AC/DC
Flick of the Switch
ALBUM REVIEW
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“Once you reach a certain level, there is no ‘better’…it’s different.”
Released on August 19, 1983, FLICK OF THE SWITCH (the 9th studio album by AC/DC and the 3rd featuring Brian Johnson on the mic) is what some fans might call their “White Album” (arriving after their “Black Album” and “Bronze Album”, respectively), showing a black and white grayscale drawing of a lone Angus pulling down some massive power, so to speak.
“That’s literally ‘Bad To The Bone’ and ‘In My Time Of Dying’…”
Released 08/19/1983
Label Albert / Atlantic
Producers AC/DC
Side One
1 Rising Power
2 This House Is on Fire
3 Flick of the Switch
4 Nervous Shakedown
5 Landslide
Side Two
6 Guns for Hire
7 Deep in the Hole
8 Bedlam in Belgium
9 Badlands
10 Brain Shake
“We could have a rated R show…it doesn’t have to be X…”
We’re finally back on track after getting derailed by the weather. Always remember to “wait ‘til it has some viscosity to it…” and then JOIN US for a “night time” dive into the album that would serve as the bridge into the next era of AC/DC with “The White Album” known as FLICK OF THE SWITCH.
RISING POWER
Not the greatest opener (for AC/DC). Heavy though…ballsy. Compared to the previous 3 albums, this could have gone later in the line-up…but let’s be real: after a 3-album run including Highway to Hell, Back In Black and For Those About To Rock (We Salute You), they were probably ready for something a little different.
You can always tell the “connector” albums that blend different eras…this was the bridge between those three albums and ‘Fly On The Wall’.
THIS HOUSE IS ON FIRE
Okay, so they should have switched ‘Rising Power’ and this one in the lineup and it would have been perfect. This would have been a better opener for the album. To be 43 years old, it still holds up.
FLICK OF THE SWITCH
Fuck, why didn’t they open with THIS!?
“OW!”
This, track 2, and then track 1. That should have been the tracking order. When they used to play this on the radio (on 96 Rock in the daytime AND the nighttime) it was always awesome!
“She devil, she evil!”
NERVOUS SHAKEDOWN
Heavy and bluesy…fuck, THIS could have been a killer opener! One thing about AC/DC: they NEVER disappoint…EVER!
“You get a one-way ticket to the county hall…”
You can hear it in the mix, the musculature of the sound: the bass, the guitars, and definitely the drums. Balls and attitude. The way that AC/DC is supposed to sound.
LANDSLIDE
“I want you to hear me out there…
I want you to put your hand in your pocket, take $10 out and send it to me…”
YES! Up-tempo AC/DC is the shit! If nothing else, you have to admit that this album is a grower from track 1…it just gets better and better. This is a perfect closer to side 1…fast, heavy, and ballsy. Sorta has ‘Snowballed’ vibes from ‘For Those About To Rock…’ , just fast and fun. You can almost sense the Bon Scott energy on this one…
GUNS FOR HIRE
Okay, so this was the lead single and the first thing on the radio…and the absolute most BAD-ASS thing they could have released right out of the gate! As a child, to hear this on the radio (and to see this music video on MTV at any friends’ house that had cable TV), it was absolute heavy metal rapture!
Check out that solo and how they go back into the rest of the song…that’s some stank face, kick-ass, awesomeness!!! If you listen to this with the volume on anything less than 10, then what are you even doing with your life!?
DEEP IN THE HOLE
This one has ‘Fly On The Wall’ vibes to it…heavy and definitely sleazy. C’mon…Deep in the Hole!? (That’s right…). Definitely a slower, heavier vibe relative to the previous track. Overall, this album is probably a bit heavier than the prior couple of records. Heavier in a darker, more bluesy way than their prior efforts. But it still sounds like our favorite Scotstralian boys from Down Under.
BEDLAM IN BELGIUM
Always dug this one. This is classic Akka-Dakka…if you’re not listening to this LOUD then maybe they’re not the band for you. Never been to Belgium before, but if there ain’t bedlam going on over there, then I don’t want it.
The more you listen to this record, you can tell that it’s the connector between the prior 3 albums and Fly…stylistically anyway. This is what Dio would say was “caught in the in between…” in terms of style and substance. It’s still undoubtedly AC/DC, but you can tell there’s a shift in their style a bit relative to the last few records. Artists are artists…they’re gonna evolve and change. And this one is a perfect example of that.
BADLANDS
It’s ‘Bad To The Bone’ meets ‘In My Time Of Dying’… See also ‘Playing With Girls’ from ‘Fly On The Wall’.
If there was ever an instruction manual for ANY AC/DC album, it should read thusly:
Open the CD
Place in CD player
Turn the volume to at least 80%
Press play
BRAIN SHAKE
More uptempo stuff…the boys always crushed it with the uptempo stuff. Always has some Bon vibes resonating underneath…that’s the good shit!
What a way to close! Would you believe that this record is only a few minutes longer than the mighty Reign In Blood? Maybe not as insanely intense as that one, but still a good listen all the way through.
Go get you some FLICK…you’re welcome!
And remember that this song is (likely) dedicated to Angus for constantly and consistently giving us the heavy metal, headbanging BRAIN SHAKE for the last half century! HAIL AND THANK YOU to the BEST Scotstralians that we know!!!
Show Notes:
(00:01): #selfconsciousness / “Hold on…you don’t know what you’re asking for…”/ #darkcomedy / “It’s kinda like…being in a cover band and having you guys show up when we play #POISON…”/ #carriesunderwear / “I need a rage truck…”/ “I like doing it…it’s fun…”/
“A little bit…only if you push back…”/ ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***/
“Synching up…locking in…”/ ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST (NIGHT TIME EDITION) ***/ #coveryourmouth / “I’m building up my immunity system…”/
“It could have been me…”/ #AIDSFlu / “It takes a flu nap is what you’re saying…”/ #homemadelube / “Wait til it has some viscosity to it…”
(05:55): EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com & PATREON US at patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast / #HailToTheBenton / “Dude, the Hog Story is worth the price of admission…”/ “Oh yeah…when we get done…I need to show you guys something…”/ “It’s like zazz and zhuzh…”/ #NWOOSTM / “Here’s what I hate about Marshalls…”/ #Traitor REACTOR IV (Venomizer – 2016) / #1986 / #incomplete /
“You know what dude, that’s the best #BackstreetBoys song…”/ #Enmy – LEDGE / #melody / “It’s the hard stop…and then super soft…”/ #markthetime / “I wasn’t expecting to like that…”/ “No Slayer of the Episode?”/ #anush #penish / #SlayerOfTheEpisode / #Slayer HALLOWED POINT (Seasons In The Abyss – 1990) / “And just like that…all is right in the world…”/ “It’s all 7’s…”
(22:47): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: AC/DC – FLICK OF THE SWITCH / #ACDC #TheWhiteAlbum / “I don’t remember being 10 and listening to AC/DC…”
“It’s black and white in grayscale…”/ Released August 19, 1983 / “Doing AC/DC always takes me back to childhood…”/ “In the For…Flick…Fly category, Flick is in the middle there…” / “It’s 3-D and you can feel the texture…”/ Recorded in Nassau, The Bahamas with Robert John “Mutt” Lange / “He’s the Bob Rock of the 80’s…”/ “Their sound is menopause…”/ RISING POWER / “I feel like it was a little slow to start…”/ “#Pyromania btw was January 20 (1983)…”/ “I don’t know what that is: a desert vagina kinda…”/ THIS HOUSE IS ON FIRE / “They should have swapped those two…”/ “Mega ultra mother fucking super stardom…”
(33:23): FLICK OF THE SWITCH / “I think every band has a ‘connector’ album…”/ “That’s a good episode…3 albums in a row…”/ “Use penal clean…”/ NERVOUS SHAKEDOWN
“Two words…slower and sleazier…”/ “You know what the leading cause of death is for nymphomaniacs is?”/ “We could have a Rated R show…it doesn’t have to be X…”/ #killercloser / LANDSLIDE / “What a great closer for Side 1…”/ “That riff…reminded me of this…”/ PLAYING WITH GIRLS (Fly On The Wall – 1985) / “I try to hold this thing together…”
(38:38): GUNS FOR HIRE / “Turn this up to loud…” / “Once you reach a certain level, there is no ‘better’…it’s just different.”/ DEEP IN THE HOLE / “I’m over A.I…”/
“I cup the balls, I go all the way…”
(45:34): BEDLAM IN BELGIUM / “Side 2 better than Side 1…” / “It’s really close to ‘Fly On The Wall’…” / BADLANDS / “That’s literally ‘Bad To The Bone’ and ‘In My Time Of Dying’…”/ “I feel like he does that in the studio…”/ SG vs Les Paul / #markthetime / BRAINSHAKE / #killercloser / “That sounds like an AC/DC closer…”/ “It’s only 8 minutes longer than Reign In Blood…”/ “It sounds like a good bridge to ‘Fly On The Wall’…”/ “It’s the bridge between the old and the next…”/ Bands with great 3-album runs / THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!!/ #untilthenext #outroreel