AC/DC: Bon Scott (vocals); Angus Young, Malcolm Young (guitar); Mark Evans (bass); Phil Rudd (drums).

Recorded in 1976. Originally released as Atlantic (16033). Includes liner notes by David Wild.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

This is a Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser.

Personnel: Bon Scott (vocals); Malcolm Young, Angus Young (guitar); Phil Rudd (drums).

Liner Note Author: David Wild.

Recording information: 1976.

Photographers: Colin Stead; Bob King ; Michael Putland; Hipgnosis [Design Group]; Paul Canty; Neil Zlozower; Philip Morris.

There's a real sense of menace to "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," the title song of AC/DC's third album. More than most of their songs to date, it captured the seething malevolence of Bon Scott, the sense that he reveled in doing bad things, encouraged by the maniacal riffs of Angus and Malcolm Young who provided him with their most brutish rock & roll yet. But for as glorious as the title track was, the entire album served as a call to arms from a group that wanted nothing more than to celebrate the dirtiest, nastiest instincts humans could have, right down to the insurgent anti-authority vibe that runs throughout the record. Take "Big Balls" -- sure, it's a dirty joke, but it's a dirty joke with class overthrow in mind. There's a sense on Dirty Deeds that AC/DC is storming the gates -- they're problem children sick of waiting around to be a millionaire, so they're gonna make their own money, even if they take down others as they go. That's what gives Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap its supercharged, nervy pulse; there's a real sense of danger to this record, something that can't be hidden beneath the jokes. Maybe that's why the album wasn't released in the U.S. until 1981, after Bon's death, after AC/DC had become millionaires -- if it arrived any earlier, it would have been too insurrectionist for the common good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Although it wasn't released stateside until '81, DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP is an Australian compilation recorded in the mid-70's. By the time of its U.S. release, singer Bon Scott had already died of alcohol poisoning and the band had emerged from the tragedy with new singer Brian Johnson and the stunning BACK IN BLACK. This album then, perhaps inadvertently, serves as an epitaph for the late, tattoo-emblazoned singer. And there is no more fitting eulogy than the title track, which captures Scott in all his raunchy glory.

Full of ill will, Scott snakes his way through a nasty tale of revenge. He's only too happy to provide TNT, concrete, cyanide, whatever it takes really, to get the job done. As he snarls, growls, and finally squeals, "high voltage!" Scott is immortalized in complete reptilian glee. Though the title tracks alone makes the album essential; there are other significant merits. The utterly tasteless hilarity of "Big Balls" is a not-so-subtle pun Beavis and Butthead would undoubtedly have worshipped. "Ride On" is a toned down blouse groove that is complete out of step with AC/DC's usual onslaught. All in all, DIRTY DEEDS is a fine collection that shows these Australian bad boys doing what they do best.