Let There Be Rock

AC/DC, 1977. Solo by Angus Young.

Angus at full tilt.

Angus Young's extended solo carries the song to its close, built from rapid tremolo picking, wide bends and hammer-ons repeated with rising intensity. He hammers the same licks again and again, then shifts key to wind the tension tighter before finally releasing it. The studio take is famous for a mishap: his amp caught fire mid-solo, and he kept going. It is Angus at full tilt, with none of the restraint of the band's hits. Listen for the key change near the end, when the same frantic licks suddenly jump higher and the song seems to accelerate without actually changing tempo.

Let There Be Rock by AC/DC is ranked #75 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Angus Young and the song was released in 1977. It appears on 7 lists, placing as high as #8 (Meilleurs-albums.com).

The story of Let There Be Rock

Let There Be Rock is the title track of AC/DC's fourth album, written by Angus and Malcolm Young with singer Bon Scott. The lyric offers a tongue-in-cheek, mock-biblical history of rock and roll. It borrows the premise of Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven, imagining Tchaikovsky receiving the news of rock and passing it on, then follows the music's spread as bands form, players get rich and electric guitars multiply across the world.

The opening verses point back to 1955 and the arrival of rock and roll, nodding to pioneers such as Bill Haley and Chuck Berry. The last verse lands in a club called the Shaking Hand, where the band is playing at 42 decibels, a figure Scott later bumped up to 92 when singing it live. The whole thing runs over a relentless, driving riff designed to leave room for Angus Young's lead guitar.

The song was recorded at Albert Studios in Sydney in 1977 with Harry Vanda and George Young, the Youngs' older brother, producing. The line-up was Scott, Angus and Malcolm Young, bassist Mark Evans and drummer Phil Rudd. The session is remembered for Angus's amplifier catching fire during his solo while he kept playing, urged on from the control room until the amp gave out completely.

The album appeared in March 1977, and the song was issued as a single on 30 September 1977 in the UK and 31 October in Australia, backed with Problem Child. It only reached number 82 in Australia but later went gold in Canada. Its promotional video, shot in July 1977 in a Surry Hills church, cast Scott as a priest and marked one of Cliff Williams's first public appearances after he replaced Evans.

The solo

Angus Young plays the extended solo that carries the song to its close, and it is built from the core elements of his style: rapid tremolo picking, wide string bends and hammer-ons, repeated with mounting intensity. Ultimate Classic Rock notes how he hammers the same licks again and again, then shifts key to wind the tension even tighter before finally releasing it. The studio take is famous for a mishap: Angus's amp caught fire mid-solo, and he kept going, with his brother in the control room shouting at him to keep playing until the amp effectively melted down. The specific amp model is not documented in the sources used here. Onstage the song adds an unaccompanied solo section absent from the record.

Legacy

Let There Be Rock is widely counted among AC/DC's finest songs. The Guardian placed it fourth in its ranking of the band's 40 greatest songs, Kerrang! put it third on its list of 20, and Ultimate Classic Rock rated its solo sixth among Angus Young's best. It has become a concert centrepiece, typically closing the main set before the encores, often with an extended solo spot. Drive-By Truckers referenced it on their 2001 Southern Rock Opera, and metal band Onslaught took their cover into the UK top 50.

Top 10 facts about Let There Be Rock

The lyric reworks Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven, picturing Tchaikovsky receiving rock's message and spreading it across the world.
Wikipedia
In the studio the band is described as playing at 42 decibels, which Bon Scott changed to 92 decibels in concert.
Wikipedia
Angus Young's amp caught fire while he recorded the solo; he said he kept playing because his brother was yelling at him from the control room to keep going.
Far Out
Angus had a similar scare during the Rock or Bust sessions, when producer Brendan O'Brien warned him that he was on fire.
Far Out
The video was shot in July 1977 in a Surry Hills church with Bon Scott dressed as a priest and the band as altar boys.
Wikipedia
The video was one of Cliff Williams's first public appearances after he replaced Mark Evans on bass.
Wikipedia
Songfacts reports that Bon Scott injured his leg jumping from the pulpit during the video shoot.
Songfacts
Despite charting only at number 82 in Australia, the single was later certified gold in Canada.
Wikipedia
Ultimate Classic Rock ranked the Let There Be Rock solo sixth among Angus Young's greatest, praising how he modulates to build suspense.
Ultimate Classic Rock
Onslaught's cover, released on a 1987 EP and on 1989's In Search of Sanity, reached number 50 on the UK Singles Chart.
Wikipedia

Live versions

If You Want Blood You've Got It (1978) The classic Bon Scott-era live album, showing the song's raw late-1970s concert power.
Live (1992 Collector's Edition) (1992) Brian Johnson-era version from the 1990–91 Razors Edge tour on the double album.
Let There Be Rock: The Movie (1997) Live soundtrack of the Bon Scott-era concert film.
Stiff Upper Lip Tour Edition (2001) Bonus live material from the Stiff Upper Lip era with Brian Johnson.
Live at River Plate (Buenos Aires) (2012) Recorded December 2009; the band's last live album with Malcolm Young.

Notable covers

Onslaught (1987) Thrash version first on an EP, later on In Search of Sanity; UK number 50.
Hard-Ons featuring Henry Rollins (1991) Single that reached number 65 on the ARIA chart.
Deca Loših Muzičara (1997) Cover listed among the notable recorded versions of the song.

In our lists

See Them Live — #22
Deep Cuts — #37
The 25 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos — #17
SGs & Telecasters — #8
Critics' Picks — #24

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Let There Be Rock?

Angus Young played the solo on AC/DC's Let There Be Rock (1977).

What guitar was used on the Let There Be Rock solo?

A gibson sg through a Marshall amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Let There Be Rock rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#75 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 7 of them.

Who wrote Let There Be Rock?

Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott wrote the song.

Did Angus Young's amp really catch fire on Let There Be Rock?

Yes. Angus has said his amp caught fire during the solo take and he kept playing because his brother urged him on from the control room.

What album is Let There Be Rock on?

It is the title track of AC/DC's fourth album, released in 1977.

What is Let There Be Rock about?

It tells a playful, Bible-styled history of rock and roll, building on Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven.

Why is the live version of Let There Be Rock so long?

In concert Angus Young adds an extended unaccompanied solo that is not on the studio recording.