Show Notes
AC/DC is stripped, down n’ dirty, rock n’ roll as God intended. Heavy guitar riffs, rippin’ musical sequences, and lyrics so suggestive they would make Mother Teresa blush. The quintet from down under formed in Sydney, Australia, in late 1973. And after a myriad of early lineup changes, the band rounded into form 2 years later.
1975 would be a crucial year for AC/DC. The band released their first 2 studio albums under EMI in their homeland of Australia. The group’s first record, titled High Voltage, debuted in the Land Down Under on February 17th, 1975. Later that year, on December 1st, T.N.T. was made available for purchase in Australia and New Zealand.
Atlantic Records saw the potential and inked AC/DC to a major label deal. In 1976, the band was ready to distribute their sound worldwide. So, with 2 records already under their belt, the Aussies decided to pick out the best of the bunch for their debut international album.
Armed with new cover art but the same title as their Australian debut, AC/DC unleashed their first international record in Europe and the UK on April 30th, 1976. The supercharged High Voltage jumped across the pond and landed in the United States on May 14th of that year. The record consisted of 9 songs from the band’s first 2 home-country releases. 2 tracks would come from the original High Voltage, while 7 songs were pulled off of T.N.T.
The album was primed to leave its mark on the music world. Some saw the group as an irritating skid mark fouling up rock as they knew it. While others, who would be vindicated many times over as AC/DC would go on to become one of the most successful, beloved, and enduring bands in history, welcomed this rockin’ stampede of renegades that masterfully balanced a dangerous demeanor with a light-hearted attitude.
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