Review Summary: An iconic classic powerhouse of delightfully simplistic Earth-shattering sounds.
Having been threatened to be dropped by their international record label, Atlantic Records, due to them not being pleased with the previous years
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and refusal to release it, the band went in hungry for success, hungry to blast out every bit of power they had in them and create a swirling storm of aggressive, raw, ferocious and biting Rock 'n' Roll.
Let There Be Rock is an INSANELY good record, one of the bands GREATEST releases and has frequently been included in best of the 70's lists and even some best of all time lists! The title track alone features 2 guitar solos that are some of the best you'll hear by Angus with Bon's poetic lyricism shining through as he growls his lyrics that are a spin on the gospel but with lyrics relating to Rock music's history and its formation, which is surprisingly clever.
"Dog Eat Dog" was likely written and intended to be towards their label with another ripper of a solo and some of Malcolm's best riff work, Bon's lyrics are fantastic too ("Business man, when you make a deal/Do you know who you can trust?/Do you sign your life away?/Or do you write your name in dust?") while
"Overdose" has a intro that sounds like a menacing feeling setting your hairs raising creeping up on you before exploding into a heavy blues rock number courtesy of Mal.
"Problem Child" is a bad boy anthem that was originally on [i]Dirty Deeds[/b] but released on this one internationally since it was, and still is, a concert anthem that needed to be heard on a record back when Atlantic rejected the last album, while
"Whole Lotta Rosie" is an incredible closer and holds its own many years later, it's anthemic chorus and absolutely sleazy verses make it a real treat and the part with call-and-response guitar licks between Angus and Malcolm shooting thunder at one another literally melted Angus' guitar amp. True story, it was a puddle by the end of the recording apparently, that just shows how real of a deal these guys were.
That's not all this album has to offer, you've got some great boogie rock that's sure to get you moving on appropriately titled
"Bad Boy Boogie", a tale of an abusive relationship of mistrust in a woman which would become a staple in Bon's writing from this point on with the electric
"Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be", and even the weaker album opener,
"Go Down" is a passable blues rock number that even has Angus shred on his guitar in response to Bon's vocal play similar to Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, though obviously, not as good.
The production may be the rawest its ever been on an AC/DC album, and you can frequently hear the amplifier feedback and the guitar buzz, and hell, the guitars even go out of tune a few times as the case is on
"Overdose" and
"Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be" and yet it still doesn't take away from the quality of the music or performances; this is a band finally reaching album band status, the likes of The Who or Led Zeppelin, and being worthy to stand as their own against the punk movement (and were even confused as punk rockers for their straightforward approach). This album is arguably a MUST HEAR and one of the best of the 70's, however, not one of the best of all time. That praise is eclipsed by the next three they'd end up releasing.
Track by Track:
1. Go Down: ★★★
2. Dog Eat Dog: ★★★★★
3. Let There Be Rock: ★★★★★ 🏅
4. Bad Boy Boogie: ★★★★
5. Problem Child: ★★★★
6. Overdose: ★★★★★
7. Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be: ★★★★★
8. Whole Lotta Rosie: ★★★★★
