What's the Worst Bon-Era ACDC Album?

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nightsblood
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What's the Worst Bon-Era ACDC Album?

Post by nightsblood »

Brought to you from the collective mind of nightsblood and bigfootkit, who both love this era of AC/DC. But when you're ranking things, something has to come in last. You may love that last place finisher, but you just don't love it as much as the things that you ranked higher.
We decided we should pose this question to the corro masses to see how y'all would answer.

Thoughts?
"I'm sorry Sam, we had real chemistry. But like a monkey on the sun, our love was too hot to live"
-Becky
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Cochino
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Re: What's the Worst Bon-Era ACDC Album?

Post by Cochino »

TNT probably for me. They were still a bit too green on that one.
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bigfootkit
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Re: What's the Worst Bon-Era ACDC Album?

Post by bigfootkit »

With hindsight I should probably have spent some quality time ruminating on what my own answer to this tricky question should be before suggesting to Alan that our two-way discussion on the subject might make an interesting debate for the Corroseum brain trust.
This is a particularly difficult choice for me to make objectively, as i was first introduced to AC/DC via the UK edition of 'High Voltage' when i was only 10 years old. I instantly loved the band and have now been enjoying them for close to 40 years. Their music was the omnipresent soundtrack to so many fond memories and formative experiences from my youth that it's a part of my DNA at this stage in the game.
In large part, they were the 'gateway drug' which put me on the Heavy music path, so at this point picking their weakest album is a bit like choosing your least favourite child. Like 'Sophie's Choice', only harder, but i'll give it my best shot.
I used the Australian studio albums to choose from, as it hopefully allowed me a wee bit more chronological perspective.
After long deliberation i've decided that 1974's 'High Voltage', their first LP, should be the record to be awarded the wooden spoon. Not that it's a terrible record by any stretch of the imagination, in fact i enjoy it a lot, but i have to pick one.
Unusually for a band making their first album, Bon, Angus & Malcolm arrive at the party already fully formed, with all their individual & collective strengths startlingly self-evident from the get-go. From here on out all they're really doing is perfecting their craft and honing their roles.
The trademark Acca-Dacca less-is-more rhythm section is not yet in place and occasionally that becomes glaringly obvious, but there is still a certain charm & naievety to the playing despite the of-it's-time Glam Rock influence that shows itself here & there. This would have been a markedly different record had Phil Rudd already been in place when they made it, but Peter Clack & Tony Currenti certainly don't disgrace themselves or the team, particularly on the percussive 'Baby, Please Don't Go'.
'Little Lover' deserves to be singled out for praise by dint of having perhaps the sleaziest groove ever comitted to vinyl, and the lyrical content, leering delivery and filthy guitar tones all match that earthy groove perfectly. It's hard to listen to it without picturing a stripper gyrating slowly along, which was likely what they intended all along.
The classic AC/DC formula is more or less in place even at this early point, but the anomaly of 'Love Song' sticks out like a sore thumb as possibly being the only time the band got mellow or experimental. It's not a terrible song, but it is a terrible AC/DC song, absolutely wide of the mark in ambition & execution for the ultimate bloke band.
With 'She's Got Balls', which Bon reportedly wrote for his wife Irene when she asked why he'd never written a song about her, they get it absolutely right. If AC/DC had to do a 'love song', then this was how it would henceforth be tackled. No further flowery attempts at radio-friendly sensitivity, just straight talking wrapped in humour & innuendo, delivered with a glint in the winking eye and a crooked smirk.
So there you go, despite the fact that i reckon that this is the weakest AC/DC album from the Bon Scott era, that's still the worst review of it i could muster up, and through the process of writing this i actually persuaded myself to put it on, and i'm enjoying it immensely.
So yes, to me 'High Voltage' is the worst album that Bon's version of the band ever released, but you know what, it's still pretty damned awesome.
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Khnud
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Re: What's the Worst Bon-Era ACDC Album?

Post by Khnud »

Why, none of them of course. Bon Scott era AC/DC is pure gold throughout.
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Cochino
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Re: What's the Worst Bon-Era ACDC Album?

Post by Cochino »

Ah, yes, I meant High Voltage of course. It's just that I had it dubbed on tape for many years but it was tagged as "TNT" so until this day I get those titles mixed up. Another of those old fart anecdotes, I guess :lol:
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nightsblood
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Re: What's the Worst Bon-Era ACDC Album?

Post by nightsblood »

Kristian- that's cheating! You have to pick which gold nugget is slightly less shiny than the others.

My knee-jerk response is usually 'Let There Be Rock' (the fact I had to stop and think for a moment to recall the album title indicates this is indeed the album I should answer with). I have to base this on the US/International edition of the album, since i don't have the orig Aussie version of this one.
Certainly not a bad album, it just has a slightly different vibe compared to the others and it just doesn't click with me as well. 'Problem child' is great...except it's not meant to be on this album. 'Roise' is a great classic. The title track is fine BUT it's one of those songs I feel like I've heard more than enough times in my life. 'Hell Ain't a Bad Place' is ok, just not a personal fave. Same with 'Bad Boy Boogie'. So you see, I'm over halfway through the track list and I'm having trouble coming up with many songs that i REALLY,REALLY like; instead I'm coming up with alot of songs that are 'fine'.
"I'm sorry Sam, we had real chemistry. But like a monkey on the sun, our love was too hot to live"
-Becky
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