High Voltage

About

If AC/DC’s debut album sounded like the work of a band that arrived fully formed, it may be because this version wasn’t technically a debut. Released internationally in 1976, it’s a cherry-picked amalgam of their first two Australia-only releases, <i>High Voltage</i> and <i>TNT</i>, which had hit local stores the year prior. “She’s Got Balls” and “Little Lover” (a song vocalist Bon Scott reportedly wrote for diminutive guitarist Angus Young) were the only two tracks that made the cut from the original <i>High Voltage</i>; it was <i>TNT</i> where the band landed on the AC/DC sound. You know the one: Malcolm Young’s guitar acting as a chugging metronome to his younger brother Angus’ wild-eyed lead. This international version was released in anticipation of the band’s first visit to the UK, and in acknowledgment of the success they had enjoyed on home turf. It was produced by former Easybeats members George Young—Angus and Malcolm’s older brother—and Harry Vanda. The duo were instrumental in capturing the raw, sweaty intensity of AC/DC’s live show in the studio and refining their mastery of groove and razor sharp blues-influenced rock’n’roll (witness the growling “T.N.T.”). Scott is at his lascivious best in the raunchy boogie of “She’s Got Balls,” an ode to his former wife Irene that boasts the lyrics “She’s got balls, my lady/Likes to crawl, my lady/Hands and knees all around the floor,” while the bluesy “The Jack” is a cheeky extended metaphor for contracting STIs. “Rock ’N’ Roll Singer,” meanwhile, outlines the blueprint for Scott’s life: “I want to be a star/I can see my name in lights, and I can see the queue/I got the devil in my blood, tellin’ me what to do.” The aptly-titled “Live Wire” served as the band’s set opener for many years, while “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’N’ Roll)” not only evokes the bumpy road bands must travel to succeed, but manages the rare feat of incorporating bagpipes into a rock’n’roll song. Once <i>High Voltage</i> was unleashed on the world, AC/DC was well and truly on its way.

via Apple Music