190n120: 30 Years of Music with Adam Johnson...Episode Thirteen: "Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud"

158. Hank Williams III - Straight To Hell (2006)

No frills, no auto-tune, no bull-shit outlaw American country music at its finest. He may not be couth, but Hank Williams's grandson is the real deal, people. My grandparents kept a mixed bag of country music floating through their house, from Garth Brooks to Marty Stuart, and I always had an affinity for the older, better stuff, songs about heart-ache and commiserating with a friend. Country music has been famously called "the white man's blues", so when a singer sends a line about hardship and dread out to an audience of thousands and they enthusiastically reply with the hook, I have a hard time taking that seriously. It's a shame, really; because Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and the Louvin Brothers are indispensable American artists that deserve attention. Hank III exists to bring them that attention, I believe. I owe my cousin Trevor thanks for playing me this album, because without Straight To Hell I'd all but have given up on "country music".

Underneath all the tattoos, behind those crazy eyes glazed over by speed, there's an honest heart beating in time with that standup bass, more so than could ever be said for Toby Keith or Carrie Underwood. A product of the punk and metal touring underground, Hank and his Damn Band keep things down and dirty just like their broken bottle heroes. So until he smokes his lungs useless, Hank III's ghostly warble will keep singing real country, and we should all be grateful.

Recommended Listening: Thrown Out the Bar, Pills I Took, My Drinking Problem, Dick In Dixie


157. AC/DC - Highway To Hell (1979)

This is my favorite AC/DC album, though not their best. And it's not even their best with Bon, either. That'll come later. Highway To Hell, though, made me want to pick up a Gibson SG guitar and play the hell out of it. And that's exactly what I did. Thanks, Angus.

The tragedy of Highway To Hell is what could have been. Bon Scott was about to become the Ron Jeremy of rock stars, short and hairy with a big dick to match his big mouth. But, as most things go for habitual drug users and alcoholics, things took a fatal turn for the Thunder From Down Under; which, again, is really too damn bad.
Coming off their best album yet, Let There Be Rock, the Young brothers and company were set to make an even bolder statement with their next effort. Rock solid producer Robert "Mutt" Lange planted Malcom's guitar firmly in the middle of Phil Rudd's locomotive beat while Angus crafted his leads like a florist instead of the mad-cap explosions of past barn burners. The record is mixed so damn well that my favorite part of the whole album is Angus Young's pick scrape that closes the last chorus of the title track. And Bon Scott's immediate scream, like he just burned his balls after making that sharp turn on his Harley Davidson (or an Indian--they are from Austrialia, after all). Perfect rock-and-roll mojo.
Just perfect.

Recommended Listening: Highway To Hell, Shot Down In Flames, Night Prowler

156. AC/DC - Back In Black (1980)

Highway To Hell is my favorite AC/DC record, but I can't deny that this is their greatest achievement. It took the death of their mouthpiece to find their voice, and this really is a fitting tribute to Bon Scott's legacy. But...

I've considered this an homage piece for so long that it's lost a lot of its wallop for me. Brian Johnson is fine, but he never had that sparkle like Bon had that sparkle. Considering he's been AC/DC's singer three times as long as Bon, Brian always sounded like "the new guy" to me. His presence took away that blistering energy that Angus and Phil Rudd had been humping into the band from the beginning.
Back In Black planted them right in the middle of everything--levels, tempos, mix, energy, lyrics--and it wasn't a mistake. Their tour for Highway To Hell went incredibly well...until...
And some may find the Youngs' actions crass, but when your army is ready to conquer the world, you don't let a general's death slow you down. You pick up your sword and start hacking away until your the last one standing. Mutt Lange had given them quite an arsenal for their Highway To Hell sessions, so they brought his crystal-clear firepower back for a guaranteed victory. Thirty-six years later, "Hells Back", "You Shook Me All Night Long", or the title track will play on the radio (any radio) at least once every thirty-ven minutes.

Their ambition was always stadium-sized bar rock, but I still feel they were deadliest bringing that ambition to a more intimate setting. I don't really want to be sweat all over by a ravenous imp with a guitar bigger than him...or do I? They're all short enough it wouldn't really matter, anyway. Regardless, this is one of the superlative rock-and-roll albums. Anyone who hasn't heard Back In Black from front to back lives their life in want - "shake a leg".

Recommended Listening: Hell's Bells, Back In Black, Shake A Leg, Rock-and-Roll Ain't Noise Pollution