Ten songs and barely 42 minutes in length, Highway to Hell is a masterwork of taut, precise songwriting and no-frills production — a start-to-finish listening experience that more than holds up today, 40 years since its July 27th, 1979, release date. The album changed everything for AC/DC, making them bona fide rock stars in the U.S. and solidifying their abilities as songwriters and musicians. It also changed everything for rock & roll at large, and for the lives of many younger artists to follow in the band and the album's wake.
One of those artists is the Chat's Josh Price. We talked to the young Aussie guitarist about his favorite cut off the album, what made Bon Scott so unique, and how his homeland heroes inspire him every day.
TALK ABOUT THE FIRST TIME YOU HEARD AC/DC'S HIGHWAY TO HELL, AND HOW YOU DISCOVERED IT.
JOSH PRICE I heard Highway to Hell when I was a little fella. My dad loves AC/DC and played them all the time
WHAT DOES HIGHWAY TO HELL MEAN TO YOU?
Highway to Hell, to me, means rocking till you die
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE SONG ON HIGHWAY TO HELL?
My favorite song on the album is "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)." It rocks hard
WHAT MADE BON SCOTT SO SPECIAL AS A SINGER AND FRONTMAN?
Bon Scott was a rock & roll hero who didn't really want to be — that's what made him special.
HOW, IF AT ALL, DID AC/DC AND THE ALBUM INFLUENCE YOUR CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT AS A MUSICIAN, OR THE WAY YOU THOUGHT ABOUT MAKING MUSIC, OR YOUR ATTITUDE AS AN ARTIST?
The album still influences me every time I listen to it. You can't fake good rock & roll. I want to be the best.
IS HIGHWAY TO HELL SOMETHING YOU REGULAR TO BACK AND LISTEN TO? OR DOES IT REPRESENT A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME IN YOUR LIFE?
I listen to the album every day. Will do forever. Fact.
