AC/DC - The Discography - The Audiophile Reviews

[audioguy3107]

So I’ll start the first review thread with AC/DC’s first album High Voltage, most known for the first track It’s a Long Way To the Top (If You Want to Rock ‘n’ Roll)

AC/DC - High Voltage, 1976, ATCO Records
Review version - 2003 Epic Vinyl mastered by George Marino @ Sterling Sound



From Wikipedia: Originally released internationally on 30 April 1976 on Atlantic Records and in the US on 14 May 1976 on ATCO 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. It was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.

1. It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll) - Well If You ever wondered what bagpipes sound like in a metal guitar song, here you go. Overall a pretty smooth sounding track but nothing special. Bass is smooth but not overly powerful. Biggest takeaway here is the cymbals.....the cymbals stand out in the mix and are very realistic, especially for a hard rock non audiophile type album. Not a bad start for a debut album recorded in 1976.

2. Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer - Bon Scott’s vocals are a bit harsher on this song than the first, cymbals and drums are still nice, but nothing interesting stands out here.

3. The Jack - [DEMO] Now this is more like it, the opening starts with a bluesy bass groove which jumps way out at you compared to the first two tracks, when the rhythm guitar kicks in it really fills in the soundstage, so far this is the best sounding track on the album. Angus’ guitar solo is front and center about two minutes in and holds your attention. Bon Scott’s vocals are also much more defined in space, but obviously not in an audiophile way, but still very cool.

5. T.N.T - The bass guitar sticks out a bit more on this track than the others, you can really hear it give a foundation to the music, especially during the chorus.....this is the first song that gets the REL subwoofers working albeit not too much.

6. Can I Sit Next To You Girl - Some really fun guitar work on this track....probably the most enjoyable foot tappping song so far, sound quality a bit on the harsher side here, but if you like some fun guitar work, this is the best song on the album so far.

8. She’s Got Balls - Best bass on the album so far.....funny that it’s on the track with this title. Sounds like the band pumped up the bass with extra emphasis on the kick drum on this track. Everything else is business as usual, strong guitar and somewhat distorted vocals but you can feel the bass on this song much better. Always thought this was kind of a goofy song one way or another.

Fun album to listen to, not as much fun for audiophile purposes....the EPIC vinyl remaster is OK, it’s better than the remastered red book CD which I also have which sounds like a compressed mess. I would assume an original ATCO pressing would probably sound better, but would be harder to find in clean NM condition without paying some decent money for it. There isn’t many audiophile moments on the album, “The Jack” being the best sounding track by quite a bit which is why it alone gets the DEMO tag on this album, that’s about the only track worth a demo on a good system off this album. I’d be curious if anyone has heard any other digital versions of High Voltage and how it would compare.

Audiophile Rating: 3/10 (overall sonics)
Demo Rating: 11% 1/9 (number of cool demo tracks/tracks on album)

[Masterlu]

Buck... this is great!

[EfeTe]

Way to go Buck. Great initiative keep'em coming!

[radio times]

Great new initiative, I'm game. TNT I'm a power load, TNT watch me explode. Great lyric.

[clpetersen]

+1. Nice!

[crwilli]

Nicely done Buck.

[rnrmf1971]

One of my favorite AC/DC albums!
I have most of the cd versions with different masters -
Albert 80's Australian, ATCO remaster (Albert Australian version), US Atlantic issue, Marino 2003 remaster - I think they're all pretty good. The only one I don't listen to anymore is the ATCO 90's remaster (Ted Jensen, I believe). I didn't like those in the late 90's/early 2000's but its' been a long time and many stereo components since I last heard them, so it may be time to revisit those. But back when they were released, 20 years ago, I thought the original Atlantic discs were better, to my ears.
I've even warmed up to the Marino 2003 discs. They're compressed to death, but... it's AC/DC and the mastering doesn't sound entirely out of place. George Marino brought out richer instrument tones from the tapes so on one hand it's squashed but on the other it kind of sounds good to me. I don't reach for them first, but for somebody that wants to buy AC/DC on disc, it's a cheap and easy place to start.
Of course, I expect further remasters to take a more natural, less compressed approach, hopefully.

[PHC1]

Nicely done Buck. I’ve always been an AC/DC fan, longer than I’ve been an audiophile actually but AC/DC and audiophile quality, much like the other rock and metal never went hand in hand. If I listen it’s for nostalgic reasons and mid-Fi or car radio is actually a much better choice of playback than full resolution system.

[robd2]

Great review Buck. Do we know if your 2003 vinyl was cut from a digital file? That will make a big difference. AAA vs "Digital Vinyl"

[audioguy3107]

Originally Posted by robd2

Great review Buck. Do we know if your 2003 vinyl was cut from a digital file? That will make a big difference. AAA vs "Digital Vinyl"

Rob - according to information over on the Steve Hoffman Forums, the 2003 EPIC remasters were taken from the analog tapes FWIW. I still feel like it is compressed a bit, but nowhere near what you hear on recordings these days. I would say it sounds more digital than analog, but with AC/DC and overdriven guitars it may be tough to tell by ear. I can tell you that the all analog Bob Ludwig mastered original Back in Black pressing I have sound wayyyyyy better, but that'll be a topic for that album whenever I would get there!

- Buck