two vids posted! See! Cool huh? AC/DC there  heads down and getting to work….no fuckin around! This is the cover we got in Canada. Now the Australian version had a different cover and that’s the pic of Angus Youngs guitar neck with the title Let There Be Rock written underneath. And like the good blog boy I am I included the one song that is on the Aussie version and not the Canadian version! You have to keep reading to find out what the mystery track is! Hahaha….. Gotta love hype?

The back cover as well has a full pic of Angus! Wowzers man this blew me away as I knew even back than that Angus was the focal point but a whole pic of him on the back cover. Ahhh why not it’s about self promotion and I guess that’s what the suits were doing!

GO DOWN- 1,2 …da bam bam..da bam bam..that’s AC/DC laying down some serious riffage off the top and what a great opener! Bon the rock poet name drops Ruby Ruby and Mary Mary and something about lickin a stick! Hahahaha….the guitars courtesy of Angus and Malcolm drive the lyrics written by Bon and Frigg what a classic opener! Just what I like those Gang like backing vocals singing GO DOWN…GO DOWN…yeah man you are gonna get your ass kicked!

DOG EAT DOG-“Well it’s a dog eat dog …eat cat too! Frenchy eat frog and I eat you!” What a great opener of a line and man the DC Express is loaded and leaving the station! Love the beat to this tune. Phil pounds the drums with Mark Evans playing straight bass and keeping the Express on the tracks!  Angus nails down a ripping solo as soon as Bon yelps “Woof” and  man this is a fantastic one two punch of a start with Go Down and Dog Eat Dog!

LET THERE BE ROCK-ok so I posted The vid for this song and this is the cover we got here in Canada! See the light shining down..hahaha…(yeah I know Shaddup DeKEs get on with it! )Phil smacks his snare drum and we’re off with Angus riffing and rolling and Bon drinking and Snortin and I’m like….WTF!! This is heavy devy hard blues rock ! Love the verses just kick back with Bons voice,Marks bass and Phil(Mr Jailbreak) on drums and when Angus and Malcolm join the party all bets  are off ! Angus plays a bunch of Chuck Berry riffs at 120 clicks and this song just flat out rocks! It does not get any heavier in the sense of hard blues rock than Let There Be Rock! Let There Be Light….Drums..Guitars….Arrrrrrrgh ….Let There Be Rooooooooock!

BAD BOY BOOGIE-Angus and Phil lead the pack with the charge of drums and guitar and here comes Bon leading the pack with a fists a flying and doing the Bad Boy Boogie all over town! Great song just a straight ahead rocker but you would expect that from these guys right?! Angus and his solos on this record are like lightening bolts of brilliance. These guys were going for the throat and they grabbed my throat and wouldn’t let go!

OVERDOSE-always loved the opening to Overdose! Angus and Mal sound like there trying to figure out the chords! Ha…and boom the song kicks in and shifts  into gear! Sounds like Bon was overdosing on women here man. Thats the great thing about Bons lyrics,the way he wrote them you know he lived them! One of the best lyricists ever!

CRABSODY IN BLUE- heres the mystery track! One that was left of the Canadian version of Let There Be Rock( we got Problem Child)  Folks,how many of you have heard this tune? Well here at Arena Rock I posted the vid it lists the song as Overdose but it’s Crabsody…..I’m not gonna say anymore about this track! Just listen to it and drop some comments on what you think of it.

HELL AINT A BAD PLACE TO BE-smashing cymbals,loud guitars and Bon saying “Hey You!” and we’re going to Hell with the Angus and Malcolm blazing a trail with there guitar chops! Love the tightness of the guitars in the Verses and the chorus ramps up with Bon leading the charge with “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be!” The solo like all Angus solos just flat out rocks!

WHOLE LOTTA ROSIE-42-39-56….you could say she’s got it all sez Bon! When I think of this song I think of the live version on If You Want Blood You Got It when in between the song starts and ramps up you can hear the audience chanting Angus! Well JackLoaf we argued with him back in highschool as JackLoaf thought the crowd was saying “”ROCK US!!” Hahaaha…we chastised him for months in school over this flub! Ha….Rosie though since 77 has been a staple forever and a day since than! Great song,cool lyrics, great beat, awesome solo and Bon laying waste in the night and than theres Rosie!

IN CONCLUSION-Wowzers man Back In Black was the first AC/DC record I heard back In 1980 where I learned the birds and bees about (Ahem) life! Now if I had heard Let There Be Rock first this would have been the one. Bon with his lyrics tells me all about the Dog Eat Dog world out there! How to do the Bad Boy Boogie while Overdosing  on some lady who goes by the name of Rosie! It’s all here kids!

Crank this one if you got it…if not just buy the friggin thing!

Let There Be Rock Muc!

 

ACCA DACCA WEEK….AC/DC/Dirty Deed Done Dirt Cheap

 

June of 1981,myself Tbone,Chico and a bunch of other cronies from my Grade 8 class are all wandering the streets of Toronto. For me and Tbone we were hitting record shops and Whoah what’s this!! A new AC/DC album? Well yes and no! Yes it’s a new AC/DC album. A new album for me and Tbone and let me tell Ya people were snapping this album up like crazy(loved that everyone’s eyes even in the inside sleeve were blacked out!) and as a bunch of 14 year olds at the time we were like a bunch of hooligans rummaging through all these record stores!

But Dirty Deeds was a 5-year-old album( it was released in other countries except for North America in 1976) once AC/DC hit pay dirt in 1980 with Back In Black the suits were drooling over the prospect of keeping the cash flow rolling in 1981 with anything AC/DC related! Hence the release of Dirty Deed Done Dirt Cheap!

For a casual rock fan they musta been confused when you hear Bons vocals and only a year earlier you hear Brian Johnson laying done some serious  high vocalage on Back In Black. But for us buying everything in site in regards to ACDC we knew the deal…..

JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAILLL BRAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!

DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP-love the opening sinister riff courtesy of Angus and Malcolm with Phil Rudds drums and Mark Evans bass keeping the bottom end sounding Evvvvvvil! Love the rawness of this tune actually the whole album for that fact! Bon really steps up his lyrics on this record. Dirty Deeds gets the party going with obligatory Angus rifffage solo and Bon throwing down some one liners in the form of  ‘Cynadide,High Voltage,TNT ..” Atta boy Bon the business man name dropping the other AC/DC records available at the time of Dirty Deeds release (1976) Must give some bonus points for Angus or whoever it is yellin AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH at the end!

LOVE AT FIRST FEEL- love the opening of this song Boom with a little kick of some kind of feedback and we’re off! I always dug AC/DC’s backing vocals and this album delivers that street brawl vibe in them! Angus and Mal are locked n loaded on guitar and Phil and Mark keep,the party going! Bon does Bon man..great lyrics…. The driving bopping bass keeps this number  hopping. Crank the video attached!

BIG BALLS- hahaha….just think you’re a 14-year-old boy and you buy this album and there’s a song on it called Big Balls! This song is a classic and I wonder why AC/DC never pushed this song huge as a single man it’s so friggin catchy. Angus plays that sleazy opening riff and Bon rambles aloud about Ballroom Dancing! Well kinda of….the song title aside is Reaaaaal Good! Cool beat,great vocals,real classy cleverly written lyrics and my fav is the Gang backing vocals at the end chanting “BALLSUCKER BALLSUCKER BALLSUCKER” hahahaha love it!……I posted this song so you all can sing BALLSUCKER BALLSUCKER BALLSUCKER!

ROCKER-once the beer bottles and fists start flying out comes Angus riffing like a looney tune and Bon and company keeping up with Bon like he does with many a tune writes the lyrics to his lifestyle! This is him ‘wheeler,dealer,wicked woman stealer,cruiser,bruiser Rock N Roller Man” this song is like Chuck Berry on speed! Driving bass and drums that smash your brains in and a couple of quick boots to the noggin courtesy of Bon!

PROBLEM CHILD- ok like I just said Bon writes lyrics like he’s lived them and this is no exception! Holy hell you want street fighter mode Bon? It’s all here in the lyrics! Now I remember years ago back in high school when AC/DC was huuuuge and we had a discussion about the opening of this song we all thought Bon said “Fuck This”…but he actually says “Cop This” ha witty Bon fooling a bunch of young hooligans(us) with his phrasing. Problem Child is a mean shit kicker of a track. Angus drives the riff off the tracks and Bon throws down some more great lines “every night,streetlight..I drink my booze,some run some fight I win they lose!” Bam…Poetry in motion!

THERES GONNA BE SOME ROCKIN-just a jamming good time straight ahead feel good tune! Gonna be some rocking at the show tonight! It’s like the fellas just  plugged straight into there Marshalls and Bon slammed back some Gin and hit the mic and viola instant tune! Just head to the smoke damnit!

AINT NO FUN WAITING AROUND TO BE A MILLIONAIRE- Bon writes what he’s living and this is the dream in 1976 for him! He ain’t waiting…this is almost a 7 minute AC/DC song that just riffs along and before you know it’s done and that’s due to Bons lyrics and the band driving along the tempo and keeping  the ship rock steady. Love at the beginning of the track he throws down the old disclaimer of “only the names have been changed to protect the guilty” Wowzers Bon this shit is getting real! The song keeps plowing forward and jives up at the end when Bon sez ” Hey! Hello Howard? How Ya Doin? My Next Door Neighbour! Oh Yeah….Get Your Fuckin Jumbo Jet Off My Airport”

RIDE ON-slow animal this song is! More Bon Livin. This is slow blues rock Dacca! Phils drums keep the song going at a decent mid level clip. Bons drivin and drifting along as he’s Gonna Ride On! The backing vocals are chill! The pace is chill and Angus throws down a real chill solo that adds to the tune! Great song that if you recall got a second lease of life on the Who Made Who (Maximum Overdrive soundtrack album from 1986)

SQUEALER- what would a AC/DC album be without a low down dirty sleazy kind of tune? Umm nope not here! Squealer takes the album to its ends. Meaning end of album and end of party!  “Said she never been balled before, and I don’t think she’ll ball no more. I fixed her good!” Sings Bon as he takes along on his journey with a  (Insert cool backing vocals )SQUEALER….! Crank the video ….say no more!

IN CONCLUSION- Dirty Deeds in 2015 simplifies the word Classic! Classic sound,off the wall lead singer,wild crazy antics of dude wearing shorts ripping around short burst of ammo shots off of the fretboard of his Gibson SG guitar all harnessed in by Malcolm,Mark and Phil!  Whew….Dirty Deeds is a great record! This record is Street! As in hard rocking and of that don’t fit, help yourself to a fistful of a Bon Knucke Sandwhich!

When myself and Tbone caught Aerosmith live many moons ago there intro music was Given The Dog A Bone. When Aero finished there show that night there outro music was Big Balls….

Aero knows the deal!

ACCA DACCA WEEK….AC/DC/High Voltage(Australian Version)

YO! Geoff and Sarca faithfull Arena Rock readers have requested a AC/DC week of my ramblings…..Lets Do this!

So your probably asking yourself (than again maybe not) what’s with the Australian Version? Why not  sez I….my Blog, my rules..hahaha. Seriously though since we and by that I mean North Americans have heard the other version of High Voltage with Its A Long Way To the Top,Rock N Roll Singer,Live Wire etc I thought it would be fun to mix it up a bit and fellow reader Destroyer Of Harmony lives Down Under so why the hell not!

1975 and AC/DC consists of the Young Brothers(Angus and Malcolm) Bon Scott(RIP) Tony Currenti on drums and even Angus and Malcolm’s older brother George adds bass to the album.

IN THE BEGINNING ……..

BABY PLEASE DONT GO- Angus and Malcolm along with drums set off this Big Joe Wiliams cover out of the gate quick! We all heard this tune a million times by other artists but AC/DC load up with a  bunch of riffing guitars driving bass and drums and Bons barroom rasp vocal and the guys rock this song! I’m sure if this was played in the bar with a jukebox it would short out! This song cooks and welcome to the world AC/DC!

SHES GOT BALLS- Malcolm and Angus start off with great opening along with Bon man what can say “My Lady’s Got Balls!” Also I loved these guys backing vocals they sound more street gangish than anything! No polish for these fellers! Angus lays down a neat little tightly wound solo! Great song !

LITTLE LOVER-Ahh Tony the drummer slows the pace down and Angus and company play around a little with a slower tempo and Bon goes into stortyteller mode! Bon a master lyricist and if you follow AC/DC you know what I’m talking about! The chorus is that barrom late night after hours slop drunk sleaze ball riff and Angus plays it like there’s no tomorrow. Love the guitar crunch after the vocals say…Little Loooooooover!

STICK AROUND-mid tempo rock tune with Bon leading  the charge. This is a great tune. This version does not have the crazy heavy boogie rock that would come later. Stick Around is AC/DC mixed with a shot of Blues doused in rock!

SOUL STRIPPER- ha….love the title and the song is good! This is the fellas finding there groove! There niche so to speak and man what a niche they have had like for 40 years! Soul Stripper as well I think may be one of the few if only AC/DC tune Bon never wrote lyrics for! Take a bow Ang and Mal! Love the pace of this tune….

YOU AINT GOT A HOLD ON ME- Single time! Ha! Perhaps but a good track never the less! The boys are playing a bit of the game here and can Ya Blame them!

LOVE SONG- the guitars of the Young brothers are  in sync and this is a slower type of tune but still packs a little ooomph! It’s kinda funny to look at the track listing of this album and Acdc has a song called Love Song! Ha….of course my introduction to AC/DC writing love songs was Any of the numerous songs off of Back In Black.

SHOW BUSINESS- This song reminds me of a Chuck Bery tune as it’s just AC/DC knowing the end of the album is near and it’s time to do a boogie work Blues send off as  Angus rocks out this  track out on his Gibson SG Guitar!

IN CONCLUSION- This is a great beginning to the work of AC/DC. Of course you had here in Canada a different version of High Voltage. On import you could get some songs from High Voltage called TNT and of course this version of High Voltage! In other words AC/DC issued three different versions of High Voltage and if my memory serves me correct I think Muc had all three back in the early 80s or he had two I dunno Muc help me out….but yeah you could get TNT album and the Australian copy of High Voltage here in Tbay back in 1981 but you would be paying for it…..

Check Back Wednesday Folks!