Maps of Music

Let There Be Rock (1977)

Where the lyrics of Let There Be Rock take you, and where it was really made.

The international cover photo was taken at a 1977 concert in Southend, while the album itself was recorded in Sydney.

Key places

Recording at Albert Studios, Sydney (1977)

Recording site Albert Studios — Albert Studios in Sydney is listed as the recording location for this album. The point is set at the studio building itself, at exact building coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Let There Be Rock: fourth studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC
• Originally released 21 March 1977 in Australasia on the Albert Productions label
• Modified international edition released 25 July 1977 through Atlantic Records
• Last AC/DC album to feature Mark Evans on bass
• Lineup on the album: Bon Scott on lead vocals, Angus Young on lead guitar, Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar, Phil Rudd on drums

Background

• Late 1976: the band was in a slump, according to manager Michael Browning
• Browning said that during a tour he got a call that Atlantic Records in America did not like the Dirty Deeds album
• He said Atlantic was going to drop the group from the label, and things became very bad
• Angus Young said the band was fired up after touring and wanted to make an album full of guitar riffs
• Angus said their brother George asked them what kind of album they wanted to make

Recording

• Harry Vanda and George Young are credited as producers
• Mark Opitz is credited as engineer
• The recording location is listed as Albert Studios in Sydney
• Track 5 "Problem Child" was originally released on Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in 1976, and this version is a shortened edit

Cover

• The Australian cover shows the fingers of guitarist Chris Turner of the Australian band Buffalo
• The international cover was released in July 1977 and marked the first appearance of the band's iconic logo
• The logo was designed by Gerard Huerta
• The international cover photo was taken at a concert on 19 March 1977 at the Kursaal Ballroom in Southend, Essex, by Keith Morris

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

• Reception was extremely positive, according to AllMusic
• AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia praised the album as a gospel to the glory of rock
• Cashbox said heavy metal was the band's special forte and that the disc displayed plenty of voltage

Reappraisal

• In 2001, Q magazine named the album one of the 50 Heaviest Albums of All Time
• Julian Marszalek of The Quietus described it as a stepping stone from the glam rock of earlier albums to the sound the band achieved on Powerage
• David Fricke of Rolling Stone wrote in a 2008 cover story that the second U.S. LP was almost all killer
• In 2006, biographer Murray Engleheart wrote that the album elevated AC/DC to the status of an album band
• Jesse Fink wrote that the album would stand for all time as an expression of the band's unrivaled might as a guitar band

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The international cover was released in July 1977 and marked the first appearance of the band's now iconic logo.
• For the original vinyl release, in all markets other than the US, Canada, South Africa and Japan, "Crabsody in Blue" was used instead of "Problem Child".
• The original Australian vinyl release used a different version of "Go Down" with an early fade-out, making the song 5:17 long.
• Manager Michael Browning described the period after the Dirty Deeds setback as very bad for the band.
• Producer Mutt Lange once told Angus Young that he envied George Young and Harry Vanda's work on this album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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