DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND

By early 1979 AC/DC had released five LPs, built a passionate following Downunder, and toured extensively throughout Europe and the USA. Although their popularity in Australia was rock solid and album sales in the UK had been encouraging, that magical 'breakthrough' album in the world’s biggest market—The United States—had proved elusive.

Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young were hungry for greater success. Bon Scott, their lead singer, was hungry for excess. Both were achieved with Highway To Hell. Following its release in July 1979, the album reached the Top 20 in Australia and the USA, made it into the UK Top 10, and forged a worldwide bond with fans that sent AC/DC into the superstar realm. The band’s iconic frontman, however, did not get to enjoy the success for long. He died from alcohol poisoning some six months after the album’s release.

The story of Highway To Hell is a colourful one, crammed with stories both verified and apocryphal. There was an aborted attempt at matching AC/DC with South African born producer Eddie Kramer before a more fertile alliance was forged with Robert "Mutt" Lange. An American who had been working in the UK since the mid-1970s, Lange had produced albums for XTC and The Boomtown Rats. His approach, ably supported by the engineering team, aimed for a balance between a 'live' sounding studio presence while cleaning up the AC/DC sound. This latter was deemed imperative for US radio stations. How did they get a sound both powerful and bright? Engineer Mark Dearnley didn’t give much away in his blunt summary: "Put a few microphones in the right position and then stay out of the way." This simple approach seemed to perfectly match the straight-forward hard rock of the band.

The title track—"Highway To Hell"—kicks off side one with a guitar growl, followed in short order by the drums kicking in and Bon’s charismatic squawk. Angus’s claim that the lyric is basically another rock ’n’ roll road song fits, while the anthemic chorus made the song a constant in the AC/DC set list. "Highway" was the lead single from Highway To Hell, followed by the second track, the fast paced "Girls Got Rhythm". While some wondered whether an apostrophe had been lost, others just boogied their asses off to this hard rock classic. The sound is crisp and tight, just begging you to crank it up.

The tempo drops for the portentous opening of "Walk All Over You" before doubling to an energetic stomp. The song shares some DNA with The Easybeats "Good Times" (by Harry Vanda and George Young, Malcolm and Angus’s older brother) though a major difference is the undertone of menace in the AC/DC song. Highway’s closing song is "Night Prowler"—a cousin of the Stones "Midnight Rambler"—that also embodies the sense of danger and power implicit in much hard rock. Still, many argue that it is only rock and roll, a visceral, hip-shaking music with more than a touch (too much?) of theatre.

AC/DC built, and continue to inhabit, a sturdy castle of Chuck Berry inspired hard rock. With songs such as "Shot Down In Flames" and "If You Want Blood (You’ve got It)", plus those highlighted earlier, Highway To Hell delivers the goods in epic, head banging style. It brought the fame and fortune the Young brothers craved while also marking a tragic ending to the first part of the band’s career. It is a monument to Bon Scott, the Scottish born Aussie larrikin who strutted his stuff like no other.

© Bruce Jenkins—September 2022