| High Voltage | ||||
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| Studio album by AC/DC | ||||
| Released | 14 May 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1974–1975 at Albert Studio, Sydney, Australia | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 44:37 | |||
| Label | ATCO | |||
| Producer | Harry Vanda, George Young | |||
| AC/DC chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
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Original European cover
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High Voltage is the first internationally-released album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It contains tracks from their first two Australia-only issued albums, High Voltage and T.N.T. (both from 1975). Originally released on Atlantic Records, this edition of High Voltage has proven popular, selling three million units in the US alone. However, initially the album was panned by some critics upon its release, including a review by Rolling Stone magazine's Billy Altman that called it an "all-time low" for the hard rock genre.[1] It was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC remasters series.
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Prior to the release of the international version of High Voltage, AC/DC had already released their debut album under the same name High Voltage a year before in Australia only, which had a different track listing. The international release only included two tracks from the original release, with the rest of its songs being pulled from AC/DC's second album T.N.T..[2] The international releases of High Voltage also had different album covers from the original: one features a picture of Angus Young as he appeared on the cover of the Australian single for "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)". An alternative cover was used on the international version's European release.
Most editions of the international album have a version of "It's a Long Way to the Top" that is shorter than the original album version. The full length version is 5:10, while the edited version shortens the last chorus causing the track to fade out early at 5:01. Vinyl editions of the international album contain the edited version. The 1994 remastered CD on Atco Records replaced the edited version of the track with the full length version. The 2003 remastered CD on Epic Records reverted it back to the edited version.
The original version of "High Voltage" which features on the T.N.T. album was longer and finished with a sustained guitar note followed by a single hit of the snare drum. The international version has the song fade out before the sustained note.
Randy Couture used the song "Live Wire" as his entrance song at UFC 102.
The cover was shown in an episode of The Cosby Show during the first season.
The song "T.N.T." was featured in the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
Initially, High Voltage was panned by some critics upon its release, including a review by Rolling Stone magazine's Billy Altman that called it an "all-time low" for the hard rock genre.[1] In his December 1976 review, Altman continued with "AC/DC has nothing to say musically" and that the lead singer, Bon Scott, "spits out his vocals with a truly annoying aggression".[1] By contrast, Allmusic's review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine is more positive, he praised Angus Young's "monster riffs" which appear to be easy but give the music its strength and this allows Scott to be "somebody who never hid the notion that lurking behind the door are some bad, dangerous things, but they're also fun".[3]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [3] |
| Blender | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | (Positive)[5] |
All songs written and composed by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" | 5:01 |
| 2. | "Rock 'n' Roll Singer" | 5:04 |
| 3. | "The Jack" | 5:52 |
| 4. | "Live Wire" | 5:50 |
| 5. | "T.N.T." | 3:34 |
| 6. | "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" (A. Young, M. Young) | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Little Lover" | 5:37 |
| 8. | "She's Got Balls" | 4:51 |
| 9. | "High Voltage" | 4:03 |
Published by J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd.
Tracks 7 & 8 were previously released on the band's first Australian studio album High Voltage in February 1975.
Tracks 1 - 6 & 9 were previously released on the band's second Australian studio album T.N.T. in December 1975.
| Country | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,000,000 | 3x Platinum |
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