ENCORE OF THE MONTH
October, 2021
AC/DC
Let's be brutally honest. AC/DC is one of the best rock bands to have ever graced this planet. Bon Scott, Angus and Malcom Young were some of the best song writers who knew how to keep it simple. Angus' riffs are some of the best and this is a band who knew how to put on a show. They are without doubt rock legends. Everyone I know has purchased either 'Back in Black', 'For Those About to Rock We Salute You' or 'Black Ice' so I want to focus on their earlier albums. 'High Voltage' was the band's first internationally released album and comprises songs from their first two albums which were only available in Australia. 'High Voltage' is one of several songs on the album that is a rock classic. Right from the start you could see that this was a band that loved to perform.
'It's a long way to Top (if you want to rock and roll)', got the ball rolling and it set the ground work for what was to come. A street were the video was shot in Melbourne, Australia has been named AC/DC Lane in honor of the band.
Everyone wants a piece of AC/DC and if you do, you should look no further than Fremantle in Western Australia. For some, Fremantle might be better known as the place were Tame Impala emerged but for AC/DC fans it is Bon Scott's hometown and former stomping ground. A statue of Bon Scott was donated and erected by the fans and is located down at Fishing Boat Harbour. Bon was laid to rest at the Fremantle Cemetery and if you visit be respectful as his family still live in the area and fans haven't always done the right thing. Putting it in plain English, don't steal anything. If you can't get enough of Bon's link to the area you could also take a look at the wharf where he worked, the school that he went to, or the prison were he was jailed. It is true, the Fremantle Prison does tours which includes a look inside the cell where Bon Scott resided for his short stint inside. 'Jailbreak' was a song that appeared on the band's 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' and it is not too difficult to figure out what inspired the song.
Another key activity you could do while in the area is take a trip down Canning Highway which is one of the major roads that connects Fremantle to Perth. Bon would use that road to get to the Raffles Hotel which was a big beer barn that he frequented. To the locals, and Bon, that road was known as the highway to hell because of numerous road deaths. There is a 'Highway to Hell' Festival held on Canning Highway where bands play AC/DC songs on the back of trucks. Over 100,000 people turn up so it sounds like a lot of fun. It is only fitting that Bon's last album with the band was 'Highway to Hell'.
'Let there be Rock' is another early AC/DC album that showcases the band at their best. Their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could have been justified by this album alone.
Bon Scott had seen Brian Johnson perform with the band Gordie and he loved the guy's voice and stage show so much Bon incorporated some of Johnson's wild man stage antics into his act. Years later Scott told Angus about Brian and it is the reason the band became aware of him, so it was only fitting that Johnston became the new front man for the band after Bon's death. 'Back in Black' was the first album with Johnston. It was a tribute album to Bon and it set the world of fire.
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