Complete AC/DC discography review

[Sentinel]

In my annual tradition, I listen to a classic band's catalog from start to finish. Now I am on AC/DC (and parallel to it -- on Tom Waits). Here are my iconoclastic, nostalgia-free thoughts on their albums.

HIGH VOLTAGE (T.N.T.). AC/DC clearly hit the ground running. Dripping with attitude, this album demonstrated the band's intention to break big from the get-go. Angus Young is not quite there yet, but Malcolm already writes memorable riffs, and Bon Scott is already possesses the nastiest voice in rock music. Everybody has heard "It's a Long Way to the Top" and "TNT" but "Rock'n'Roll Singer," "Live Wire," crazy fast "Rocker," and "High Voltage" all rock hard. "School Days" is also solid.

JAILBREAK EP. Probably the most consistent of all AC/DC releases (well, it is only an EP). The title track is superb, following by "You Ain't Got a Hold on Me," "Show Business," "Soul Stripper" (if I were to make a Top 10 of Often Overlooked AC/DC Tunes, this would make the list with its superb groove), and "Baby Please Don't Go" are all excellent. Now Angus has hit the stride.

DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP. Less consistent, but has two radio smash hits: title track and "Big Balls," plus "R.I.P." and two more songs that are less driving but create a mood: "Ain't No Fun Waiting 'round to be a Millionaire" and "Ride On." For some reason, I don't dig Angus's solos here quite as much ("R.I.P." being the sole exception).

LET THERE BE ROCK. The rock continues and so does the nastiness. "Go Down" (killer solo), "Dog Eat Dog," anthemic title track, "Bad Boy Boogie," great "Overdose," and everybody's favorite "Whole Lotta Rosie" with its remarkable interplay between the voice and guitars, are all hard-driving hits. Angus's great solos are back.

POWERAGE. A slightly overlooked work. I like it very much, mostly because of the concluding triple hit of "Gone Shooting," "Up to My Neck in You" (definitely in my 10 Top of OO AC/DC Tunes list and the third verse makes me laugh every time), and "Kicked in the Teeth" (killer solo). Plus there is "Rock'n'Roll Damnation," "Gimme a Bullet," and "Riff Raff." Great stuff.

HIGHWAY TO HELL. One of the most famous songs of all time dominates here, but the rest is not nearly as great. I love "If You Want Blood" and fast "Beating around the Bush," and somewhat less "Shot Down in Flames" and "Girl's Got Rhythm," but that's about it.

BACK IN BLACK. Exit Scott, enter Johnson. Everybody's heard this album, and it's hard to review, because it's not really music, but rather a cultural institution. That said, this album's Big Four are still as awesome as they were when you and I have heard it for the first time. The other six songs are substantially weaker, but I still dig "Have a Drink on Me" and "Let Me Put My Love (I'm sure there should be another word here) into You."

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK. A seminal record is often hard to follow, and this was indeed the case in 1981, when bands like AC/DC and Judas Priest followed their defining works with really weak releases. The title track here is sensational. "C.O.D." and "Spellbound" are pretty good. That's about it. How do you make a song named "Night of the Long Knives" lame? Now I know.

FLICK OF THE SWITCH. This is better. "Rising Power" is probably my favorite AC/DC riff of them all (yes, seriously), but it doesn't work quite as well with the vocal melody as in their other hits. "House Is on Fire," title track, "Bedlam in Belgium" (happened last year), "Landslide", and awesome "Badlands" all rock.

FLY ON THE WALL. A little weaker, but not quite sinking to the FTATR level. On my 10 Top of OO AC/DC Tunes list "Shake Your Foundations" is #1. Love this song to death! "Playing with Girls" and "Stand up" are good, and "Back in Business" with its cowboy riff plain owns, but that's about it.

WHO MADE WHO. For some reason (well, the reason is clear) this was billed as "The Best of AC/DC." Not exactly, but five out of ten tracks here would grace the "Best Of" compilation indeed. "Who Made Who" is one of my favorite AC/DC songs.

BLOW UP YOUR VIDEO. About the same level as FOTW. "Heatseeker," "Some Sin for Nothing," and "This Means War" are all good, but "Two's Up" is a big highlight here. I only wish this highly intense piece came with more appropriate lyrics, but unfortunately all Johnson & the Youngs could write about was gambling, drinking, and ****ing. Killer solo too!

RAZOR'S EDGE. Back to monstrous commercial success with "Thunderstruck," a staple at the sport arenas. "Moneytalks" is superb, and so are "Fire Your Guns," "Shot of Love," and a rather strange title track. Other stuff is OK at best.

BALLBREAKER. Not one song here that I would call "great," but "The Furor" (does he mean "Fuhrer"?), "Burning Alive," "Hail Caesar," and the title track are solid to very good. I remember the video for "Cover You in Oil" was funny, but the song itself is nothing special.

STIFF UPPER LIP. A comeback of sorts. "House of Jazz" is a great creepy highlight, "I Feel Safe in New York City" drives hard, and, when hearing "Can't Stand Still," I really can't. Other good moments are the opening title track, "Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll," "Damned," and "All Screwed up."

All in all, I can say that, in general, the Scott era is more consistent, but the Johnson era highlights are higher.

BLACK ICE. The most consistent of all Johnson-era albums, but somewhat lacking highlights. The big single, "Rock'n'Roll Train," is truly lame, but virtually everything else is solid to excellent. What it doesn't have is a masterpiece that all previous releases (except "Ballbreaker") had. I guess "War Machine," "Spoiling for a Fight," "Stormy May Day," and the title track with its nasty main riff come closest. "Rock'n'Roll Dream" makes me think of Led Zeppelin. Good stuff. Johnson's voice is starting to show signs of deterioration.

ROCK OR BUST. The band is showing slight departure from its trademark sound: the guitars are denser now. Now we are back to the old formula: the material is a step down from the predecessor, but "Baptism by Fire" is a clear highlight, with the riff destined to be stuck in your head for hours. Titltrack, almost danceable "Miss Adventure," and "Dogs of War" are also good.
Well worth hearing from start to finish if you haven't already.

My personal Top 10 AC/DC songs

10 Badlands
9 Two's Up
8 Soul Stripper
7 Up to My Neck in You
6 Big Gun
5 Highway to Hell
4 Who Made Who
3 You Shook Me All Night Long
2 Shake Your Foundation
1 Hells Bells
I'm also very impressed with live clips of Axl Rose fronting them. I hope they make a live album.

VTS
np: "Rock or Bust"
"The horizon is my finish line, the very edge of earth" ("Vysotsky in English" project, www.vvinenglish.com)

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[seventieslord]

I have always liked AC DC, but I love, love, love, the Bon Scott era. Those first few albums, practically every song was memorable. If I could put together a massive 4CD, 320 minute long "best of AC DC" it would include almost the entire contents of the Bon Scott era taking up 75% of the space and the rest taken up by the radio hits and a few others from the Johnson era.

If I was ranking their albums I'd go like this:

DDDDC
High Voltage
Jailbreak

Back In Black
Highway to Hell
The Razor's Edge
Let There Be Rock
For Those About To Rock
Powerage

Fly On the Wall
Stiff Upper Lip
Flick Of the Switch

Who Made Who (rated as an EP for the new material alone)
Rock Or Bust
Ballbreaker
Blow Up Your Video
Black Ice

 

[plank]

Nice write up.

this would be my top 10 songs:

1. Squealer
2. Crabsody in Blue
3. Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
4. Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to be a Millionaire)
5. It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)
6. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
7. Sin City
8. Have a Drink on Me
9. Jailbreak
10. T.N.T.

Let There Be Rock is a better album with this song on it

 

[Jumptheshark]

for me flick of the switch and sink the pink are the two worst out puts

 

[Dolemite]

for me flick of the switch and sink the pink are the two worst out puts

They're actually the most underrated. Their last two albums they just mailed in.

'Guns for Hire' off of 'Flick of the Switch' is one of their most underrated songs in their entire catalog:




Downpayment Blues on Powerage is another underrated gem.

::edit::

'Who Made Who' Isn't a 'best of' album. It's the Soundtrack to the move 'Maximum Overdrive' (Steven King movie)

 

[BostonBob]

Are you not including " Live " albums or did you just forget about this release:

I love this CD as you can really feel that you are there watching Angus sweating up a storm dancing around in his schoolboy uniform.

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.) 3:24

 

[Sentinel]

Are you not including " Live " albums or did you just forget about this release:

I love this CD as you can really feel that you are there watching Angus sweating up a storm dancing around in his schoolboy uniform.

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.) 3:24

I skipped the live albums.

Is there a reason why you are completely omitting the Johnson era?

 

[tony d]

Amazing band for sure. TNT, You Shook Me All Night Long are among my favorite songs by them.

 

[PALE PWNR]

Hmm, I'm shocked that For Those About to Rock got such a poor review. I love that album. I'm not sure if that's how its regularly viewed by people that rate them because frankly I've never read reviews on it, but I'm actually shocked. Title Track, Spellbound, Evil Walks and C.O.D are great. I don't think theres a song on there I don't love.

 

[seventieslord]

I skipped the live albums.

Is there a reason why you are completely omitting the Johnson era?

I think he was just posting the track list of "if you want blood".

 

[BostonBob]

Is there a reason why you are completely omitting the Johnson era?

I think he was just posting the track list of "if you want blood".

Correct.

 

[Behn Wilson]

Highway To hell is far and away my favorite AC/DC album, nothing comes close to it to me. Love all the Bon Scott era albums the most.

My first concert ever (this was pre-internet) the opening act was some band from Australia that nobody had ever heard of. Turns out it was AC?DC who even then stole the show. NOt a bad fist concert.

It was in Chicago's COmmiskey Park - A Day In The Park:
Aerosmith
Foreigner
Mahogany Rush
Walter Egan Band
AC/DC

My 3rd concert was UFO where they recorded their live album, to this day Michael Schenker is till my favorite guitarist

(in case anyone cares, my 2nd concert was Genesis after Hacket had left on the And Then There Were Three tour.

 

[Belamorte]

Nice write up


I like their 'hits' Thunderstruck, Back in Black, T'n'T and such... Not such a big fan of their 'non-hits'. Though they used to put on a great concert not sure what it be will like now.

 

[Sentinel]

Nice write up
I like their 'hits' Thunderstruck, Back in Black, T'n'T and such... Not such a big fan of their 'non-hits'.

For many of you Scott era is all about nostalgia. Which I don't have. I used to own three albums: Back in Black, Who Made Who, and Live. Plus everything I've heard on the radio. So I don't let nostalgia rose color my glasses.

Tell me this is not a straight up masterpiece.

Though they used to put on a great concert not sure what it be will like now.

They sound superb. At this point Axl is suited better for Scott material than for GnR. I am very impressed.

 

[Sentinel]

Or this:



Not many songs from the Scott era can rival it

 

[Shareefruck]

Never really clicked with ACDC, personally-- To my untrained ears, they sound kind of like they just lifted the most superficially appealing side of Zeppelin (those big heavy riffs) and made a career out of abusing it.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I can not see how with ACDC you can not count if you want blood you got it---that really got some people attention like Alive did for KISS

ACDC has always been more a live band then a studio band

 

[PALE PWNR]

Yea I'm so thankful I got to see them all live during the Black Ice tour. My favorite band growing up, and they did not disappoint.

 

[Sentinel]

Never really clicked with ACDC, personally-- To my untrained ears, they sound kind of like they just lifted the most superficially appealing side of Zeppelin (those big heavy riffs) and made a career out of abusing it.

Which is why I like them so much more than LZ. LZ's psycho-delia is as unappealing to me as it gets. That's not to say LZ don't have their share of superb songs. Just much, much fewer than AC/DC.

 

[Shareefruck]

Which is why I like them so much more than LZ. LZ's psycho-delia is as unappealing to me as it gets. That's not to say LZ don't have their share of superb songs. Just much, much fewer than AC/DC.

To each their own and all that.

 

[Bring Bak Damphousse]

Nice write up, I got into AC/DC when I was about 13, the Razors edge was my first AC/DC album, and Thunderstruck got me hooked. I learned to do the Angus walk rewatching the video for Thunderstruck again and again before it was taped over by my mom (this was the early 90's afterall)

My first couple albums were all Johnson era AC/DC, Razors Edge, Back in Black, Who made Who, etc, it took me way to long to find out they existed without Brian Johnson, because when I discovered Bon Scott era AC/DC, everything else with the exception of Back in Black went out the window. My Favourite album has from that point on been Powerage, and favorite song Rock N Roll Damnation.

Favorite Songs
Rock N Roll Damnation
Rocker (like this song better live)
Highway To Hell
Back In Black
Whole Lotta Rosie
Riff Raff
Shot Down in Flames
Thunderstruck
The Jack (another one that's better live)
Jailbreak
Kicked in the Teeth

 

[cupcrazyman]

My Fav Songs:

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Back In Black
It's A Long Way To The Top
Jail Break
Thunderstruck
Who Made Who
You Shook Me All Night Long
Hells Bells
Have A Drink On Me