Salute

The album that I am reviewing this week is the high energy, hard rock essential, AC/DC’s “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”.

History

First released in 1981, the album saw huge success, despite having a new lead singer, Brian Johnson. It was obvious after release that this would be the bands biggest album, going several times platinum in several countries and topping charts, only getting beat out in sales by thier previous album “Back In Black” in later years (which also happens to be the 3rd best selling album ever). It eventually hit the #1 spot in the US. Recording started in the early summer/late spring 1981 and finished at the end of that summer. Soon after release, the band started thier tour which is one of the most high energy, legendary, rock-n-roll tours ever. Massive cannons were placed on top of a 100,000 watt speaker wall. During the chorus of the title track of the album, the cannons would fire with a huge sound and burst of smoke. This turned out to be hugely popular and the band has done this in almost every single live show since.

Review

I enjoy this album very much, but I think to truly feel what this album is, one has to see it live. All of the songs are so powerful and loud and I think that seeing AC/DC perform these songs would really take the whole album up a step. The album is fine in a non-live setting, though. Johnson’s scratchy, rough vocals and Young’s hard guitar really give this album the classic hard rock feel. The whole album just feels like a classic, porobably because it is. The sound of the album is quintessential rock and inspired the rest of the 80’s to have this hard, high energy sound that is so AC/DC. My only complaint, if you even want to call it that, is that the title and star track of the album, “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” is on such a higher level than every other song on the album, that the rest seem slightly boring in comparison.

Best Song

If is wasn’t obvious enough, my favorite song of this album is the title track “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”. Everything about this song is done so perfectly. The first second of the song starts off with a guitar riff that almost sound like a race car that is idle at the starting line. Then the main guitar riff comes on over top the other with a constant drum. All of this starts to get louder and you get an intense building feeling for what is about to come, you don’t know exactly what yet, but you know its big. On come Johnson’s vocals. Everything just combines so perfectly to give this dirty, gritty feel that just screams hard rock, and when I think hard rock, I think AC/DC. The chorus is easily sung by a mass audience and is one of the reasons why I think this album would be so great in a live setting. The guitar solo comes in, and quite honestly it could have had a little more energy like that on “T.N.T” but perhaps that would have been overkill. The final chorus is easily the best part of this whole song. Johnson screams the line “For those about to rock!” Followed by a short silence and then “FIRE!” Accompanied by cannon blasts. It is just to good and makes me want to join in. As the chorus is coming to a close the whole band picks up speed and it feels like they are going to explode. They slow down and play a scale that slowly decends also accompanied by several cannon blasts that are Very reminiscent of cymbal crashes. The whole thing comes to a great closing that leaves the listener with an immense sense of closure, which is what all great songs should do