A little background is in order first. In the early 1960s, Scotland had the worst winter in its recorded history. 8 feet of snow. A TV advertisement was offering travel assistance for people seeking a new life in Australia.
The Youngs emigrated to Australia in 1963. Angus recalls their government assistance house had a dirt floor with a tin roof. When it rained, there would be several inches of standing water on the floor, with worms swimming around. But hey, at least it wasn’t 8 feet of snow.
The eldest son, George was the first to pursue a career in music. His band, along with friend Harry Vanda had some hit songs but -frankly- the reason people remember the Easy Beats and Flash and the Pan is because George’s little brothers started a band and George and Harry were the producers.
The band was named by one of their sisters. She saw the AC/DC logo written on a sowing machine, and it stuck.
The original lead singer, Dave Evans, was not the right fit. He was more glam rock than the Youngs wanted.
A friend of George and Harry’s, Ronald “Bon” Scott, was occasionally driving the band to gigs and doing odd jobs. He had sung before, he had played drums and other instruments. They let Bon sing for one show, and the Youngs were sold.
This album had a number of different people playing drums and bass. Malcolm and George played some of the bass parts.
The band is and always was based on what Malcolm and Angus wrote. The rhythm sections changed a lot in these early bands, but the real magic happened with what Bon brought to the table.
Malcolm and Angus are amongst the best riff writers in rock history. Bon Scott, though, was a natural lyricist that knew how to hear a riff and write lyrics that bounced along in just the right way. The saying is that AC/DC hired a singer, and wound up with a lyricist.
Bon’s family all called him “Ronny”. He was Scottish born as well. He was also a bit older than the Youngs, so he was kind of the older brother in the band. Bon had demons of his own. He had been in some trouble with the law as a teenager, but no one really seems to give specifics on what he did. He was a daily drinker from his early teens as well.
The lead off single for this album was initially supposed to be “Love Song (Oh Jene)”. But the radio DJ heard the B-Side, a cover of the delta blues standard “Baby Please Don’t Go”, and AC/DC had their first big hit.
Bonny’s screaming, wailing, and pleading version is a definitive take on the song, and widely considered to be the best version in Rock.
So, the standouts are the clear choice, “Baby Please Don’t Go”, and I really like “You Ain’t Got a Hold on Me”.
This album has never been rereleased. The songs showed up on several other box sets and compilations, but this Australia and New Zealand-Only first edition is best left where it is. The follow up to this album is the real jumping off point for AC/DC.
