Five of the Greatest AC/DC Songs with Bon Scott

Let's face it, selecting five of the best songs from the AC/DC canon during the Bon Scott era is a tough task, especially considering they are all good tracks. Pretty much every song off those first six studio records is very good. Over time though, some songs, like "Highway To Hell" are overplayed to death. Others, like "It''s a Long Way to the Top (if you wanna rock 'n roll)" get kinda boring after all these years. As an AC/DC fan since 1984, these songs are five of the best they recorded with the great Bon Scott on vocals and writing the lyrics.

Gimme A Bullet

From the 1978 masterpiece Powerage record, "Gimme A Bullet" features a great groove and Bon Scott wailing about a lost love. The way the verses flow with the song is amazing: Don't need no drink, don't need no drugs. Don't need no sympathy. Sooner or later, send me the bill for what she's doing to me. Operator long distance lips on the telephone" are vintage Scott lyrics with this smooth delivery. An interesting aspect of this track is there's no guitar solo.

Down Payment Blues

Boasting one of Malcolm Young's finest riffs, "Down Payment Blues" is another stellar track off the Powerage album. Again, Scott delivers some classic lyrics like "I know I ain't doing much. Doing nothing means a lot to me. Living on a shoe string, a fifty cent millionaire. Open to charity. Rock 'n' roller welfare." But what makes it such a great song is the way it builds from verse to verse, then getting more and more intense after the middle break, until the final stanza features Scott wailing, while behind him, the band is absolutely cranking it out.

Whole Lotta Rosie

A staple of AC/DC's live shows since it emerged on the Let There Be Rock record, "Whole Lotta Rosie" is a tour de force, especially the live version off If You Want Blood, You've Got It. The riff absolutely churns in a non-stop frenzy, while Scott stretches his vocal chops singing about sex with a larger woman. Face it, most of us have converted 19 stone to pounds (266 lb.).

Live Wire

"Live Wire" is probably one of the first AC/DC songs many people heard back in 1976, as it featured on their first international album release High Voltage, and was usually the opening track for all their shows during the Bon Scott era. It's a classic AC/DC song with the bass intro, slow riff opening, then it kicks into high gear when Phil Rudd's drums kick in. Naturally, Scott provides some hilarity in the lyrics: "Go stick this in your fuse box".

Love Hungry Man

Certainly one of the band's most unheralded songs (and probably the first time it made a "Best of List"), "Love Hungry Man" really shows the influence Highway To Hell producer Mutt Lange had on the band where the gang vocal on the chorus plays a prominent part in the song. It also showcases Scott's voice hitting the highest notes in his vocal range, especially in the final 40 seconds of the song, when Scott is literally screeching. In fact "Love Hungry Man" and "Night Prowler", the final two tracks on Highway To Hell, are two of the best on that album.

Check Out How Bon Scott got his raspy voice