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Powerage | ||||
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Released | 5 May 1978 (UK) [1] 25 May 1978 (US) [2] | |||
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Length | 39:47 | |||
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Singles from Powerage | ||||
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Powerage is the fifth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 5 May 1978 in the United Kingdom and 20 May 1978 in the United States. This was the band's first album to feature Cliff Williams on bass guitar, and it was also the first AC/DC album not to have a title track (aside from the Australia-only High Voltage album) and the first worldwide not to be released with a different album cover. Powerage was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series. [3]
After a 12-date European tour opening for Black Sabbath in April, bassist Mark Evans was fired from AC/DC on 3 May 1977. [4] In the AC/DC memoir AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, former manager Michael Browning states, "I got a call one day from Malcolm and Angus. We were in London, I went to their apartment and they told me they wanted to get rid of Mark. Him and Angus didn't see eye to eye. They used to have a sort of tit-for-tat thing going, but nothing that I would have ever thought was going to be gig-threatening." According to Browning, the Young brothers were seriously considering Colin Pattenden of Manfred Mann's Earth Band fame. [5] Browning feared that Pattenden was too old and didn't fit the band's image, so he instead pushed for Cliff Williams, who had previously played with Home and Bandit. Williams, who could also sing background vocals, passed the audition and was asked to join the band. In a 2011 interview with Joe Bosso that appears on MusicRadar, Evans reflected on his ousting from the group:
The band finally toured America for the first time in the summer of 1977, focusing on smaller markets at first but eventually playing CBGB in New York City and the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. In December, they played a set in front of a small audience at Atlantic Recording Studios in New York City which was broadcast live over Radio WIOQ in Philadelphia and hosted by Ed Sciaky. [7] The promotional album, Live from the Atlantic Studios , was later released on the 1997 Bonfire box set. In early 1978, the band returned to Sydney to record their next album.
According to the Murray Engleheart book AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, several songs that appeared on Powerage were started in July 1977 during the band's first rehearsals with Williams at Albert Studios, including "Kicked in the Teeth", "Up to My Neck in You", an early version of "Touch Too Much" (which later appeared on the follow-up album Highway to Hell), and possibly "Riff Raff". [8] The Powerage sessions officially got going in January 1978 and stretched over a period of about eight weeks. Atlantic Records executives in the United States complained that the album did not contain a radio-friendly single, [9] so with the first pressings of Powerage ready to go in the UK, the band complied and recorded "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation". The song, which features handclaps and maracas and does not have a traditional guitar solo, was released in Britain at the end of May and reached #24, the best performance yet by an AC/DC single.[ citation needed ] However, Powerage was ultimately the final Bon Scott-era studio album the band recorded with the team of Harry Vanda and George Young, who had produced all of the band's albums up to that point (George was the older brother of Angus and Malcolm; he and Vanda had enjoyed their own pop success with the Easybeats in the 1960s), the feeling from Atlantic being that a more commercial producer might do wonders for the band's profile in the lucrative American market.[ citation needed ]
Biographer Clinton Walker wrote in his 1994 Scott memoir Highway to Hell, "'Gimme a Bullet' was perhaps Bon's most accomplished piece of writing to date, in which his penchant for hardcase metaphors finds even more genuine pathos and humour than it had before."[ citation needed ] "What's Next to the Moon", with its allusions to Casey Jones and Clark Kent, as well as the elusive "Gone Shootin'" and the unapologetic "Down Payment Blues" ("I know I ain't doin' much, but doin' nothin' means a lot to me"), clearly show that Scott's writing, much like the band's sound, had evolved from the novelties of the group's early albums.[ citation needed ] "Bon was a street poet – he described it as 'toilet wall' poetry," former AC/DC manager Michael Browning explained to Peter Watts of Uncut in 2013. "That was unknown. They signed a singer and got a lyricist, as well." [10] "Sin City", which the band performed frequently in concert, explores the seductive charms and dangers of Las Vegas, while "Kicked in the Teeth" addresses a two-faced woman with "two-faced lies". In an interview with Bass Frontiers, Cliff Williams recalls the sessions fondly: "The guys had already been in the studio for a while and we went in to do what turned out to be the Powerage album. Great work environment. Albert Studios there in Sydney was a great little rock and roll room... Great producers. Obviously a lot of chemistry there being brothers. Just a real fiery, energetic work environment. And we had about three weeks to do it, 'cause that's about all the money we had... It was really a tremendous experience." [11]
Many of AC/DC's early albums were altered for release in other markets, and this practice continued with Powerage, although it was the first LP to be released nearly simultaneously in both Australian and international markets and the first to use just one cover image for both.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Classic Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Globe and Mail | D [15] |
MusicHound Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 3/10 [18] |
While initial sales were somewhat disappointing, Powerage surpassed its predecessor, Let There Be Rock , by reaching No. 133 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart in the US, eventually achieving platinum certification. Eddie Van Halen and Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards have stated that Powerage remains their favourite AC/DC record. [19] The album is also Guns N' Roses' guitarist Slash and Aerosmith's guitarist Joe Perry's favourite album by the band, citing it as a major influence. [20] [21] The album has remained a favourite of Malcolm Young, who was quoted in AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll as saying, "I know a lot of people respect it. A lot of real rock and roll AC/DC fans, the real pure rock and roll guys. I think that's the most under-rated album of them all." [8] It's also drummer Phil Rudd's favorite record the band did with Bon Scott. [22]
The Detroit Free Press called AC/DC "another late '70s boogie band making strides toward commercial clout [who] pumps out heavy metal with a reasonable amount of panache". [23] The Cheshire Observer wrote that "the LP captures better than ever the fresh, aggressive style, the compelling high voltage rock". [24] The Sydney Morning Herald determined that the band "were our first punk rockers, but thank heaven they are not our best or last... They have been emulated and surpassed by their students". [25]
AllMusic gives Powerage a rating of three and a half out of five stars, stating that while "it is the most uneven of" AC/DC's 1970s material, the album still contained a "few genuine classics", specifically mentioning "Down Payment Blues" and "Up to My Neck in You". [12] Edwin Faust of Stylus Magazine considers Powerage "AC/DC's best album... because it isn't simply about sex, drinking and tongue-in-cheek Satanism", but shows a band "growing up". [26] In 1994, Bon Scott biographer Clinton Walker opined in his book Highway to Hell that "altogether, Powerage just seemed to lack the uncompromising coherence and relentless body and soul that was its predecessor's greatness." Band biographer Jesse Fink cites the album as containing "their best ever collection of songs" and deems it "a high point creatively for the three Youngs, an album arguably superior to the commercially successful Mutt Lange circuitbreakers that followed, Highway to Hell and Back in Black." [27]
In 2005, Powerage was ranked number 325 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. [28] Kerrang! magazine listed the album at No. 26 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time". [29]
All tracks are written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" | 3:06 |
2. | "Gimme a Bullet" | 3:20 |
3. | "Down Payment Blues" | 5:40 |
4. | "Gone Shootin'" | 5:22 |
5. | "Riff Raff" | 5:14 |
No. | Title | Length |
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6. | "Sin City" | 4:40 |
7. | "Up to My Neck in You" | 4:12 |
8. | "What's Next to the Moon" | 3:42 |
9. | "Cold Hearted Man" | 3:32 |
10. | "Kicked in the Teeth" | 3:58 |
Notes
All tracks are written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" | 3:37 |
2. | "Down Payment Blues" | 6:04 |
3. | "Gimme a Bullet" | 3:21 |
4. | "Riff Raff" | 5:12 |
No. | Title | Length |
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5. | "Sin City" | 4:45 |
6. | "What's Next to the Moon" | 3:32 |
7. | "Gone Shootin'" | 5:06 |
8. | "Up to My Neck in You" | 4:13 |
9. | "Kicked in the Teeth" | 3:54 |
Total length: | 39:47 |
Notes
Note
The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC book claims that George Young played bass on all tracks, [31] but Cliff Williams denied this in a 2020 interview. [32]
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [33] | 22 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [34] | 15 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [35] | 19 |
UK Albums (OCC) [36] | 26 |
US Billboard 200 [37] | 133 |
Chart (2024) | Peak position |
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German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [38] | 26 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [39] | 32 |
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [40] | 9 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [41] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
France (SNEP) [42] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [43] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [44] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [45] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [46] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [47] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in 1973. It was founded by brothers Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar and Angus Young on lead guitar. Their current line-up comprises Angus, bass guitarist Cliff Williams, drummer Phil Rudd, lead vocalist Brian Johnson and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, nephew of Angus and Malcolm. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal, but the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formative influence on the new wave of British heavy metal bands, such as Def Leppard and Saxon. AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
Highway to Hell is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It is the first of three albums produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and is the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who died on 19 February 1980.
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was an Australian singer and songwriter. He was the second lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980.
T.N.T. is the second studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released only in Australia on 1 December 1975. This was the band's first release with bassist Mark Evans and drummer Phil Rudd, although the last two tracks feature George Young and Tony Currenti, both of whom previously appeared on High Voltage.
If You Want Blood You've Got It is the first live album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, and their only live album released during Bon Scott's lifetime. It was originally released in the UK and Europe on 13 October 1978, in the US on 21 November 1978, and in Australia on 27 November 1978. The album was re-released in 1994 on Atco Records and in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.
Clifford Williams is an English musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. He started his professional music career in 1967 and had previously been in the English groups Home and Bandit. His first studio album with AC/DC was Powerage in 1978. Williams was inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of AC/DC in 2003. Williams announced his retirement from AC/DC in 2016, but returned for their 2020 comeback album Power Up along with band mates Brian Johnson and Phil Rudd. His side projects include benefit concerts.
"Touch Too Much" is a song by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was released on their 1979 album Highway to Hell, their last with lead vocalist Bon Scott, who died the following year.
Family Jewels is a compilation DVD by the hard rock band AC/DC, featuring the group's music videos, live clips and promotional videos from 1975 to 2008. It was released by Albert Productions and Epic Music Video on 28 March 2005. The first disc contains videos from the Bon Scott era (1975–1980), such as the band's first TV appearance and a performance on television ten days before Scott died. The second disc contains material from the Brian Johnson era up to 1991.
"Highway to Hell" is a song by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the opening track of their 1979 album Highway to Hell, initially released as a single on 27 July 1979, the same day the album was released.
Let There Be Rock: The Movie – Live in Paris is a live double album by the hard rock band AC/DC, released as "Disc Two" and "Disc Three" of the Bonfire box set in 1997. It is also the soundtrack to the film AC/DC: Let There Be Rock. It is the last album Bon Scott recorded with the band before he died, just two months before his death and was released posthumously.
AC/DC for General Exhibition is a video album by Australian rock band AC/DC, released exclusively in Australia in 1989. All nine videos were later reissued on the DVD compilation Family Jewels (2005).
"Love at First Feel" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the second track of the international version of their album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released in November 1976, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott. The international version was not released in the United States until 1981.
"Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" is a single by the Australian rock band AC/DC, and the first track on their Powerage album, released in 1978. The single version is an abbreviated version of the album track, with a time of 3:05, as opposed to the album track's length of 3:37. The album track "Sin City" was the B-side in the UK, Germany, Belgium, and Japan. In the US, Canada, and the Netherlands, it was "Kicked in the Teeth," also from the album. In Australia, however, the B-side was "Cold Hearted Man," which appeared on initial UK and European pressings of the album, and was eventually removed when "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" was added.
"Let There Be Rock" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the third and title track of their album Let There Be Rock, released in March 1977, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott.
"Stiff Upper Lip" is a song by rock band AC/DC. This song is on their 2000 album Stiff Upper Lip, and it is composed by Angus and Malcolm Young. The song was released as a single, and topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was performed on Saturday Night Live on 18 March 2000.
"Girl's Got Rhythm" is a song by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is found on their 1979 album Highway to Hell. The song was released as a single the same year.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is the third studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, originally released only in Europe, Australia and New Zealand in 1976. The album was not released in the United States until 1981, more than one year after lead singer Bon Scott's death. This was also AC/DC's first album in its entirety to be recorded with the same lineup, rather than including at least one track recorded with a different bassist or drummer.
High Voltage is the first internationally released album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It contains tracks completed from their first two previous Australia-only issued albums, High Voltage and T.N.T..
High Voltage is the debut studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released only in Australia and New Zealand, on 17 February 1975. Their first international release in 1976 would also be named High Voltage, though with a radically different track list.
Stiff Upper Lip is the 14th studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was released on 28 February 2000. The album was produced by George Young, older brother of Malcolm and Angus Young. It was the last AC/DC album that George produced before his death in 2017.
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