• AllMyVinyl #129
• Band: AC/DC
• Album Title: Highway to Hell
• Release Date: 27 Jul 1979
• Date purchased: 12 Apr 2025
• Location purchased: AC/DC Pop-up Retail Store
• Color of vinyl: orange/red mix
• Number of discs: 1
• Links: [ Wikipedia | Discogs | Band Website | Complete album on Youtube ]

Shazzbot.  Nanu-Nanu!

This is an album I was introduced to a bit backwards.  My first album by AC/DC was Back in Black. I got it back in 1980 when it was NEW. Brian Johnson was my first taste, but when I found I loved that, I looked around for other stuff of theirs. Quickly found that all the other AC/DC at that point was with a different singer.  Brian was the new guy.  Now in all fairness in 2025, bloody 45 years later, I can’t recall if Highway was the first Bon album I got.  I THINK it was but I’m not sure.  Memory says that I thought at the time “Well, let’s try the last one with the late singer, probably the closest to Back in Black”.  Seems like something I’d do, but I’m not sure about that 45 years out.

Even if it wasn’t first, I would have found it in a mad dash at that time to get more AC/DC.  Thing is this album could have easily been my first taste, and would have launched a life long fandom of AC/DC just as much as Back in Black did.  Highway to Hell is a damn f’in solid hard rock album from front to back.  There’s little to no filler on this (well, maybe one I can think of), but it’s just as damn good.  That’s a really seriously great stretch of albums they produced back to back to back (along with For Those About to Rock).   The guitar work (which I’ll get into) is f’in solid.  AC/DC have never been known for overly complex musical constructions, or mind bending riffs.  Their thing has always been simple, straightforward rock and roll, and this delivers.  Big time.

At the time I got into AC/DC (1980 / 81), I was still heavily into buying vinyl, but my memory says I never bought it on vinyl.  This is mostly backed up by the fact that it wasn’t in the vinyl pile my brother sent me two years ago from our mom’s basement.  I likely had this on a pre-recorded cassette tape, but that definitely hasn’t survived until now.  Somewhere along the line I bought it on CD, as I still have that – but WHEN I bought it is a bit of a mystery.   I also got this digitally some years back when some friends of mine paid me for working on a  wedding website by buying me the entire AC/DC studio catalog on iTunes.  But then finally in 2025…  AC/DC was here in Arlington TX for their “Power Up” tour.  I really wanted to go, but didn’t.  I haven’t seen them live since 1990, and these shows have a very strong vibe of “this is it”.  Even if it isn’t, they place they played..  AT&T Stadium – or as it’s more well known locally – Jerry World.  The place the Dallas Cowboys played.  I’ve seen a concert there before (U2 in 2017), and let me tell ya – the acoustics in there are AWFUL.  I said that night I’d never go back, and I haven’t.  Which sucked as I really wanted to see AC/DC now.  Same thing last year when Metallica came through here.  Wanted to go – but nope.  Not that place.   But… A friend of mine DID go, and he was at the AC/DC “Pop Up Store” (basically a merch center), and he offered to pick me up a couple of things.  One of the things he got was Highway to Hell, on vinyl – the 50th anniversary version (50th of the band, not the album).  So that’s what I’m listening to today.  This copy of Highway to Hell that came from the band’s merch store while on the current tour.  Oddly, it slotted in alphabetically in the right spot for where I stopped when I last did one of these album reviews.  That was personally amusing.  The music on the vinyl is no different than the last time they re-released it.  But it does have some 50th anniversary packaging, and the vinyl itself is a very cool looking red/orange mix that they call “Hellfire”.  That’s of course silly marketing, but it does look cool.

I would have heard this first in late 1980 or early 1981, basically a little less than the album being two years old.  I go back with this album, despite it not being my first AC/DC.  As it’s 46 years old this year, I can say it’s lost none of its power.  Just as strong now as when it was first released in 1979.  While recorded in the late 70’s, it does NOT have that 70’s hard rock sound that permeated albums around this time.  It’s a far cleaner sound to the music than a lot of the 70’s stuff which sounded more fuzzy, if that makes any sense.

Clean, solid, good rock and Roll – that pretty much defines AC/DC, and Highway is a perfect example of that.

Highway to Hell – The title track.  Starts off with a riff that perhaps isn’t as recognizable as say Smoke on the Water is, but it’s definitely one that any self respecting fan of hard rock music knows.  It’s also a 70’s staple to start the album with the title track and/or the best song on the album.  The song’s chorus has long made the band a target of religious zealots who love to attack rock music for its sensibilities.  I do have to confess when I first got into them, I thought it was about the superficial meaning.  Wasn’t until later I learned it was about life when one is in a rock band.  Which if you look at the lyrics, you can see that.  Of course, there’s enough in the lyrics for people find what they want to find too.  Shrug.   The song however is super catchy – one of their most popular songs of all time.  It still gets played to this day.  Why wouldn’t you?  When you have a song with this catchy of a hook, you’ll ride it till you can’t anymore….

Girls Got Rhythm – Younger me always wondered if it was really like the lyrics portray being with women was like… Wearing dresses so tight? midnight stand? I’m in too deep? You know she moves like sin? It’s like liquid love? – what’s going on here Bon? .  While this doesn’t have the monster hook riff of the opening song, it is a good solid track.  Chorus is eminently singable, and I have to imagine if you saw them do this in live, it’s an easy audience participation song.  Of course, it’s a sex song, something that Bon wrote about a lot.  The riff that runs through it doesn’t change a lot.  This one seems to rely more on the vocal delivery for its big hook to me vs the guitar riff.  It also ends with a hard cut.  If you weren’t watching the clock or the tape or the needle, its end could surprise you a bit.

Walk All Over You – This starts off with a slower, ominous sounding riff.  In fact it takes almost a full minute before the entire band kicks in and this song gets going with a more traditional opening riff.   The basic riff that runs through is something I’m finding hard to describe except it’s significantly faster than the ominous opening part.  It definitely changes from slow to fast back to slow back to fast a few times in this song.  I also love Angus’ guitar work in the solo section of the song.  Some great stuff.  Lyrically it’s another Bon sex song.  I’ve seen where people call this a version of exhibiting power during a sexual encounter.  Lyrics seem to lean that way, but when I was young that stuff was lost on me – was just a bunch of cool screaming guitars that go through all of this.  Good track.

Touch Too Much – Uh, can we rename this album to “The Sex album”?  Seems that what all the songs are about. Lyrics here are even MORE in your face with the sex stuff.   I love the background guitar work here – I can’t describe why, but I always felt this guitars and vocal delivery are married quite well here.  Not like they’re not elsewhere, but it all works in a really well put together track.  One that I should listen to more.

Beating Around the Bush – This starts off with a very blues-y based riff.  Most hard rock is based in blues roots, but generally with AC/DC – it’s not that far out in front.  It is here.  It’s a great start to the song, and it keeps going through the song.  In fact, Angus & Malcolm play well together here.  I love the dual sounding guitar here.   This might be my favorite track on the album that people don’t talk about.  Has a great darn guitar sound from the Young brothers.  This is one of those songs where I don’t really care what the lyrics are – I just view Bon’s vocals as another instrument.  I just like the overall sound of the track.  That opening riff returns a couple of times in the middle of the song, and the band shuts up for the reappearances.  In fact listening today, I had to play it a second time, I really dug the riffing here.  Great end to Side 1 of the album.  One random thought about the opening riff.  While not a copy at all, it does sort of remind me of the opening riff to the old Fleetwood Mac song, “Oh Well”.

Shot Down in Flames – This starts off with yet another Angus riff before the whole band comes in – an AC/DC staple for sure.  This one isn’t as complex as some of the others. The guitars here seem to be taking a back seat to Bon’s vocals – this one seems more geared towards the story Bon is telling here.  The riffing is a bit more simple than usual on this track.  It’s not bad by any stretch, but probably not the most memorable track.  Great solo, however.

Get it Hot – This one is somewhere in-between what I said about Flames about guitars taking a back seat and what they normally do.  This is one that I like, but I’m having a hard time finding words as to why.  I think I like the chorus a bit more than the rest of the track.  It’s a short one at 2:35 as well.  By the time it really gets going IMO, it’s over.

If you Want Blood (You Got It) – This song was also the name of the live album that preceded this in the overall catalog the year prior.  This song does not appear on that album.  Apparently they decided to write a song based on the name of the prior.  That’s my understanding of the situation.  If I’m wrong, someone please provide me with proof otherwise.  :)  Anyway, as a piece of music, it’s pretty good.  Lyrically though..  They say “If you Want Blood You got it” rather a lot.  Not quite as much as George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set on You”, but it is a lot.  In fact, I’m not even sure what the lyrics are about!   Bunch of activities that result in blood being seen, I guess?  It’s a good enough song, just feels a little forced..  “Hey mates, like that album title, let’s make a song out of that”.  Musically the song is fine, but lyrically… meh.

Love Hungry Man – This has a bass line that’s the focus, which isn’t the norm for AC/DC – bass is usually in the background at all times.  Not here.  It’s a refreshing tonal change.  It’s a slower paced song than most of the stuff on the album (except the next song).  I like it a lot, mostly due to the bass driven feel to it.  Angus & Malcolm are here, but they’re definitely in the back seat on this song.  Bon has some nice vocal gymnastics towards the end of the song.

Night Prowler – I have to confess, this was always the “Mork & Mindy” song to me.  I always felt every time I listened to the song I waited for the “Shazzbot.  Nanu-Nanu!” that happens at the end of the song.  If for some reason you didn’t know that’s a reference to the old Robin Williams TV show “Mork & Mindy” which was new at the time this album was being recorded.  The show was finishing up its first season on the air, and they obviously saw it and included Mork’s “catch phrase”.  The song is good, I’ve never had issues there, but every time I listen to it, I’m just waiting for the last line.   The song also had a notorious past as a mid 80’s LA serial killer was said to be a fan of AC/DC and in particular this song.  I always felt this stuff was mostly pushed by people with agendas, to “make a statement” about the evils of rock music.  Still, it was a big thing in the mid 80’s, I heard about it a lot.  The song is a slower paced, showing the blues based roots of most hard rock more than most AC/DC songs.  It’s a good closer due to the slower tune and the way the song “fades out” right at the end – before the Mork line.  :)

This is an album I’ve always loved.  It’s a damn solid album, despite a few somewhat saggy songs on Side 2.  Nothing on this is bad, nothing is the kind of song you’d skip.  The first of a trilogy of albums that Mutt Lange produced, which definitely raised the bar on what an AC/DC album could be in 1979.   Glad to finally get it on vinyl in 2025 for the first time ever.  That color swirl on the vinyl looks pretty slick when you play it as well.  That’s not necessary for an album to be good of course, but it’s nice to look at when the disc is spinning.