Stoakes’ Song of the Week

Today, Saturday 27th July 2019, marks the 40th Anniversary of AC/DC’s album Highway to Hell being released. As some of you know, I am a huge AC/DC fan and as such, Stoakes’ Song of the Week this week had to be from that album!

But, which song? That is a hard question, but I think I’ve cracked it. Obviously, not Highway to Hell. That is far too obvious and if there is one thing we’re not here in Stoakesville, it’s obvious! So here we go… It’s Touch Too Much

The music video was a live rehearsal performance from the ‘If You Want Blood’ Tour in 1978-1979 and interestingly ‘Touch Too Much’ is a song that wasn’t performed live again until 2016 when Axl Rose took on vocal duties. Axl says it is his ‘favourite AC/DC song’. The song reached number 29 in the UK singles chart. The song was featured on Top of the Pops on the 7th February 1980, just 12 days before Bon Scott passed away.

It is safe to say, Highway to Hell is one of the most famous AC/DC albums of all, second only to Back in Black perhaps. It gave the band their first US top 100 and peaked at number 17 in the album charts. It propelled the band into the top ranks of hard rock acts and is generally considered one of the greatest hard rock albums ever made. In 2003, the album was ranked number 200 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Highway to Hell is the first AC/DC album to be produced by legendary producer Mutt Lange. Recorded over a three month period at the Roundhouse Studios in London it was a gruelling recording process for the band, who prior to working with Mutt Lange, had been used to knocking an album out in three weeks.

Touch Too Much features in the Grand Theft Auto game ‘Episodes from Liberty City and according to various sources, has only been performed live by AC/DC three times!

So, I hope you will agree, somewhat of a fitting Stoakes’ Song of the Week this week… And now, I’m off to listen to the whole album!