AC/DC – ’74 Jailbreak

(Atlantic, 1984)

Reviewed by Jimmy “Explosive Diarrhea” B.

I have a love/hate relationship with AC/DC. I love Bon Scott, but hate Brian Johnson. There are a lot of bands whose careers can be broken up into eras. This could be due to a style change, like the change in Iron Maiden after Powerslave when they adopted progressive jazz structures. Or the era is defined by the inclusion/removal of one of the key members. Van Halen is a good example, although I defy anyone to tell me how the music changed with the inclusion of Sammy Hagar. AC/DC changed in both ways.

Bon Scott was a fantastic storyteller. Scott is one of the most underrated lyricists in rock. Bon Scott and Angus Young collaborated on the writing and composition of most of AC/DC’s songs and the result could be stunning. The music wasn’t about highlighting Young’s manic personality as it came to be in the Brian Johnson era, it was about helping the lyrics unfold into a story. With the end of this collaboration, due to Bon Scott’s death, AC/DC turned to shit. They became boring and formulaic. I often joke that you can overlay the drumming from any AC/DC song over any other song and they will match perfectly.

’74 jailbreak is my favorite AC/DC album, for the simple reason that it showcases what Bon Scott did best; the telling of everyman stories. Check out these lyrics from “Jailbreak,”

There was a friend of mine on murder

And the judge’s gavel fell,

Jury found him guilty,

Gave him sixteen years in hell.

He said, “I ain’t spending my life here,

I ain’t living alone

Ain’t breaking no rocks on the chain gang,

I’m breakin’ out and headin’ home…

Heatbeats they were racin’,

Freedom he was chasin’

Spotlights, sirens, rifles firing,

But he made it out

With a bullet in his back.

Now add guitar solos and a beat that highlights the action of the story and you get an idea of what AC/DC was at their best, and their best only happened under the tutelage of Scott.

 ’74 Jailbreak is the most varied and most creative record in AC/DC’s catalog. There are actual drum fills on this record. Let me say that again, there are fucking drum fills on this record. It turns out that AC/DC’s drummer can actually drum a bit. The song “Soul Stripper” begins with an almost disco funk and simple drumbeat, but it takes off and there are numerous tempo changes. The album, as a whole, is much more bluesy than what we normally associate with AC/DC. There are moments when the band seems to be on the verge of breaking into a blues stomp.  My only complaint about ’74 Jailbreak is that it is too fucking short. It was released as an e.p. in 1984, nearly a decade after most of the songs were written, and several years after Johnson joined the band. It was almost as if the band realized they had turned to shit and needed a rock and roll injection so they could face themselves and their fans.

Fuck the Brian Johnson era of AC/DC and fuck all the poser assholes who think they are AC/DC fans because they can sing along to “You Shook me all Night Long.” If you don’t know Bon Scott, you don’t know AC/DC. If you only allow yourself to buy one AC/DC album, pick up ’74 Jailbreak.

I tickled my taint for 9 minutes