Powerage
AC/DC's fourth album is the lull after the triumph ofLet There Be Rockand before the mighty peaks ofIf You Want Blood You've Got ItandHighway to Hell.Poweragecontains all the familiar AC/DC trademarks: Bon Scott's rather less than Yeatsian lyrical vision ("Rock & Roll Damnation," "Up to My Neck in You"), Angus Young's brilliantly minimal guitar playing, a rhythm section as relentless and efficient as an infantry regiment, and the astute production of formerEasybeatsHarry Vanda and George Young; however, it lacks a truly transcendent moment, a "Whole Lotta Rosie" or a "T.N.T." Of course, even an average AC/DC album is an eloquent lesson in the fundamentals of rock & roll, and by that tokenPoweragestill blows most opposition out of the water. Bon Scott's exultant declaration of working-class solidarity, "Riff Raff," is worth sixBon Jovialbums on its own.--Andrew Mueller