AC/DC's Ballbreaker is one of those albums I love because of warm fuzzy memories, not so much because it was a great album. To be honest, this album is pretty much a teenage wet dream with a few other songs thrown in for texture. I realize that the band is known for releasing the same album over and over again, and to the casual listener that's true, but when it comes to this album it gets a bit generic.
Once I get to my favourite song on the album, you'll question what was said above. However, that doesn't happen for quite a while.
The album opens with Hard As A Rock, which lyrically is juvenile at best, and I don't care, but musically has a great build up and musical presence. Right away the musical production grabs me. It's simple, but effective. Everything sounds clear and the bass really fills out the low end giving a very full sound.
Cover You In Oil is basically soft core porn, with a very basic AC/DC boogie woogie back beat. "I like to slip into something good / I see a young girl in the neighborhood / The way she move, I must confess / I like to run my hands up and down her legs / The way she dress, she look so fine / I'll make her wet, gonna make her mine / She like it hard, she don't like it slow / All right honey, come on lets go / Baby, feel what you want, it's the way she move / Baby, feel what you need, so come on let's go / Cover you in oil / Let me cover you in oil / I wanna cover you in oil / Let me cover you in oil / Yeah / Pull on the zip, she give good lip service / It's nothing for the show, I just pay to see her go / She make you hot, you spray your lot / So come on in honey, we're headin' to the top / The way she push, she don't give a dime / Abuse your life, gonna make you satisfied / She's kinda rough, she give it tough / Come on honey and strut your stuff / Baby feel what you want, it's the way she move / Baby, feel what you need, come on let's go / Cover you in oil / Cover you in oil / I wanna cover you in oil / Let me cover you in oil / Let's go / Ooooh yeah / Yeeeeeeeah / Feel what you want / It's the way she move / Feel what you need / So come on let's go - yeah / Cover you in oil / Cover you in oil / Let me cover you in oil / I wanna cover you in oil / I wanna cover you in oil / Cover you in oil / Cover you in oil / Cover you in oil / Cover you / In oil".
I enjoy the dark vibe and feel to The Furor, it has a great S&M overtone to it, or maybe you could look at it more as D&S in some dark Rock club. This is some really good Rock, though. In the grand scheme of Hard Rock it may be deemed as forgettable, but it's still enjoyable when it's on.
Boogie Man is great as a live track, but on the album it's a bit of a cliche. Enjoyable, but such a typical song from the boys from down under.
I totally forgot The Honey Roll was on this album.
Burnin' Alive is a really good album track. If this song had appeared on Back In Black, or Highway To Hell, For Those About To Rock or even High Voltage it would have been a fantastic filler track. On this album it's still a fantastic filler track, but it's fantastic filler on an album that could be mainly considered decent filler.
Hail Caesar is honestly the first song on the album that I would have considered a full fledged single worthy song. It wouldn't have been a top ten song, but it would have been a solid top fifty, maybe a top twenty. It would be a weaker best of track, if you went for total band coverage, but only because of the greats it would be going up against.
Musically, Love Bomb isn't bad. Lyrically, I don't want to really get into it. I think this song really suffers from that content.
Caught With Your Pants Down is a decent enough album filler. The lyrical content gives you a good clue about what's going on with this song, but it's not as raunchy as other tracks can be. This is more like a taunting kind of track. Like the guys in the locker room are making fun of the guy caught cheating on his wife.
Whiskley On The Rocks is honestly a really decent AC/DC drinking tune. This is another song that could easily be switched into another album from this band and it would work just as well as, or if not better than, the song you are subbing this for. Based on switching it for another drinking tune of course.
Now I like when an album ends on a high note, and as far as I'm concerned this album does. It saved the best for last. The most naughty, dirty minded, Hard Rock, ball bustin' and callin' it a good time track finishes off this album with flying clolours. "Breakin' balls, Bangin' walls / Work hard and tough, and I want some rough / Unpack my bags, and take a drag / When bang on nine, and [I'm] dead on time / Open up the door / And lay upon the floor / She open her overcoat / Livin' out her dreams / Rippin' off my jeans / You are a Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / Engine roll, and time to go / A razorback, a hog attack / [I'm] Buildin' steam, [for] whippin' cream / She likes a fat, smokin' stack / Hangin' off her legs / She threw me on the bed / Her hand went for my throat / As I began to choke / She said, Honey shoot your load [Honey shoot your load] / You are a Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / Yeah / Wreckin' ball, let it roll / You are a Ballbreaker / Buildin' steam, for whippin' cream / You are a Ballbreaker / Hangin' off her legs / She threw me on the bed / Her hand went for my throat / As I began to choke / Honey shoot your load / You are a Ballbreaker / You are a Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker / Ballbreaker". I'm sure my love for this song says a lot about my character, but when you mix in the music, the solo's not anything to write about, but the rest of the instrumentation is punchy, heavy, thick, and full. This is my You Shook Me All Night Long, except for darker and dirtier.
If this album contained only Hard As A Rock, The Furor, Boogie Man, Hail Caesar, Whiskey On The Rocks, and Ballbreaker, I would rate it higher than I feel it deserves now. However, there's only two tracks on this album I ever go out of my way to listen to at all and those are the last two tracks. To me the biggest draw to this album is the production. I would have loved to have heard the band re-record some of the Bon Scott era tracks during the studio time, just to get that sound on classic tunes. It would have sounded like the perfect modern adaptation.
6/10 - content
8/10 - production
7/10 - personal bias
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