Review Summary: High Voltage Rock and Roll!
High Voltage was the first album from Australian rock legends AC/DC, and it is a corker. Bon Scott hadn't choked on his own spew yet (now thats a rock and roll way to die) and the band were fresh off some influences with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in terms of solos and riffing, but stripped back a lot into good ol' fashioned debauched Aussie rock and roll. High Voltage, as the name might suggest, is loud, sinful, amped up decadence suitable to dance to at any time of the day, preferably with a stubbie in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
Opener Baby Please Don't Go reminds me of another great rock song, Ballroom Blitz, through the use of the drums. It's tappity tap on the toms, a slick little guitar lead rolling through the song with some nice soloing and cool vocals from Bon Scott. She's Got Balls is my favourite, featuring perhaps the definitive "Big Dumb Riff", it's swaggers! This is one song that sounds drunk, with some weird lyrics (Most important of all! That ladies got balls! She's Got Balls!) it's humorous and presents the band as a true circus of rocking jokers. This is a group that is best not taken seriously, if you like your music arty don't listen to 'em. It's just fun.
Little Lover is a tribute to the ladies out there, with a slow, slow riff that is sexy and bogan at the same time. It falls into power ballad territory for me, except like most AC/DC songs it appears to be about shagging. I think the album falls apart a little past here, though it's still great. Stick Around has some nice leads, and is funky as hell despite moving at the speed of molasses. Soul Stripper is a similar affair, this group doesn't reach the levels of speed they did on the first track, it's kind of a mid-tempo boonce boonce pace. You Ain't Got A Hold on Me picks up a lot, a very blues kind of guitar is used, it's excellent. Love Song is even better, with a weird timed intro and some keyboards used it's very not the AC/DC most people are used to. It gets very slow later. Show Business is one of the best songs off the album, it is a really great classic rock song that deserves more attention.
High Voltage is an excellent debut album from a group that would later get accussed of not being very different from song to song. Still, New Wave of British Heavy metal influences and some bluesiness seperate this from a lot of their later work. Though a lot of it sounds the same, its a good sound.
