That album is great, groundbreaking in its way (forging new paths in musical metallurgy), but as a whole, the genre got lamer and lamer as the decade progressed, more about image in the video age than anything real or relatable. By the time I entered high school, it had been watered down to a little thing called hair metal, which didn't provide or produce much good in the world, outside of the ratted hair look (on women). That noise wasn't silenced until 1991, with a band called Nirvana and a music (-al movement) called "grunge", which, when you think about it, also wound up becoming a caricature.
The album Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap has always struck me as a solid emissary from that moment just before hard rock became metal. And "Rocker", the best example of rock and roll that may have been hard, but had not yet lost its more organic, bluesier roots in the dervish of spandex, eye liner and ratted out hair...on men...that for better or worse, informed my youth.
This is nothing less than rock and roll history:
"Got little red socks, blue suede shows / V-8 car and tattoos..."
#280) "Ride On" by AC/DC - From the same album, and nothing if not "bluesy", there are two things I love about this song: 1) the message. It's how everyone should approach life, really the only option everyone has, and at certain moments in my own life it's actually served as a beacon. Ride on. 2) Angus Young's guitar solo, which, for my money, is among the best ever, in "rock and roll", "hard rock", "metal" or whatever else you want to put quotes around.
"Bought myself a one-way ticket, going the wrong way..."
#281) "Big Balls" - On the surface a throw-away, but listen, and consider it was the mid-1970s when this was recorded. It was actually kind of funny, and daring (dare I say: ballsy), for its day.
Whether it holds up today, either as a piece of art, a piece of comedy, or a piece of music, I'm not so sure. But there was a time, man, 7th or 8th grade, when "Big Balls" was pretty shocking and hilarious and cool, and I felt pretty shocking and hilarious and cool jamming out to it. That alone makes it worth taking along on my road trip.
"It's my belief that my big balls should be held every night..."
