Powerage AC/DC

Rating: A

Many critics dismiss early AC/DC and run straight to Highway To Hell and Back In Black. I don’t know why, but I’d advise you not to make the same mistake, because Powerage is another fun party record that's filled with gloriously unhinged guitar licks from riffmeister Angus Young matched to a terrific batch of tunes. And though originality isn’t this bands stock in trade, their kickass beats (AC/DC are one of the greatest groove bands ever) and Bon Scott’s ragged screeches render such concepts as trivial. Besides, this is one of the few AC/DC albums devoid of obvious filler. I mean, even the lesser tracks here have their virtues, as “Gimme A Bullet” grooves like nobody’s business, while “Gone Shootin’” offers up a relaxed change of pace. Elsewhere, the escalating blooze beats of “Down Payment Blues” are matched to an everyman lyric that we can all relate to, though the band’s misogynist streak unfortunately rears up its ugly head on “Kicked In The Teeth,” one of the album's lesser tracks. Even so, that song still rocks, and the band’s lean, ferocious assault produces other undeniable hard rock winners such as “Rock N’ Roll Damnation” (which has the album's catchiest chorus), “Riff Raff” (Angus at his best), “Sin City” (Bon at his best), and “What's Next To The Moon” (like the aforementioned, even better “Down Payment Blues,” notable for its great toe tapping groove, as is the fed up “Up To My Neck In You” as well come to think of it). Sure, I suppose that none of these songs are major AC/DC classics, but Powerage is chock full of minor classics, even though it's less heavy than its pummeling predecessor, possibly due to a less lively production that yields a tinnier sound. But the songs are catchier and yes, better overall, especially since the band still supplies plenty of wattage. In short, no fan of this electrifying band should be without this killer album, which can power up any party. Note: Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans on bass guitar duties on this album, giving the band not only a better bass player but another backup singer along with ace rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young (Angus' older brother and by most accounts the band's actual leader, certainly so after Bon died). P.S. I'd argue that Powerage is the most underrated and unjustly ignored album from the Bon years, being all but ignored by radio, and the band themselves have played little from it live over the years (really only "Sin City" and "Riff Raff"), nothing in recent times. In short, this album is for the diehards - most of whom love it.

AC/DC man! Their genius is so close to idiocy it’s amazing. Malcolm Young especially—he’s got the lizard-mind. Maybe intellectually his riffs are nothing special, but backed by Phil Rudd and Cliff Burton or George Young they’re incendiary. To be fair, Powerage may be the smartest album of AC/DC’s career. “Down Payment Blues” is a minimalist epic, probably Malcolm’s finest five minutes, along with the incredible adrenalin-fuelled “Riff Raff” and the abstract “What’s Next to the Moon”, whose open-string arpeggio is so simple and beautiful you wonder how no-one else thought of it. Ditto “Gimme a Bullet”—now that is mindless, but pump-your-fists-in-the-air perfect, and not a guitar solo in earshot. (It doesn’t need one: George’s walking bass takes the lead, with once-in-a-career results.) “Sin City” ain’t half bad neither, and it’s where Bon Scott comes to the fore: “Bring on the dancing girls and put the champagne on ice.” (Though it’s “Down Payment Blues” that’s the message song, one of Bon’s most heartfelt moments: “No I ain’t doin’ much but doin’ nothing means a lot to me.”) If ever a band was more than the sum of its parts it was AC/DC: isolate any one of these performances—Malcolm’s blunt power-chords, Cliff’s droning bass, Phil’s utilitarian four-on-the-floor, Bon’s three-note melodies—and listeners could well be mystified. Of course there’s Angus, a stone-cold virtuoso, but those who think AC/DC is his show are missing the point. He’s the gravy. Malcolm and the boys are the meat. “Gone Shootin’”, now that is genius, the kind of groove you just know Keith Richards’d love to muscle in on. Oh, and “Rock ’n’ Roll Damnation”—about as Stonesy as they ever got. Apparently it was added last when the record company said there were no hits on the album, and it ain’t bad: great sound, even if the riff’s a little tired. But make no mistake, “Riff Raff” is the hit here. If a shuttle gets sent to space with an AC/DC song onboard and it ain’t “Riff Raff” I’m going after it. 100% brutal full-blooded groove rock’n’roll. Powerage is a dream you don’t wake up from. Career-defining genius. Pure gold.

It's 1978 and AC/DC release Powerage, their greatest ever album. Hot on the heels of the excellent, 'kick down the doors' Let There Be Rock, this would be the last album produced by elder brother George Young and Harry Vanda. Never again would the band have such production freedom, before control was handed over to Mutt Lange, creating the more radio friendly Highway To Hell to break America. This doppleganger to LTBR rocks with unfettered, unrestrained freedom and variation like no other. Bon, Malkie and Angus revel in it, producing track after glorious track with unrepeatable quality and variety. Bass guitarist Cliff Williams makes his first appearance and his meaty impact is immediate. The jigsaw is now complete. Much great stuff was yet to come, but never quite as good or as much fun as this. Listen to the real AC/DC, at their absolute creative peak. 6 stars!

Powerage is widely considered to be the most underrated AC/DC album, and it's not hard to see why. It wasn't as commercially successful as most of the other Bon Scott-era albums and Back in Black and none of the songs on it rank among AC/DC's signature tracks. One reason for that could be that Bon Scott's lyrics are quite a bit more serious than usual. However, don't let these facts distract you from the greatness of this record.

The opening track "Rock N Roll Damnation", which was written last-minute as a radio-friendly single release, is actually one of Powerage's weaker tunes, but it's still groovy with a great sing-a-long chorus (and no guitar solo!). "Riff Raff" has a comparatively small amount of vocals on it (the ones that are there are amazing) and features a rock-n-roll assault by the band, which is glorious. "Gimme a Bullet" also doesn't have a solo, but it doesn't need one as it's insanely groovy. "Sin City" is a classic, and "Kicked in a Teeth" kicks off with an amazing vocal intro from Bon and features a killer riff throughout.

"Gone Shootin" might have the best groove of any AC/DC song and sees Angus dropping down with an incredible, bluesy solo. "What's Next to the Moon" features great lyrics and an equally great chorus, whereas "Up to My Neck in You" is the definition of the word Rock N Roll ( including another amazing Angus solo). The highlight of the album however is the six-minute-long epic "Down Payment Blues". This track starts out with a wonderfully understated riff that builds and builds until it reaches a breathtaking climax. Bon also delivers some of his best lyrics and Angus rocks as he always does.

Powerage may not be as polished as its two successors or as devastatingly heavy as its predecessor, but it's still a killer record that's an essential listen for any AC/DC fan, no matter how casual they might be.

Even the dullest party is going to be fired up when this one comes on the speakers! The energy and lyrical and musical excitement is incomparable! And if there's still anyone sitting after the three first songs, "Riff Raff" is gonna get them up on the tables! Even my grandmother starts headbangin' to that insanely infectious riff-driven masterpiece!

The connoisseur's Bon Scott album. All tracks on this are classic AC/DC, and the lyrics here are really blues-inspired, rather than the sexual double entendres that plague later albums. The playing from all instruments is superb.

"Powerage" is a record a little underrated; if I compare it for example with "Highway To Hell", it's hard for me to say which of the two is better, but surely "Powerage" is no less good than the subsequent LP.Also Keith Richards and Eddie Van Halen have stated that "Powerage" remains their favourite AC/DC record; it is also the album in which Malcolm Young - the backbone of the band, with his simple but very effective riffs, the basis for the feats of his brother Angus and Bon Scott's shouted singing - reaches his definitive maturity.Highlights (I have a Canadian 1st pressing vinyl of this album, so track listing is slightly different): "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation", "Down Payment Blues", "Riff Raff", "Sin City" and my favorite "Gone Shootin'", with a delightful, and particular considering his abitual style, guitar solo by Angus Young; nice the LP cover.

My 177th most played album. AC/DC - Powerage! The fifth studio album was released in 1978 before man knew how to rock! Angus had it down. Powerage was ranked number 325 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. Kerrang! magazine listed the album at No. 26 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling stone panned it with 2 and a half stars. Best to worst songs in my opinion are; "Sin City", "Riff Raff", "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation", "Kicked in the Teeth", "Down Payment Blues", "Gimme a Bullet", "Up to My Neck in You", "Gone Shootin'" and "What's Next to the Moon". My fifth most played AC/DC behind Let There Be Rock, Back In Black, Highway To Hell and If You Want Blood You’ve Got It.

Easily my favorite AC/DC record. Bon Scott is one of the best frontmen in rock history and his storytelling on each of these songs is his most compelling, making each of his street-smart witticisms and sneers that much more enjoyable. Also some of their most underrated guitar parts: Rock 'n' Roll Damnation rolls out like a summer's day parade in ecstatic celebration of just being alive and free, Down Payment Blues is secretly one of blues-rock's best songs, and every song thereafter flows very well into each other while keeping an ear-perking variety of rhythms, melodies, and stories (truly cannot underestimate a single cut on this album, one of the most unsung albums out of the Seventies). Riff Raff sees AC/DC at some of their most speedy and howling guitar lines, hinting at a ferocity that would soon come out in spades on their next album. However, I think this is AC/DC at their most introspective, songs that are best communicated on summer sunsets in the park with a few listeners at a time. The best word for the atmosphere of this record is "infrared," sort of like the scolding hot face that Angus has on the cover here, where each note is surrounded by an invisible, yet noticeable (but oftentimes subliminal) blackness around it, creating an aura that draws the listener around every scribble of distortion that ripples to the surface. Of course, these songs could turn a stadium up-side-down, it is the individual glories that are most celebrated here, and purely individualistic strifes that are focused on here as well. The songs hint at Highway to Hell's self-destructive manifesto by imposing a Ulysses-sized quest, with a mounting level of conflicts that the everyman must overcome. It's quite sobering, but that's what makes Powerage refreshing because it seems that everyman life gets harder and harder with each year passing. It's a serious and often times moody meditation on what it takes to be free in this world anymore. All the while, this whole album is perfect for fun activities like biking, working out, and driving.
So while Rock 'n' Roll Damnation is the only anthemic AC/DC song here, it is next to impossible to find lean hard rock cuts like any other track on here anywhere else. Rest in Peace Bon Scott, and Malcolm Young.

Many care only for highway to hell and back in black, despite their best albums being powerage and let there be rock. Disgrace. This is a good album.