Powerage

by AC/DC

Overview

Powerage was a first in the sense that it debuted bassist Cliff Williams, but it really is more of a final curtain to the band's early years. It would be the last produced by Vanda & Young, the legendary Australian production team who also helmed hits by the Easybeats, and it was the last before AC/DC became superstars. As such, it's perhaps the most overlooked of their '70s records, also because, frankly, it is the most uneven of them. Not that it's a bad record -- far from it, actually. There are a few genuine classics here, most notably "Down Payment Blues" and "Up to My Neck in You," and there's a real appeal in how Bon Scott's gutter poems of excess are reaching a mythic level; there's a real sense that he truly does believe that rock & roll leads straight to hell on "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation." But overall, the record is just a bit too wobbly, one where the parts don't add up to a record as hard and addictive as before -- but there's still plenty worth hearing here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/14/2003
Label:	Legacy / Epic / Sony Music
UPC:	0696998020412
Rank:	22029

Tracks

1. Rock 'n' Roll Damnation
2. Down Payment Blues
3. Gimme a Bullet
4. Riff Raff
5. Sin City
6. What's Next to the Moon
7. Gone Shootin'
8. Up to My Neck in You
9. Kicked in the Teeth

Album Credits

Performance Credits

AC/DC   Primary Artist
Angus Young   Guitar
Bon Scott   Vocals
Phil Rudd   Drums
Cliff Williams   Bass
Malcolm Young   Guitar

Technical Credits

Angus Young   Composer,Producer
Bon Scott   Composer
Mark Opitz   Engineer
Mike Fraser   Mastering Supervisor
George Marino   Mastering,Remastering,Digital Remastering
Harry Vanda   Producer
Malcolm Young   Composer,Producer
Al Quaglieri   Mastering Supervisor
Jeffrey Mayer   Photography
Paul Natkin   Photography
Denis O'Regan   Photography
Ross Halfin   Photography
Bob Defrin   Art Direction
Janet Macoska   Photography
Jim Houghton   Cover Photo,Photography,Original Photography,Original Cover Photography
AJ Pontsios   Photography
Vanda   Producer
Ernie Welch   Liner Notes
Brad Elterman   Photography
UE Nastasi   Digital Assembly
George Young   Producer