Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

For the title track, see Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (song).

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Studio album by AC/DC
Released	20 September 1976 (Australia) November 1976 (Worldwide) April 1981 (US)
Recorded	January–July 1976
Genre	Hard rock, blues rock, rock and roll
Length	42:24 (Australia), 39:59 (International)
Label	Albert
Producer	Harry Vanda, George Young
AC/DC chronology
High Voltage (international version) (1976) Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976) Let There Be Rock (1977)
International edition
The international cover artwork was designed by Hipgnosis

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is the third studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in 1976. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott.

It was originally released in Australia on Albert Productions on 20 September 1976. A modified international edition was later released on Atlantic Records in November 1976.

The album has been certified 6x Platinum in the United States, which means that it has sold at least 6 million copies, becoming the third highest sold album by AC/DC in the U.S. after Highway to Hell (seven times platinum) and Back in Black (22+).

Overview

Following up on the preceding Australian album, 1975's T.N.T., AC/DC delivered another recording with a number of fan-favourite songs, including the title track, "Squealer", "Problem Child", and others. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap also contains some controversial lyrics. For example "Big Balls" lyrics uses double entendres, referring the title phrase to costume parties and to testicles.

The single "Jailbreak" preceded the album's release in Australia and the UK. After the album's release, the single for "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" was released in Australia in October 1976, in the UK in January 1977, and in the US in 1981 (when the album was finally released there).

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap also led to more AC/DC appearances on Australia's Countdown music program, following those in support of High Voltage and T.N.T. These appearances included a live performance of the album's title track, as well as a music video for "Jailbreak".^[1]

A song titled "I'm a Rebel" was recorded during this album's sessions in 1976, with music and lyrics written by Angus and Malcolm Young's older brother, Alex Young^{[2] [3]}. This song was never released by AC/DC and remains in Albert Productions' vaults. German band Accept later released it as a single and named their second album after the song.

Influences

On the Live At Donington DVD, Angus and Malcolm Young explain that the concept of this album was to make it a Humphrey Bogart-esque mystery scenario.

Furthermore, the term "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is a homage to the cartoon Beany and Cecil, which Angus Young watched when he was a child. One of the cartoon's characters was named Dishonest John, and carried a business card that read, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Holidays, Sundays and Special Rates."

Sales

The album was released in April 1981 in the US and reached #3 on the Billboard charts. Currently, the album is certified 6xPlatinum, selling 6 million copies

International release

The international edition of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released November 1976, is considerably different from the original Australian edition, and features a different cover and track order. It was not released in the United States until April 1981.

On this album, the singles "R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)" and "Jailbreak" (featured on the Australian version) were replaced by "Rocker" (from 1975's T.N.T.) and "Love at First Feel", the latter being one of only two tracks from international AC/DC albums not available on the band's Australian albums. (The other is "Cold Hearted Man", released on European pressings of Powerage.) Conversely, several songs available on Australian AC/DC albums did not see overseas release until more than thirty years later. However, "Love at First Feel" was released in Australia as a single in January 1977.

Though the international album was released by Atlantic Records in Europe in 1976, it was not picked up for U.S. release at the time. Following the American success of Highway to Hell in late 1979, copies of the album began to appear as imports in the U.S. Some of these imports were the original Australian edition on Albert Productions. However, Atlantic Records also pressed the international version in Australia, and many of these copies were also exported to the U.S. Strong demand for both import versions in the wake of the even greater success of Back in Black eventually led the U.S. division of Atlantic to finally authorize an official U.S. release in April 1981, which went straight to #3 on the Billboard album charts.

Two songs on the international album were edited from the full length versions on the original Australian album. The full length "Dirty Deeds..." has the title of the song chanted four times starting at 3:09, but on the edited version the chant is heard only twice. "Ain't No Fun..." lasted 7:29 on the Australian album but was faded out early to 6:57 on the international version. However, both these full length versions were restored on the 1994 Atco Records remastered CD of the international album. The most recent 2003 CD edition by Epic Records goes back to the edited versions, as originally on the 1976 and 1981 international vinyl editions. The uncut versions of both songs were released on the 2009 box set Backtracks.

On the original version of "Rocker", included on the Australian T.N.T. album, the song lasts 2:55 and cuts out abruptly as the guitar riff hits its peak. But all international editions of the "Dirty Deeds" album have a slightly shorter version where the song fades out at 2:50 before the cut.

The Australian version of the album was briefly released in the United Kingdom, but only on the original vinyl printings in that country.

"Jailbreak" was included on AC/DC's '74 Jailbreak EP, released in October 1984 in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

"R.I.P. (Rock In Peace)" finally saw international release as part of the compilation Backtracks, which was released on 10 November 2009.

Track listing

Australian

All songs written and composed by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott. 

Side One
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"	4:13
2.	"Ain't No Fun (Waiting 'Round to Be a Millionaire)"	7:31
3.	"There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'"	3:17
4.	"Problem Child"	5:46

Side Two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Squealer"	5:18
2.	"Big Balls"	2:40
3.	"R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)"	3:36
4.	"Ride On"	5:53
5.	"Jailbreak"	4:41

International

All songs written and composed by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott. 

Side One
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (Edit)	3:52
2.	"Love at First Feel"	3:12
3.	"Big Balls"	2:38
4.	"Rocker" (Edit)	2:50
5.	"Problem Child"	5:46

Side Two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'"	3:18
2.	"Ain't No Fun (Waiting 'Round to Be a Millionaire)" (Edit)	6:57
3.	"Ride On"	5:53
4.	"Squealer"	5:15

• Most editions of this album contain the edited versions of the title track and "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)." The 1994 remastered CD on Atco Records contains the full-length Australian versions of both songs.
• The track "Rocker" was originally released on T.N.T. in 1975 in a slightly longer version without the fade out.
• The track "Ride On" also appears on the soundtrack Who Made Who for the Stephen King movie Maximum Overdrive.

Personnel

• Bon Scott – lead vocals
• Angus Young – lead guitar, backing vocals on "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
• Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Mark Evans – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Phil Rudd – drums

Production

• Producers: Harry Vanda, George Young

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Peak Position
1976	Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart	4
1981	US Billboard The 200 Albums Chart	3

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1981	"Big Balls"	Mainstream Rock	26
1981	"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"	Mainstream Rock	4

Certification

Country	Sales	Certification
United States	6,000,000	6x Platinum

Reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	(Australian version)[4]
Allmusic	(international version)[5]
Blender	[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
Robert Christgau	C+[8]

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap received generally favorable reviews; an Allmusic review of the international version of the album gave it a rating of five out of five stars and said that it "it captured the seething malevolence of Bon Scott [...] encouraged by the maniacal riffs of Angus and Malcolm Young" and that there was a "real sense of danger to this record."^[5]

References

1. ^ Video Footage and Liner Notes, Family Jewels 2-Disc DVD Set 2005
2. ^ AC/DC crabsodyinblue.com
3. ^ NO NONSENSE AC/DC - I'M A REBEL
4. ^ Weber, Barry. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Australian Version) - Allmusic". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r403594. Retrieved 29 November 2009. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (International Version) - Allmusic". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r84. Retrieved 29 November 2009. 
6. ^ Twist, Carlo. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - Blender". http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/52635/dirty-deeds-done-dirt-cheap.htmlBlender. Retrieved 6 August 2009. 
7. ^ Kot, Gret. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - Rolling Stone". http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/acdc/albums/album/269245/review/5945543/dirty_deeds_done_dirt_cheap. Retrieved 29 November 2009. 
8. ^ "AC/DC: Dirty Deeds Done Cheap [Atlantic, 1981"]. Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=4286. Retrieved 7 July 2011. 

External links

• Lyrics on AC/DC's official website