DVBeer’s Review: AC/DC..Plug Me In(2007)

 

 

Ahhh yes here’s another fine instalment of a  DVBeer’s Review…

In case you forgot DVBeer’s is basically Me getting together with my good pal of over 40 years Tbone over at his place and we consume Beers. I bring over a few Music  DVD’s and after the Suds hit  we  review the DVD’S! Basically were a Buzzed  up version of Siskel and Ebert!

Let’s Do This….

Beer Of Choice For The Review: Rolling Rock

When I hit 40 years young about 10 years ago my younger sister asked me what I wanted for my Bday…It was simple. AC/DC’s new Mega DVD release Plug Me In. Boom Done Deal!

Plug Me In is over 7 Hours of DVD footage spread over 3 DVD’S  from the Late Great Bon Scott years right into the Brian Johnson years… I will say the packaging is deadly check out the pics I took of the box set!

 

Ok, so this review is going to be a 2 parter as we didn’t even get into the second DVD as this thing is a huge monster of a set! (by the time we did shut it down at Tbone’s it was well past 1:30 am!)

We did though make a dent into it ….

AC/DC “Plug Me In” track listing:

DVD 1 (2 hours 22 mins):

01. High Voltage (King Of Pop awards) – October 1975 (4:02)
02. It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) (Bandstand) (4:41)
03. School Days (St Albans) – March 1976 (5:40)
04. TNT (St Albans) – March 1976 (4:46)
05. Live Wire (Rollin Bolan) – July 1976 (6:12)
06. Can I Sit Next To You Girl (Rollin Bolan) – July 1976 (4:14)
07. Baby Please Don’t Go (Melbourne) – December 1976 (11:49)
08. Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be (Sight & Sound) – October 1977 (5:13)
09. Rocker (Sight and Sound) – October 1977 (8:10)
10. Rock ‘n Roll Damnation (Apollo) – April 1978 (3:44)
11. Dog Eat Dog (Apollo Glasgow) – April 1978 (4:26)
12. Let There Be Rock (Apollo) – April 1978 (8:27)
13. Problem Child (Rock Goes To College) – October 1978 (4:44)
14. Sin City (Rock Goes To College) – October 1978 (5:23)
15. Bad Boy Boogie (Rock Goes To College) – October1978 (9:06)
16. Highway To Hell (Veronika) – July 1979 (4:12)
17. The Jack (Veronika) – July 1979 (5:19)
18. Whole Lotta Rosie (Veronika) – July 1979 (5:19)

DVD 1 Bonus Footage:

* Band Interview at Airport 1976 (2:16)
* Band Interview at Covent Garden (2:27)
* “Problem Child” – Melbourne (3:56)
* “Baby Please Don’t Go” (Germany, incomplete) (2:10)
* “Dirty Deeds” on Network Sounds (0:40)
* Bon Scott Interview (15:11)
* “Rock n’ Roll Damnation” – Top of the Pops (2:47)
* Australian Music to the World interview in Atlanta (1:31)
* Nice Super 8 movie (3.34

That’s right 2 hours and 22 minutes! That’s just one Friggin DVD! So we get to watch AC/DC in the earliest stages of their career.  Some real old crazy black and white footage of the boys playing School Days and TNT. Whats remarkable is as Tbone pointed out that Angus was like 16 years old when some of this was filmed. I pointed out that it was weird seeing Bass Player Mark Evans not singing background vocals but drummer Phil Rudd handling the backing vocals along with the best Rhythm Guitarist Ever Mr Malcolm Young!…

Baby Please Don’t Go from 1976 is a cooker of a track! When one thinks of AC/DC you think of them always sounding the same. True but not always is the case as  this version has Rudd playing a real straight ahead drum groove as I remarked that it has a feel like if Charlie Watt’s was cranked up on speed! What a swing to it and kudos to the remastering team on this Box Set( Mike Fraser) that enhance the audio of this and Baby Please Don’t Go is AC/DC playing Chuck Berry like boogie rock at a high-speed! Classic!

Of course you see AC/DC moving up in popularity as they were blasting out there form of Rock on TV shows and actually playing Live! Rocker is real cool as Angus take’s off into the crowd and sits on the lap’s of a few females! Haha…If your a dude and Angus parks his fanny on your girlfriends lap what are you gonna do about it? Exactly! Your gonna do nothing as Lead Singer Bon is watching to make sure no one manhandle’s his Lead Guitarist!

Cool to see footage of the Boys  playing  tracks from the Apollo(1978) as in these are the songs (Rock N Roll Damnation/Let There Be Rock and Problem Child) that we all heard live on the classic live If You Want Blood album that came out in late 1978!

One tune that was recorded live from the Apollo is Dog Eat Dog which I made the comment that this is one  of there best tracks and it features a real cool groove on the drums one of which when AC/DC entered the 80’s they  moved on from which is a shame! As always Bon writes clever lyrics and proves without a doubt he’s one of the best ever at that task! Watch the video and be prepared to get your ASS Kicked! Cliff Williams takes over on Bass from the booted out Mark Evans and I tossed out verbally that Cliff in this video has a Ramones Like Haircut!

The bonus material added is real cool as well with one of them being an 15 minute interview with Bon solo which is a rarity as it seemed like a lot of AC/DC interviews were done as a unit!

Bon is classic! At one point he tells the interviewer “He shouldn’t hold his microphone down there”. The interviewer named Ian is a bore as he repeat’s some questions over at various points. Bon though does talk about how AC/DC at that time was going to be opening for KISS as Bon tells the tale of the Bass Player of KISS(Gene Simmons) discovering AC/DC playing in L.A and offered them the opening slot on the American Tour. What’s classic is Bon nor the interviewer could remember the name of the Bass Player In KISS! Ha! Bon also states that they would be opening for Rush as well and the dopey interviewer has no idea who Rush is as well!

The first DVD ends with bits of clips of Super 8 Film of one of Bon’s last shows….

We skipped the 2nd DVD and went straight into DVD Numero 3 which features a ton more of footage of Bon and Brian!

We delved right into what I consider the best AC/DC album ever (well from Brian’s tenure in the band) Flick Of The Switch which AC/DC includes here as an 53 minute live Flick Show from 1983 featuring new drummer Simon Wright.

Live at Houston Summit 83 (Whole Concert segment runs 53 minutes):

01. Guns For Hire (5:31)
02. Shoot To Thrill (5:32)
03. Sin City (5:24)
04. House Is On Fire (3:58)
05. Back In Black (4:12)
06. Bad Boy Boogie (14:33)
07. Rock ‘n Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution (5:07)
08. Flick Of The Switch (3:25)
09. Hells Bells (5:24)

This is a superb show and this is the reason why I wanted the Deluxe Edition as AC/DC is on fire here and drop down 3 tracks from the Flick album live! An album which is  forgotten amongst them but not me!

As the Rolling Rock Suds were hitting big time during Bad Boy Boogie Tbone noticed at one point after the Angus Young strip a roo portion that when Johnson appears back on stage at exactly the 10 minute 25 second mark you can see Brian’s expression as some one in the crew added a rather interesting extension to his mic! Give Jonno credit he looks over laughs but keeps singing as he knows he’s been had! Great eye Tbone. I never noticed it……

Plug Me In is a box set done right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AC/DC: If You Want Blood…. You Got It(1978)

Have not done an Acca Dacca story in a while so here it goes…..

On all things purchased AC/DC. I think this 1978  Live release If You Want Blood came pretty quickly after I had succumbed to the Horn Dog Lyric antics of the Classic 1980 Release Back In Black.

My pal Muc had already bought 1977’s Let There Be Rock so in all honesty I think it was either this release or Highway To Hell I had purchased second…or maybe not ….I dunno…Do you care? Haha…

Always loved this cover I mean there’s Angus Young being impaled by his Gibson SG and right beside him is the Late Great Bon Scott keeping the show moving forward…..

Back cover was cool as well…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thats the thing with these guys was they kept there covers simple but were very effective. This one as well….Leaving there blood on the stage as it were..

So with this being a Live Meal Deal…..Here’s the Tracks ..

1. “Riff Raff” (from Powerage) 5:59
2. “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” (from Let There Be Rock) 4:10
3. “Bad Boy Boogie” (from Let There Be Rock) 7:29
4. “The Jack” (from T.N.T.) 5:48
5. “Problem Child” (from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap) 4:40
6. “Whole Lotta Rosie” (from Let There Be Rock) 4:05
7. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation” (from Powerage) 3:41
8. “High Voltage” (from T.N.T.) 5:05
9. “Let There Be Rock” (from Let There Be Rock) 8:33
10. “Rocker” (from T.N.T.)

Now that’s a 10 pack of Barroom Brawl Rock right there!

I’m going Old School in regards to a 10 Track Breakdown of each track….

No Beating Around The Bush here Folk’s!

Angus starts off with a bunch of Power Riffs and before Riff Raff is launched off  and I love how Bon just rolls up to the mic and here comes the  Late Night Whiskey Drenched Voice . The thing with Bon is when sings whatever tune it was…. He Meant Business! Basically between Angus/His Satchel/His Gibson SG and his Snot flying all over the place  and  Bon with his mic in  hand, a clenched fist in the other you weren’t gonna mess with em! Riff Raff rocks like no other. Bon is one of the best lyricists ever! He walked it like he talked it!

Hop on board to a bus headed Straight to Hell as its time to Dial up Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be.  You want tight guitar chops in the verses look  no further than this song. Angus and Malcolm are airtight on the 6 strings and Cliff and Phil keep the Rhythm Boat A Float as Bon man could sell you real estate in Hell as he’s that convincing! Kinda funny coming from the Romper Room antics of KISS at a young age and discovering AC/DC where its Fists N Rolls and Bon’s idea of Hell is very different from Starchilds version of Hotter Than Hell!

Bad Boy Boogie is just that! Bon does it all over town! This is an No Frills straight ahead Back Room Brawler Of A Track. The lyrics are classic Bon. Angus takes this tune and pushes it over the 7 minute mark and basically like all things ACCA DACCA its the Mal and Angus show as this tune I believe was the showcase for Angus to drop his drawers and Bark At The Moon!

The Jack. Well what do you say about this song….Speaking of Classic Lyrics…..just listen to  the video posted below..

Duke’s N Booze lead the way with Problem Child as the Boy’s shift gears from the Sleazy Bluesy Feel of The Jack right into Problem Child. Phil pushes the pace with his drums and Bon as always lays down the law with his vocals. Problem Child just reeks trouble with its Piss N Vinegar like vibe and no one is safe….

Whole Lotta Rosie is another classic track that probably  has been played since 1977-78 at every DC show and I dig the feel of this track especially Bon taking control vocally between the between the verses before the Sonic Blasts of the music lift this tune off. Even the crowd is into as they are all chanting Angus Angus Angus between at the opening. Speaking of which I may have told the story about our pal Jack Loaf who thought the crowd at the beginning was chanting Rock Us Rock Us Rock Us…Dude its Angus there chanting not Rock Us! Haha…Now you are probably wondering where the name Jack Loaf came from. Easy. Jack was his actual name and Loaf was added to it by Moi as Jack was the only one in Highschool that I knew at the time (1982) that was listening to Meat Loaf!

Rock N Roll Damnation is the song that has AC/DC almost playing for a hit  tune. But this live version flexes a lot more muscle than the studio album it came from(Powerage). The chorus has a real catchy hook that draws you in and for that there is nothing wrong with that! You think back in 78 if Deke worked for the Record Company  I would tell Bon  “Aye Mate You Digging Around For A Hit Single?”  Bon would have probably grabbed me by the throat and before he choked me out I would muster up my go to line which would be “Tbone Said It….Not Me!!”

High Voltage. Well it’s just one Awesome track after another here as Angus plays some real cool like riffage and Cliff and Phil join in for the ride. I love this tune….Hiiiiiiiiiiiigh Voltage Rock N Roll sings Bon and this song features a real classic Angus solo followed by Bon leading the charge at audience participation …..and right after Bon is done his deal the Band load up and head for the finish line! AC/DC at there best….!

Remember a few weeks my post on solo’s? Well here comes Angus and his SG and its solo time but only after this Chuck Berry Taking Speed Fused Boogie 8 Ball inspired tune that we all know as Let There Be Rock is unraveled before our ears! Another bonafide classic tune that has been played every tour since 1977 as well! Phil kicks off this tune and the boys are a blazing as Angus and Malcolm take the verse’s off while Bon/Phil and Cliff hold down the fort but when Angus and Malcolm join in it’s chaos as the guitars are jacked and the AC/DC Tour Bus is about to drive off the road….This is an Heavy Hitter of an track. Let There Be ….Light/Sound/Drums/Guitar…..Let There Be ROOOOOOOOOCK!

Did you watch the Live Video of Let There Be Rock (this live vid is the actual track from If You Want Blood album)that I posted? Well you should and see the Live Fury of this band back in 1978!

Rocker wraps things up as Angus and Crew riff up another spliff of Chuck Berry delight and send everyone home with Rocker which in its lyrics almost is Bon  autobiographical! Great ending…

If You Want Blood  is an excellent document on where AC/DC was at back in 1978! Basically it’s Barroom Boogie at it’s finest! Could be just me but when discussing Live Albums sometimes this one is not mentioned but it Should! It’s AC/DC on fire…….

 

 

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!

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!