The Best of AC/DC Deep Cuts and Rarities

When you think of AC/DC, what comes to mind? “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Highway to Hell”? Well, that needs to change immediately because as great as those songs are, how many times do we need to hear them? Contrary to popular belief, there’s more variety to AC/DC’s catalog than most people realize. Sure, a good chunk of their songs are about sex and rock ‘n’ roll, but occasionally, they’ve dipped their toes into politics and social commentary. Of course, not in the boring and dreadful way that Bon Jovi are used to doing. AC/DC were smarter than that, come on!

For this post, we’re going to dive into the real meat and potatoes of AC/DC’s catalog! No, I’m not talking about “her hot potatoes;” that would be inappropriate. Though, I’m sure vocalist Brian Johnson would love that idea for a blog post. Instead, you’ll have to suffer with 15 of the best AC/DC deep cuts and rarities, in my humble opinion, listed below. This post is similar to my Def Leppard deep cuts and rarities post from five years ago, but with a few tweaks. To count as a deep cut or rarity, the song can’t be a single, it can’t have a music video, and if it was performed live, it can’t be from less than 20 years ago. Oh, and no songs from Back in Black (1980) are included in this list because that album is basically a greatest hits record for AC/DC. With all that said, let’s get on with the music!

15. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer” from High Voltage (1976)

It’s no surprise that AC/DC have a lot of songs with “rock ‘n’ roll” in their song titles. However, there’s an innocence to “Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer” that I find charming. It tells the story of a boy who wants to be a singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band, despite his parents wanting him to do something else with his life. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer” was recorded early in the band’s career, therefore, the band wasn’t selling out arenas quite yet. The lyrics are biographical, in a sense, because they don’t differ much from late vocalist Bon Scott’s music aspirations. Not everyone is meant for office jobs and it’s important for youngsters (or youngsters at heart) to know that it’s ok to follow their musical dreams. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer” is choked full of great melodies and lead guitarist Angus Young does some tasteful bluesy guitar work in this song. 

14. “Overdose” from Let There Be Rock (1977)

Early in my AC/DC journey, I used to hate “Overdose” quite a bit because I thought the intro was too long and the song was boring compared to songs like, “Problem Child” and “Bad Boy Boogie.” But slowly and surely, Scott won me over with his unique way with words. Can you really overdose on someone? Possibly, I mean people can die of a broken heart, so overdosing on a former lover isn’t that far of a stretch. The melancholic guitar melodies are gorgeous and complement the song lyrics perfectly. According to setlist.fm, “Overdose” is the only track from the international version of Let There Be Rock that hasn’t been performed live.

13. “Dogs of War” from Rock or Bust (2014)

Referring back to AC/DC tackling serious subjects in their songs, “Dogs of War” is about the merciless cruelties of war. As mentioned in my AC/DC albums ranking post, Rock or Bust is a cursed album in the band’s catalog because of all the problems that occurred during the recording process and the consequent tour. Despite that, there are a few good songs on Rock or Bust, one of them being “Dogs of War,” which I was impressed with immediately. I love the song’s evil and dark atmosphere; it ain’t no “Sweet Candy,” that’s for sure. Plus, it’s got a neat little bass line, courtesy of bassist Cliff Williams. 

12. “Carry Me Home” from Backtracks (2009)

Lyrically, “Carry Me Home” is a silly song, but it’s a lot of fun. It tells the story of a man who meets a lady at a bar and ends up spending the night drinking with her. Sounds like a boring story, but Scott’s mannerisms and cheeky sense of humor make it interesting and fascinating to follow along with. Scott wasn’t the greatest singer in the world, but he made up for it with his songwriting and unapologetic nature. “Carry Me Home” was the B-side to “Dog Eat Dog” and later released on Backtracks (2009), a box set that features studio and live rarities from the band. 

11. “Beating Around the Bush” from Highway to Hell (1979)

One of the coolest songs on Highway to Hell is “Beating Around the Bush.” The main guitar riff is chaotic, frantic, bada**, and has a boogie feel to it. Quite different from the simpler, da-da-DA-da-da-DA-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-DA, riff for the title track. Drummer Phil Rudd goes full metronome style on this song and it’s freaking awesome. Also, maybe it’s because I’m naive, but how the hell was I supposed to know this song is about sex?  

10. “Chase the Ace” from Who Made Who (1986)

AC/DC don’t do instrumentals, unless Stephen King asks them to. When King asked AC/DC, his favorite band, to provide a soundtrack for his movie, Maximum Overdrive (1986), they gave him Who Made Who, an album that features three new songs specifically written for the film (two of them being instrumentals) and some of the band’s previously released material. I’m not a big fan of instrumentals because I need the lyrics to keep me awake and if the instrumentals are boring, I fall asleep. However, the instrumentals on the Who Made Who album are not bad and they have that AC/DC sound, which is simply rock ‘n’ roll. My favorite of the two is “Chase the Ace” because it has an ‘80s heavy metal vibe, which the pounding drums and blitzing guitar work contribute to greatly, and I can picture the song played during an epic car chase. 

9. “Back in Business” from Fly on the Wall (1985)

Fly on the Wall is the band’s “hair metal” album, but not really, if that makes sense? It was released in the mid ‘80s, they did these strange music videos filmed in a bar to promote the album on MTV, and the songs have that heavy drum sound of the time. The album’s production is rough and Johnson’s vocals are hard to understand, but the songs are not terrible, minus “Danger;” that one is garbage! At the time, AC/DC weren’t selling as many concert tickets as they were during the Back in Black era. Still, when it came to bangers like “Back in Business,” the band did not give a f*ck and just played like they were the sh*t!

8. “Can’t Stand Still” from Stiff Upper Lip (2000)

Stiff Upper Lip is AC/DC’s bluesiest album in their catalog and there are a lot of tasteful riffs on there to make a grown man cry. The clean production definitely shows the wear and tear of Johnson’s vocals, but the guitars and drums sound phenomenal. “Can’t Stand Still” is a groovy hidden gem that I completely forgot about until recently and what makes the song even better is late rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young does the guitar solo. Mal didn’t care for the spotlight, which is why he let Angus be front and center of the band. In other words, the whole world should be thankful that Mal blessed us with his gorgeous guitar solo on “Can’t Stand Still.”

7. “What’s Next to the Moon” from Powerage (1978)

Hey, if you’re going to impress a lady with a song, why not use one about a superhero with red underwear and blue tights? I don’t know how Scott did it; the lyrics came so naturally to him. The main riff is quite interesting and the vocal melodies are fun to sing along with. AC/DC never played it live with Scott, but they played it with Johnson a few times in 2003. Powerage is a big favorite among AC/DC fans and for a good reason. The songs are memorable, Scott’s lyrics are on point, the album’s production is excellent, and it’s the first AC/DC record with Williams on bass guitar.

6. “Smash ‘n’ Grab” from Black Ice (2008)

I was torn between two songs for Black Ice, “Smash ‘n’ Grab” and “Stormy May Day.” The latter has haunting slide guitar playing from Angus, but the vocal melodies for “Smash ‘n’ Grab” are impossible to ignore. I used to get this song confused with “Skies on Fire” because the melodies are similar, but I love it now and wouldn’t change a thing about it. The lyrics can be interpreted as taking an opportunity as it’s presented in front of you before it disappears. “Smash ‘n’ Grab” has a great chorus, crooning vocals, melodic hooks galore, gorgeous production, and an infectious groove.

5.  “Some Sin for Nuthin’” from Blow Up Your Video (1988)

As mentioned in my Blow Up Your Video album review, I am not a fan of the album because it’s so disjointed and like Rock or Bust, it was a weird time for the band. Mal was suffering from alcoholism and it finally reached the point where he had to pull out of the band’s consequent tour to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. There were only a couple of saving graces on the album, one of them being “Some Sin for Nuthin,’” which is bluesy and has so much swagger. The song calls out the injustice of society, specifically people sinning for superficial gains with no consequences. It’s got a great chorus and Johnson’s vocals are very possessed. Also, former drummer Simon Wright’s pounding drums give the song an edge.

4. “The Razors Edge” from The Razors Edge (1990)

The Razors Edge is widely known for “Thunderstruck,” which is a great song, but the album is so much more than that. Listen to the title track; that’s the most evil and ominous sounding AC/DC song I’ve ever heard. The Young brothers nailed the instrumentation and created a masterpiece that doesn’t get enough appreciation these days. According to an old interview with Guitar World, Angus said that his best guitar solo from The Razors Edge is on the title track. Johnson’s vocals were freaking awesome during that era of the band because they remind me of demonic Regan MacNeil from The Exorcist (1973). 

3. “Burnin’ Alive” from Ballbreaker (1995)

Over the past few years, “Burnin’ Alive” has crept up to be one of my favorite AC/DC songs ever. The instrumentation is tasteful and bluesy, the bass line is trippy, it’s got a killer groove, and the subject matter is very intriguing, yet gut-wrenching. The song is based on the Waco siege in 1993, which resulted in 76 members of the religious cult, Branch Davidians, burning to death after their headquartered residence, Mount Carmel Center, became engulfed in flames. The song’s darker tone beautifully and painfully sets the mood for the tragic event, essentially bringing the story to life. Surprisingly, this is from the same album with songs like, “Cover You in Oil” and “Caught with Your Pants Down.” 

2. “Landslide” from Flick of the Switch (1983)

It’s a shame we never got to see Rudd play drums for “Landslide” because he was on fire while recording this song! The human metronome didn’t miss a beat, kept time effortlessly, and did a few interesting fills to spice things up. This song is a heck of a good time, has a rebellious nature to it, and for fun, Johnson does a preaching intro, similar to what he did for “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution.” Also, I love Williams’ pulsing bass line; I’ve noticed that’s a common thing for AC/DC’s faster-paced songs. The whole Flick of the Switch album is a masterpiece and its devoted audience have cited it as Johnson’s version of Powerage. The only bad thing about the album is the white album cover; that was a bad move because white gets dirty easily. 

1. “Snowballed” from For Those About to Rock (1981)

When I first heard “Snowballed” from For Those About to Rock, I knew it was a banger! There’s this guitar lick Angus does during the chorus, after Johnson sings the “snowballed” lyric, that gives me chills every time I hear it. Johnson is screeching up a storm, the guitar melodies are incredible, the lyrics are great, and the song has so much attitude. Again, it’s like AC/DC know they’re the sh*t and don’t give a damn about what the haters say. “Snowballed” takes me back to my second semester of college, which was a blast, so I have good memories of this song. 

There you have it, people! Those are 15 of the best AC/DC deep cuts and rarities. My list is not the right list because we all have our favorites, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, blast your favorite AC/DC deep cuts and rarities as loud as you like! In closing, I hope this post inspires the casual and hardcore fans to look at AC/DC in a different light because even for a band who has made the same album repeatedly, there’s more than meets the eyes and ears. 

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Comment below your favorite AC/DC deep cuts and rarities!

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Lana