| Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap | |||||
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| Studio album by AC/DC | |||||
| Released | 20 September 1976 (Australia), November 1976 (worldwide), 1981 (US) | ||||
| Recorded | Summer 1976 | ||||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock, rock and roll | ||||
| Length | 42:36 | ||||
| Label | Albert | ||||
| Producer | Harry Vanda, George Young | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| AC/DC chronology | |||||
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| International edition | |||||
The international cover artwork was designed by Hipgnosis
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Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is the third studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in September 1976. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott.
It was originally released on Albert Productions. A modified international edition was released on Atlantic Records in 1976.
Contents |
Overview
Following up on the preceding Australian album, 1975's T.N.T., AC/DC delivered another crowd-pleasing recording with a number of fan-favourite songs, including the title track, "Squealer", "Problem Child", and others. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap also contains some of the most controversial lyrics found on any AC/DC album.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap also led to more AC/DC appearances on Australia's Countdown music program, following those in support of High Voltage and T.N.T. These appearances included a live performance of the album's title track, as well as a music video for "Jailbreak".[1]
A song titled "I'm a Rebel" was recorded during this album's sessions in 1976, with music and lyrics written by Angus and Malcolm Young's older brother, Alex Young. This song was never released by AC/DC and remains in Albert Productions' vaults. German band Accept later released it as a single and named their second album after the song.
Influences
On the Live At Donington DVD, Angus and Malcolm Young explain that the concept of this album was to make it a Humphrey Bogart-esque mystery scenario.
Furthermore, the term "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is an homage to the cartoon Beany and Cecil, which Angus Young watched when he was a child. One of the cartoon's characters was named Dishonest John, and carried a business card that read, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Holidays, Sundays and Special Rates."
International release
The international edition of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released November 1976, is considerably different from the original Australian edition, and features a different cover and track order. It was not released in the United States until April 1981.
On this album, the Australian version's "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" and "Jailbreak" are replaced by "Rocker" (from 1975's T.N.T.) and "Love at First Feel", the latter being one of only two tracks from international AC/DC albums not available on the band's Australian albums. (The other is "Cold Hearted Man", released on European pressings of Powerage.) Conversely, several songs that are available on Australian AC/DC albums have not seen overseas release. However, "Love at First Feel" was released in Australia as a single.
Though the international album was released by Atlantic Records in Europe in 1976 it was not picked up for U.S. release at the time. Following the American success of Highway To Hell in late 1979 copies of the album began to appear as imports in the U.S. Some of these imports were the original Australian edition on Albert Productions. However, Atlantic Records also pressed the international version in Australia and many of these copies were also exported to the U.S. Strong demand for both import versions eventually led the U.S. division of Atlantic to finally authorize an official U.S. release in April 1981, which went straight to #3 on the Billboard album charts.
Two songs on the international album were edited from the full length versions on the original Australian album. The full length "Dirty Deeds" has the title of the song chanted four times starting at 3:09, but on the edited version the chant is heard only twice. "Ain't No Fun" lasted 7:29 on the Australian album but was faded out early to 6:57 on the international version. However, both these full length versions were restored on the 1994 Atco Records remastered CD of the international album. The most recent 2003 CD edition on Epic Records goes back to the edited versions as on the 1976 and 1981 international vinyl editions.
Angus came up with the title of the album when he was watching an episode of Beany And Cecil. The antagonist, Dishonest John, carried a card that read: "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Special Holidays, Sundays and Rates".
The Australian version of the album was briefly released in the United Kingdom, but only on the original vinyl printings in that country. "Jailbreak" was included on AC/DC's '74 Jailbreak, released in October 1984 in the United States, Canada, and Japan. "R.I.P. (Rock In Peace)" has not been officially released internationally.
Australian track listing
- "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" – 4:13
- "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)" – 7:31
- "There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'" – 3:17
- "Problem Child" – 5:46
- "Squealer" – 5:36
- "Big Balls" – 2:40
- "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" – 3:36
- "Ride On" – 5:53
- "Jailbreak" – 4:41
Non-Australian track listing
- "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" – 4:12 (full length version) 3:52 (edited version)
- "Love at First Feel" – 3:13
- "Big Balls" – 2:39
- "Rocker" – 2:52
- "Problem Child" – 5:47
- "There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'" – 3:18
- "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)" – 7:29 (full length version), 6:58 (edited version)
- "Ride On" – 5:54
- "Squealer" – 5:27
All songs composed by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott.
- Most editions of this album contain edited versions of the title track and "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)." The 1994 remastered CD on Atco Records contains full length versions of both songs.
- The track "Rocker" was originally released on T.N.T. in 1975.
Personnel
- Bon Scott – lead vocals
- Angus Young – lead guitar
- Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Mark Evans – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Phil Rudd – drums
Production
- Producers: Harry Vanda, George Young
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Pop Albums | 3 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | "Big Balls" | Mainstream Rock | 26 |
| 1981 | "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" | Mainstream Rock | 4 |
Certification
| Country | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 6,000,000 | 6x Platinum |
Notes
- The entire song "Big Balls" is a double entendre. The lyrics can refer to a person who hosts social balls, and also to sexual activities and testicles (the latter of which are called "balls" as slang).
Cover versions of this song have been used as the theme music for professional wrestler Balls Mahoney. Mahoney used the original (AC/DC version of the) song as his theme music during his debut run in ECW.[2]
References
- ^ Video Footage and Liner Notes, Family Jewels 2-Disc DVD Set 2005
- ^ "Enterance Videos". WWE. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/videos/.
External links
- Lyrics on AC/DC's official website
- AC/DC News
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