Powerage
is the fifth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in May 1978. It is also AC/DC's fourth international studio album. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott.
It was originally released on Atlantic Records, and reached #133 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart in the US, eventually going platinum there. Powerage
was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters
series.
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POWERAGE TICKETS
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Overview
Powerage
is the first AC/DC album to be released nearly simultaneously in both Australian and international markets, and the first to use just one cover image for both. It was also the first to feature the same track listing on all versions, with the exception of the European vinyl edition. This version included "Cold Hearted Man", a song that has not been officially released on any other AC/DC album, but which became more widely available through the box set of Bon Scott-era
vinyl LP albums in 1987, the first reissue of a set first released in 1981. Within the 1987 box set, the song was packaged on a single sided
12" single. In some territories,
Powerage
omitted "
Rock 'n' Roll Damnation".
"Sin City" was covered by the 80s Heavy metal band
Twisted Sister, on their album
Twisted Forever
, in which
Dee Snider changes a lyric:
"Ain't got a hope in hell, that's Bon Scott's belief."
The song has also been covered by the
punk rock band
The Offspring,
Ugly Kid Joe and
Bruce Dickinson.
"Gone Shootin'" was featured in the movie
Beavis and Butt-head Do America
. In 2007, a studio version of the song, with Brian Johnson on vocals, was included on the second disc of
Plug Me In
. The footage was taken from a recording session in 1996 at London's VH1 Studios.
Powerage
marked the studio debut of
bassist Cliff Williams. It was the band's last Bon Scott-era studio release to feature production work by
Harry Vanda and
George Young.
Track listing
Australian / US & all CD releases
# "
Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" – 3:37
# "Down Payment Blues" – 6:03
# "Gimme a Bullet" – 3:21
# "Riff Raff" – 5:11
# "Sin City" – 4:45
# "What's Next to the Moon" – 3:31
# "Gone Shootin'" – 5:05
# "Up to My Neck in You" – 4:13
# "Kicked in the Teeth" – 3:53
- Some cassette copies, such as the original Canadian issue, had an alternate track listing. For example, "Sin City" was the first song on side 1, while "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" was the first song on side 2. All other tracks appear in the order of the original Australian/US release.
European LP release
# "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" – 3:05
# "Gimme a Bullet" – 3:00
# "Down Payment Blues" – 5:50
# "Gone Shootin'" – 4:19
# "Riff Raff" – 5:13
# "Sin City" – 4:47
# "Up to My Neck in You" – 4:58
# "What's Next to the Moon" – 3:15
# "Cold Hearted Man" – 3:34
# "Kicked in the Teeth" – 3:45
- All songs composed by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott.
- Initial editions of the European LP release featured a different mix of the album. It had a 'harder' sound than the later version, with small variations in vocals and/or guitar tracks, and occasionally extra sections and longer or shorter fades. This version omitted "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" from the tracklist. The first cassette issue of the album also features this mix.
- The album was later remixed for the American market, with the new mix replacing the original European mix, and becoming the global standard. This mix is still used on all AC/DC Powerage
CD releases today.
Certification
| Country
| Sales
| Certification
|
| United States
| 1,000,000
| Platinum
|
Personnel
- Bon Scott - lead vocals
- Angus Young - lead guitar
- Malcolm Young - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Cliff Williams - bass, backing vocals
- Phil Rudd - drums
Production
- Producers: Harry Vanda, George Young
- Engineer: Mark Opitz