AC-DC Album: “Powerage”

Albums like LET THERE BE ROCK, HIGHWAY TO HELL, and BACK IN BLACK have long overshadowed POWERAGE in terms of overall sales and popularity. However, song-for-song, POWERAGE is the strongest collection, in my opinion.

WHY?

Well, to begin with, LET THERE BE ROCK, may contain more well known classics, such as "Problem Child", "Rosie", and the title track. But, it also contains more forgettable material like "Go Down" and "Badboy Boogie". On the other hand, there simply isn't a weak cut on POWERAGE. Plus, the production is better.

HIGHWAY TO HELL and BACK IN BLACK are classics, no doubt about it. However, I feel that Mutt Lange seriously robbed the band of its power with his slick production techniques. Compare HIGHWAY TO HELL to POWERAGE and the songs are about as equally good. But, POWERAGE, while well-engineered, has a rawness and intensity to it that Lange's pop-friendly production does not. HIGHWAY may be easier to digest, but POWERAGE is tougher and more unrelenting.

BACK IN BLACK is automatically docked points in my book because Bon isn't on it. I mean no disrespect to Brian Johnson, but Bon was the definitive AC/DC frontman, hands-down. And, again, I think Lange drained much of the intensity out of some excellent songs in order to achieve a sound that was more easily accepted by the masses. I know, alot of AC/DC fans will argue that BIB sounds "HUGE". Granted, it's very well engineered and produced, but, to me, it sounds way too glossy. This sound may work well for Def Leppard, but it just neuters AC/DC's sound. I think that Young and Vanda had a better understanding of how AC/DC should sound on record.

So, there you go. Take or leave this review, but don't skip POWERAGE.

If the title of my review is a bit misleading, let me start by clarifying that in my view, 1978's "Powerage" is the best of AC/DC's era with the late singer Bon Scott (God rest his soul). But be warned, all you narrow-minded rockers who only expect the standard guitar-driven salutes to booze and women, "Powerage" is different, and far exceeds the limitations of AC/DC's previous works (and even some material after it). This record is far more accomplished, making it the most progressed and traditionally intelligent album of their '70's era.

Graced with Bon Scott's sneering howl and an unexpected bluesy spark, "Powerage" shows AC/DC at one of their peaks; the tracks are excellent and fit the band perfectly. 'Rock and Roll Damnation' is one of the most poignantly written blistering rock songs of all time, while 'Down Payment Blues,' 'Riff Raff,' 'Gimme a Bullet,' and 'Kicked in the Teeth' make it seem as if a Delta blues band attended an AC/DC concert and changed their tune. 'Sin City' is a growling and dare I say forewarning look at Las Vegas infidelity, while 'Up to My Neck in You' and 'Gone Shootin' (a true classic) are superb. But the highlight of "Powerage" is no doubt 'What's Next to the Moon,' which is sheer poetry from the view of a gritty rock and roller.

It's a shame that "Powerage" has been slightly obscured by its predecessor (1977's "Let There Be Rock") and its follow-up (the hit "Highway to Hell") because this set exceeds both of them. And though it is superior than AC/DC's other 70's material, it still matches them perfectly--even if it shines brighter.

AC/DC is one of the bands I loved 20 years ago, and still do at present. They wrote and recorded a lot of great rock and roll music. I definitely prefer AC/DC's music recorded with the original singer Bon Scott, over the stuff recorded with his replacement Brian Johnson. Back in Black is a killer album, but Powerage is much better IMHO. I like almost every song, but I think the best songs on this album are the following (in no particular order):

Rock N Roll Damnation

Down Payment Blues

Gimme A Bullet

Sin City

Whats Next To The Moon

Gone Shootin'

Sometimes when I get home from a night of beer drinkin' and skirt chasin', I will put this CD in, crank up the volume, turn out the lights, lay down on the sofa, and just enjoy the sweet blues laced hard rock sounds. Bon Scott's voice mixed with Angus Young's guitar and the underrated rhythm guitar of Malcolm Young just does it for me and always has. AC/DC is maybe my favorite band of all time, and that's saying something.

They say trust the art and not the artist but it's impossible not to agree with Angus Yong when he cites Powerage as his band's greatest studio album. Powerage is AC/DC at their most raw and bluesy, yet it's also the most ambitious, diverse and emotionally rich record they ever put out. Basically it has everything: in Riff Raff, an epic paean to rock `n roll that eclipses even Let Their Be Rock, in Up To My Neck and Rock `n Roll Damnation hook-laden pop-boogie to rival Whole Lotta Rose...plus songs of an altogether darker hue like Gone Shootin' and What's Next To The Moon, the latter featuring Bon Scott's uncharacteristically poignant meditation on domestic violence. Elsewhere Sin City pulses sinisterly with carnal glee, Kicked In The Teeth screams with inarticulate desperation and heartbreak while Downpayment Blues sees Scott mine a rich vein in black humour and social commentary, again, hardly qualities one associates with the great man's lyrics. Powerage bore testimony to AC/DC at their most urgent, incendiary and unpredictable, and it was an album they would never equal.

The gazillion-seller "Back In Black" broke one of rock's greatest bands into the big time for good, but on sheer power and songwriting, nothing compares to "Powerage", the best album ever recorded by AC/DC.

Unlike the other Bon Scott-era albums that followed the predictable goofy AC/DC mold (reminding us that rock n' roll was originally intended to be fun), some serious thought to hooks and a tad bit of experimenting with the tried and true formula went into "Powerage".

The opener "Rock N' Roll Damnation" is a typical rocker that gets the album off to a good start, but as soon as "Down Payment Blues" begins, we see a sense of dynamics and a build-up to a furious climax that, prior to this song, was not a typical Young brothers element. Other cuts like "Gimme A Bullet" and "What's Next To The Moon" show off hooks that are more melody oriented than we're used to, but still have the vintage AC/DC power chording and tempo that keep them from being wimpy. The standout cut is "Riff Raff", a complicated lick and hook that is reminiscent of the heaviest Rick Derringer. Bon screams for all it's worth over titanic guitars at a breakneck pace. For those who are just now exploring earlier AC/DC work, it simply must be heard to be believed.

"Sin City" offers a riff that is a sign of things to come, primarily "What Do You Do For Money Honey" and "Touch Too Much", and the closers, "Up To My Neck In You" and "Kicked In The Teeth" are in the "Whole Lotta Rosie" vein.

What makes this band great is a tenacious clinging to a winning and consistent formula, and most important, obviously loving every minute of it. Poseurs will always burn out quickly, but those bands who truly believe in their music have the lasting power that enables them to reach across multiple generations, ala AC/DC, ZZTop, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, to name a few. "Powerage" is the premier Bon Scott-era album.