'74 Jailbreak Alabama

'74 Jailbreak

AC/DC

Atlantic Records, 1984

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/24/2001

'74 Jailbreak was a stop-gap release that was supposed to dotwo things for Australian super-group AC/DC. First, it was supposedto give them a well-deserved break after their string of goodfortune with Back In Black and For Those About To Rock We Salute You, as well as thecommercial disappointment of Flick Of The Switch. Second, it was supposed to give thedie-hard Bon Scott fans in the audience another chance to enjoymusic from the days Scott spent with the band.

'74 Jailbreak was never meant to be seen as an album; withonly five songs, it could hardly be considered a full-lengther. Andwhile the music on this disc is enjoyable (though it may be a shockto those who expect AC/DC to follow the straight blooze-rockpaths), this disc could have easily been a full LP.

Four of the five songs were culled from AC/DC's originalAustralian debut High Voltage, with "Jailbreak" coming from the Aussieversion of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Remember, box sets weren'treally thought of in 1984 as a major commercial tool; Bob Dylan's Biograph would change that forever. So it wasn't thatAtlantic was purposely holding back other previously-unreleasedsongs in America for commercial gain. The question that comes upis, why didn't they release them at this time?

Where, for example, is "Stick Around" - a track which wouldeasily have fit in with the mood if '74 Jailbreak? Where is "Love Song," a track whichadmittedly isn't one of AC/DC's best, though it is notable aspossibly the group's only true attempt at a ballad? Where is"Crabsody In Blue," only available on the import of Let There Be Rock? Where is "R.I.P. (Rock In Peace),"another left-over from Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap? Man, what this disc could have been... I must pause so I can let out ablood-curdling scream.