Great Metal Albums of 1981: AC/DC- For Those About to Rock, We Salute You
For some of you, this is going to be a bit of a shock. The fact that I am writing about an AC/DC album without first going to see AC/DC tribute band Hell’s Bells. The ironic part is that they are coming to town next Saturday, unfortunately, I am heading off to the States for two weeks on Thursday. I am a little miffed at not going to see them but this time I have a legitimate excuse. So, you’ll have to settle for a picture of Hell’s Bells from the last time I saw them.
Most everyone on the planet knows that “For Those About to Rock” was the follow up to the most highly successful “Back in Black” album. Many of the same people say that the follow up isn’t as good but I say “Come on!” It would have been a monumental feat indeed if AC/DC or any band to think of it, was able to put out an album that measured up to “Back in Black.” Credit where due though, “For Those About to Rock” comes fairly close.
I have heard many a person say that the only thing good about the title track is the cannons. True, they are brilliant and it’s even more mind blowing to see it live. Hell’s Bells do try to copy it using a computer but while it’s a commendable effort, it’s just not the same. I do try to describe this wonderful phenomenon in “Rock And Roll Children,” but I probably fail. Even without the cannon, this song would probably have been my favourite on the album. The rest of the album also has the typically great tracks you expect from an AC/DC album. I remember hearing “Let’s Get It Up” blasting out of many a juke box in the cafes of Toulon, France and “Evil Walks” is definitely a worthy choice for the “Iron Man 2” soundtrack. Angus Young works his guitar magic throughout the entire album but the most noteworthy from me is on “Night of the Long Knives.” What “For Those About to Rock” proves is that AC/DC weren’t about to rest on the laurels of just one great album.
Track Listing:
1. For Those About to Rock, We Salute You
2. Put The Finger Β On You
3. Let’s Get It Up
4. Inject the Venom
5. Snowballed
6. Evil Walks
7. C.O.D.
8. Breaking the Rules
9. Night of the Long Knives
10. Spellbound
Brian Johnson- vocals
Angus Young- lead guitar
Malcolm Young- rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Cliff Williams- bass, backing vocals
Phil Rudd- drums
The best thing about it not being 1981 anymore is that you can listen to “For Those About to Rock” without the specter of “Back in Black” hanging over it. This follow up is truly a fantastic album on its own and definitely one that reminds you why AC/DC have continued to rule for more than three decades.
I don’t know when I’ll be posting again but when I do, it will be: Black Sabbath- The Mob Rules
To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London
This entry was posted on October 19, 2014 at 12:20 pm and is filed under 1980s, films, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal and the 1980s, Music, Rock, soundtracks, Uncategorized with tags AC/DC, Back in Black, Classic Rock, For Those About to Rock, Guitarists, hard rock, Heavy Metal, Heavy Rock, Hell's Bells, Mutt Lange, Rock And Roll Children, The 1980s, We Salute You. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
22 Responses to “Great Metal Albums of 1981: AC/DC- For Those About to Rock, We Salute You”
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October 19, 2014 at 1:37 pm
Fair review, I agree its good one but totally over-shadowed. I love the way the solo explodes in ‘Inject The Venom’ – that’s my favourite moment.
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October 19, 2014 at 6:28 pm
That is a very good explosion. It showed that Angus still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
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October 19, 2014 at 3:48 pm
1537 is right the solo in Inject does explode…
This is a solid,solid album next to Flick Of The Switch my all time Johnson album which i did do a review on….
Great read….and safe journeys!
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October 19, 2014 at 6:29 pm
Thanks again. This album doesn’t get the credit it deserves sometimes. I’ll have to read your review and I will be doing my own on that one when I get to 1983.
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October 20, 2014 at 3:10 am
WTF, It’s Only Rock & Roll as The Stones would sing. Both albums are well worth a listen.
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October 20, 2014 at 8:25 am
Definitely as is “Highway to Hell”
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October 21, 2014 at 11:22 am
I probably listen to this more than Back In Black. Just because, who needs to hear Back in Black again? I can probably play it note for note in my brain.
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October 22, 2014 at 10:05 am
Wow, I think I need to start listening to this album more and less to Back in Black. I’m getting the same effects on it as you, lol.
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October 23, 2014 at 11:18 am
It’s not Back in Black’s fault. It’s been around for 34 years, it was bound to get overplayed somewhere due to its massive hit-laden tracklist.
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October 24, 2014 at 12:56 pm
So true, it can’t help the fact it’s such a fantastic album.
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October 25, 2014 at 1:56 am
All but perfect like a diamond.
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October 27, 2014 at 1:28 pm
Yep
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October 31, 2014 at 1:22 am
Great blog review as always. I’m a little late to the party as I wasn’t born early enough to have a full appreciation of ACDC. But I digress, when I was in high school their classic rock music rocked many a party and school dance I attended. From Malcolm Young’s powerful powder keg vocals to Angus Yoing’s amazing guitar solos they have entertained and rocked this gals heavy metal heart. ππΆ
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November 1, 2014 at 12:14 am
That was one of the things I liked about AC/DC when I was a young single male. The fact that so many young ladies liked them too. Their music has rocked for nearly forty years!
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November 1, 2014 at 10:50 pm
Oh yeah that’s definitely a bonus to loving heavy metal bands. Finding a female following as well. I could make a blanket out of all my concert t-shirts. π
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November 2, 2014 at 2:40 pm
I heard those t-shirts are fetching a lot of cash on ebay. You could be sitting on a potential gold mine.
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November 3, 2014 at 6:09 am
Oh seriously, I wouldn’t have guessed that. I’m sure I spent a lot to accumulate a collection. And a lot of them are in mint condition too. π
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November 3, 2014 at 4:40 pm
Every Record Tells A Story wrote a post about it a few months back. I checked it out with the one shirt I still have, a Dio t-shirt from The Last in Line Tour. I saw it could fetch $250 on ebay so immagine the money you could make if you wanted to.
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November 4, 2014 at 1:32 am
Oh my I’m going to have to check out my collection!!! Thanks for the info my friend. π
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November 5, 2014 at 2:52 am
NO problems
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November 5, 2014 at 4:20 am
I appreciate your kindness. π
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November 5, 2014 at 2:42 pm
π
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