Maps of Music

High Voltage (1975)

Where the lyrics of High Voltage take you, and where it was really made.

This debut was released only in Australia and New Zealand, and the 1976 international album with the same title has a radically different track list.

Key places

Recording at Albert Studios, Sydney (1974)

Recording site Albert Studios — High Voltage was recorded in November 1974 at Albert Studios in Sydney, produced by Vanda & Young. The sessions were squeezed between gigs over about ten days. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Debut studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC
• Released 17 February 1975, only in Australia and New Zealand
• Distinct from the 1976 international High Voltage on Atlantic Records, which has a different cover and track listing
• Title and artwork were suggested by Chris Gilbey of Albert Productions

Background

• In November 1973, Malcolm and Angus Young formed AC/DC
• Early lineup included bassist Larry Van Kriedt, vocalist Dave Evans, and drummer Colin Burgess, ex-Masters Apprentices
• The Young brothers judged Evans unsuitable as frontman, seeing him as a glam rocker like Gary Glitter
• The only single with Evans was 'Can I Sit Next To You Girl', with 'Rockin' in the Parlour' as B-side
• In September 1974, Bon Scott replaced Evans after a recommendation from Vince Lovegrove
• Scott had played in the Valentines, the Spektors and Fraternity
• Scott's arrival redefined the band, and Angus later said it became a real band from then on

Recording

• Produced by Vanda & Young at Albert Studios in Sydney, Australia
• Recorded in November 1974
• George Young, older brother of Angus and Malcolm, played bass on several songs
• Rob Bailey (bass) and Peter Clack (drums) were the band's rhythm section at the time
• Tony Currenti mostly recorded alongside Bailey
• Recorded in ten days squeezed between gigs, working through the night after shows

Cover

• Chris Gilbey of Albert Productions suggested the concept
• Concept: an electricity substation with a dog urinating against it
• Richard Ford is credited for artwork

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.
• The band name comes from the AC/DC symbol on the adapter of their sister Margaret's sewing machine.
• Their music has been described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal, though the band calls itself simply a rock and roll band.
• Their early sound was rooted in Australian pub rock.

Members

• Angus Young (lead guitar) and Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar) were the founding core of the band until Malcolm retired in 2014.
• Bon Scott was lead vocalist until his death in February 1980.
• Brian Johnson became lead vocalist in 1980.
• Phil Rudd, Cliff Williams and Stevie Young have also played key roles.

Career

• Their 1980 album Back in Black became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• The band has sold an estimated 200 million records worldwide.
• They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released only in Australia and New Zealand, originally through Albert Productions
• The album has never been reissued by another label in this format
• The band's first international release in 1976 shared the title but used different cover art and a different track listing
• Only 'She's Got Balls' and 'Little Lover' appeared on the overseas version

Reappraisal

• AllMusic: calls this version of AC/DC a very young band still finding its own identity
• AllMusic: says that self-discovery makes the original High Voltage the most inconsistent and unique of all the Bon Scott albums
• In 2025, High Voltage and TNT were released in those formats internationally for the first time, as merch on the Power Up Tour

Records

• 'Baby Please Don't Go', 'Soul Stripper', 'You Ain't Got a Hold on Me' and 'Show Business' were later released on '74 Jailbreak in 1984
• 'Stick Around' and 'Love Song' were released on Backtracks in 2009
• 'Stick Around' and 'Love Song' were never officially released internationally in album form before Backtracks

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title and artwork were the suggestion of Chris Gilbey of Albert Productions, whose concept was an electricity substation with a dog urinating against it.
• Most original LP and cassette releases credited 'Baby, Please Don't Go' to Broonzy, although Big Joe Williams wrote the song in 1935; the error was corrected on all CD releases.
• 'Baby, Please Don't Go' was chosen as the LP's first single and led to the group's third appearance on Countdown, featuring a now-legendary performance with Scott dressed as a blonde schoolgirl.
• 'She's Got Balls' is about Scott's ex-wife Irene and was the first song Scott and the Young brothers wrote together.
• 'Little Lover' was a song Malcolm had been tinkering with since about age 14, originally titled 'Front Row Fantasies'.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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