Maps of Music

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)

Where the lyrics of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap take you, and where it was really made.

This album did not reach US shelves until 1981, more than a year after Bon Scott died, and it has since sold at least six million copies.

Key places

Where the sessions began (1976)

Recording site Albert Studios — The band began recording the album here in December 1975, with Harry Vanda and George Young producing. The studio is in Sydney, Australia. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Motel on the international cover (1976)

Album cover Motown Recording Studios — The motel on the cover of the international release was the Imperial 400 Motel on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. It closed in 1982 and then changed owners several times. The point marks the city centre, not the motel building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is the third studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC
• Originally released in 1976 only in Europe, Australia and New Zealand
• Not released in the United States until 1981, more than a year after lead singer Bon Scott's death
• First AC/DC album recorded entirely with the same lineup, with no track using a different bassist or drummer
• Line-up: Bon Scott on lead vocals, Angus Young on lead guitar, Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar, Mark Evans on bass, Phil Rudd on drums

Background

• The band made its first UK tour in April 1976, when 'It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)' was released as a single
• An EP planned with Vanda and Young in the UK was eventually scrapped
• The US release of High Voltage in 1976 was hampered by visa problems and a lack of interest from Atlantic Records
• Because of those problems, the band returned to Australia to finish the third album
• Strong import demand after Highway to Hell's US success in late 1979 pushed Atlantic's US division to release the album officially in March 1981

Recording

• Recording began in December 1975 at Albert Studios
• Harry Vanda and George Young produced the album
• George Young is the elder brother of guitarists Malcolm and Angus Young and also played bass on track 3
• A modified international edition came out on Atlantic on 17 December 1976
• The label was unhappy with the album's vocals and production, and the band nearly lost its contract

Cover

• Cover art for the Australian version was assembled by Richard Ford at EMI Studios, Sydney
• The international cover shows the Imperial 400 Motel on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles
• The motel closed in 1982 and then passed through several owners
• Credits list Kettle Art Productions for the Australian cover concept and design, and Hipgnosis for the international sleeve design and photos

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.
• The band name comes from the AC/DC symbol on the adapter of their sister Margaret's sewing machine.
• Their music has been described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal, though the band calls itself simply a rock and roll band.
• Their early sound was rooted in Australian pub rock.

Members

• Angus Young (lead guitar) and Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar) were the founding core of the band until Malcolm retired in 2014.
• Bon Scott was lead vocalist until his death in February 1980.
• Brian Johnson became lead vocalist in 1980.
• Phil Rudd, Cliff Williams and Stevie Young have also played key roles.

Career

• Their 1980 album Back in Black became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• The band has sold an estimated 200 million records worldwide.
• They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

Reappraisal

• AllMusic stated that the album captured the seething malevolence of Bon Scott, encouraged by the riffs of Angus and Malcolm Young
• AllMusic also found a real sense of danger on the record
• Greg Kot of Rolling Stone wrote that the guitars of the Young brothers bark at each other
• Kot praised Phil Rudd for swinging the beat while pulverizing his kick drum
• Kot said Scott brings the raunch and wail, and that the subject matter is standard rock rebellion
• Biographer Murray Engleheart called the album rougher than T.N.T.
• Engleheart pointed to 'Ride On' as a near character study of Bon Scott's loneliness
• 'Ride On' is an atypical slow blues track that has often been cited as one of AC/DC's best songs

Records

• The US release in March 1981 went straight to No. 3 on the Billboard album chart
• Certified 6× platinum in both Australia and the US, with at least six million copies sold
• Third-highest-selling AC/DC album in the US, after Highway to Hell (7× platinum) and Back in Black (25× platinum)
• The US release was widely seen as damaging the momentum of For Those About to Rock We Salute You, which it outsold

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title comes from the cartoon Beany and Cecil, which Angus watched as a child, and its character Dishonest John's business card.
• The title track's phone number 36-24-36 was a real number in 1960s Australia.
• In 1981 an Illinois couple sued Atlantic Records, claiming their phone number was in the song and caused hundreds of prank calls.
• Malcolm and Angus Young said the album was conceived as a Bogartian mystery scenario.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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