386. AC/DC / Flick of the Switch. 1983. 3.5/5

One of the great trademarks, and perhaps liabilities, of AC/DC is that when you buy each of their albums, you already know what it is going to sound like. I guess that is especially so since Brian Johnson took over the reigns as vocalist, as the songs for the most part have fallen into an even more predictable formula. as I have said before, that doesn't necessarily make them average songs or albums, it just makes them... similar!

Flick of the Switch is another AC/DC album that doesn’t have a lot that could be described as special about it. There are no songs that you would describe as outstanding tracks, but the album also has nothing wrong with it either (unless you believe they are getting a little monotonous). The rhythm section is as solid as ever, keeping each song moving like clockwork, allowing Angus to occasionally burst into a solo or lick, while Brian keeps his monologue going over the top. Once again, it is a very solid mid-tempo pace the band has fallen into.
Really, there is nothing to complain about here if you are a fan. I guess there isn’t so much of the Angus trademark guitar on here as there has been in the past, and not even as many back-up vocals (such as in “Nervous Shakedown”) from the lads as there was in the past. Trying to compare it to other albums is fruitless though. Perhaps the major problem with each of the three albums that followed the seminal Back in Black is that fans wanted another one just like it, or another like Highway to Hell. Wishing for more albums like those in the past is not just a trait that is unique to AC/DC - there are any number of bands that fans wish could reproduce their past, rather than accepting what is placed in front of them and enjoying it for what it is.

In the long run, Flick of the Switch is similar to the recent past and the immediate future, but it does have its differences. The repeatable choruses can sometimes begin to grate, but that is only a small thing. I think once you’ve listened to it a few times, you begin to realise that it is better than the norm. It might be simple and not technical, but it’s still just as catchy as all other AC/DC albums. Once you hear it, you can’t help but hammer a beat along with it.
Favourites for me include “Rising Power”, “Flick of the Switch”, “Nervous Shakedown” and “Landslide”, while songs like "Guns for Hire" and "Deep in the Hole" and "Bedlam in Belgium" may be repetitive but they sure are catchy. An underrated album.

Rating:  She's gonna blow you all sky high, flash the eye electrify  3.5/5