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Highway to Hell

AC/DC

1979

Highway to Hell

Album Summary

Highway to Hell is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It was the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who would die early the following year on 19 February 1980.

Wikipedia

Rating

3.66

Votes

18697

Genres

  • Hard Rock

Reviews

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Sep 22 2021
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4

AC/DC is like a delicious plain chocolate ice cream. Every bite is going to be basically the same, but you aren't gonna be all that mad about it.

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Feb 26 2021
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5

Touch too much is ACDCs best song and I’ll fight anyone that says differently

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Mar 16 2021
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2

Popped the first song on out of respect for the project but as the second started I remembered that all AC/DC songs sound the same and are average at best.

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Jun 11 2021
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4

unclear if the album would be better if it were just "Highway to Hell" 10 times. definitely prefer Back in Black over this one. 4/5

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Jul 15 2021
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5

Man, listen. When I was learning how to play guitar in high school, it was all classic rock for me, and I’ll never forget when we hooked up Dad’s turntable and I put this on for the first time. I instantly fell in love with this album. So many killer riffs, some great, memorable (and easy) lyrics. It’s pure rock, plain and simple. And there are even a couple songs on here to deflect the claim that every AC/DC song sounds the same (I’m thinking “Walk All Over You” and “Night Prowler”). Of course, a lot of it does sound the same, and if you don’t like that sound, this probably won’t work for you. But if you do, this is undeniably one of AC/DC’s best. The last album with Bon Scott, which was followed THE NEXT YEAR with Back in Black. Talk about a one-two punch. This is a certified classic for me, and one I just recently picked up on vinyl. I’m writing this review in bed before I even get up to listen to the album. I feel electrified. Favorite tracks: Every track really, but Highway to Hell, Night Prowler, Love Hungry Man, Touch Too Much, Beating Around the Bush. Album cover: Iconic. Stone cold classic. Bloody legendary. I have a poster of this stashed under my bed. Angus with the devil horns and tail to distract from the fact that Bon Scott is wearing a pentagram. Guy in the middle with the “fluoride stare.” Rock and roll is most certainly the devil’s music. Nobody talk to me. 5/5

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Jul 17 2023
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5

5 I’m going to try to avoid echoing what I think my Dad’s review will sound like as much as I can here, but I do have to validate one thing that I know he’ll say - that being, AC/DC with Bon Scott is true AC/DC, and there wasn’t a bad album released by the group while he was a part of it. Meanwhile, Back in Black is kinda meh and everything after that mostly sucks. I don’t have anything outright against Brian Johnson, but I don’t really care for his vocals, and more importantly, the sound of the group as a whole changed with his involvement - the heavy, raw AC/DC sound that we know and love came to an end with this album, and Back in Black ushered in a new era of overproduced, polished radio rock music. Anyway, that’s my segue to Highway to Hell - it’s probably the group’s best, though as I said before, you really can’t go wrong with any Bon Scott AC/DC album. Either way, what a note to go out on. I know a lot of people accuse every AC/DC song of sounding the same, and I can admit a lot of them do have a similar sound. If you don’t like one song on this album, you’re most likely not going to enjoy the rest, but if you do enjoy the sound of one song, there’s a good chance you’re going to enjoy the bulk of this album. For me in particular, it would be really hard to pick a favorite, though I can probably point to the title track Highway to Hell as probably being my least (most likely due to it being overplayed). However, I will say Girls Got Rhythm, Touch Too Much, and Shot Down in Flames are highlights - though nothing here is bad. I know I normally make fun of cock rock bands for their macho, oversexualized lyrics, but AC/DC somehow is able to do so in a way that just feels naturally cool. I think it helps that they seem to have a degree of self-awareness and humor in their music, and hell, even a dose of humility with Shot Down in Flames. How often do you hear a rock track literally being about striking out with women? I also really like the closer Night Prowler, which involves a really cool buildup of the music that sends the album off on a high note. It’s admittedly a little creepy (and more so in hindsight because of the whole Richard Ramirez thing), but I think its intentions are mostly grounded. Also, I always thought it was kind of funny that Bon Scott’s last words on an album are “Shazbot. Nanu nanu.” I probably haven’t listened to this album all the way through since high school, but as I was doing so for this review, I realized I have just about every song here saved to a master Spotify playlist. So, while I really didn’t set out to give this a 5, I think I’d be lying if I didn’t put it there - this is a truly enjoyable album that has played a big part in my life and musical development. I realize rating this higher than Zeppelin IV is probably insane and deserving of getting my music nerd card taken away, and yes, I’m aware that that album is objectionably better from probably a number of perspectives, but at the end of the day, I have fonder memories of AC/DC and find myself coming back to them a bit more. So, we’re gonna pull the trigger on the 5 - Hell ain’t a bad place to be after all. Sorry I missed the cover band, Dad!

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Nov 17 2020
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5

Classic album. Great send-off for Bon

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Apr 25 2021
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2

Other than the title song, the music’s rather mundane

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Mar 31 2021
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5

i shouldn't have to comment on this album. i've been regularly listening to it for 40 years. it's amazing.

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Jan 14 2021
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5

One of the best blues based rock albums ever made.

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Jan 19 2021
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5

I mean, it's Highway to Hell. It's good, classic rock. Enjoy it.

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May 23 2023
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4

If You Want Songs About Fucking That Are Barely Couched In Metaphor (You’ve Got It).

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Nov 25 2023
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2

The most vanilla "hard rock" ever. Definitely the saltine cracker of rock. And people love this shit. Sure the songs are catchy but they're boring to me. I just don't get it.

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Jun 15 2022
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2

While the music is pretty dull and doofy, this is lyrical poetry of the highest order, no? She had the face of an angel Smiling with sin A body of Venus with arms Dealing with danger Stroking my skin Let the thunder and lightening start It wasn't the first It wasn't the last It wasn't that she didn't care She wanted it hard And wanted it fast She liked it done medium rare I mean, these guys must be scholars of the pre-Renaissance Italian troubadours of the 12th-century – the golden age of the sestina (which “Touch Too Much” clearly is, with only the slightest modernizing modifications) – to write such refined verse.

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Dec 11 2020
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5

This thing kicks so much ass. Just a blood pumping, testosterone fest. A lot of the tracks sound the same, but I don’t even care. It is an adrenaline ride

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Oct 05 2023
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3

Music that everyone’s dad listens to.

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Jun 22 2022
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5

🟦 98 🥇 Highway to Hell 🥈 Night Prowler 🥉 Girls Got Rhythm

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Mar 05 2021
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5

Their best album imo, Bon's best work and one the truly great rock albums of all time.

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Feb 19 2021
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5

lol I almost shouldn't listen, I've heard this album a kazillion times. I'll admit I prefer their 80s stuff but this is my fav of the Bon era. A lot more oomph than the albums before it, and imo where sooo many 80s metal bands got their ideas... and Airbourne too haha. 5/5.

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May 30 2023
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4

Good album, doesn't feel like there are any low points.

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Apr 23 2021
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4

Good album however none of the songs really really stands out which prevents it from getting a 5

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May 13 2022
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3

this is a good album but i literally don’t care

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Mar 19 2024
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1

What an uninteresting, boring, waste of time. The songs on this album sound like 1) a knock off of the song highway to hell, 2) a car commercial, and/or 3) a diary excerpt of a very horny gremlin. The average guitar solos are NOT enough to redeem this album. Not a good listen. 1/5

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Jun 09 2025
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5

Legend has it that the 'A' on Angus Young's schoolboy uniform cap stands not for 'Angus" or 'AC/DC', but for 'Ashfield Boys High', Malcolm and Angus' high school, and the original uniform that they borrowed for Angus to wear on stage. My sons all went to Ashfield Boys, and the uniform includes a baseball cap with a prominent 'A" (https://www.lowes.com.au/schools-online/ashfield-boys-high-school/black-cap-sco-29963) in homage. Angus Young always referred to AC/DC as "my brother's band", and that is true to the soul of what is going on here. Angus and Bon Scott are charismatic front men, but the backbone of AC/DC is the rhythm section, clearly led by Malcolm Young. It's all in the rhythm guitar. New producer Mutt Lange cleverly provides polish and punch to AC/DCs sound (which was pretty well defined by this point in their career) without adding too much filigree (beyond a blokey backing chorus) or distracting from the tight power and feel of the band. This is simple rock and roll, and you can easily dilute the power by gussying it too much, and Lange avoids that. He could clearly see that AC/DC knew what they were doing and were hungry to achieve success. They were putting int he work, on the road and in the studio. It's not rocket science, it's not poetry, but it rocks. It rocks hard. It's a simple formula, but it works. They have resisted the urge to muck around with the formula, and it has been really successful for them. It's hard to go wrong with AC/DC albums (because they don't change much), but I reckon this is pretty good example of their core mission. It's got a bunch strong songs on it (title track, If You Want Blood, Walk All Over You, Girls Got Rhythm, Night Prowler), and not a lot of duds (although Angus doesn't like Love Hungry Man, apparently). Footnote; Bon Scott is at the height of his powers here, and his unfortunate accidental demise shortly after this album's release is one of rock's great tragedies. I am uncomfortable with the way that Bon has become a legend of "hard livin'"; it is wrong to celebrate the man's loss as some kind of symbolic martyrdom to rock and roll. I don't think Bon wanted to die. I don't enjoy the way that legend of some records are inevitably caught up in the suffering of the artists involved. It's a form of trauma porn.

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Mar 03 2025
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5

Ein Klassiker wie ein guter Wein. Mit jedem Jahr noch besser.

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Feb 19 2025
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5

An all timer. I didn't need to listen to this but I did it anyway. Bon Scott was one of a kind and music became a little less entertaining when he died. Long live AC/DC. 5 Star classic all day

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Feb 19 2025
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5

Absolutely legendary band and this album is one of their best. Having seen AC/DC live several times, I still get goosebumps when the opening chords to H2H begin. Shot Down In Flames is another personal favourite of mine. Bon Scott’s lyrics were just superb!

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Feb 17 2025
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5

No notes necessary. I've been diggin' this for decades.

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Feb 17 2025
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5

Not sure whether I am listening to this one with my ears or with my heart. Nostalgia mixed with sadness fills my heart. What great guitar riffs. I still love the voice...as if the throat muscles were as brawny as biceps. Love this.

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Feb 15 2025
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5

The argument against AC/DC is all their songs sound the same, but the formula works, this record is back to back hard hitting rock songs, it's just fun to listen to.

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Feb 13 2025
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5

\m/ Bon Scott's finest hour! \m/

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Feb 09 2025
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5

As with a lot of people, I'm familiar with AC/DC hits but I don't think I'd ever listened to an album other thab maybe Back In Black. Another review said they thought Touch Too Much was theur favourite song. I'd not heard it before but found myself whistling along and even air drumming on a first listen. As a band they obviously have a distinct sound, but unlike others where that can feel repetitive, AC/DC feel like they've explored every edge of their style to produce so many high quality songs. Another album I'd describe as a lot of fun and easy to get into.

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Jul 05 2021
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5

Sólo por la canción de Highway to Hell se merece un 5...

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Apr 23 2021
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5

One of the top 10 greatest rock albums ever. Pure rock. No BS.

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Jan 26 2021
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5

My friends are gonna be there too...

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Jul 02 2021
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5

Discazo. Aunque de cierto modo sucede algo como con Motörhead, en donde hay una fórmula que aplican a lo largo de toda su carrera, AC/DC tiene la ventaja de tener más variación dentro de esa misma fórmula y hacer algo como este disco, con canciones como Highway To Hell, perfectamente apegada a la estructura que siempre usan o Love Hungry Man que está bastante fuera del esquema y deja lucir al bajo con un ritmo que casi tiene funk. Más puntos por pensar que este es su sexto disco, pero en los 5 anteriores se pueden encontrar muchas joyas, y que los que le siguen (ya incluso con otro vocal) están también llenos de cosas buenas.

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Jan 03 2025
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4

This is not as good as Back in Black, though there aren't many hard rock albums that are as good as Back in Black. I always thought the association of Night Prowler with Richard Ramirez, as if AC/DC had anything to do with his crimes by inspiring him, was tenuous. Not sure if psychopaths need inspiration and attributing music that is otherwise normal to a serial killer's intentions seems like a foolhardy task. Highway to Hell Girls Got Rhythm Touch Too Much Shot Down in Flames If You Want Blood (You've Got It) Night Prowler 6 great songs on this album and it's the peak of the Bon Scott era with the band. I recognize this is presumptuous, but I would bet this album would have been the peak of the Bon Scott era no matter whether he lived to make more albums or not. There is a certain bluesy feel to this album that is welcome but the Brian Johnson era of AC/DC felt like an invigoration for a band whose music all can sound similar. Not a perfect album but a great listen for those who want to know what pre-Brian Johnson AC/DC sounded like.

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Oct 26 2024
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4

No. 272/1001 …Highway To Hell 5/5 Girls Got Rythm 4/5 Walk All Over You 4/5 Touch Too Much 4/5 Beating Around The Bush 4/5 Shot Down in Flames 4/5 Get it Hot 4/5 If You Want Blood 4/5 Love Hungry Man 4/5 Night Prowler 4/5 Average: 4,1 Just an all-around great rock album. There's not a lot of diversity, but all the songs just slap.

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Apr 09 2025
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3

A quintessential “classic rock” album where you really get what you sign up for. The songs sound kind of repetitive but if you’re looking for the nostalgic “rock” of the era, it’s a good listen, beginning to end. Especially because there aren’t really rock bands with a sound like this anymore in mainstream music. Walk All Over You, Touch Too Much, If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) were certainly my favs, and of course, Highway To Hell, which will always be a certified banger. For me this is more of what I would call an “activity album” for working out, running, walking, or commuting.

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Mar 18 2025
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3

AC/DC are one of those bands that a lot of people know their big hits but don't know their albums. Fans of the group would argue they're missing out, but are we really? This is not a bad album per se, but the band is not beating the "every song sounds the same" allegations. Key tracks: Highway to Hell

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Dec 12 2024
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3

Nothing really stood out to me other than the vocals, the pure pomposity of rock-and-roll, the catchy tunes, and the guitar.

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Jun 29 2024
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3

My conscious knowledge of this band boils down to this album's title track and Hell's Bells and hitting Play, I expected an affirmation that I don't need to know anything else. I stand corrected. I did have some proper fun realizing how AC/DC is stunningly good at what AC/DC is doing. But ultimately, beyond my appreciation for them being that, it's still not quite for me.

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May 17 2024
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3

Turns out I didn't hate AC/DC, I just hated Highway to Hell.

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Jul 28 2022
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3

Very solid rock. Should be played as loud as possible, the chien would say.

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Mar 20 2025
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2

This album is like road hypnosis. You got through the whole album but like, you don't remember anything on your way through to the end except the parts that sound familiar through radio osmosis I never really listened to ac/dc outside of what have heard from classic rock stations, but also yes I have because all of this sounds exactly the same as that.

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Apr 09 2024
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2

The album should be retitled Highway to Hell and a waste of time.

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Mar 28 2023
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2

I listened to this album whilst barreling down a literal highway, and while my destination wasn't “Hell,” it might as well have been.

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Jun 11 2025
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5

This is the 136th album I’m rating. I had a different project before this one but I messed up my settings so I had to make a new one, and the album was this. Adding to my Playlist - Highway to Hell, Girls got Rhythm, Walk All Over You, Touch too Much, Beating Around the Bush, Shot Down in Flames, Get it Hot, If You Want Blood, Love Hungry Man, and Night Prowler. Not Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. Highway to Hell - A classic rock song that never gets old that I guess I forgot to add. All in all I liked 10/10 songs. AC/DC is really really good. Others bands like Led Zeppelin disappointed after learning that they're really just singles bands but AC/DC is good all the way through.

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Jun 09 2025
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5

This is more like it. Now, the big criticism can be summed up in this apocryphal story of a reporter asking Angus young how he responded to criticism they’d done the same album 13 times. Angus bristles and says ‘we’ve done 14 albums. ' And while that is not unfair, it doesn’t really grasp that that is what makes ac/dc great. An incredible consistency over 50 years. The band rocks. And rolls. Angus is one of the great rock guitarists. Malcolm is the metronome. As great as Phil Rudd is, ac/dc, like the Who and Metallica is driven, not by the drums, but by the rhythm guitar. Cliff young can’t be described as flashy, but solid. And Bon. He could scream, he could growl, he could plead. He could sing, man. All ac dc albums are 50 billion stars. Some are better than others. I’d have dirty deeds on this list rather than this one, because dirty deeds and jailbreak should be the national anthem and national song. I think it was Australian band frenzal rhomb who said we’d drink paint for acca Dacca. Fair dinkum we would. Here’s some more of my thoughts https://www.toppermost.co.uk/acdc/

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Jun 06 2025
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5

Nice album, full of popular song

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Jun 05 2025
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5

qué bandón che, ya no las hacen asi

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Jun 04 2025
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5

classic AC/DC...... being tough, having women, 3 chords.

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Jun 03 2025
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5

Before listening to this album, I'd never heard an AC/DC song I didn't like. But obviously there's some selection bias going on, since I was only familiar with their biggest hits. It turns out, they really are just that good. As soon as the guitars kick in, you can't help but smile. The rhythm section is the probably the best of any rock band ever. The energy on these songs is so infectious - it really feels like everybody involved was having a blast. And even though all their songs are basically the same, somehow it never gets old. With some albums on this list, I listen and then spend time deliberating over whether it deserves 4 stars or 5. I think this is my first 5 star album in a while, and it's made me realise that when I'm on the fence, the answer should always be 4. Because when you know, you know. Rock on

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Jun 02 2025
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5

Just solid rock. Perfectly is what it's supposed to be.

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May 30 2025
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5

Super fun, never heard any of the tracks besides the title. I had a great time working out to this.

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May 26 2025
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5

Hell ya. This is it. Classic Aussie Rock

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May 26 2025
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5

Got this on a Friday, and you just can’t be mad about AC/DC on a Friday.

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May 25 2025
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5

I only got into AC/DC late in life. Without having studied their music, I found them to be a kind of cheap hard rock. I always thought a few songs were great, but overall I didn't understand the euphoria about the band and their music. Now I've listened to one of their albums in its entirety. And I really enjoyed it. The sound is great, a great soundtrack to a road movie. I'll definitely listen to it more often. 5/5

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May 18 2025
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5

Rude, raw, brash, in-your-face in the best way possible! Even a little on the nose at times - but so, so cool. I love their classic rock sound. 87/100 --> 90/100.

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May 17 2025
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5

What a fantastic album. It's one of the best of the list. I mean, you just have to listen to the opening title track, no, you just have to listen to the intro of the opening track. How great can music be? It's the added value of Mutt Lange's production that gives this album so much more than its predecessors. Most characteristic are the backing vocals choirs. Those are magnificent. And this album has one of the greatest songs ever: 'Touch too much'. It hardly has any flaws, every track is enjoyable. Can I give 6 stars? 10/10

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May 15 2025
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5

Touch too much makes this the perfect album by the rock by numbers masters.

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May 15 2025
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5

Hard rock with commercial oomph.

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May 13 2025
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5

Liked this way more than I expected. Not a huge fan of Brian Johnson’s voice - coupled with the sing-along-shouty choruses, always sounded kind of gimmicky. But then I this listen through I realized The Japandroids follow pretty much this exact formula and I’ve always loved their stuff. In both of these bands, every guitar riff is so simple and in your face. That early Japandroids album is called “Celebration Rock” which I think is a nice name for the genre AC/DC forged here - songs that make you want to slam some beers and stay out at the late night bars shouting rock and roll songs. Tell the babysitter it’s going to be a late night.

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May 13 2025
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5

Quintessential hard rock. Every song is a banger. Makes you wanna drive drunk.

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May 05 2025
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5

I really liked how dumb in your face metal this is, it has a few luls but overall I headbanged my way through a Friday and it was glorious

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May 01 2025
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5

Another great AC/DC album packed full of raw energy and power that is waiting to be enjoyed.

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Apr 29 2025
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5

Para mí, rockero, y fan, este es uno de sus mejores trabajos

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