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Highway to Hell
Highway to Hell is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979, by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It is the first of three albums produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and is the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who died on 19 February 1980.
By 1978, AC/DC had released five albums internationally and had toured Australia and Europe extensively. In 1977, they landed in America and, with virtually no radio support, began to amass a live following. The band's most recent album, the live If You Want Blood, had reached number 13 in the United Kingdom, and the two albums previous to that, 1977's Let There Be Rock and 1978's Powerage, had seen the band find their raging, blues-based hard rock sound. Although the American branch of Atlantic Records had rejected the group's 1976 LP Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, it now believed the band was poised to strike it big in the States if only they would work with a producer who could give them a radio-friendly sound. Since their 1975 Australian debut High Voltage, all of AC/DC's albums had been produced by George Young and Harry Vanda. According to the book AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, the band was not enthusiastic about the idea, especially guitarists Angus Young and Malcolm Young, who felt a strong sense of loyalty to their older brother George:
Being told what to do was bad enough but what really pissed off Malcolm and Angus was they felt that George was being treated disrespectfully by Atlantic, like an amateur with no great track record when it came to production ... Malcolm seemed less pleased with the situation and went so far as to tell Radio 2JJ in Sydney that the band had been virtually "forced" to go with an outside producer. Losing Harry was one thing. Losing George was almost literally like losing a sixth member of the band, and much more.
The label paired the band with South African-born Eddie Kramer, best known for his pioneering work as engineer for Jimi Hendrix but also for mega-bands Led Zeppelin and Kiss. Kramer met the band at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida but, by all accounts, they did not get on. Geoff Barton quotes Malcolm Young in Guitar Legends magazine: "Kramer was a bit of a prat. He looked at Bon and said to us, 'Can your guy sing?' He might've sat behind the knobs for Hendrix, but he's certainly not Hendrix, I can tell you that much." Former AC/DC manager Michael Browning recalls in the 1994 book Highway to Hell: The Life and Times of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott, "I got a phone call from Malcolm in Florida, to say, 'This guy's hopeless, do something, he's trying to talk us into recording that Spencer Davis song,' 'Gimme Some Lovin',' 'I'm a Man,' whatever it was." Browning turned to Zambian-born producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange to step in. Lange was best known for producing the Boomtown Rats number-one hit "Rat Trap" and post-pub rock bands like Clover, City Boy, and Graham Parker. In 1979, singer Bon Scott told Rock Australia Magazine, "Three weeks in Miami and we hadn't written a thing with Kramer. So one day we told him we were going to have a day off and not to bother coming in. This was Saturday, and we snuck into the studio and on that one day we put down six songs, sent the tape to Lange and said, 'Will you work with us?'" The band had also signed up with new management, firing Michael Browning and hiring Peter Mensch, an aggressive American who had helped develop the careers of Aerosmith and Ted Nugent.
With "Mutt" Lange in place as producer, recording commenced at the Roundhouse Recording Studios in Chalk Farm, north London on 24 March 1979, and ended on 14 April. Clinton Walker described this process in his book Highway to Hell. The band had spent about three months at Roundhouse Studio, constantly working on the album. They worked for fifteen hours a day, usually for days on end, working on and reworking the songs within the album. This process was a culture shock to the band, who had grown used to spending about three weeks or so on an album, not the exhausting three-month period they spent on Highway to Hell.[citation needed] In spite of this, Lange's process was appreciated by the band, who had a similarly solid work ethic. Brothers Malcolm and Angus Young later went on to describe Lange's contributions to the band in an article in Mojo by Sylvie Simmons. Lange was able to refine the tracks for the band, ensuring that sound, guitar, drums, and even vocals were up to par with both his and the band's expectations.[citation needed] Tour manager Ian Jeffery, who was present during recordings, recalled the many changes Lange had put the band through, such as during a particular recording session that led to an argument between Bon Scott and Lange. Lange had advised Scott to control his breathing during the recording of "If You Want Blood," leading Scott to demand that he do the technique himself. Lange was able to do it without complication, much to the shock of those in the room. Soon after, the band became receptive to Lange's instruction.
In AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, Arnaud Durieux writes that Lange, a trained singer, showed Scott how to breathe so he could be a technically better singer on songs like "Touch Too Much" and would join in on background vocals himself, having to stand on the other side of the studio because his own voice was so distinctive. The melodic backing vocals were a new element to the band's sound, but the polish Lange added did not detract from the band's characteristic crunch, thereby satisfying both the band and Atlantic Records at the same time.[citation needed]
Lange also taught Angus some useful lessons, instructing him to play his solos while sitting next to the producer. Jeffrey recalled an instance where he sat down with the lead guitarist to show him how he wanted him to play. While Angus initially reacted with hostility, he sat down with Lange, who instructed him by pointing toward notes on the fretboard. These notes turned out to be the solo from "Highway to Hell." Moments like these stood out as significant to the band. Lange didn't ask them to do the impossible, nor tell them their past process was incorrect. He heightened their process further, shaping the album into what it came to be.[citation needed]
The album's most famous song is the title track. From the outset, Atlantic Records hated the idea of using the song as the album title, with Angus later telling Guitar World's Alan Di Perna that, despite backlash, the name is meant to depict the experience of touring for the band.
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Highway to Hell
Highway to Hell is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979, by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It is the first of three albums produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and is the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who died on 19 February 1980.
By 1978, AC/DC had released five albums internationally and had toured Australia and Europe extensively. In 1977, they landed in America and, with virtually no radio support, began to amass a live following. The band's most recent album, the live If You Want Blood, had reached number 13 in the United Kingdom, and the two albums previous to that, 1977's Let There Be Rock and 1978's Powerage, had seen the band find their raging, blues-based hard rock sound. Although the American branch of Atlantic Records had rejected the group's 1976 LP Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, it now believed the band was poised to strike it big in the States if only they would work with a producer who could give them a radio-friendly sound. Since their 1975 Australian debut High Voltage, all of AC/DC's albums had been produced by George Young and Harry Vanda. According to the book AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, the band was not enthusiastic about the idea, especially guitarists Angus Young and Malcolm Young, who felt a strong sense of loyalty to their older brother George:
Being told what to do was bad enough but what really pissed off Malcolm and Angus was they felt that George was being treated disrespectfully by Atlantic, like an amateur with no great track record when it came to production ... Malcolm seemed less pleased with the situation and went so far as to tell Radio 2JJ in Sydney that the band had been virtually "forced" to go with an outside producer. Losing Harry was one thing. Losing George was almost literally like losing a sixth member of the band, and much more.
The label paired the band with South African-born Eddie Kramer, best known for his pioneering work as engineer for Jimi Hendrix but also for mega-bands Led Zeppelin and Kiss. Kramer met the band at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida but, by all accounts, they did not get on. Geoff Barton quotes Malcolm Young in Guitar Legends magazine: "Kramer was a bit of a prat. He looked at Bon and said to us, 'Can your guy sing?' He might've sat behind the knobs for Hendrix, but he's certainly not Hendrix, I can tell you that much." Former AC/DC manager Michael Browning recalls in the 1994 book Highway to Hell: The Life and Times of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott, "I got a phone call from Malcolm in Florida, to say, 'This guy's hopeless, do something, he's trying to talk us into recording that Spencer Davis song,' 'Gimme Some Lovin',' 'I'm a Man,' whatever it was." Browning turned to Zambian-born producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange to step in. Lange was best known for producing the Boomtown Rats number-one hit "Rat Trap" and post-pub rock bands like Clover, City Boy, and Graham Parker. In 1979, singer Bon Scott told Rock Australia Magazine, "Three weeks in Miami and we hadn't written a thing with Kramer. So one day we told him we were going to have a day off and not to bother coming in. This was Saturday, and we snuck into the studio and on that one day we put down six songs, sent the tape to Lange and said, 'Will you work with us?'" The band had also signed up with new management, firing Michael Browning and hiring Peter Mensch, an aggressive American who had helped develop the careers of Aerosmith and Ted Nugent.
With "Mutt" Lange in place as producer, recording commenced at the Roundhouse Recording Studios in Chalk Farm, north London on 24 March 1979, and ended on 14 April. Clinton Walker described this process in his book Highway to Hell. The band had spent about three months at Roundhouse Studio, constantly working on the album. They worked for fifteen hours a day, usually for days on end, working on and reworking the songs within the album. This process was a culture shock to the band, who had grown used to spending about three weeks or so on an album, not the exhausting three-month period they spent on Highway to Hell.[citation needed] In spite of this, Lange's process was appreciated by the band, who had a similarly solid work ethic. Brothers Malcolm and Angus Young later went on to describe Lange's contributions to the band in an article in Mojo by Sylvie Simmons. Lange was able to refine the tracks for the band, ensuring that sound, guitar, drums, and even vocals were up to par with both his and the band's expectations.[citation needed] Tour manager Ian Jeffery, who was present during recordings, recalled the many changes Lange had put the band through, such as during a particular recording session that led to an argument between Bon Scott and Lange. Lange had advised Scott to control his breathing during the recording of "If You Want Blood," leading Scott to demand that he do the technique himself. Lange was able to do it without complication, much to the shock of those in the room. Soon after, the band became receptive to Lange's instruction.
In AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, Arnaud Durieux writes that Lange, a trained singer, showed Scott how to breathe so he could be a technically better singer on songs like "Touch Too Much" and would join in on background vocals himself, having to stand on the other side of the studio because his own voice was so distinctive. The melodic backing vocals were a new element to the band's sound, but the polish Lange added did not detract from the band's characteristic crunch, thereby satisfying both the band and Atlantic Records at the same time.[citation needed]
Lange also taught Angus some useful lessons, instructing him to play his solos while sitting next to the producer. Jeffrey recalled an instance where he sat down with the lead guitarist to show him how he wanted him to play. While Angus initially reacted with hostility, he sat down with Lange, who instructed him by pointing toward notes on the fretboard. These notes turned out to be the solo from "Highway to Hell." Moments like these stood out as significant to the band. Lange didn't ask them to do the impossible, nor tell them their past process was incorrect. He heightened their process further, shaping the album into what it came to be.[citation needed]
The album's most famous song is the title track. From the outset, Atlantic Records hated the idea of using the song as the album title, with Angus later telling Guitar World's Alan Di Perna that, despite backlash, the name is meant to depict the experience of touring for the band.