Looking back now, all of those long years ago, it is hard to believe that AC/DC had a period where they were not revered in all places of the world, and that in Australia they had begun to wane in popularity. For those of us who waited so long to see them live in concert, because they had refused to return to Australia because of the lack of attention they felt they were receiving at the time, the hurt and pain is still real.
The story of the period leading up to the recording in January 1977 still makes for interesting reading. Mick Wall wrote a terrific article on the Classic Rock website in 2016 titled “Let The Be Rock: The album that saved AC/DC’s career”, where he laid out the landscape that the band found themselves in at the time. They had gone to London for most of 1976 on the back of the international version release of “High Voltage”. However, on returning home just prior to Christmas expecting a triumphant reception, they found that the audience they had recruited through appearances on ABC’s ‘Countdown’ had moved on, to bands such as Skyhooks and Sherbet. They played a gig at Sydney’s Hordern Pavillion that was barely half-full, something that had the band seething. And while their album “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” had reached top five in Australia, overseas in the UK it hadn’t made the charts at all, and in the US… well… Atlantic Records there decided they hated the album, and wouldn’t release it, and were going to drop the band completely. With the soft rock sounds of artists such as The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John dominating the American radio stations, Atlantic saw no way that an Australian hard rock band could penetrate that market. Add to this that the band’s antics on and off the stage were causing friction, and that bass guitarist Mark Evans was not on the best terms with the Young brothers, and it can be seen that things did not look great for the still fledgling group.
So how did the band react to all of this? Probably as you’d expect. They were cranky – pissed off actually. And while the head of the UK section of Atlantic Records was able to convince the US parent company to retain the band, AC/DC retreated into the Alberts Sydney recording studio, where they spent two weeks writing, rehearsing and recording a new album with which to set things right. And that album became “Let There Be Rock”.
The story of the period leading up to the recording in January 1977 still makes for interesting reading. Mick Wall wrote a terrific article on the Classic Rock website in 2016 titled “Let The Be Rock: The album that saved AC/DC’s career”, where he laid out the landscape that the band found themselves in at the time. They had gone to London for most of 1976 on the back of the international version release of “High Voltage”. However, on returning home just prior to Christmas expecting a triumphant reception, they found that the audience they had recruited through appearances on ABC’s ‘Countdown’ had moved on, to bands such as Skyhooks and Sherbet. They played a gig at Sydney’s Hordern Pavillion that was barely half-full, something that had the band seething. And while their album “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” had reached top five in Australia, overseas in the UK it hadn’t made the charts at all, and in the US… well… Atlantic Records there decided they hated the album, and wouldn’t release it, and were going to drop the band completely. With the soft rock sounds of artists such as The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Elton John dominating the American radio stations, Atlantic saw no way that an Australian hard rock band could penetrate that market. Add to this that the band’s antics on and off the stage were causing friction, and that bass guitarist Mark Evans was not on the best terms with the Young brothers, and it can be seen that things did not look great for the still fledgling group.
So how did the band react to all of this? Probably as you’d expect. They were cranky – pissed off actually. And while the head of the UK section of Atlantic Records was able to convince the US parent company to retain the band, AC/DC retreated into the Alberts Sydney recording studio, where they spent two weeks writing, rehearsing and recording a new album with which to set things right. And that album became “Let There Be Rock”.
Certainly in those days, the band never went into the studio with anything written. They never did demo’s of songs. Everything was written and recorded in the studio, and rarely in any more time than two weeks. That’s how long it took this album to appear from start to finish. All of the rhythm and drum tracks were completed in the first week, while the vocals and lead guitar were completed in the second week. Malcolm and Angus came in during that first week and decided to just throw riff after riff after riff into the mix, looking to make “Let There Be Rock” a huge sounding guitar album. As the songs took shape, cassette versions were given to Bon, who then delved through his book of shorthand notes to compose the lyrics for the songs.
The description of how those songs were composed and recorded is absolutely insane. They were angry and fuelled by alcohol and drugs, and that’s how the album sounds from start to finish. As a way to stick it up those who they felt were against them, it was effective. Certainly, if their American record company thought they were going to soften their image in order to make themselves amenable to the US market, they were sorely mistaken.
There is definitely a heavier blues based rock in the rolling rhythm throughout most of the songs, highlighted immediately by the opening track “Go Down”, where the blues beat holds together the basis of the song, and allows Bon Scott initially to hold the reins on vocals, before Angus Young comes in to perpetuate his solo piece in the middle of the track. Bon and Angus trading vocals and guitar tweets through the second half of the song draws in the blues roots as well. It is a terrific opening track, which is followed by a better one in “Dog Eat Dog”. It settles into that hard rocking rhythm that Malcolm, Phil Rudd and Mark Evans play so well on these early albums, and again let Bon and Angus do their thing. And as great as Bon’s vocal is here, for me it is Phil’s drumming that hold this song together and makes it so great. The rhythm he keeps throughout is just magnificent, and by utilising a beat that focuses on the toms and bass drum with little hi hat or cymbal action at all it enhances everything. Just terrific.
And then there is the title track. We all know what a great song it is, how Bon’s lyrics are brilliant, how Malcolm and Mark’s rhythm riffs just dominate the track, and how brilliant Angus onlead is. But for me again Phil Rudd’s contribution gets overlooked. As Mick Wall wrote in the article I mentioned earlier… and I quote:
“Mark Evans said of “Let There Be Rock”, “Phil on that is just absolutely out of this world. We did two takes of it, and at the end of the first one I remember thinking: ‘That’s the end of Phil for a couple of hours’ But Phil said: ‘Let’s go again now.’ I thought the guy was gonna fucking explode. From my memory, I’m pretty sure they used the second take.” End quote. No click tracks, no drum machines. Just Phil Rudd playing the song back-to-back twice, and they get the take. Incredible.
“Bad Boy Boogie” inserts the lengthy and stretched out solo sections for the guitars to make their mark, much like the band would do in a live setting but here in the studio, an example of the ‘riffs and riffs’ idea of this album, and it ends the first side in style.
Depending on what version of the album you have, on the second side of the album you will either be enjoying a shortened version of “Problem Child” on the International version, which initially was released on ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’, or the song “Crabsody in Blue” which came on the initial and Australian release of the album. I personally like “Problem Child” better, despite its original place on Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. “Crabsody in Blue” seems to stifle the momentum of the album at its entry point, and is also drowning in the blues which may also be a bone of contention with me. The exchange of these two songs does make the international version of the album a better listen, but it is ironic given the US refused to release the “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” album, but had this song replace “Crabsody in Blue” because they felt the subject matter was not befitting their label. Please….
“Overdose” and “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” also run along similar lines and patterns. “Overdose” has a similar pattern to “Live Wire” early on, but builds with its own momentum to reach its crescendo. “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” has always been one of those underrated AC/DC songs, one that those that only listen to the singles never get to know. It again builds from a slowish start to find its own pace and strength, and it does all the right things for the fans. It’s another great track here.
So too is “Whole Lotta Rosie” which is still a live favourite today. Focusing on Bon’s meeting with a female ‘acquaintance’ back in the day, this is a rollicking track that is ecstatically explained by Bon, before Angus takes over and gives an extended solo piece to hold the middle of the song together. It is still one of the great AC/DC songs and it closes the album on a high note.
The description of how those songs were composed and recorded is absolutely insane. They were angry and fuelled by alcohol and drugs, and that’s how the album sounds from start to finish. As a way to stick it up those who they felt were against them, it was effective. Certainly, if their American record company thought they were going to soften their image in order to make themselves amenable to the US market, they were sorely mistaken.
There is definitely a heavier blues based rock in the rolling rhythm throughout most of the songs, highlighted immediately by the opening track “Go Down”, where the blues beat holds together the basis of the song, and allows Bon Scott initially to hold the reins on vocals, before Angus Young comes in to perpetuate his solo piece in the middle of the track. Bon and Angus trading vocals and guitar tweets through the second half of the song draws in the blues roots as well. It is a terrific opening track, which is followed by a better one in “Dog Eat Dog”. It settles into that hard rocking rhythm that Malcolm, Phil Rudd and Mark Evans play so well on these early albums, and again let Bon and Angus do their thing. And as great as Bon’s vocal is here, for me it is Phil’s drumming that hold this song together and makes it so great. The rhythm he keeps throughout is just magnificent, and by utilising a beat that focuses on the toms and bass drum with little hi hat or cymbal action at all it enhances everything. Just terrific.
And then there is the title track. We all know what a great song it is, how Bon’s lyrics are brilliant, how Malcolm and Mark’s rhythm riffs just dominate the track, and how brilliant Angus onlead is. But for me again Phil Rudd’s contribution gets overlooked. As Mick Wall wrote in the article I mentioned earlier… and I quote:
“Mark Evans said of “Let There Be Rock”, “Phil on that is just absolutely out of this world. We did two takes of it, and at the end of the first one I remember thinking: ‘That’s the end of Phil for a couple of hours’ But Phil said: ‘Let’s go again now.’ I thought the guy was gonna fucking explode. From my memory, I’m pretty sure they used the second take.” End quote. No click tracks, no drum machines. Just Phil Rudd playing the song back-to-back twice, and they get the take. Incredible.
“Bad Boy Boogie” inserts the lengthy and stretched out solo sections for the guitars to make their mark, much like the band would do in a live setting but here in the studio, an example of the ‘riffs and riffs’ idea of this album, and it ends the first side in style.
Depending on what version of the album you have, on the second side of the album you will either be enjoying a shortened version of “Problem Child” on the International version, which initially was released on ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’, or the song “Crabsody in Blue” which came on the initial and Australian release of the album. I personally like “Problem Child” better, despite its original place on Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. “Crabsody in Blue” seems to stifle the momentum of the album at its entry point, and is also drowning in the blues which may also be a bone of contention with me. The exchange of these two songs does make the international version of the album a better listen, but it is ironic given the US refused to release the “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” album, but had this song replace “Crabsody in Blue” because they felt the subject matter was not befitting their label. Please….
“Overdose” and “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” also run along similar lines and patterns. “Overdose” has a similar pattern to “Live Wire” early on, but builds with its own momentum to reach its crescendo. “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” has always been one of those underrated AC/DC songs, one that those that only listen to the singles never get to know. It again builds from a slowish start to find its own pace and strength, and it does all the right things for the fans. It’s another great track here.
So too is “Whole Lotta Rosie” which is still a live favourite today. Focusing on Bon’s meeting with a female ‘acquaintance’ back in the day, this is a rollicking track that is ecstatically explained by Bon, before Angus takes over and gives an extended solo piece to hold the middle of the song together. It is still one of the great AC/DC songs and it closes the album on a high note.
Like most people of my generation, I was aware of AC/DC before I became a fan. The occasional AC/DC song was played on the radio when I was growing up, but nothing like it is now, where you can get one every couple of hours. As a teenage boy growing up in Australia in the early 1980’s, AC/DC was one of those bands that you were expected to listen to and adhere to. But for those early 80’s years the only albums I knew were “TNT” and “Back in Black”.
Once out of high school, and having seen the band live at the start of 1988 on their first Australian tour in seven years, the ability to accumulate more albums came about, and I was able to eventually find my own copies of all of their back catalogue. And, like all of them, it’s terrific.
In the years since 1980, there has been that old story that AC/DC just keep producing the same album year after year, with the same rhythm beat and riff and keep churning out the tracks and albums. Perhaps there is an element of the ‘same’ about them, but that certainly wasn’t the case with “Let There Be Rock”. That rhythm is amazing, but Phil Rudd’s drumming is a star attraction, changing with the tempo of the track as set by the Young brothers, and utilising every piece of his kit in different tracks. And Angus’s solo pieces are electrifying. There is no doubt that the attitude and underlying frustration they all went into the studio with fuelled the way this album was written and played, and it is all the better because of that.
I truly love this album, still pull it out of its cover and throw it on the turntable almost every month of every year and enjoy all forty minutes. It is still as fresh today as it was on the day of its release… or so I assume. And I can assure you I have had it going around a lot over the last few days leading up to this podcast episode… right now as I record this in fact, in the background there. “Go Down”, “Dog Eat Dog”, “Overdose”, “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”, “Let There Be Rock”, “Whole Lotta Rosie”… I mean really, what is there NOT to love about this album? It is a masterpiece, a slab of the greatest hard rocking genius that has ever been recorded – and I say that even considering that, two years ago when we were sent int our first covid lockdown, I went through the entire AC/DC catalogue, and ranked their albums from 16 to 1 (before their latest album Power Up came to be released), and even though I have fawned over this album… there is still one AC/DC album I ranked ahead of it… now I’m not going to name that, you can all have a bit of a guess between yourselves… because on day’s like today, I really believe that THIS is their best ever…
Once out of high school, and having seen the band live at the start of 1988 on their first Australian tour in seven years, the ability to accumulate more albums came about, and I was able to eventually find my own copies of all of their back catalogue. And, like all of them, it’s terrific.
In the years since 1980, there has been that old story that AC/DC just keep producing the same album year after year, with the same rhythm beat and riff and keep churning out the tracks and albums. Perhaps there is an element of the ‘same’ about them, but that certainly wasn’t the case with “Let There Be Rock”. That rhythm is amazing, but Phil Rudd’s drumming is a star attraction, changing with the tempo of the track as set by the Young brothers, and utilising every piece of his kit in different tracks. And Angus’s solo pieces are electrifying. There is no doubt that the attitude and underlying frustration they all went into the studio with fuelled the way this album was written and played, and it is all the better because of that.
I truly love this album, still pull it out of its cover and throw it on the turntable almost every month of every year and enjoy all forty minutes. It is still as fresh today as it was on the day of its release… or so I assume. And I can assure you I have had it going around a lot over the last few days leading up to this podcast episode… right now as I record this in fact, in the background there. “Go Down”, “Dog Eat Dog”, “Overdose”, “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”, “Let There Be Rock”, “Whole Lotta Rosie”… I mean really, what is there NOT to love about this album? It is a masterpiece, a slab of the greatest hard rocking genius that has ever been recorded – and I say that even considering that, two years ago when we were sent int our first covid lockdown, I went through the entire AC/DC catalogue, and ranked their albums from 16 to 1 (before their latest album Power Up came to be released), and even though I have fawned over this album… there is still one AC/DC album I ranked ahead of it… now I’m not going to name that, you can all have a bit of a guess between yourselves… because on day’s like today, I really believe that THIS is their best ever…
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