I am not saying this lightly. The best AC/DC records, are (in this order) 1. Let There Be Rock. 2. Powerage. 3. Back in Black.
This record is a reverential hymn to the glorious majesty of rock. Itās perfect. Itās an improvement on TNT. The best song on it is one theyāve never played live and never will.
Phil Rudd was the drummer on this one and basically from here on out. People who criticize Phil Rudd call his playing simplistic and uninspired. One: fuck them. Two: try to play the drum track for āLet There Be Rockā. Six Minutes at 120-130 BPM. Donāt speed up, donāt slow down, and donāt miss. Play six perfect minutes. Good luck. Ok, now play those six perfect minutes 2/3 of the way through a 2 hour live show. Phil Rudd is the Ringo Starr of hard rock. You could set an atomic clock to that guyās timing. And he plays with a groove.
The standouts are the title track and āWhole Lotta Rosieā. They played āRosie live on Aussie TV from some gymnasium venue. On National TV, Bonny announced the song as, āThis is a song about the time I had a great big fat chick from Tasmania.ā
But those standouts arenāt my picks.
āBad Boy Boogieā is Angusās signature song. Live versions sometimes reach up to 20 minutes. Lots of solos, and Angus famously used the song as an opportunity to do a slow dance strip tease, ending with him pulling his shorts down to reveal a pair of boxer briefs emblazoned with the flag of the country they were playing in at the time. When Angus dies, the Bad Boy Boogie covers are gonna be done by the bands that loved his music best.
The opening track, āGo Downā, is a barroom stomp. And the lyrics are Bonnyās enduring love letter to his favorite sexual activity - getting his pole smoked. The album opener is a barroom stomp about getting head. Fuck yes do I love AC/DC.
And my pick for the best track on the album, and my favorite AC/DC track EVER is a B-Side that they never played live. AC/DCās mission statement, as musicians, is to make riffs that sound simple and then beat those chords into your soul. Thatās āOverdoseā. Itās 3 fucking chords and it makes me bop my head and stomp my feet like a man possessed.