Pros: A handful of decent songs, especially the title track...
Cons: A bunch of mediocre songs...
The Bottom Line: Unless you already own AC/DC's best albums, I don't suggest sampling For Those About to Rock. It's fine enough, but there are definitely better releases.
lambchops's Full Review: For Those About To Rock We Salute You [Remaster] b...
AC/DC is a band that requires no introduction. The Australian rockers are known for their crunchy and loud yet melodic songs that expound upon all things sex, drugs, and rock and roll (mostly the first and last). If you love to rock without having to think about much then this is one band that is sure to please.
The band formed in Sydney during 1973. Malcolm Young (guitar), Angus Young (guitar), and Bon Scott (face peeling vocals) were the central force behind AC/DC. Also in the lineup were Cliff Williams (bass) and powerhouse drummer Phil Rudd. However it was always the combination of the Young brothers and Bon Scott that defined the band. Of course that would all change. After great success in the late 1970s with albums like High Voltage (1976), Let there Be Rock (1977), Powerage (1978), and most importantly 1979’s Highway to Hell it seemed the fate of AC/DC was uncertain. Scott “drunk himself to death” in 1980—who knew that there was another fellow out there who could belt out tunes in quite the same manner? That guy, Brian Johnson, has been the vocalist from 1980 through today.
After Scott’s untimely death, AC/DC continued to churn out the hits. In fact rather than fading into obscurity they became increasingly popular around the world and in the United States. The first album with Johnson, 1980s Back in Black, is inarguably the band’s seminal release. However Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1981) was nearly as good. Later that same year, 1981, the band retuned with For Those About to Rock We Salute You. While it did not live up to the grandeur of the previous two albums, I still can’t deny the fact that this is a band that knew (and still knows) how to entertain.
Kicking off with the grinding mid-tempo rocker For Those About to Rock (We Salute You). This is classic AC/DC marked by energetic, growling vocals from Johnson and the outstanding dueling guitar style of the Young brothers. This is the one song from this album that I’d put up against any in the band’s large catalogue. The high quality does not continue consistently throughout which is the reason why this album isn’t among the best from the band. The problems really begin with the entertaining though painfully mediocre I Put the Finger on You.
Despite the problems, For those About to Rock moves swiftly. I am mildly impressed by offers like Let’s Get It Up, the Zeppelin-esque Snowballed, the slow burning Evil Walks, and C.O.D.. What remains of the album will certainly please AC/DC fans, but it’s not going to win them any new listeners. I love listening to their brand of rock and roll. Heck, even when it is predictable and mildly boring it still rocks harder than the vast majority of what we’re subject to today. This, my friends, is real hard rock.
For Those About to Rock is a brief album at just 10 tracks and less than forty minutes. It is definitely a necessity in any AC/DC fan’s collection but is rather middling. As for “regular folk” I instead suggest you pick up their best including Let There Be Rock, Highway to Hell, Back in Black, and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap before wandering down this path.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
02. I Put the Finger on You
03. Let’s Get It Up
04. Inject the Venom
05. Snowballed
06. Evil Walks
07. C.O.D.
08. Breaking the Rules
09. Night of the Long Knives
10. Spellbound
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