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

AC/DC had survived losing their lead singer after their most revered album to that time, then creating their commercial masterpiece with their newly recruited lead singer, and following that up with another popular album over their last three releases, and they had climbed to the top of the mountain that they had always aimed for during that period. And while success will always breed success, at some stage you look around from the top of the peak you have traversed, and can only see what lies below you. And while many have regarded the “Flick of the Switch” album as being the slippery slope down from that peak, the conversation continues even 40 years after its release as to whether that is a fair comment.

After the tour to promote the “For Those About to Rock” album had been completed, the band began its steps to its next studio album, and while they returned to the Bahamas studio where they had recorded “Back in Black”, not everything remained the same. Mutt Lange was gone, replaced by Malcolm and Angus as the main producers, and looking for a slightly new direction. The band had had enormous success with their past three albums with Lange at the helm, and the production of those albums had been top shelf. But the band had decided that it wanted to return to their roots as such and write and record an album with a more natural feel, that it was a live feeling in the studio, stripping back the production tricks and just having the band being heard. The band was quoted as saying they wanted to go back to a ‘raw’ sound. Angus himself was quoted as saying “We wanted a natural, but big, sound for the guitars. We didn't want echoes and reverb going everywhere and noise eliminators and noise extractors”.
Along with this, the band was exhausted from the constant cycle of tour album tour album, and reports suggest that it wasn’t a happy experience in the studio. This culminated in long time drummer Phil Ruddbeing sacked halfway through the recording process, though as he had completed all of his drum tracks they did not need to find a replacement immediately. Years of drug and alcohol abuse finally caught up with him, and had caused a major rift in his relationship with Malcolm which finally came to a head and saw his exit from the band. Thus was the atmosphere that “Flick of the Switch” came into the world.

What marks this album the most when you listen to it is... this is AC/DC. The style of songs on the album were what was by this stage being described as AC/DC’s template. And you know what I am talking about – that locked in rhythm of Malcolm Young on guitar, Cliff Williams on bass and Phil Rudd on drums, creating the base of every song in perfect synch. Yes, the style was similar, the template solid, just like when you watched them live, and Malcolm and Cliff would stride up to the mics in unison to sing the backing vocals, and then march back the same way. They had perfected their craft, and saw no need to drift away from it. This allowed Angus to weave his spell over the top, and Brian Johnson to croon or cry his vocals to create each songs completion.
Here on “Flick of the Switch” though, there was no syphoning these parts through a gauze and having knobs twiddled to create a perfect sound. Here you had the guitars, the drums and the vocals, almost in a natural environment. Some were disappointed in this, others felt it was a return to their best days.
The songs themselves, in my opinion, are a grade up from “For Those About to Rock”. The opening track “Rising Power” does all those things that AC/DC do great – solid rhythm, great vocals, excellent chanting support vocals through the chorus, and Angus playing a great lead. A solid opening into the album itself. The remainder of side one plays along at a good clip and gives you plenty of anthemic fist pumping moments in songs such as “This House is On Fire”, the title track “Flick of the Switch”, “Nervous Shakedown” and “Landslide”. All good tracks. The second half of the album pulls back a little, and has moments where the same line is chanted over and over, such as in “Guns for Hire” and “Bedlam in Belgium”. “Deep in the Hole” suffers a little here, and it is not as strong a song as others present. “Badlands” has a nice southern guitar sound to emphasise the title of the song which is an unusual twist for an AC/DC song, while the album signs off with the rocking “Brain Shake” that gives everyone the chance to showcase their wares in the perfect finish.
And yet, this album saw a drop off of album sales, and of crowds attending concerts. It was the era where glam and new wave was beginning to take hold, and for a hard rock band determined to hold onto their jeans and t-shirt philosophy (apart from the schoolkid with the guitar at the front), surely it was the mood of the fans rather than the perceived quality of the album and songs that was behind this? Or perhaps I am just naïve.

I had a vague recollection of some of the tracks of this album through my early years of high school, occasionally through AC/DC being played in the school yard but more so from the music videos as they appeared on Sounds and Countdown in those days. But it wasn’t until I left high school that I began to regularly hear and find these types of AC/DC albums and discover them for myself.
This for me has always been the standout of the 1980’s AC/DC albums, because I think it avoids the mistakes of those albums of that era in the song writing process. All of those other albums have some good songs but then also have others that come across as filler. “Flick of the Switch”, in much the same way as “Powerage”, may not have any massive stand out hits, but the great consistency of the songs throughout the album makes it a much better album overall because of it.
Every song on “Flick of the Switch” is upbeat, fun and full of energy. There are good anthems and sing along choruses, terrific vocals from Brian and the usual high velocity leads from Angus. The tempo of most of the songs here is significant because it stays faster than most AC/DC albums, and this consistency is one of the reasons which raises it above most of the later releases. The first side of the album comes at you with that determination and has most of my favourite tracks. The second side has a lot repeating lyrics to encourage you to sing along wherever you are listening, songs such as “Guns For Hire” and “Bedlam in Belgium” along with the great closing track “Brain Shake”. “Flick of the Switch” stays consistent to its formula, and I think is one of the reasons AC/DC fans of all eras can still relate to it.

I have been listening to it again this afternoon as I prepare this review, and I’m still drawn along by songs such as “Landslide”, “Brain Shake” and “Flick of the Switch”. I really think this album has a bad rap in some places, one that is unfounded. It still went #3 in Australia, #4 in the UK and #15 in the US. But, as we all know so well, there is no accounting for individual taste.