Powerage [Digipak] [Remastered] - AC/DC

By the release of their fifth album 'Powerage,' Australia-based, mostly-Scottish hard rock band AC/DC truly defined their famous sound for the first time, and produced the first of their classic albums that's also perhaps the least well-known. The same old issues remain of the international versions being re-mixed and re-ordered, but for the first time both versions feature the same cover art: lead guitarist Angus Young being electrocuted (by alternating ...
...glare as if daring them to play this lethal record. Despite my better judgement, this band comes next on my A-Z of album reviews and I am forced to enter.

In truth, it's not that devastating, but once the album gets going there's a great energy that drives the whole thing along to its conclusion at forty minutes. The band is no longer simply playing sped-up rock 'n' roll, but continuing to define its own sound based on the other 70s ... more

By the release of their fifth album 'Powerage,' Australia-based, mostly-Scottish hard rock band AC/DC truly defined their famous sound for the first time, and produced the first of their classic albums that's also perhaps the least well-known. The same old issues remain of the international versions being re-mixed and re-ordered, but for the first time both versions feature the same cover art: lead guitarist Angus Young being electrocuted (by alternating or direct current?) and fixing the buyer with a steely glare as if daring them to play this lethal record. Despite my better judgement, this band comes next on my A-Z of album reviews and I am forced to enter.

In truth, it's not that devastating, but once the album gets going there's a great energy that drives the whole thing along to its conclusion at forty minutes. The band is no longer simply playing sped-up rock 'n' roll, but continuing to define its own sound based on the other 70s hard rock acts, and the Young brothers' signature guitars really come into play as the simplistic backbone of all the songs, meaning that each riff has to be worth listening to on a repeated loop for four or so minutes. Drummer Phil Rudd (the band's only true Aussie at this point) keeps up with catchy and reliable backing beats without demonstrating too much flair, and apart from a brief solo spot on 'Sin City,' new bassist Cliff Williams (from Romford) is easy to overlook.

Of course, equally important to the guitars is the vocal performance of the late Bon Scott who would record one more album with the band before dying after a bout of heavy drinking in Camden. This is a real shame, as I have infinitely more tolerance for his traditional and highly energised rock singing than the irritating gargly warbling of his more famous successor, who my friend Dan ingeniously and accurately described as sounding like he's gargling with a throatful of those hard chip-ends you get at the bottom of the bag. Thankfully, there's none of that here, and Scott is free to dance around the repeating instruments to convey tales of broken relationships, drug overdoses, life on the road and escapism through alcohol. Rock 'n' roll.

1. Rock 'n' Roll Damnation
2. Down Payment Blues
3. Gimme a Bullet
4. Riff Raff
5. Sin City
6. What's Next to the Moon
7. Gone Shootin'
8. Up to My Neck in You
9. Kicked in the Teeth

Despite the repetitive sound, which took some getting used to now I've grown accustomed to more experimental works, this album boasts a reasonable variety of songs, from short and simple angry hard rock to lengthier and more laid-back blues-based compositions, and admirably seems to improve with each track before peaking at 'What's Next to the Moon,' an amusing tale of a man's desire to top his lover in all manner of exciting ways before being apprehended by a police officer and revealing/pretending that she died disappointingly of a heart attack. Featuring a brief harmonica, great guitar solo and the album's most energetic riffs, particularly in the chorus, this is probably the album's defining moment, but that doesn't mean the rest pales in comparison. 'Gimme a Bullet,' despite its depressing subject matter, rocks along at an enjoyable pace and shares a distinct vocal melody with Judas Priest's later, lesser song 'Troubleshooter,' while the album's concluding songs up the ante to deliver Scott and the Youngs' most energetic performances of the lot, yelling and pounding their way through 'Up to My Neck in You' and the suitably aggressive 'Kicked in the Teeth' to ensure the album ends on a high and leaves a lasting impression.

That's not to say the rest of the album isn't up to scratch, featuring some of the band's most proclaimed works (from this early period at least). 'Riff Raff' takes a looser approach allowing time out for brief experimentation, mostly expressed through a really long guitar solo and one of several minute-long intro riffs of the album, while Scott's vocals take on an angrier sound for the first time. The famous 'Sin City' is a little slower but no less impressive, beginning with a generic riff that could come from any other song here before unveiling the memorable vocal melody that makes this song so popular and the most distinctively AC/DC here, if that makes any sense. 'Down Payment Blues' and 'Gone Shootin'' are the two songs still lagging behind in blues-rock territory, but permissibly and enjoyably so at such different points in the album, and the slower riffs, more thoughtfully delivered lyrics and chilled guitar solos work great against the more upbeat companion pieces, though they're perhaps less entertaining when listened to in isolation. First and unfortunately least is the opener 'Rock 'n' Roll Damnation' which was the only song I didn't really enjoy, and seems a little too self-consciously rooted in tradition, something that can't have been helped by its title.

As someone who's been put off by Brian Johnson's rubbish chip-end-throated voice in the past, it was great to discover an earlier period of AC/DC where this wouldn't prove a drawback, and Bon Scott is excellent here, even if he ultimately sounds a little bit like every other rock singer of the time. I've never understood the need to sound American when playing this type of music; would people really be put off by full-blooded Scottish hard rock? And what type of Scot calls it a 'railroad track' anyway? Just one of many problems I have with the music business and the stupid general consumers. 'Powerage' is a great album of easily approachable rock songs towards the grittier end of the spectrum, but remaining catchy and melodic enough to keep it from deterring people who might be a little wary of the subject matter. 'Highway to Hell' is more famous, but this is where it all really started. And just try listening to the whole thing in the morning without the riffs playing through your head for the rest of the day. 

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