AC/DC - Highway To Hell (cover)

This cover is special to me. This cover is very very special. And not only because I love and worship it to pieces.

Not that long ago I wrote about this cover that AC/DC is not simply a cornerstone of rock and roll. AC/DC is essential. It's like paprika for gulyás soup. It's a fact. It's like 2+2=4. Nobody questions it. Ever. AC/DC is essential, Bon Scott was and is a rock god, Angus Young is a living legend, someone you have been worshipping long ago.

Don't. Don't ever try. No. This option doesn't exist. You know AC/DC AND you love them. AND worship them.

Tell me, for Odin's sake, if you have the audacity to not know and/or to not like them, then why do you have internet at all? What is the purpose of having something that is smarter than you technology in your hands? Why do you connect to the world wide web if not searching, discovering, rediscovering and endlessly listening to old and new music? Why?... Put your phone down, strike roots, grow branches and I don't know, start to photosyntetize. You know, making oxygen from carbon-dioxide. That way you would be at least useful ffs.

I remember.

(yes, that part starts now, walking down on memory lane)

AC/DC was one of the very first bands that crossed my young paths, approx. together with KISS back then. It still took a bit of time when I could get my hand on any AC/DC material. At that time, right after the collapse of Communism rock and metal weren't forbidden anymore, but it was still an adventure to find and buy the albums even from the most popular bands (like e.g. AC/DC, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, KISS, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, just to name a few from that time). And if you wanted something less popular or more underground (Metallica, Megadeth, Helloween - these bands are considered as rock giants today, but in those times in this hidden country of Europe they were considered "underground" and still kind of forbidden, even though the system hadn't existed anymore), then your only hope was one of the very few underground record shops in the hidden parts of the capital. They were mostly in the basement of a residental block; imagine very small shops that were only 10 m2 or even smaller sized; often just a tiny counter was there and the walls all around were full of shelves with CD's, cassettes and T-shirts and there was usually a very friendly, middle-aged salesperson as well, who was also the shop owner - and the music was always on.

I'm not sure if such shops could be found in other cities here, but I  knew about people who regularly travelled to the capital, spending sometimes 4-6 hours on train or bus to be able to get to one of these shops and buy the records of their favorite bands. Well... it was way before internet.

One of these shops was called "Solaris". It was - and it still is!!! - at one of the frequented places of the capital here, in the basement of an old building. They were one of the first places in Hungary where you could buy even CD's of underground bands; what is more, they had a LOT of bootleg materials and other rarities from the most different bands. It was a place not just for rock and metal music, but every underground genre. The legendary owner, whom everyone called and still calls "Zsiráf" (Giraffe) was always up-to-date about every band whose album, single or bootleg was available in his shop. What is more, if you had no money (and that often happened to us, youngsters), Zsiráf allowed us to give a listen to 1-2 songs of the newest albums or the bootlegs, for free.

I remember, most of these bootlegs were available on CD's only and back in those times, around 1991 only a very few people could afford a CD-player. My peers didn't have any, and well, the families either couldn't buy it or (mostly) they just thought it was another stupid trend that would fade away quickly. For these youngsters the staff of Solaris offered a wonderful chance: they copied these CD-s (bootlegs as well as albums, if it was not available as a cassette or vinyl) on empty cassettes. They asked a very small amount of money for it; you could either bring an empty cassette or you could buy one right in the shop and after 2-3 days you could grab the copied cassette, rush home happily and listen to it endlessly. (And then of course lend it to friends so they could also copy it for themselves.)

My first ever AC/DC material arrived at me this way. It was a bootleg; one of the last gigs the band had with Bon Scott, from January 1980. I saw it on one of my visits in Solaris some time in 1991 and I was heartbroken that it was avaliable on CD only. Zsiráf offered me to make a copy of it to an empty cassette which I immediately accepted. And a few days later, after school I rushed to Solaris - from one of the outer districts of the capital into the heart of the city - to grab my first ever AC/DC (copied) cassette. I still remember that day, my racing heart and how I immediately burst into my room when I arrived home and flinged the cassette into the player.

And cried.

And this song, Highway To Hell was the first song on that bootleg.

Of course you may ask why I didn't get an actual album of AC/DC and why I started right there with a bootleg. The answer for it is that the vast majority of AC/DC material here was available on CD only, as if cassettes weren't even released. And other shops didn't offer the poor music fans to make them copies on empty cassettes; so either you had to wait until you or anyone around you had a CD player or you were lucky enough to have a friend around yourself who already had any AC/DC material copied and you could borrow it. And sure, the generous people of Solaris would have probably gladly copied all AC/DC albums available for me on cassettes, but I didn't have money even for that. And well... I couldn't resist a bootleg recording with Bon Scott. Who could have?...

The thing is, I have heard MANY different covers of this song. Most of them were awful, some of them were mediocre. But it was fine. It's the most legendary song of an absolutely legendary band. No one bats an eye if you screw it up. This band is untouchable, this song is untouchable and that's how it's supposed to be. Some songs simply can't have covers that are fine enough.

I was wrong.

And I'm very happy that I was wrong!!!

Cygnus Rock Band often does it to me. And I LOVE being proven wrong by them!!!

I remember, when I heard this cover first, I had tears in my eyes. Just like back then, in 1991, when I was listening to that bootleg copy.

The very start of this cover knocked me out, that effect on the guitar. (I know it has got a name and Deneb told it numerous times during the live streams when Cygnus so lovingly shared with us, fans the little studio secrets about the making of their covers, but it won't come to my mind now.) This seemingly little effect, this slight "echo" gives such a power to the sound - together with all the rawness and energy - that knocked me out right there and made me fall in love with this cover immediately. I'm not sure if the drums and the percussions got the same effect (or are effected in any way), but whether they did or not, Ruxx empowers the sound very heavily with his drumming.

We all know that Phil Rudd - a legend whom we all love! - just like his colleague Frank Beard isn't a drummer who is known from his virtuoso style, on the contrary, he has a constant, static playing. And just like in the ZZ Top cover, Ruxx takes the chance here, too, to add his very own tricks, fusing a lot of cymbals right the intro of the song and later putting his so well-known, so fascinating breaks and ornaments that makes him a drummer he is.

It's Ruxx who is singing this cover and he brings the very best out of himself. I remember, I was sure until the point of listening to this cover that nobody can sing this song like Bon Scott - especially after my not too bright experiences with other covers. And I'm very happy to know that this was a mistake by me.

Ruxx is letting his vocals flow, all the rock-blues-soul flavor from his throat is flooding. He is singing with an irresistible power and the best is that you see on him how much he enjoys it, how much he loves it that he can unleash the real power of his voice.

And then enters the bass.

I remember, Cliff Williams was my favorite bass player at a time and he still is one of my 10 favorite bassists. He has always been this very steady, very reliable player, always with a joyful face on the stage. You knew that anything could happen, Cliff will keep on playing. Volcanos may erupt, conflicts can evolve into wars, thunderstorms might crash everything into pieces, typhoons may cause floods, Cliff will keep playing as if he would say "no worries, kids, as long as there's music, everything will be alright".

I see the very same in Deneb.

The very same steadiness, the very same dependability, perseverance and dedication while he enjoys playing music. And he is doing it with the strength of a bull and the power of a nuclear plant.

The bass groints like a flock of wild boars

have I mentioned that I fkin love the sound of it?...

as Ruxx and Deneb are singing together the chorus. Reny is joining them as well, adding harmonies, then Blu and Ruxx grab the control back. It's great to see all these musicians as they enjoy playing AC/DC together

honestly, who wouldn't enjoy playing this song?... show me just one rock musician who doesn't like it...

and I especially like as Ruxx gives an extra little flavor to the lines "hey Satan, payin' my dues, playin' in a rockin' band/hey mama, look at me, I'm on my way to the promised land". He got supported by Blu, who also can't resist the power of this song and starts adding small but significant musical ornaments that give a lot to the atmosphere.

At this point if you don't want to jump and scream around from the energy, please, go and visit a doctor. You need help.

And it feels so good as the bass and the keyboards join back for the chorus 💓 

And the scream.

THE SCREAM.

Ruxx's scream as the chorus switches into the solo.

That's undescribable.

You must hear it. Listen to it. Worship it. Listen to it once again. Then again. With the rusty guitar, the gruntling, nuclear bass, the rich drums, with the keyboard harmonies. And then you must fkin bow down for these musicians because they fkin made this song EVEN BETTER than the original.

This cover is more AC/DC than AC/DC itself. This cover is not just a simple cover. It's a goddamn antidote and an energy infusion. For tired, exhausted days when you had to deal with idiots. For lonely evenings when you think nobody loves you. For depressive, gloomy mornings when you think everything is meaningless. Just push the play button for this cover and turn on the volume.