Sunday, 18 October 2026
RIFFOLOGY
High Voltage by AC/DC, album cover
Album · Compilation · 50 years old this year

High Voltage

by AC/DC
Released14 May 1976
LabelAtlantic
Popularity62.0
Also cited30 April 1976
hard rockrockblues rockclassic rock
Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗Apple Music ↗Deezer ↗Podcast cover

High Voltage was AC/DC's first album to be released around the world. It gathers tracks from the two records the Australian band had put out only at home in 1975, High Voltage and T.N.T., and so works as an introduction to their earliest work for listeners outside Australia. It appeared on Atlantic in May 1976.

The reception was mixed. Some critics were harsh at first, and Rolling Stone's Billy Altman called it an all-time low for hard rock. Buyers disagreed, and it sold three million copies in the US alone. For anyone tracing the band's story, it shows the raw, blues-tinged hard rock that came before Let There Be Rock and the later records that made them huge. It was reissued in 2003 in the AC/DC Remasters series.

High Voltage: tracklist, credits and charts

9 tracks · 44:21

Tracklist

  1. 1It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)Scott, Young, Young5:02
  2. 2Rock ’n’ Roll SingerScott, Young, Young5:04
  3. 3The JackScott, Young, Young5:53
  4. 4Live WireScott, Young, Young5:50
  5. 5T.N.T.Scott, Young, Young3:35
  6. 6Can I Sit Next to You GirlAngus Young and Malcolm Young4:12
  7. 7Little LoverScott, Young, Young5:40
  8. 8She’s Got BallsScott, Young, Young4:52
  9. 9High VoltageScott, Young, Young4:14
Produced by
Vanda & Young, Harry Vanda, George Young
Recorded at
Albert (Sydney)
Recorded
* November 1974 * March 1975 * May 1975 * July 1975
Label
Atlantic
Length
44:21

Line-up

  • Mark Evans · electric bass guitar
  • Phil Rudd · drums (drum set)
  • Bon Scott · bagpipe, lead vocals
  • Angus Young · electric guitar
  • Malcolm Young · electric guitar, background vocals
  • Tony Currenti · drums (drum set)
  • George Young · electric bass guitar

Singles

  • “It's a Long Way to the Top” · April 1976 (UK)
  • “High Voltage” · October 1976 (UK)

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
US Billboard 200 · 1981–1982146
UK Rock & Metal Albums · 202410
German Albums · 202412
Australian Albums (ARIA) · 201513
Swiss Albums · 202418
Swedish Albums · 201558
Spanish Albums · 201590

Certifications

RegionCertification
Canada · 20242× Platinum
Denmark · 2024Gold
France · 1980Gold
Germany · 1995Platinum
Italy · 2025Platinum
Spain · 2000Gold
SwitzerlandPlatinum
United Kingdom · 2013Gold
United States · 20244× Platinum

From MusicBrainz, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.

62.0
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
14
ListenBrainz listeners
191k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
92k
Deezer fans (all editions)
← T.N.T. (1975)Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976) →

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Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz; also seen: 1976-04-30 (wikidata)
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz14 May 1976
Wikipedia infobox14 May 1976
Wikidata30 April 1976
US release14 May 1976earliest US date
UK / Europe release14 May 1976earliest UK or European date
37 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
—DEATCO Recordsother
—PLWarner Music Polandother
—XWColumbia0886444889995other
—DEATCO Records075679041029other
—USATCO Records075679241320other
—CAATCO Records075679041029other
1976PTAtlanticother
14 May 1976GBAtlanticoriginal
14 May 1976USATCO Recordsoriginal
1987USATCO Records075679041029other
1987DEATCO Records075679041029other
July 1987DEATCO Records075679041029other
1988XEATCO Records075679041029other
25 April 1990JPATCO Records4988029003744other
July 1990XEATCO Records075679041029other
1994CAATCO Records77749917773402other
5 July 1994USATCO Records075679241320other
22 July 1994XEATCO Records075679241320other
21 December 1995JPATCO Records4988029401540other
1998GBEMI724349467125other
6 November 2000XEElektra075679241351other
2003USAlbert Productions696998020122remaster
2003AUAlbert Productions9397603364624other
2003XEAlbert Productions5099751075912other
18 February 2003USEpic696998020122other
3 March 2003XEEpic5099751075929other
3 March 2003XEAlbert Productions5099751075929other
14 October 2003USEpic696998020115other
2005AUAlbert Productions9397603385124other
8 July 2006AUAlbert Productions0828768666425other
19 December 2007JPAlbert Productions4547366035179other
19 November 2012XWEpic886443673496other
7 October 2014XWEpic886444889995other
2020XWColumbia886444889995other
2020XWColumbia886443673496other
2020XWColumbia886444889995remaster
15 March 2024USColumbia196588345715other
Cover art sources

itunes · native: native 1500x1500

SourceSizeVerdict
itunes ✓1500×1500native: native 1500x1500
coverartarchive1600×1599cropped
deezer1200×1200upscaled
fanarttv1000×1000upscaled