Powerage

Bon Scott, Angus Young, and Malcolm Young hit on a new level of songwriting maturation with 1978's Powerage. You can hear it straight from the first track, "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation," which throws in some handclaps and back-up singers to flesh out their tale of eternal punishment, while "What's Next to the Moon" pushes the band out of their lyrical comfort zone with its mythic storytelling. This album marks the debut of bassist Cliff Williams, who keeps the rhythm nailed down with drummer Phil Rudd as Angus tears through complex new songs like "Riff Raff." This would be the last album with Harry Vanda and older brother George Young on board as producers and their last before exploding into global superstardom.