AC/DC, kings of crass, primitive, bad-boy rock and roll—they deserve their own special seat in the great hall of rock and roll (sentenced to the corner, of course, for bad behavior, where they can sneak a shot of whisky—or worse—unnoticed). No one does it quite like they do. And a tasty helping of their music is pretty essential for even the most basic of rock collections.
But few of their albums themselves are essential, if any. Skim the best from each, I say, and make your own compilation. That’s what I did, and here it is.
Playlist 1
This compiles highlights from the studio albums of the Bon Scott era. Pretty much the apotheosis of bad behavior, all in one spot, and shamelessly glorified. (You see how I just sneaked that intellectual word “apotheosis” into an AC/DC commentary? There must be something wrong with me….)
Playlist 2
Here we have the Brian Johnson era, pared down to a few notable tracks. Here’s where to go for such subtle delights as “Big Gun” and “Hard as a Rock.” I end with a flash back to Bon Scott again for some excerpts from the live album If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It.
(In a post I’ve already written, but not yet published, I comment that the replacement of Bon Scott with Brian Johnson didn’t really matter much. But after further listening, I disagree. Scott’s lyrics were crude, certainly, but there was a hint of the personal to them—some might even say an element of despair—that lends them some weight. Check out Mark Kozelek’s excellent covers album What’s Next to the Moon for a sense of Scott’s value as a lyricist. Johnson’s lyrics, on the other hand, tend to be just crude bravado, without much in terms of gravity or wit.)
Note:
The more I’ve been listening to this band, trying to whittle their music down to a CD-length playlist, the more I realize something: their songs are really long. I don’t mean they are actually that long—about five minutes per song. But they go on too long for what they are. There was a certain magic to that 3 ½ minute pop single length, and I know AC/DC are playing rock and roll, not pop, but even so I think most of their songs would be better off checking out at, say, the four-minute mark.
Take “Problem Child,” for example: it’s a great song, in that bad-boy AC/DC way, but I see no good reason for most of the last two minutes or so to exist. I understand that those last two minutes are a kind of senseless, chaotic, apocalyptic orgy of sound, but it would be more powerful if it were shortened to about thirty seconds or so. Save the drag-it-out climax for the live show, fellas.
And let’s not even mention “Whole Lotta Rosie.” Okay, I just mentioned it already, so let’s get down to it. Another great AC/DC song, in its own twisted, sleazy way. But at about the 3½-minute mark, I start to get restless. The song feels like it’s drawing to a satisfying close at the four-minute mark, thankfully. But then there’s an extended, big-time-wanking guitar solo for another minute and a half. Even the song’s title doesn’t excuse that kind of guitar playing. I’m sure the band’s most faithful fans would insist the song title justifies—nay, demands—it. But I disagree. Wake me up when it’s over.
[Note: Okay, I’m now remembering that “Whole Lotta Rosie” is the last song on its album, so maybe it warrants a grand finale. I’ve spent so much time mixing and shuffling these songs around to select what I feel are truly the best that I’ve lost track of where that song fell in its original context. Still, in general, the point stands: the harder and faster the AC/DC song, the more it would benefit from being hard, fast, and short.]
If their songs had been a little more concise, I could have fit a few more favorites onto a CD-length playlist. For example, “Little Lover,” “Squealer,” “Up to My Neck in You,” “Sin City,” “Touch Too Much,” “Girls Got Rhythm,” “Walk Over You.” Twenty-five 4½-minute songs fit comfortably on a CD, with a few minutes extra for the band to stretch out a minute or so on the slower, quieter numbers.
Cover Art:
- Highway to Hell: Source, Discogs.com
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