AC/DC
Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap

THE REVIEW

Among the CDs that AC/DC composed between '74 and '79, this one, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," is the least remembered and publicized (on par with Powerage), but in my opinion, it has nothing to envy in its predecessor and constitutes a fundamental piece in the "hard blues" evolution that our guys carried through until the death of their rock'n'roll singer, which reaches its culmination in songs like "Overdose."

The first track is the toughest on the album, that "Dirty Deeds..." in which we also have the pleasure of listening to the not-quite-heavenly voice of his majesty Angus Young. In the following track, you begin to notice that hard blues which will characterize a large part of the CD: in "Love At First Feel," the initial riff is repeated for most of the song (in pure AC/DC style), interspersed with those touches from Angus that make the songs irresistible. "Big Balls" very much resembles a monologue by Bon, with the instruments only serving as accompaniment. From here, with the fourth song, the tempo rises: "I'm a rocker, I'm a roller, I'm a right out of controller," the rockabilly rhythm of "Rocker" immediately makes you want to shake your ass (dangerous to listen to during history class), and takes us straight to "Problem Child," which, in my opinion, has one of the most fabulous riffs that Angus has ever pulled out of his six strings (a happy choice to reprise it at the end of the song as well).

Since I know for sure someone will contest my choice to define the album as hard blues, why don't you tell me how to categorize "There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'"?, which to me is much more blues than hard rock, so... HARD BLUES! "Ain't No Fun" is perhaps the only slight misstep of the CD, maybe because it's too long, maybe because it never takes off. However, this shortcoming is greatly redeemed by the most beautiful song on the CD: "Ride On." The slow rhythm that breathes in the first part responds with a sweet acceleration in the refrain, but after a moment, a brief solo by Angus brings us back to that wonderful rhythm that characterized the first part; from here it is a sum of emotions, ranging from the joy of when Angus puts on a show, to the relaxation that envelops you as you listen to Scott's voice: let yourself be lulled by this ballad, which is rightly considered the best episode of the Australians when it comes to playing slowly. The last track, "Squealer," adds nothing to the overall picture.

The voice of Bon Scott, steeped in alcohol and smoke, is greatly emphasized in a CD like this (which seems to be tailor-made to be played in smoky clubs), where Angus (let me remind you that he was only 17) does not do many things, but in what he does he is always perfect. The major flaw of the CD is not containing those great "hits" that are instead found in "High Voltage" ("It's a long way to the top" and "T.N.T.") and "Powerage" ("Riff Raff" above all others) when examining records of the same level.