Powerage
Encyclopedia
Powerage is the fifth studio album
by Australia
n hard rock
band AC/DC
, released in May 1978. It is also AC/DC's fourth international studio album. All songs were written by Angus Young
, Malcolm Young
and Bon Scott
.
It was originally released on Atlantic Records
, and reached #133 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart in the US, eventually going platinum there. Powerage was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC remasters series.
LP album
s in 1987, the first reissue of a set first released in 1981. The first UK pressing also includes different mixes than all later versions, most markedly on "Down Payment Blues" (which excludes the bluesy coda heard on later pressings) and "What's Next to the Moon," which omits solos and backing vocals heard on later pressings. Within the 1987 box set, the song was packaged on a single sided 12-inch single
. In some territories, Powerage omitted "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation
". This was due to a rushed job in getting the LP to pressing plants in time for the release date, hence "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" (which was not yet completed) was omitted, "Cold Hearted Man" was added, and the rushed mixes are different than the 'finished' mixes that were thereafter used.
It was the band's last Bon Scott-era studio release to feature production work by Harry Vanda
and George Young.
Powerage marked the studio debut of bassist
Cliff Williams
. Former bassist Mark Evans
says that the album also has bass by him, as the Powerage songs started being done during the recording of his last album Let There Be Rock
, and producer George Young, while Williams was having trouble on getting his work visa.
considers Powerage "AC/DC’s best album, (...) because it isn’t simply about sex, drinking and tongue-in-cheek Satanism", but shows a band "growing up".
Kerrang!
magazine listed the album at No. 26 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".
named the album his favourite of all time, and commented on how "'Sin City' epitomized what Bon Scott loved to do." Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
has also stated that Powerage is his favourite AC/DC
record. "Up to My Neck in You", "Riff Raff" and "What's Next to the Moon" was covered by Mark Kozelek
on his solo album What's Next to the Moon
.
"Riff Raff" is frequently played on Guns N' Roses
/Velvet Revolver
guitarist Slash
's iheartradio
channel, "Slash FM", citing it as one of his favourite AC/DC songs. "Riff Raff" is covered by Guns N' Roses
on their current Chinese Democracy World Tour. This song was also covered by the Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator
on their 1996 album Refresh the Demon
. The main riff for "Riff Raff" is often used as a soundcheck for Melvins guitar player Buzz Osbourne before live Melvins performances, as heard on the DVD Salad of a Thousand Delights
.
"Sin City" was covered by the '80s heavy metal band Twisted Sister
, on their album Twisted Forever
, in which Dee Snider
changes a lyric: "Ain't got a hope in hell, that's Bon Scott's belief". The song has also been covered by the punk rock
band The Offspring
, Great White
, Ugly Kid Joe
and heavy metal stalwart, Bruce Dickinson
. "Down Payment Blues" served as the theme song for comedian Marc Maron
's 'WTF' podcast in 2009. "Sin City" is Aerosmith
guitarist Joe Perry
's favourite AC/DC
song.
"Gone Shootin'" was featured in the movie Beavis and Butt-head Do America
. In the audio commentary featured on the Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Special Collector's Edition DVD, series creator Mike Judge
stated that the main guitar riff from "Gone Shootin'" was the basis for the series' theme song. In 2007, a studio version of the song, with Brian Johnson
on vocals, was included on the second disc of Plug Me In
. The footage was taken from a recording session in 1996 at London's VH1 Studios.
"Kicked in the Teeth" was covered by Nashville Pussy
on their album Eat More Pussy and also available on the bonus CD of Let Them Eat Pussy
.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, released in May 1978. It is also AC/DC's fourth international studio album. All songs were written by Angus Young
Angus Young
Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...
, Malcolm Young
Malcolm Young
Malcolm Young is a Scottish-born Australian guitarist, best known as a founding member, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Young was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, along with the other members of AC/DC...
and Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
.
It was originally released on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, and reached #133 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart in the US, eventually going platinum there. Powerage was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC remasters series.
Overview
Powerage is the first AC/DC album to be released nearly simultaneously in both Australian and international markets, and the first to use just one cover image for both. It was also the first to feature the same track listing on all versions, with the exception of the European vinyl edition (specifically, the first UK pressing of the LP). This version included "Cold Hearted Man", a song that was not previously released, and would not be released on any other AC/DC album until 2009's AC/DC Backtracks box set, but which became more widely available through the box set of Bon Scott-era vinylGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
LP album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s in 1987, the first reissue of a set first released in 1981. The first UK pressing also includes different mixes than all later versions, most markedly on "Down Payment Blues" (which excludes the bluesy coda heard on later pressings) and "What's Next to the Moon," which omits solos and backing vocals heard on later pressings. Within the 1987 box set, the song was packaged on a single sided 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
. In some territories, Powerage omitted "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation
Rock 'n' Roll Damnation
"Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" is a single by the Australian rock band AC/DC, and the first track on their Powerage album, released in 1978. Written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott, it was played live by the band during the Powerage tour, and was also played live during the 2003 world tour,...
". This was due to a rushed job in getting the LP to pressing plants in time for the release date, hence "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" (which was not yet completed) was omitted, "Cold Hearted Man" was added, and the rushed mixes are different than the 'finished' mixes that were thereafter used.
It was the band's last Bon Scott-era studio release to feature production work by Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda
Harry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
and George Young.
Powerage marked the studio debut of bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Cliff Williams
Cliff Williams
Clifford Williams is an English bassist and backing vocalist, who has been a member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC since mid-1977. He had started his professional music career in 1967 and was previously in the British groups Home and Bandit. His first studio album with AC/DC was Powerage...
. Former bassist Mark Evans
Mark Evans (musician)
Mark Whitmore Evans is an Australian bass guitarist who was an early member of hard rock band AC/DC from March 1975 to June 1977. His playing featured on their albums T.N.T, High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock and 74 Jailbreak...
says that the album also has bass by him, as the Powerage songs started being done during the recording of his last album Let There Be Rock
Let There Be Rock
Let There Be Rock is the fourth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in March 1977. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott.It was originally released in Australia on Albert Productions...
, and producer George Young, while Williams was having trouble on getting his work visa.
Reception
Allmusic gave Powerage a rating of three and a half out of five stars, and said that while "it is the most uneven of" AC/DC's 1970s material, the album still contained a "few genuine classics", specifically mentioning "Down Payment Blues" and "Up to My Neck in You". Edwin Faust of Stylus MagazineStylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
considers Powerage "AC/DC’s best album, (...) because it isn’t simply about sex, drinking and tongue-in-cheek Satanism", but shows a band "growing up".
Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine listed the album at No. 26 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".
Cover versions & Legacy
Don Jamieson from That Metal ShowThat Metal Show
That Metal Show is a talk show hosted by Eddie Trunk with co-hosts Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. It premiered on VH1 Classic on November 15, 2008. New episodes air on VH1 Classic on Saturday nights and are rebroadcast throughout the week....
named the album his favourite of all time, and commented on how "'Sin City' epitomized what Bon Scott loved to do." Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
has also stated that Powerage is his favourite AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
record. "Up to My Neck in You", "Riff Raff" and "What's Next to the Moon" was covered by Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek
Mark Kozelek is an American singer/songwriter Producer and frontman of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters.-History:...
on his solo album What's Next to the Moon
What's Next to the Moon (album)
What's Next to the Moon is a solo album by Mark Kozelek, released on January 10, 2001. The album is composed entirely of drastically rearranged acoustic covers of Bon Scott-era AC/DC songs...
.
"Riff Raff" is frequently played on Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
/Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
guitarist Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
's iheartradio
Iheartradio
iHeartRadio is a Clear Channel Radio network to aggregate local radio brands, personalities and on-demand content. It is best known as a mobile application...
channel, "Slash FM", citing it as one of his favourite AC/DC songs. "Riff Raff" is covered by Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
on their current Chinese Democracy World Tour. This song was also covered by the Canadian heavy metal band Annihilator
Annihilator (band)
Annihilator is a Canadian heavy metal band hailing from Ottawa, Ontario, also from Vancouver, British Columbia between 1987-2002 by founding member, vocalist, guitarist and bassist Jeff Waters. The band has been around since 1984 and is the biggest selling heavy metal artist from Canada in history,...
on their 1996 album Refresh the Demon
Refresh the Demon
Refresh the Demon is the fifth album by the band Annihilator. It was released in 1996 .-Track listing:-Personnel:*Jeff Waters - Vocals, Guitars, Bass*Randy Black - Drums*Dave Davis - Guitar...
. The main riff for "Riff Raff" is often used as a soundcheck for Melvins guitar player Buzz Osbourne before live Melvins performances, as heard on the DVD Salad of a Thousand Delights
Salad of a Thousand Delights
Salad of a Thousand Delights is a home video by the Melvins, which was released in 1992 through Box Dog Video. Recorded live at the North Shore Surf Club, Olympia, Washington, May 16, 1991...
.
"Sin City" was covered by the '80s heavy metal band Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
, on their album Twisted Forever
Twisted Forever
Twisted Forever – A Tribute to the Legendary Twisted Sister is a tribute album to Twisted Sister, released in 2001. Release of the album was on both CD, and a collector's edition released on double pink vinyl records.-Track listing / Artist :...
, in which Dee Snider
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
changes a lyric: "Ain't got a hope in hell, that's Bon Scott's belief". The song has also been covered by the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
, Great White
Great White
Great White is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1978. The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy"...
, Ugly Kid Joe
Ugly Kid Joe
Ugly Kid Joe is an American hard rock band from Isla Vista, California. The band's name spoofs that of another band, Pretty Boy Floyd. Ugly Kid Joe's sound includes a range of styles, including rock, glam metal, hard rock and heavy metal....
and heavy metal stalwart, Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
. "Down Payment Blues" served as the theme song for comedian Marc Maron
Marc Maron
Marc Maron is an American stand-up comedian and podcast host.He has been host of The Marc Maron Show, and co-host of both Morning Sedition, and Breakroom Live, all politically-oriented shows, produced under the auspices of Air America Media. He was also the host of Comedy Central's Short Attention...
's 'WTF' podcast in 2009. "Sin City" is Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
guitarist Joe Perry
Joe Perry (musician)
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
's favourite AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
song.
"Gone Shootin'" was featured in the movie Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America is a 1996 animated feature film, based on the TV series, Beavis and Butt-Head. It was produced by Paramount Pictures in association with Geffen Pictures and MTV Films, and co-written and directed by creator Mike Judge. The film grossed $20.11 million in its opening...
. In the audio commentary featured on the Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
Beavis and Butt-head Do America is a 1996 animated feature film, based on the TV series, Beavis and Butt-Head. It was produced by Paramount Pictures in association with Geffen Pictures and MTV Films, and co-written and directed by creator Mike Judge. The film grossed $20.11 million in its opening...
Special Collector's Edition DVD, series creator Mike Judge
Mike Judge
Michael Craig Judge is an American animator, film director, writer and voice actor, best known as the creator and star of the animated television series Beavis and Butt-head , King of the Hill , and The Goode Family .He also wrote, directed and in some instances produced the films Beavis and...
stated that the main guitar riff from "Gone Shootin'" was the basis for the series' theme song. In 2007, a studio version of the song, with Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson is an English singer and lyricist who has been the lead singer for the rock band AC/DC since 1980. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 along with the other members of the band....
on vocals, was included on the second disc of Plug Me In
Plug Me In
Plug Me In is a DVD box set released on 16 October 2007 by AC/DC. It includes rare performances of the band. The standard set contains one disc of performances from the Bon Scott era and one from the Brian Johnson era. The three disc set includes Between the Cracks, featuring performances from both...
. The footage was taken from a recording session in 1996 at London's VH1 Studios.
"Kicked in the Teeth" was covered by Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their musical style mixes boogie rock, Southern metal and psychobilly. Much of the band's lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, and rock 'n' roll...
on their album Eat More Pussy and also available on the bonus CD of Let Them Eat Pussy
Let Them Eat Pussy
Let Them Eat Pussy is the major label debut album by American rock'n'roll group Nashville Pussy, released On February 24, 1998. The album helped to create a fanbase for the band, and the song "Fried Chicken And Coffee" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Metal Performance...
.
Australian/US and all CD releases
- Some cassette copies, such as the original Canadian issue, had an alternate track listing. For example, "Sin City" was the first song on side 1, while "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" was the first song on side 2. All other tracks appear in the order of the original Australian/US release.
European LP release
- Initial editions of the European (UK) LP release featured a different mix of the album. It had a 'harder' sound than the later version, with small variations in vocals, guitar tracks, or both, and occasionally extra sections and longer or shorter fades. Some versions omitted "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" from the track-list, but all included "Cold Hearted Man", albeit in a different sequence than on subsequent pressings. One of the most marked differences is the exclusion of the bluesy coda on "Down Payment Blues". The first cassette issue of the album also features this mix.
- The album was later remixed for the American market, with the new mix replacing the original European mix, and becoming the global standard. This mix is still used on all AC/DC Powerage CD releases today.
Personnel
- Bon ScottBon ScottRonald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
– lead vocals - Angus YoungAngus YoungAngus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Malcolm YoungMalcolm YoungMalcolm Young is a Scottish-born Australian guitarist, best known as a founding member, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Young was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, along with the other members of AC/DC...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, backing vocals - Cliff WilliamsCliff WilliamsClifford Williams is an English bassist and backing vocalist, who has been a member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC since mid-1977. He had started his professional music career in 1967 and was previously in the British groups Home and Bandit. His first studio album with AC/DC was Powerage...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Phil RuddPhil RuddPhillip Hugh Norman Rudd is an Australian drummer. He is best known for his membership of rock band AC/DC from 1975 until 1983, and again from 1994 to present. After the 1977 departure of bass guitarist Mark Evans, he became the only Australian-born member of the band...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Producers: Harry VandaHarry VandaHarry Vanda , is a Dutch-born Australian popular music singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:...
, George Young - Engineer: Mark OpitzMark OpitzMark Opitz, started his career with ABC TV in Sydney in the 1970’s and has since gone on to work with many of the great Australian musicians that have graced both the Australian and international music charts for the past 25 years....
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Australian Kent Music Report Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... Albums Chart |
|
| 1978 | US Billboard The 200 Albums Chart |
Certification
| Country | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,000,000 | Platinum |