Let There Be Rock

Let There Be Rock is the fourth album on which AC/DC prioritized the heat of the moment the band plays in the same room over studio crafting. The guitars of Angus and Malcolm Young mesh thick and sharp, and Phil Rudd’s unshaking beat fixes the whole like the ground. Their primal explosiveness is laid utterly bare. From the festivity of the title track “Let There Be Rock,” which loftily sings the birth of rock and roll, and the tenacity of “Bad Boy Boogie” to the boldness of the signature “Whole Lotta Rosie,” the songs dash through on short riffs and Bon Scott’s free words, while cuts like “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” and “Dog Eat Dog” convey early AC/DC’s raw heat. Almost excessive sound pressure and playing without any hesitation pull the listener in willy-nilly. Its appeal is presenting the root energy of rock and roll in its purest form, over technique or refinement. Inscribing AC/DC’s primal strength that would support their later huge success, it is a rough but important masterpiece.