The Batlord

I do love Motorhead. It's just that years of dial-up and spotty internet access and money issues have limited my access to music much of the time.

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Unknown Soldier

Overview
Highway to Hell would be one of the most revered hard rock albums ever released and it would be without doubt the icing on the cake when it comes to the ‘Bon Scott’ era of the band. Highway to Hell would quite simply be the album that AC/DC had always strived to achieve right back from their earliest days and over the ensuing years they had furrowed hard to achieve this goal. They had certainly reached a pinnacle on the previous Let There Be Rock back in 1977 (see review) but you always felt that the band could do even better and Highway to Hell proved that they could. Sadly Highway to Hell would become the perfect album title for its hard rocking and even harder drinking frontman Bon Scott, who would become one of the most famous deaths in rock several months after the recording of the album. He would die at the age of 33 (yep not 27) due to alcochol poisoning after falling asleep overnight in a car in freezing temperatures in London on the 19th February 1980. There is of course as with any famous rock death, a number of different stories and concoctions but the above seems to be the most common reason given. Either way rock had lost one of its most iconic frontmen who went out at the height of his game. Another notable highlight of Highway to Hell must surely be the appointment of Robert John “Mutt” Lange as producer to replace the previous double act of Harry Vanda and George Young, who had produced every AC/DC album upto this date. In fact Mutt Lange was originally the second choice to replace the Vanda and Young team, as Kiss producer Eddie Kramer had been the actual first choice (It’s easy to see why he would’ve been chosen) but he was quickly fired and replaced with Mutt Lange. Mutt Lange would of course become one of the most important and most revered producers of his generation, with a reputation that was garnered from his perfectionist nature and his endurance in the studio which would push artists to their limits! He therefore made a big splash with his two AC/DC albums Highway to Hell and the following Back in Black in 1979 and 1980. Previously he had mostly worked with the UK punk and new-wave scene of the mid to late 1970s and certainly made his impact on the crisp sounding recordings that he gave the Boomtown Rats. He would of course go onto work with the likes of Def Leppard, the Cars and Foreigner, all bands who would have their biggest selling albums thanks to him. Highway to Hell would make Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time’ list along with countless others over the years.

Bon Scott- Vocals
Angus Young- Guitar
Malcolm Young- Rhythm
Cliff Williams- Bass
Phil Rudd- Drums

Production- Robert John “Mutt” Lange

Album
Highway to Hell- The integral title track shows a somewhat controlled tempo by the band, as they serve us up another one of the infamous beer drinking anthems and its main guitar riff written my Malcolm Young and performed by Angus Young is regarded as one of the most famous riffs ever put down on record. Girls Got Rhythm- The pace picks up immediately on this song and it’s a song that just seems to click in all the right places with its catchy rhythm and a stunning vocal performance by Bon Scott, and it’s another infectious band essential. Walk All Over You- After its sluggish start the song soon emerges into a surprisingly adept piece of melodic hard rock and despite having a number of AC/DC hallmarks throughout, the song has a classic anthemic chorus that would be much copied throughout the 1980s. The song though is superbly superbly highlighted with its contrast of melody and Angus Young’s guitar. Touch Too Much- Slow building, infectious and just so damn cool on the ear, as Bon Scott and the band deliver one of the crowning achievements. Beating Around the Bush- A manic and nifty song, that is a great album filler and a song fit for any great album. Shot Down in Flames- Similar in tempo to the album opener and title track and the song is carefully and carefully placed to start the b-side of the album. Get It Hot- Typical AC/DC album material here and nothing special. If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)- With a live album of the same name (see review) the band surprise us by putting out a song with the same name and it’s a solid track from start to end. Love Hungry Man- A somewhat offbeat track by the band and again they use the chorus style approach of “Walk All Over You” in certain places. Night Prowler- Supposedly based around the exploits of serial killer Richard Ramirez and a song which sees the band put out their most bluesy effort on the whole album. The song also finishes with the well known phrase “Shazbot, Nanu Nanu!”

Verdict
Highway to Hell is the perfect example of how a basic musical premise such as ‘hard rock’ could be taken and then stripped right back to its bearest bones, and then rebuilt to make it not just contemporary for its time but also as a timeless example of a hard rock album that was built to last. Part of the credit here surely goes to the band, but it also goes with Mutt Lange as well, as he painstaikingly delivered one of his production masterpieces with Highway to Hell. The album starts off with the title track “Highway to Hell” and the band sound like that they’ve been doing this sound for years (which of course they had) and the song quickly joins a list of well-known band anthems, but it’s with the second track “Girls Got Rhythm” that things on the album really get moving, due to the song’s catchy and irresistible vibe and it’s one of the best and most infectious songs in the band’s discography. The same could also be said for a “Touch Too Much” another stellar track where the band let it all hang out a la Led Zeppelin. Album substance is provided on stalwart tracks like “Shot Down in Flames” “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” and the album closer “Night Prowler”. But possibly the real unsung brilliance of the album surely comes with its melodic moments, especially on a song like “Walk All Over You” which displays a greater commercial appeal than most of the band’s earlier material, with the inclusion of a melodic and anthemic chorus in a song that still manages to keep its rocking guitar chops. This same infectious melody can also be found on the previously mentioned classics the “Girls Got Rhythm” and a “Touch Too Much” as well. Also the lhe latter album track “Love Hungry Man” sees the band getting somewhat close again to the melodic flow of “Walk All Over You” and the brilliance of these tracks are surely the influence of Mutt Lange. AC/DC as a band have always had their fair share of filler and Highway To Hell for all its brilliance doesn’t escape this trait, and here the filler ranges from being downright good with “Beating Around the Bush” to mediocre on “Get It Hot” but given the overall quality of the album, this filler easily gets sucked in with the good stuff and doesn’t detract from the album experience. Overall Highway to Hell is a hard rock masterpiece that incorporates melody and commercial appeal, without sacrificing the ballbreaking core sound of the band. Whilst Motorhead were giving us a dirty blood and guts experience, AC/DC would give us more straight-up hard drinking material, which would convert into some of the most famous hard rock tracks ever produced and cement Mutt Lange’s name as one of the most revered producers of his time.

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William_the_Bloody

WTF? Highway to Hell is number 2??? What could possibly be better than this pure classic!



I find that there are two types of hard rock fans, so I am really hoping that AC/DC isn't going to get trumped by the Judas here....unless your going to throw down some Floyd???

Unknown Soldier

Despite not really being an AC/DC fan I had still planned to put it in the top spot here, but then I had a final listen of Highway to Hell and the album that was in second spot and found I definitely thought the other album to be even better. BTW it's not Judas Priest as they had no studio release in 1979 and no chance with Floyd as I have kept prog by and large out of the listings.

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Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

William_the_Bloody

Hmmm, your right about the Priest I keep getting a release date mixed up.

I don't want to spoil your number 1, so I have three guesses, one from the UK, one from the USA and one from Germany. Two of the bands have the letter Z in their names.

The Batlord

I'm pretty sure Priest didn't have an album in '79. Their next was British Steel which was released in 1980 I believe.

And I have no idea which would be #1 here either. I figured it would either be AC/DC or Motorhead. Just Googling I see that the Scorpions, UFO, and Triumph all had albums in '79. I'm not particularly familiar with UFO, and I've never listened to Triumph, but if he gives it to the Scorpions then I'm boycotting this thread. Iron Maiden actually released their debut EP that year, but I've never heard it so I don't know its quality, and I don't know if he's counting EPs.

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William_the_Bloody

Your right, I missed that he had already put down Hell Bent for Leather, which I always think is 79 for some reason. I can't get into Priest for some reason, not even British Steel really grabs me. It is strange because I could listen to Sabbath all day, but Priest's songs just don't seem to have... the replay value???

I hope its not The Scorpions either, but wouldn't be surprised if it is, this is a very niche metal head thread which is fine by me, throwing in punk would make things to convoluted.

He's put a lot of effort into the thread, more than I could ever be bothered to do, so I won't boycott, everyone has their own musical taste. When I did my hardcore/punk countdown it was all fun and games until I got to the top 10, than I could see everyone's nose getting out of joint, lol.

Since you threw down your guesses I mind as well give my other two. Zeppelin released their final studio album in 79, far from their best release, so I am going to with some Cheap Sunglasses. ZZ Top's Degüello is my other guest.

Unknown Soldier

Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top and Thin Lizzy are the 'Z's' Lizzy have already been featured, ZZ Top usually appear in the extras section and Zeppelin were well past their best at this stage.

I'm not including EP's and you won't be boycotting anything either!

Remember UK and US release dates sometimes differed and I've used UK release dates most of the time.

As this thread is now starting to get where a lot of people first started listening to this kind of music (early to mid 1980s) more people will therefore be more knowledgeable and critical of certain entries such as me not putting a band like AC/DC in top spot.

The criteria I've used to rate the albums has been a mixture of what I personally like, what is influential, the type of impact the album had when it was released and in the future, its originality, its consistency, the opinions both positive and negative of music critics etc but when in doubt I've gone with my gut feeling which is what I've done for the no.1 spot in 1979, as I believe the album is what this journal's all about.

You say you can't get into Priest, the album that's the killer from them is Stained Class and songs like this should put hairs on your chest.

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Metal Wars

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Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History

Unknown Soldier

Overview
With their previous album Taken By Force (see review) the Scorpions had gone full circle musically and in the process had released their best and most accomplished album to date. The band had also established themselves as the premier metal band from the European scene and in the process had proven themselves to be one of the tightest and best quintets around. But with superstardom now surely within their grasp, their pivotal guitar maestro Uli Roth would surprisingly pack his guitar and leave the band! Uli Roth’s decision to leave came after their previous ‘Japanese tour’ (see Tokyo Tapes review) as he didn’t much care for the overtly commercial direction that the band were now heading into. He would therefore go onto form his own band, which were the less than impressive neo-classical outfit Electric Sun (well he was your typical German peace loving hippie from the 1960s and 1970s!) His replacement came in the form of the more contemporary sounding Matthias Jabs, after the band had amazingly auditioned around 140 guitarists for the vacant slot in the band, before Matthias Jabs was finally handed the plum role. His position in the band though was far from initially secure, as original guitarist and the now famous Michael Schenker having been recently ousted at UFO, came back to the band to play on the Lovedrive recordings and in the process giving the band three guitarists around this time. After the recordings for the Lovedrive album, Michael Schenker would actually stay on and Matthias Jabs’ short tenure with the band seemed up. But then on their 1979 tour Michael Schenker’s persistent alcohol addiction found him unable to play properly on that tour and after being kicked out of UFO, was now given the boot by his former brothers in the Scorpions, which in turn now left the door open for the quick return of Matthias Jabs, he would now permanently remain with the band. There was no change though in the production department, as German producer Dieter Dierks who had just about seemingly recorded with almost every German artist in existence by 1979, would still be on board to produce his fourth album with the band and Lovedrive would surely be his finest credit to date. Also I’ve previously remarked at just how great and provocative the Scorpions’ album covers usually were and Lovedrive is no exception to that rule, as it perfectly captures the euro decadence of the of the well-to-do in the back of a chauffeur driven vehicle and with some gum added in for good measure, making the album as good as it looks!

Klaus Meine- Vocals
Matthias Jabs- Guitar
Rudolf Schenker- Rhythm
Francis Buchholz- Bass
Hermann Rarebell- Drums

Production- Dieter Dierks

Album
Loving You Sunday Morning- With its almost trademark sluggish opening riff, the song is a monster rocker and a vital component in the Scorpions cannon, all in all the song is simply 5 plus minutes of pure rock bliss and Matthias Jabs doesn’t miss a note! Another Piece of Meat- The heaviness remains here, but we now have a major change in song tempo and it’s one of the fastest songs that the band ever put out, where the band perfectly capture the pure energy from the metallic feel of the track and the track itself is simply blistering in intensity! Always Somewhere- The album’s principal ballad and the perfect example of the Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine writing partnership that would start to flower here and provide the backbone for the band over the ensuing years. Coast to Coast- Just when you think things can’t get any better, the band gives us their fourth killer track on the album in this pounding mother of an instrumental track and a song that is still an instrumental staple of their concerts. Can’t Get Enough- A return to the speed of “Another Piece of Meat” here and a song that probably would’ve worked better further down on the b-side, due to its largely later album style vibe. Is There Anybody There?- With its almost reggae style beat, the song comes across as a nice variation on the album and it earns its merits with its catchy chorus and a surprising highlight. Lovedrive- The title track delivers where it matters and combines the metal and melody of the band in perfect unison, on one of the band’s best known tracks and some essential guitar work. Holiday- Much like UFO before them, the band hit us with this slow burning ballad style closer of a track and it’s usually regarded as another band essential.

Verdict
By the time of Lovedrive the Scorpions had already trawled through five studio albums and had gone full circle musically, and now saw that a change was needed. Their earlier albums had largely played ball to the band’s own self-indulgences and had robbed them of a somewhat early lead in the music stakes, but over a series of albums they had slowly corrected this fault. The next step in their process came with the borrowing of Michael Schenker and the arrival of a more commercially dedicated guitarist in Matthias Jabs. So by the time of Lovedrive the band had completely refocused on the type of album that they wanted to put out and Matthias Jabs’ arrival would cement this focus a la Eddie Van Halen. The focus would be on putting out a metal album with a strong commercial angle, but without sacrificing the essential heaviness of the album. Lovedrive captures this to perfection and is littered with heavy stunners like the album opener “Loving You Sunday Morning” where the song comes across like a wild beast that’s luckily been kept on its chain. Then there is the all out pounding speed metal of “Another Piece of Meat” another album essential, where the band perfectly harness everything that is great about metal in a simply blistering fashion. This song is later mirrored by the b-side opener “Can’t Get Enough” which despite not being as accomplished as the previous song, still has its killer moments. The heaviness then continues on the instrumental “Coast to Coast” which actually sounds like an early version of what would become “Rock You Like a Hurricane” a few years later. The title track “Lovedrive” perfectly captures the commercial metal spirit of the album as a whole and sums up the true direction of the band. Then there is the beauty of the ballad “Always Somewhere” and it’s the type of ballad that the Scorpions would replicate to even greater commercial success in the 1980s, but the hidden surprise of the album comes in the reggae inspired “Is There Anybody There?” a true delight. Despite the musical variation on offer here, steady balladry though remains the key for the band and that returns on the nostalgic album closer “Holiday”. Lovedrive is quite simply a rollarcoaster of an album that lets everything in the Scorpions’ locker hang out and that includes the melancholic vocals of Klaus Meine, stunning guitar licks by Jabs and the Schenkers, the blending of powerful rock that is spliced with epic balladry and then all wrapped up in a metal coating! If I had to say just how good and inspirational Lovedrive as an album actually is, I’d pit it as one of the best albums that I’ve reviewed on here to date, because in just 37 glorious minutes the band don’t miss a heartbeat and deliver their masterpiece.

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Metal Wars

Power Metal

Pounding Decibels- A Hard and Heavy History