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Class 6(66)

AC/DC: Powerage

11/06/10  ||  Trauma

Released: 1978

Introduction

With the Bon Scott era AC/DC, I can easily find myself putting on the album, reaching the end, and wondering where the hell the time went. As much as I may toot the horn of modern bands like Opeth or Alice in Chains as my favorite fap-time soundtrack providers, AC/DC has been there as my old-timey saviors. Nothing makes you want to rock the house like rock – no shit, eh? While it isn’t for me, I can understand when people are in the mindset of the album “Highway to hell” as overplayed. Well, for them I would recommend this album, containing all the songs required to make a classic album and then some.

Songwriting

10. Up until the mid-80’s, AC/DC didn’t really have any glaring holes in their songwriting. You knew (or should have known) what you were going to get before you heard it, and the brothers Young made sure that there was no chance in hell for you to hear anything to the contrary. You’ve got your popular tunes like “Riff raff” and “Sin city”, along with your more-solid-than-a-Viagra-induced-boner-when-you-don’t-even-have-ED tunes like “Gone shootin’”, “Down payment blues”, and “Gimme a bullet”. Don’t think those are highlights? Fuck it, go ahead and name any track off this album. I won’t even call you an idiot.

Production

9. It’s 70s gritty production. The guitars sound very dirty with so much gain it would make current guitar-enthusiasts cringe. I love it, though. The bass sounds nice and smooth and the drums are at the right levels along with the rest of the music. This is also the last album of the era produced by Angus and Malcolm’s brother George and some guy Vanda. It works as a solid rock and roll production and probably not too far off of what you’d hear in a smoke-filled club when they hit the stage.

Guitars

10. I can’t think of anything else to mark when talking about AC/DC and guitars. They are never short on fantastic riffs and catchy tunes. Ever. Every guitar riff and solo makes the whole in – two feet of my penis get up and dance around with me. If only…

Even with all the gain they blast through the speakers it sounds great and pretty clear. With yet better tone than most can achieve. There’s been plenty written and said of Angus and Malcolm’s playing. Hell, I’ve said it in my “Highway to hell” review. They were guitarists that you looked up to before you even knew how to masturbate with household furniture. I mean, c’mon, fucken “Riff raff”!!!

Vocals

10. Bon Scott was just the most unique voice rock and roll had. No one could out-frontman this guy. He had some of the worst teeth at the time and he was still cooler than anyone in a 25-mile radius. His voice essentially proved to you that even if you sang like Roy Orbison, you were still a pussy and you would never be as cool as him. EVER. I will concede and admit that he sounds much better on this album than on “Highway to hell”.

Bass

10. It’s pretty prominent throughout the album and if you wanted to set about learning the album by ear you wouldn’t even need to be the spawn of Superman. You could even have hearing problems and still hear it when you concentrated hard enough. Basslines are great, too. Sometimes mostly just a riding line here and there, but he does enough to add to the music.

Drums

10. Phil Rudd. Ten. I’d go on further, but I explained enough in my “Highway to hell” coverage and you could pretty much apply every word to this album as well. I hate repeating myself.

Lyrics

10. They are the epitome of rock and roll, life, love, feelings, romance, how to play poker. Well, maybe just a couple of those, but that’s AC/DC and it has always been, even to today. Memorable and fun to sing along to when you’re absolutely drunk. Again, they lost a special something when Bon Scott was gone.

Cover art

7. It’s okay. No Dan Seagrave, Michael Whelan, or Picasso, but Angus Young being charged by his cable hands. 10 on the right, 9 on the left. Count ‘em. There may be 10 on the left but I think they made a mistake when coloring. Yes, I have actually in the past and even today thought about that.

Logo

10. It says AC/DC which is usually a 10 by default, and it is modified to match the title font. Good enough for me. Insert penis reference here.

Booklet

5. AC/DC and booklets are not great friends. At least, with their old albums and in CD format. I don’t blame them, because it’s not their fault. It’s just nothing of note, not even lyrics. But remember, fantastic records like these don’t need booklets in the end.

Overall and ending rant

“Powerage” is a fantastic example of rock and roll from down under, let alone the entire planet. I would even dare say Universe, but I’d be interested in hearing music from other bipedal sentient life-forms that developed off of the same genetic material as us (you know, that hitched a ride on a broken off piece of some space-rock and crashed into this planet some millions of years ago destroying the once prominent dinosaurs). That’d be damn interesting, DC/AC or more locally known as ﭏﻼ|ﭏךּ from Gliese 581 c. I wonder, though. Wouldn’t they play spack-rock?

For the most part I hesitate handing out 10’s unless it’s a shining example of a genre/time period. AC/DC managed two, count ‘em, two records that are exactly that within two years. Remember what I said before, though. Other albums, like this, may also be a 10, but it will never compare to “Highway to hell”. This is certainly as close as you could get, however.

10

  • Information
  • Released: 1978
  • Label: Atco/Atlantic
  • Website: www.acdcrocks.com
  • Band
  • Bon Scott: vocals
  • Angus Young: guitars
  • Malcolm Young: guitars
  • Cliff Williams: bass
  • Phil Rudd: drums
  • Tracklist
  • 01. Rock n’ roll damnation
  • 02. Down payment blues
  • 03. Gimme a bullet
  • 04. Riff raff
  • 05. Sin city
  • 06. What’s next to the moon
  • 07. Gone shootin’
  • 08. Up to my neck in you
  • 09. Kicked in the teeth

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