ACDC - Hells Bells

February 19, 1980, ACDC front man and vocalist Bon Scott passed away. Apparently, there was multiple versions about exactly how Scott perished, but the version I grew up being told was that he passed out drunk in the back seat of a car where he choked on his own vomit. This is a gruesome demise, but it is very rock and roll in its own way, so if this version is true, I suppose we can take some small comfort knowing that Bon Scott died like a rock star.

What followed was the introduction of Brian Johnson in a story I like to compare to a musical space epic:

https://colinkellymusicinreview.blogspot.com/2011/03/april-2009-acdc-for-those-about-to-rock.html

The story of ACDC should have been a truly tragic one, if not for the perseverance of the surviving members and Brian Johnson. They took was a very sad story and made it awesome.

The first ACDC album to include Brain Johnson is the appropriately named “Back in Black,” released in 1980. A lot was riding on “Back in Black,” people can be fickle and the change of an iconic front man like Bon Scott was going to be difficult. Fortunately, “Back in Black” is an absolutely amazing album, and Brian Johnson killed it on vocals. The album was so good, and Brian Johnson rocked so hard, that everyone was happy with the outcome. Bon Scott was a one of a kind strange animal, he could never be replaced, however Brian Johnson was his own sort of rock and roll beast, and his style of singing matched the ACDC sound perfectly, so everyone embraced Johnson as the chosen one.

If I had to pick my preferred lead singer for ACDC, I would go with Brian Johnson. I have nothing but love for Bon Scott, but I cannot deny how much I appreciate Johnson’s vocals and the albums he performed on. “Back in Black” is possibly my favorite ACDC album. The only uncertainty that exists in me is because of the greatest that is “The Razor Edge.”

The title track “Back in Black” is among ACDC’s most famous, as is “You Shook Me All Night Long,” but my favorite from this album has to be the opening track “Hells Bells.”

“Highway to Hell” was the last Bon Scott ACDC album, and “Back in Black” is the first Brian Johnson ACDC album, and I think there is something charming about the hell connection here.

When “Hells Bells” plays, I always get pumped. That intro with the echoing bell, then Angus Young’s killer rift, then Malcom Young plays a melody on the bass guitar, and the slow drums pushing their way in, and everything comes together, just the way I like it, and slowly escalates into a thunderous roaring sound. This intro draws the listener into a dreadful state of mind for their dark descension into hell, and then a kick ass rock song plays.

While “Highway to Hell” the song is highly uplifting and celebrates rock and hell and charging into hell to rock out, “Hells Bells” is an entirely different creation. There is a darkness in “Hells Bells,” oh sure, it is a song that feels great to listen to, and the mood and energy always gets my blood flowing for excitement and fun, but the actual content, is dark. “Highway to Hell” is about rock stars happily going to hell and looking forward to the visit. “Hells Bells” is a brooding warning to the damned.

Perhaps one of the reasons “Hells Bells” has this darker edge to it, is because it appears this song is being sang from the perspective of the devil.

“I'm a rolling thunder, a pouring rain,
I'm coming on like a hurricane.
My lightning's flashing across the sky,
You're only young but you're going die.

I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives,
Nobody's putting up a fight.
I got my bell, I'm going take you to hell,
I'm going get you, Satan get you.”

I think it could be understood to think the narrative voice is some sort of grim reaper, however the “Satan get you” part really sells me on the Satan interpretation.

The verses come in pairs on this song, which is a little different. The second pair of four-line lyrics further sets to stone what I am saying:

“I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine,
If you're into evil you're a friend of mine.
See the white light flashing as I split the night,
Because if good's on the left, then I'm sticking to the right.

I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives,
Nobody's putting up a fight,
I got my bell, I'm going take you to hell,
I'm going get you, Satan get you.”

ACDC found a way to make going to hell fun in “Highway to Hell” but in “Hells Bells” they found a way to make being afraid of being dragged to hell fun, somehow. A little bit of darkness never hurt anyone, and while in a reality where the devil comes for your soul should be terrifying, the song “Hells Bells” has such an intense power, it cannot fail to motive. It is creative genius and I do not know how much of it is serendipitous.

I had an idea for a theme for a pair of ACDC songs for blog reviews, “Highway to Hell” and “Hells Bells.” There is a nice symmetry there, singing about hell more than once, but as I reflected on the two albums that house “Highway to Hell” and “Hells Bells” I began to notice that there was more to these two songs than what I first perceived.

The hell connection is obvious, but the added variable of the passing of the guard and subtle change in both style and emotion adds a little more to this side by side comparison. I said before that ACDC are not a deep band, but given the volume and quality of their work, there is a lot to explore, and so much to enjoy.

We all like ACDC, how could we not? But what impresses me, is just how much they gave us with so simple of sounds and song concepts. They knew what they wanted to do and managed to make themselves absolute masters of their craft. The added bonus is fun things like strangely happy songs about going to hell.

- King of Braves

ACDC - Highway to Hell

Who is the most rock and roll band of all time? This debate was settled long ago when ACDC exploded into existence. Nearly no one considers ACDC the greatest rock band of all time, but universally it is agreed that they are not only great, but unquestionably the most rock and roll music to ever be, rock and roll.

Every ACDC song ever is about something that fits comfortable into the overarching umbrella in the category of rock and roll. They have songs about partying, sex, crime, rebellion, and the devil. Among my favorites is their songs about hell.

Afterall what is more rock and roll then hell?

The first huge song about hell by ACDC is “Highway to Hell” from the 1978 album of the same name. This is the last album of the Bon Scott era, and it is appropriate that Scott’s final creation with ACDC would be an album named after a song about trucking to hell. Bon Scott himself was very, very rock and roll.

Unfortunately, “Highway to Hell” is not a concept album about a road trip to hell. Fortunately, it is what I like to call an “ACDC style concept album,” where the concept is rock and roll. All ACDC albums are rock and roll concept albums.

The truth is ACDC was never a strong album band. They albums were good, all of them, but only a handful could be considered great. ACDC shined on the strength of their individual songs. Your average ACDC song is good, most ACDC songs are good, but the ones that are more than that are bloody awesome. Following this, “Highway to Hell” the album is good, all the songs are good; “Highway to Hell” the song, is freaking awesome.

There is humour in the mood that “Highway to Hell” puts forth, a casual listen of the song could leave one to believe that this song is unironically celebrating dying and going to hell. Young Colin Kelly took great delight at the prospect of such a narrative, and such a narrative would be very rock and roll indeed, following that such a narrative would be very fitting for ACDC to sing about. I always found the lyric “my friends are going to be there too,” particularly charming, as it implies that everyone Bon Scott knows is also condemned to hell in the afterlife, and they are also loving it.

However, there is a slightly deeper meaning at play. This is ACDC, they are not exactly a deep band, but if the lyrics are paid sufficient attention to, “Highway to Hell” is actually a song celebrating life. The two verses lay this out for us:

“Living easy, living free,
Season ticket on a one-way ride.
Asking nothing, leave me be,
Taking everything in my stride.
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme,
Ain't nothing I would rather do,
Going down, party time,
My friends are going be there too.

No stop signs, speed limit,
Nobody's going slow me down.
Like a wheel, going spin it,
Nobody's going mess me around.
Hey Satan, paid my dues,
Playing in a rocking band.
Hey mama, look at me,
I'm on my way to the promised land.”

Once again, we have a little bit of room of interpretation, is Bon Scott describing a life of sin and an accepted fate of damnation? He is making pretty clear that he has paid his dues to go to hell, which, I think most people would think of as a confession of sin(s), having said that, I believe that is too mild, not rock and roll enough. I think ACDC is paying their dues to rock out in hell with pandemonium. Which is awesome, and naturally, very rock and roll. This also explains why the entire song is so upbeat. This also explains why all of Bon Scott’s friends are going to be there with him. You cannot have an ACDC concert in hell without the whole band, and I always assumed they were good friends.

It is fun to overthink a cock rock song like “Highway to Hell,” hence why I just did; but this is not a song meant to be taken very seriously. ACDC are taking their tour bus to hell, and as they do so they give us a great guitar rift that follows ever lyric, a groovy guitar solo, and everything comes together in the third chorus and outro. Great song. Pure rock and roll. Thank you ACDC.

ACDC, making hell sound like a fun place to be.

- King of Braves

ACDC - For Those About to Rock

I have an idea for a movie, the concept is a science fiction documentary about ACDC.

The movie opens with the “If you want blood you got it” concert and ACDC is rocking the house. We get a nice backstage scene with the group all hanging out and having a good time, and then cuts to sad news reports about the tragic death of Bon Scott and how the world’s most rocking, rock group is no more.

Then we cut to outer space. Aliens are waging a huge intergalactic war. The good guys are mostly super sexy babes, with the only exception being their high general who will hopefully played by Alice Cooper. These good aliens will discuss how they are going to stop the evil aliens. The evil aliens will all be generic stereotypes of evil conformed corporate culture business men, faceless men in suits and ties, all wearing whatever happens to be the most common hair cut at the time, you know the one, the everybody haircut. The leader of the evil aliens will be a big ominous featureless face on a computer screen constantly talking about the good of the all powerful dollar. This scene will serve pretty much as our only plot device, as the good aliens will explain how the spirit of rock and roll powers their secret weapon; the more absurd the explanation the better. The high general will then send three super sexy babes to earth to find the super human rock gods known as ACDC!

Meanwhile back on earth the Angus brothers and Cliff Williams discuss what they are going to do with their lives since their lead singer and friend Bon Scott is now passed. Now our three super sexy alien babes show up and explain to ACDC why they are needed in outer space to power the secret weapon to stop the evil aliens from destroying all emotion and creativity, or something like that. All hope will seem lost when ACDC explains they cannot help since the loss of their close friend Bon Scott.

For one moment we will actually introduce a slight sense of realism and have an overdramatic version of what kind of happened in real life. Bon Scott’s father will tell our heroes that they need to find another, as Bon Scott would have wanted it that why. Of course in real life hot alien babes probably weren’t there to witness it.

With the help of our sexy entourages from space, ACDC will eventually find the great Brian Johnson, who is the only other man on earth who can rock as much as Bon Scott. We should probably have some bogus technology the girls will use to track down and “measure” Brian Johnson’s rockability. “It’s over 9000!” You know something like that.

Having found the chosen one our heroes rush to outer space and are attacked by the evil aliens before they can rendezvous with Alice Cooper’s battleship, but ACDC will use the power of Rock to freak out the corporate culture aliens and escape safely.

The evil aliens prepare to attack earth but with ACDC together again they power up the super cannon with rock and roll and start destroy the evil alien’s main fleet. It will go back and forth between ACDC and the good aliens destroying the evil aliens, and the evil aliens bombing earth and destroying the good alien’s vast fleet. Explosions everywhere while ACDC plays some of their classic tunes.

After about a half hour of explosions it will start to seem hopeless because the enemy simply out number our heroes far too much. Brian Johnson will then have some absurd speech about the true spirit of rock and roll, people all over the world will be gathering in the streets cheering for ACDC.

“For those about to rock” starts to play and all of a sudden the combined force of ACDC and all of humanity cheering them on has an effect on the aliens. Their faceless faces begin to melt off revealing unique human beings underneath. They start wearing torn jeans and leather jackets and their hair will unexplainably grow long into badass rock and roll hair dos. For this is the true power of rock!

The now turned rock and roll aliens turn their battle ships around and start firing upon the giant evil alien mother ship. The face on a giant computer screen on board the main alien ship will be screaming about MTV awards, top 40 hits lists, and sales charts, as it screams in agony and then dies in a huge explosion just as “For those about to rock” ends. For effect the mother ship should probably explode into money.

“Ride on” plays quietly in the back ground while our heroes are celebrating by the aliens and all of earth. To end on a lame, but fun note someone will ask ACDC,

“You saved the universe; you are earth’s greatest heroes! What can we ever do to repay you?” to which Brian Johnson will respond, “Let there be Rock!”

“Let there be rock” plays and the credits roll.

You'd go see the ACDC save the universe movie, you know you would.

Until next month, keep on rocking in the free world.

- King of Braves