Published on Apr 8, 2001
In 1976, record executives in America were in a bit of a pickle.
They had just released
High Voltage, a compilation of AC/DC’s first two Australian
albums, to the public. Meanwhile, Angus Young and company had
released
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in Australia. The question came
up: would they dare “saturate” the market with another new album
from a group who had yet to gain a solid foothold in America?
The answer: no. Instead, they ended up taking one song off this
album, “Problem Child,” and substituting it for “Crabsody In Blue”
on AC/DC’s next album,
Let There Be Rock. This assured that songs like “Crabsody In
Blue” and “R.I.P. (Rock In Peace)” would never see legitimate
release in the States, becoming prizes to search for in the import
bins and used record shops, Napster not having been invented way
back then.
Had it not been for Bon Scott’s death in 1980 and the rise in
popularity AC/DC found in the States,
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap probably never would have seen
the light of day up here. But in 1981, five years after it was
originally released, this album became an official part of AC/DC’s
American discography. Quickly, listeners discovered what they had
been missing all these years.
Some might claim it was a longing for Scott that drove this
album into near cult status. I’d beg to differ, and suggest that
the quality of the music on this disc is what keeps it on the top
of my list of AC/DC’s best releases. You’ve got the title track,
which remains an amazing song even 25 years after it was recorded.
(There’s a reason why this song has remained a staple of the band’s
concert lineup.) You’ve got the full-length version of “Problem
Child” – and you can understand why the suits would select this
track to put on
Let There Be Rock in 1977. You’ve got the blues-on-speed
“Rocker” – a track that had to have people’s heads scratching in
the States when they first heard the live version on
If You Want Blood You’ve Got It.
Sexual braggadoccio and double entendres make up a lot of this
disc, from the blatantness of “Big Balls” to the surprisingly
enjoyable “Love At First Feel”. I’ve said before that I probably
hold AC/DC up to a different standard when it comes to cock-rock –
and I still believe that much of the bragging AC/DC does in songs
like these is meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
This isn’t to say that
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is a perfect album. Two songs on
the second half of the album, “Ain’t No Fun (Waiting ‘Round To Be A
Millionire)” and “Squealer,” seem to be lessons on one or two
chords, and just feel like they were thrown to the wolves far too
early in their lives. Had each song undergone more development,
they probably could have been far more memorable.
Still,
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is a nice reminder of the
simpler days for AC/DC, as well as how influential Scott was to the
band (with no offense meant to present-day singer Brian Johnson).
Had this album come out in America in 1976, it probably would have
been swept under the rug like many pre-
Highway To Hell releases have. Releasing it just after
Scott’s death assured Scott’s folklore would live forever.