Powerage
Powerage is the fifth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in 1978. 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]
| Powerage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 April 1978 (UK)[1] 25 May 1978 (US)[2] | |||
| Recorded | January – March 1978 | |||
| Studio | Albert (Sydney) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:47 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| AC/DC chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Powerage | ||||
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Background edit
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:
- "With Angus and Malcolm, they were put on this earth to form AC/DC. They're committed big-time. And if they feel your commitment is anything less than theirs, well, that's a problem. Angus was intense. He was AC/DC 100 percent. His work ethic was unbelievable. When I was with him, he expected everybody to be just like him, which is pretty impossible... At the time, Malcolm said something about them wanting a bass player who could sing, but I think that was a smokescreen. I don't know if there was any one reason. It's just the way it went down. I felt the distance growing between me and Angus and Malcolm. When I was fired, it wasn't so much a surprise as it was a shock. There was a lot of tension in the band at the time. We'd just been kicked off a Black Sabbath tour, and this was right when a trip to the States was cancelled because the record company rejected the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap album. So it was a hard period."[6]
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.
Recording and composition edit
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]
Releases edit
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.
The first UK pressing includes different mixes than all later versions, most noticeably on "Down Payment Blues" (which excludes the bluesy coda heard on later pressings), "Kicked In The Teeth" (the opening chord was omitted on all other pressings but is present on the UK vinyl version) and "What's Next to the Moon" (which omits solos and backing vocals heard on later pressings).[citation needed]
The European vinyl edition included "Cold Hearted Man", a song that was not previously released, and would not be released on any other AC/DC album until 2009's AC/DC Backtracks boxed set. The song became more widely available through the boxed set of Bon Scott-era vinyl LP albums in 1981. The song was packaged on a single-sided 12-inch single in the 1987 boxed set.[citation needed]
In some territories, Powerage omitted "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" due to a rushed job in getting the LP to pressing plants in time for the release date (as it was not yet completed). In its place, "Cold Hearted Man" was added, and the rushed mixes are different from the 'finished' mixes that were thereafter used.[citation needed]
Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [12] |
| Classic Rock | [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| MusicHound Rock | 4.5/5[15] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 3/10[17] |
| Stylus Magazine | Favourable[18] |
| Subjective Sounds | Favourable[19] |
| backseatmafia | Favourable[20] |
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.[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]
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".[22] 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."[23]
In 2005, Powerage was ranked number 325 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[24] Kerrang! magazine listed the album at No. 26 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".[25]
Track listing edit
Australian/US and all CD releases edit
All tracks are written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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
- Some cassette copies, such as the original Canadian issue, had an alternate track listing. For example, "Sin City" was the first song on side 1, while "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" was the first song on side 2. All other tracks appear in the order of the original Australian/US release.
European LP release edit
All tracks are written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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
- Initial editions of the European (UK) LP release featured a different mix of the album. It had a 'harder' sound than the later version, with small variations in vocals, guitar tracks, or both, and occasionally extra sections and longer or shorter fades. Some versions omitted "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" from the track list, but all included "Cold Hearted Man", albeit in a different sequence than on subsequent pressings. For vinyl variations containing "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation", the single version was used, with "Riff Raff" having a fade-out to accommodate the extra time on Side A. The bluesy coda on "Down Payment Blues" is also excluded from this version. UK cassette versions had this mix, with the single version of "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" and no fade on "Riff Raff", until the 1994 remasters.[26]
- The album was later remixed for the American market, with the new mix replacing the original European mix, and becoming the global standard. This mix is still used on all AC/DC Powerage CD releases today.
Personnel edit
AC/DC edit
- Bon Scott – lead vocals
- Angus Young – lead guitar
- Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals (all tracks except "Cold Hearted Man")
- Phil Rudd – drums
Additional personnel edit
- Mark Evans – bass guitar (on "Cold Hearted Man")
Note
The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC book claims that George Young played bass on all tracks,[27] but Cliff Williams denied this in a 2020 interview.[28]
Production edit
- Harry Vanda – producer
- George Young – producer
- Mark Opitz – engineer
- Michael A. Browning – management
Charts edit
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[29] | 22 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[30] | 15 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[31] | 19 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[32] | 26 |
| US Billboard 200[33] | 133 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[34] | 3× Platinum | 210,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[35] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[36] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[38] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[39] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[40] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
| * Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "Certification for the UK".
- ^ "RIAA certification for the US". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "The AC/DC Remasters". Discogs. from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Wilkening, Matthew (9 May 2012). "Mark Evans Discusses Life In and Out of AC/DC". Ultimate Classic Rock. from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Villanopublished, Freddy (8 January 2020). "AC/DC's Cliff Williams reflects on four decades at the top of rock's bottom-end". guitarworld. from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Bosso, Joe (11 October 2011). "Interview: Former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans on life in the band". MusicRadar. from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Hatmaker, Julia (15 June 2017). "25 memorable DJs and radio personalities from Philadelphia's past". pennlive. from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ a b Engleheart, Murray (2008). AC/DC : maximum rock & roll. New York. p. 233, 237. ISBN 978-0061133923.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Brannigan, Paul (5 August 2022). ""F**k you, follow that!": The electrifying story of AC/DC's masterpiece, Powerage". loudersound. from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "AC/DC – the true adventures of Bon Scott". UNCUT. 26 September 2014. from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Video Interview: Cliff Williams of AC/DC". Bass Frontiers Magazine. 30 October 2010. from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Powerage - AC/DC". AllMusic. from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ^ Rock, Classic (18 June 2018). "AC/DC: Powerage Album Of The Week Club review". Loudersound. from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "AC/DC". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
- ^ "AC/DC: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 1841955515.
- ^ . Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
- ^ Greentree, Mark (1 August 2020). "AC/DC – Powerage (Album Review On Vinyl & Apple Music)". Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ Byran, Jon (15 May 2018). "Not forgotten: AC/DC - Powerage". backseatmafia. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ "The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC: Riff Raff". 1 August 2014. from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ Faust, Edwin (12 December 2003). "AC/DC Powerage". Stylus Magazine. from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ Fink 2013, p. 175.
- ^ Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 80. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- ^ Johnson, Howard (21 January 1989). "AC/DC 'Powerage'". Kerrang!. Vol. 222. London, UK: Spotlight Publications Ltd.
- ^ "AC/DC - Powerage - another question about the different mixes". from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ Fink, Jesse (2013). The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC. Ebury Australia. Random House Australia. ISBN 9781742759791.
- ^ "AC/DC's Cliff Williams reflects on four decades at the top of rock's bottom-end". 8 January 2020. from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – AC/DC – Powerage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – AC/DC – Powerage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ "AC/DC | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "AC-DC Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ^ "French album certifications – AC/DC – Powerage" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (AC/DC; 'Powerage')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 954. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. (PDF) from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Powerage')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ^ "British album certifications – AC/DC – Powerage". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – AC/DC – Powerage". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links edit
- AC/DC's official website