#200 of the Top Albums of All Time According to Rolling Stone

AC/DC, ‘Highway to Hell’ is the last album to feature Bon Scott. It solidified them as major rock’n’roll act in the late 70s, and it certainly contains some of their best stuff, particularly the title track which remains a classic rock anthem. In Ohio where I grew up it certainly was all the rage on the Wayne High quad. Is it a great album though? Is it top 200 worthy? In context of what they set up, I can see it.

The context of the album was as an answer to punk which was quickly morphing into new wave, and to the lack of a heavy rock scene as many dinosaurs had imploded and were biding their time for a 80s come back. It was a refreshing blast of energy that led to the quintessential AC/DC album Back in Black. With the death of Bon Scott all eyes were on its follow up, and for many Back in Black was seen as their first album. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap served as a reminder to just who Bon Scott was and what he meant to the band.

In that context, Highway to Hell was a top album for serving as an influential launching pad for their next phase of life and for influencing many bands to follow them, including a host of bands in the NWOBHM that were ready to sweep American shores headlined by Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. In the context of the music itself, it’s pretty good. It’s a solid forty minutes of rock’n’roll that made the boys bang their heads and the girls flash their boobs. It made the stoners on the quad turn up the jams man. It certainly won’t win awards for the originality or the innovation of the material. I find it an odd placement at #200 with some of the actual blues talent and original rockers further up the list.

I would suggest that AC/DC is best served up today in their Essential playlists on Apple Music and Spotify - and your own personal best-of’s. There is an easy 2 hours worth of material to make up the perfect playlist for hitting the road in a great car as you get your girl out of that mean old town.