Published on Jul 10, 1997
The problem with having a hit album is that people forget about
your past works. When I was a DJ, people would be constantly
calling in to hear songs from AC/DC’s 1980 classic
Back In Black. And while I love the album as much as the
next person, I sometimes get sick of hearing the same songs from
the same album over and over again. (After a while, when people
would call for songs like “You Shook Me All Night Long,” I would
say, “No. It’s overplayed.” And I wonder why I had no
listeners.)
One fine example of an album which has been pushed aside by the
blockbusters is their 1978 release
Powerage. It has remained somewhat in the eye of the public
due to the band’s performing “Sin City” at their live shows, but
this whole album is one which deserves to be unearthed – as I did
in the Pierce Memorial Archives (only sixteen more boxes to
unpack).
AC/DC was in a period of transition at the time this was
recorded. Gone was original bassist Mark Evans, and in came Cliff
Williams, who added a whole new dimension to the backbeat of the
band – as well as a decent backing vocal. Bon Scott and crew must
have decided that it was time to kick some serious ass on record.
And for the most part, they succeed.
Opening with “Rock ‘N’ Roll Damnation,” AC/DC show they’re
capable of mixing hard rock with a touch of the blues (is that
harmonica or a good imitation on guitar?) while creating a groove
you can dance or slam your head to. (This one was released as a
single at the time; somewhere I have a DJ pressing of the track in
stereo and mono, AM radio still being big in those days.)
One track later, on “Down Payment Blues,” the big picture is
displayed. The opening guitar riffs of the brothers Young let the
listener know quickly that this song is going to be a rollercoaster
ride. The power builds as the riffs get more intense, and I don’t
think I’ve ever heard Scott sing with more intensity (as well as
hoarseness). It’s truly a great song, one which was dusted off
during the
Ballbreaker tour. (Brian Johnson held his own very well on
it, by the way.)
“Sin City” has been a concert staple for the longest time, and
“Gone Shootin'” was brought to people’s attention courtesy of the
soundtrack to
Beavis & Butthead Do America (which I still have to
see… and I’ll eventually get to it). The only other track that
may be somewhat familiar is “Riff Raff,” which opened up their
first live album,
If You Want Blood You’ve Got It.
Other songs on
Powerage can be spotty at times. “Gimme A Bullet” is a
decent enough track, but is not as strong as a good portion of the
album. “What’s Next To The Moon” is different, to say the least,
but in my book, it doesn’t rank among AC/DC’s best songs. “Up To My
Neck In You” is okay, as is “Kicked In The Teeth.”
At this time, the European versions of AC/DC’s albums usually
contained a track or two that never made it onto the American
version. This time around, they left out “Cold Hearted Man,” a song
which I haven’t heard in a few years. (Guess I’ll have to dust off
my import copy of
Powerage later tonight.) Seeing that Atlantic (or Atco, or
whatever the hell label they’re on now) just remastered AC/DC’s
entire catalog, I honestly don’t see why they couldn’t have thrown
this track on finally. Cripes, the disc is less than 40 minutes
long; not only would it have filled out the album, but it would
have given long-time fans another reason to buy another copy of the
album.
The production work of Vanda and Young (yes, he’s related to
Angus and Malcolm Young) is raw, but is perfect for the atmosphere
these tunes create. In this case, I don’t want to hear the polish
that a state-of-the-art, 48-track digital studio can give me. I
sometimes like my cheese crunchy, and
Powerage gives it to me the way I like it.
This album captures a band in transition, from nobodies to
future stars in bloom, and is one treasure that has been ignored by
rock fans for far too long. Way back when I wrote for HitsWorld I
called this one album people have never heard of from a group they
should have. Let’s hope that this statement won’t be true much
longer.