May 8, 2023
AC/DC ~ Flick Of The Switch (album review) ... Streamlined & raw under-rated moment!
Style: hard rock, blues-rock
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1983
Home: Australia
Members: Angus Young ~ lead guitar
Brian Johnson ~ lead vocals
Stevie Young ~ rhythm guitar/b. vocals
Cliff Williams ~ bass/b. vocals
Phil Rudd ~ drums
This album was not a commercial success upon its release, but that might be understandable as it followed the powerful Back In Black & For Those About To Rock. Yet, its an enjoyable experience. It lacks the stand out singles those albums had, though "Guns For Hire", "Deep In The Hole", & oddly titled "Bedlam In Belgium" are wannabe singles. Though they don't stray far from the AC/DC template, but this is not an album about doing anything too different. This is an album with some straight forward blues-rock songs, largely interchangeable with many songs in their collection, but on the other hand its what we expect & enjoy from them. Where it may have failed at the time was its lackluster feeling. In comparison to those more successful albums this feel like a let down. Really, it just lacks the polish those albums had, which was a deliberate move by the band. The expectation was likely that the band would take things up a notch to more explosive heights, rather than trim things down for an almost low-key play-by-the-numbers affair. Its not an explosive album, but a slow ride that plays it safe but plays it good. Its raw, stream-lined, back to basics. If you like the big commercial sound of AC/DC like Back In Black or Power Up or The Razor's Edge this might sound like B-sides or filler. There's no bells or big choruses. Yet, if you think AC/DC without the polish & made for MTV sound is the real band, or you think Rock Or Bust was a great album, then you'll enjoy this lost moment. This sounds like a bar band churning out songs, but one of the greatest bar bands in the world.
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