Oh man, that cover….  An attention getter ain’t it?  Kinda like how I reacted to the KISS Alive II album when I saw it, I took one look at this at my young, impressionable age and thought, “WHAAAAAAAT????”  I think I was by the record section in Woolworths or some department store and right there, in the very front of the A’s, was this album.  I don’t even think I’d heard ANYTHING by AC/DC at the time but this sure caught my eye.  Flash forward a few more years-  Back In Black is all over the radio and ‘DC are the hot band at the moment.  I loved them from the get go, quickly soaking up everything about the band and learning all about the Bon Scott years courtesy of my cousin David.

Looking back on those days, AC/DC was my segue between listening to Top 40 radio and AOR.  I would hear “You Shook Me All Night Long” constantly on that Top 40 station but on any of the AOR stations you could hear just about any AC/DC, which encouraged my listening even more.  Sure, Back In Black got a lot of play but now I was hearing stuff like Highway To Hell and High Voltage and a host of others.  And not just AC/DC I was digging; suddenly I’m hearing awesome new bands, new tunes, new sounds altogether, which opened the floodgates for a musically rewarding experience.  But I digress…

Back to the live album…  If You Want Blood is a loud, ugly, dirty, and abrasive record and I mean all of those things in a good way.  Recorded live in front of a crazy group of punters in Glasgow, Scotland, this album kicks off with what sounds like the hum of an amplifier before a loud roar announces the arrival of lead guitarist Angus Young, who whips the crowd into a frenzy as he kicks into introductory cut “Riff Raff”.  As the band comes in and gradually builds onto the riff you can sense the excitement in the air.  And once the song really takes off it’s like a dogfight; you can feel the crowd jockeying for position, one giant mass of sweaty bodies roaring as one as the band eventually hammers away at each song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9UlqMgytoE

And songs, hoo boy, there are some great ones on here.  However, the one I listen to the most on this album is an absolutely incendiary “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be”, driven by an absolutely awesome vocal performance by Bon Scott, all grit and determination as he roars through 4+ minutes of greatness.  Musically, the riff is fairly simple but it is loud, dirty, and stomping with its introductory crashing and sustained chords before tightening it up throughout the verses as Bon weaves a fine rock and roll tale about a wrong doing woman (as only he could).  Did I say something about “tight”?  Rhythmically these guys deliver and this live cut is a great example of the solid backbone between Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd.  Hell, this is probably one of my all time favorite live cuts from ANYONE, it is that good.

Other strong cuts on this disc are blistering versions of “Whole Lotta Rosie” and “Problem Child” and a manic take on “Let There Be Rock”, all non stop chugging riff as it rumbles along like a freight train out of control until conductor Angus blesses us with some filthy lead guitar.  But likely the most infamous song on this live patter is a truly raunchy version of “The Jack” with a totally different set of lyrics about…  well…  AHEM…  it’s not about a card game, if that’s what you’re thinking!  No, Bon regales us with a tale of a sexual encounter and its rather unfortunate outcome (ha ha) over a bluesy stomp courtesy of the band, including full crowd participation from the rowdy Scots as well.

It’s a damn shame that Bon Scott’s senseless death less than two years after this recording ended such a promising career that was reaching even greater heights.  His performance on this album is testament to his strengths in front of a live audience as he sings with great gusto, engages the crowd, and seemingly has more fun than you or I can imagine.  As for the rest of the band- amped up, on fire, fully energized…  I mean, what more can you say?  And then I think…  can you just imagine if this was a double LP and it added “Live Wire”?  “Sin City”?  “TNT”, “Down Payment Blues”?  (Insert favorite pre-Highway To Hell song here)?

R.I.P. Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott (1946-1980)