UAWIL #187: AC/DC - Highway To Hell
Is Highway To Hell AC/DC's best album? Are the songs better than Back In Black? Would Back In Black have been nearly as big without Highway To Hell or if Bon Scott hadn't died? We examine all this and more as it turns 45
Though AC/DC are one of the most revered and successful bands in the history of rock n roll, in 1979 they hadn't cracked the Top 100 in the US. The killer riffs laid down by Malcolm Young had gained them a strong following in Europe and their native Australia but they had yet to breach the great big U-S-of-A. So in 1979 they brought in a new producer, Robert John "Mutt" Lange to give them an edge. And though they were all skeptical after giving Eddie Kramer a shot, once Mutt showed them he knew how to sing, how to get the most out of Angus's guitar and how to put together songs, they were all on board.
However, though this would be their big breakthrough in America with Highway To Hell reaching the Top 20, the celebration wouldn't last as lead singer and primary antagonist Bon Scott would soon die while living that rock n roll life. But before he left he gave us some of his patented sexual innuendo (Walk All Over You, Love Hungry Man, Touch Too Much) and his description of his lifestyle in the title track. Cliff Williams had settled in on the bass after Powerage and the live album If You Want Blood You Got It and Angus Young came of age with the help of Mutt Lange in the studio. The result is some of their greatest riffs (Highway To Hell, If You Want Blood (You've Got It), fan favorites (Girls Got Rhythm, Shot Down In Flames) and controversy (Nightprowler).
It marked the end of an era with Bon Scott but the start of working with Mutt Lange who would help their next album become the 2nd biggest selling album of all time. This is a fun one that all hard rock and heavy metal fans love!!!
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