AC/DC
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July 27, 1979
Perhaps one of the most brilliant & haunting albums of AC/DC’s 1970’s output, HIGHWAY TO HELL shows the band at their peak with the most polished production of their career thanks in no small part to the production genius of Robert John “Mutt” Lange. Not only is it the perfect finale to the Bon Scott era of the band, but it perfectly portrays everything the band had evolved to up to this point in their career, including some of the most vividly visual lyrics and darkest, heaviest riffs ever captured on tape.
Check out our other AC/DC Episodes HERE
AC/DC on the Interwebs
Released 27 July 1979
Recorded December 1978 – April 1979
Label Albert - Atlantic
Producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Highway to Hell" 3:29
2. "Girls Got Rhythm" 3:24
3. "Walk All Over You" 5:10
4. "Touch Too Much" 4:28
5. "Beating Around the Bush" 3:55
Side two
No. Title Length
1. "Shot Down in Flames" 3:23
2. "Get It Hot" 2:35
3. "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" 4:38
4. "Love Hungry Man" 4:18
5. "Night Prowler"
Get ready to start “hittin’ the hair” as we’ve “technically, literally, seriously” made it to Episode 200! Prepare to find out which brand spank QOTSA song briefly pays tribute to AC/DC, which song is AC/DC’s “Slayer moment” and discover what it means to be “pushing marshmallows”. It’s time to “mark the time” a lot of times, “check all three box holes” and JOIN US as we celebrate our 4th anniversary, our 200th episode, and the most favorite AC/DC album (for some of us) from the Bon Scott era: HIGHWAY TO HELL.
HIGHWAY TO HELL
Anytime you heard “Hell” as a kid, especially if it was within the context of a hard rock/heavy metal song, it always raised a few eyebrows.
“HEY SATAN, payin’ my dues…playin’ in a rockin’ band!”
No doubt, AC/DC had toured their asses off all throughout the 70’s and were poised to take over the world and completely dominate hard rock & heavy metal. After a half decade of time invested in creating some of the greatest hard rock/heavy metal to ever bless music, their time for greatness had finally arrived.
It’s actually a tad tragic and more than a tad ironic that Bon is smiling on the album cover and every one else looks like they’re all possessed & pissed off.
“Livin’ easy, lovin free, season ticket on a one-way ride,
Askin’ nothin’, leave me be, takin’ everything in my stride…”
GIRLS GOT RHYTHM
I know this may seem really coarse and base, but I feel like sex with girls who are musicians is infinitely easier (AND better!) than someone who can’t even play bass or count to 4.
Probably the one AC/DC song that was quite obviously written for strip clubs…or for fucking in cars…or for fucking in cars parked in strip club parking lots…or just for fucking in general.
The production polish of Robert John “Mutt” Lange really helped to boost the band’s sonic appeal and helped to launch them both into the stratosphere of massive, mainstream success.
It’s interesting that this record and the very next record (Back in Black, ironically dedicated to Bon) were both produced by the same guy YET still sound distinctly different.
“Love me till I’m legless, aching and sore.
Enough to stop a freight train, or start the Third World War.”
WALK ALL OVER YOU
THAT is fucking HEAVY!
NOTHING, in 1979, was heavier than that opening riff. In fact, it might just be one of the heaviest AC/DC songs EVER!!! And it’s certainly one of Bon’s greatest vocal performances ever committed to tape.
“Oh, baby I ain’t got much
Resistance to your touch,
Take off your high heels and let down your hair,
Paradise ain’t far from there…”
TOUCH TOO MUCH
NOTE: Please listen to this with headphones. You’re welcome.
The way that Bon could subtly take lyrics which were often vividly visual and quite “naughty” (if not downright raunchy and vulgar) YET still get his point across where you knew EXACTLY what he was talking about without being overtly obscene was truly an artform unto itself.
“A body of Venus with arms…”
That riff at 2:32…the heaviness. “Mutt” Lange really helped to transform AC/DC into the greatest version of themselves.
“I was so satisfied, deep down inside, like a hand in a velvet glove…”
“She wanted it hard, and wanted it fast, she liked it done medium rare…”
BEATING AROUND THE BUSH
Okay, MAYBE it shares a shape with Fleetwood Mac, but “Oh Well”, often times bands will use similar chord shapes (and/or be influenced by another band) and there’s nothing you can do about it.
(See also Deep Purple’s “Flight of The Rat” vs Black Sabbath’s “Under The Sun”.)
Listen to (and read) those lyrics. “Beating around the bush” (according to Skynet) actually means to talk about a lot of unimportant nonsensical things to avoid talking about important things…like when someone screws around with someone else behind your back, for example.
“Stop your crying and dry your tears…
I ain’t that wet behind the ears…”
“I was talking birds and you was talking bees,
And was he down on his knees…
Beatin’ ‘round the bush”
SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES
“Whoa…WOW!!!”
“One, Two…”
One of the best openings in rock & metal history! THIS is the sound of AC/DC…especially in 1979.
That beginning of the guitar solo with the Angus pick scratches is so fucking metal. You literally cannot listen to ANY AC/DC song without visualizing Angus’ perpetual headbanging (which we’ve previously concluded was one of the earliest signs that AC/DC was, in fact, metal).
“She was standing alone over by the jukebox, like she’d something to sell
I said ‘Baby what’s the going price?’, she told me to go to Hell…”
GET IT HOT:
Of all of the songs on this record, this one might be the “Reborn” of the album…which, to clarify, does NOT mean “it sucks”; it’s simply the least greatest song. It’s got all the good stuff: it’s got the riffs, for sure, and the vibe and the swagger. It’s still awesome, but it’s like 11th place awesome in all of its awesomeness. Plus it’s a shawty.
That riff at :56 is totally fucking heavy and badass. It’s probably the least greatest song on the album…and it’s still pretty kick ass, so there.
“Gonna bend you like a G string,
Conduct you like a choir,
So get your body in the right place,
We’ll set the world on fire…”
IF YOU WANT BLOOD (YOU’VE GOT IT)
Go ahead and put this in the “all-time greatest AC/DC songs EVER!” playlist. It’s got the riffs, the momentum, the lyrics, every aspect of it is perfect and the entire performance flows with perfect fluid precision.
And really, this song needs to be heard at any volume that’s LOUD enough to facilitate sharing it with your neighbors with the windows completely closed (especially at the 2:54 mark).
“O-positive!”
Seriously, that middle part might just be one of the greatest moments in rock & metal EVER!
“Blood on the rocks, blood on the streets,
Blood in the sky, blood on the sheets.
If you want blood…you got it!”
LOVE HUNGRY MAN
(NOTE: “It’s hard to hear the intro to this song without thinking about comedian Jim Breuer’s bit about AC/DC…”)
This song sounds like it would be right at home on Powerage (especially with that funky bass line during the verse). Also, probably a great tune to include in a stripper playlist at a titty bar.
“You know it’s good to eat,
Baby, bon appetit,
I’m your love hungry man.”
NIGHT PROWLER
(sharp inhale)
WAIT! Was that Columbian anti-relaxers that were just inhaled? Or just a sharp inhale of exhilaration and/or anxiety?
Definitely sounds like a darker, creepier, heavier take of “Ride On”. Overall, this might be one of THE darkest songs of the Bon Scott era.
What a way to close out the 70’s era of AC/DC with Bon Scott. It’s nice to think that perhaps Bon (and perhaps the rest of the band) got a chuckle here and there when watching “Mork & Mindy”, particularly given the very last words we would ever hear from Bon Scott on an AC/DC studio album. (R.I.P.)
“Too scared to turn your light out,
‘Cause there’s something on your mind,
Was that a noise outside the window?
What’s that shadow on the blind?”
The Kraken Black Roast Coffee Rum
Clinky of the Episdoe
Show Notes:
(00:01): “Forty ounces of what?” / “The general punchline and/or theme of the story: #twophrases #tobefair #marshmallowdick #vulgaroldladies #happyfathersday / ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / #thisepisodesclinkyoftheepisode #thekraken #blackroast ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST WITH NO ANESTHESIA!!!*** #recordscratch / #ballmaintenance / #thisepisodesbeeroftheepisode (“Look at that…timing”) #NewBelgium #1985IPA (“It looks like 1985”) / “Kinda like…the same material…as the #glovesofshame” / #TheVerdict (“Good beach beer and good #daydrinkingbeer”) /
BEER OF THE EPISODE
1985 IPA
Time for Wheeler’s #Refrections (#storytime) / “People say it’s real salty…sometimes they just spit it right out.” / “One of my favoriteist things in the world…” / “It was like pushing marshmallows…” / “Old folks that curse a lot and talk shit are funny…”/ #onmicburp / “We’ll ALL be like that…” / #blessyourheart / “I’m gonna keep this short…” / #RussellsRecommendations #AvengedSevenfold #NewAlbum #LifeIsButADream (“Weird how?”) / “Let me show you a weird one…” #markthetime / “I couldn’t get it all the way there…” / “G” (#DreamTheater meets #FrankZappa meets #MahavishnuOrchestra) / GAME OVER / “You have to listen to the album…” / #QueensOfTheStoneAge #NewAlbum #QOTSA EMOTION SICKNESS (#allthecokelines) / “Shot down in flames!” #sorta #usethoseheadphones / PAPER MACHETE / #futureepisodeidea #backshadowingASMR #foreshadowingASMR / “Technically, literally, seriously…” #EpisodeTwoHundred #HappyAnniversary #MetalNerderyPodcast #FourthAnniversary #instavag #instadick #FaceGram #email us at metalnerdery@gmail.com or GIVE US A CALL AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!!
Life Is But a Dream…
In Times New Roman...
(20:39): “For me to go to Atlanta, it’s gotta be #Kreator…” / “The Fourth Nerd…” / Upcoming concerts in the tri-county Atlanta, Georgia area / “Really? You think #Ghost is like #KISS times a thousand?” / “Have you ever seen Tori’s Amos?” / “I feel like we’re stalling for time…” / “That’s a great song to make babies to, even if you’re shooting blanks…” / #turdbabies & #imagery / ***GIVE US A CALL AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!!*** / #ThePostWithTheMost #PissingPostASMR and a comment regarding the #Painkiller album by #JudasPriest / “Hello there…and goodbye there…”/ #vocalburnASMR #thejourney / “You could really just roll down the window and hang ‘em out the window…” / #propertechnique for handling #cremains / #finalwishes to check all three #boxholes
(31:16): #TheDocket (Russell’s favorite #ACDC album) METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS AC/DC’s HIGHWAY TO HELL / #markthetime (“Now he’s holding it…”) #firstgarten / Can you imagine hearing THIS album as your very first ever AC/DC experience EVER!? / #MuttLangeProduction (“Their Master of Black Album? Or The Master of Justice?”) / #analysis #analogies / Released July 27, 1979 / “Powerage was the link between the older albums and Highway to Hell” / #noteven / “You’re bloody well right…” / “H-E-double hockey sticks” / “He’s drunk…” / #prephotoshop / “He looks like a #honeybadger you don’t wanna fuck with…” / #killeropener HIGHWAY TO HELL (“Even the #gangvocals sound better…”)
(41:11): “If I’m going left, stop trying to push your ass right…” GIRLS GOT RHYTHM / “I want THAT guy again!” / “He’s like the Aussie Ozzy…” #AussieOzzy #seewhatididthere / #alltheballs WALK ALL OVER YOU (“Take off the high heels, let down your hair…paradise ain’t far from there…”) / “It sounds so much heavier than anything they’ve done prior…” / #yepdurp ***Check out our Bon Era episode*** / “I’ve gotta step up my blood and my fire game…” / TOUCH TOO MUCH (“I asked for shaved ham and you gave me Arby’s”) #hugeflaps / The tuning of the #HighwayToHell album and the impact on the heaviness of the sound / #killercloser #sideone (“Hittin’ the hair…”) #hittingthehair #OhWell #FleetwoodMacASMR (“This guitar riff is #prethrashthrash”) / “It’s sorta close…it’s kinda the same shape.” / BEATING AROUND THE BUSH / “All over the bread around the roast beef…”
(56:38): #sidetwo #killeropener (“I used to be a musician, now I play bass…”) / SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES (“I said baby, what’s the going price? She told me to go to Hell…”) / ***NOTE: Everything said for the next several seconds actually applies to THE NEXT SONG after THE NEXT SONG! *** / #recordscratch (“I totally missed it, totally fucked it up…”) / “Just fix it in post, it’s fine…” / GET IT HOT (“I like this riff…that’s such a good riff.”) / #noteven / #snotrocket #nostriltorpedo (“Just blow your nose in your hand…it’s already up to room temperature.”) / Okay so THIS is the one I was talking about earlier… / “So he was leaving merch…”/ IF YOU WANT BLOOD (YOU’VE GOT IT) #recordscratch (The part right after the guitar solo) / “Go to the very end…” / #thesamemistake / “We #bolth fucked up on #sidetwo
(1:08:43): Kinda sounds like a weird title… / LOVE HUNGRY MAN (“This is their ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’”) / “Those are all flahns too, there’s no junts…” / #flahnsandjunts #nunsandduns “Turn it off” #mouthshapes (“Put it on the list”) #jahnsandflunts / #killercloser (“Kinda creepy…”) NIGHT PROWLER (“We’ve gotta get to the end…”) / “One more verse, why not?” / #RussellsRequestASMR #MorkAndMindy / A moment of misunderstanding… / #reverseworkingout (“You’ll never look like this!”) #MetalNerderyFitnessCorner (“Seven pounds of clothes?”) / Tracking changes (if any) / “Anywhere you put it…” / #dontdenythepowerof #MuttLange / #bionicarm #AI / ***HAPPY 200 EVERYBODY!!!*** Please note that there will be an OFFICIAL #EpisodeTwoHundredCelebrationEpisode / ***THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!!*** #untilthenext #bunkerpoongiftshoppe (“Come #purchandise some #MetalNerderyPodcastMerchandise at metalnerdery.com/merch “) #hehahuh #hittinthehair