Well, this has been somewhat of a frustrating week for record collectors in the United States, one of which I currently am. With the announcement of sweeping tariffs on every country in the world, prices are about to go through the roof for people who import and collect from overseas. Almost everything on this blog is an import of some kind, and I’m honestly not sure how much this is going to affect my hobby of writing about all this stuff. These releases are usually pretty expensive on their own, but now with an additional tariff and brokerage fees to be added by various couriers, we are looking at massive price increases all over the board. Depending on the country of origin, it looks like a 25% increase in overall cost at a minimum. Of course, for me personally, as a collector of original Japanese records as the stuff I write about here, the changes are going to hit me hard in that area too.
For now, my plan is to keep going, but I can’t promise that I’ll be able to forever. My guess is that I’ll still be updating for the foreseeable future, but probably not as often. I’m just not going to be able to afford to keep up the same pace. There are some challenges in the US courts right now that could possibly change things, but the chances of anything actually happening are pretty low. For other US based collectors out there who are eyeing a purchase from anywhere else in the world, now is the time to make it. The deadline is this month, at the end of August, if you want to avoid these new heinous taxes and fees which have been levied on the American people. I wish I could tell you there was real hope for some type of reprieve or change, but it’s just not likely. When I hear anything either way, I’m sure it will find its way into one of these updates.
I mentioned before that AC/DC isn’t one of the more popular topics I write about here on Dawn of the Deadwax, which was a huge surprise to me. It’s also got the lowest engagement of any of the bands I cover in my Instagram and TikTok posts, but I have written about some other great AC/DC shows from Casino Records and even the Sars Stock show pressed by XeRocks Records . Not too long ago, I got another new AC/DC record, and I wanted to try one more time to see if anybody might be interested in learning about this one. The Electrifying Power is a 2025 release by Casino Records, which showcases a great live recording from 1978. Unlike any previous AC/DC that I’ve covered, this show features the original lineup including Bon Scott, who sadly passed away in early 1980. It’s available on either red or yellow wax, and there are 200 numbered copies of each color. I wanted red and received yellow instead, but I’m not complaining because it still looks pretty cool.
This release lives up to Casino’s very high standards for printing and pressing. The jacket looks great, and the images are clean and crisp. The LP itself is nice and heavy, with basic but very nice labels that feature the track listings as well as some live imagery. This single disc comes in a black poly-lined sleeve to prevent scratching, and includes a double-sided insert complete with artwork and tour dates. As usual, the whole package comes inside a resealable outer sleeve complete with a numbered hype sticker indicating which color you got. Overall, just a fantastic package.
The Electrifying Power is one of those shows where the recording might underwhelm you for the first few minutes or so, but that ultimately reveals itself to be quite excellent after you get adjusted to it. I’m pretty sure this is an audience recording, but it’s a “professional” level one, if you know what I mean. The sound is generally very good, but the vocals are a bit quiet in places. It’s not like you can’t hear what Bon is singing, but it’s also not perfect either. It really is amazing how similar Bon Scott and Brian Johnson sound when they get going, but as someone who grew up hearing Brian almost exclusively, that lineup is still my favorite. One of the reasons I picked this record up is that I’m just not as familiar with this original version of the band, and I wanted to see what it was all about. The only songs I knew well going in were “High Voltage” and “Whole Lotta Rosie”, knowing the latter mostly because of the Gun N’ Roses cover version.
Live Recording – Selland Arena, Fresno, CA, USA – 15th July, 1978
A1 Live Wire
A2 Problem Child
A3 Sin City
A4 Rock & Roll Damnation
B1 Bad Boy Boogie
B2 High Voltage
B3 Whole Lotta Rosie
B4 Rocker
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the setlist, although I will say that it does feel like a different band. Angus’s guitar sound hits a little different, and I don’t think it’s just because this is a live recording. People have always said that every AC/DC song and album pretty much sounds the same (an opinion that even the band apparently agrees with), and I tend to agree as well. With the exceptions being the tracks I already knew pretty well, the show did sound a bit like one long AC/DC song. To be completely honest though, I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all.
I think that anyone who likes classic AC/DC will almost have to love this release. It’s a great transfer and pressing, which is a breath of fresh air considering some of the less than perfect “to vinyl” transfers I have been hearing lately. Both sides of the record have professional fading jobs at the start and finish, and the surface noise is minimal. There is a tiny bit of noise on my copy, even after a round in the ultrasonic and on the vacuum machine, but nothing disturbing to my ears. Just a nice, warm analog type deal, which is alright with me. There’s absolutely no space in between tracks at all, which is sadly the first thing I’m on the lookout for these days. There’s no doubt that Casino really knows how to press a record and make it sound great.
As far as the actual show is concerned, the band is excellent as one might expect. The only real unusual point of interest is during “Bad Boy Boogie”, where it sounds like Bon is attempting to fight a member of the audience. Angus knows just what to do and eventually rips into a great little solo to round out the song. The band moves on, and everything seems to be cool for the rest of the performance. It really is a great show, and I think I made a good decision picking this one up to get a feel of what a live show was really like with Bon Scott at the helm. At the end of the day, I still prefer the “Back In Black”, “Thunderstruck” and “Hell’s Bells” era, but listening to this show has given me a new respect for the classic foundations of one of the best rock bands to ever take the stage.
Rating-wise, pressing on this one is an easy 9/10. Maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s really close. The yellow looks cool, but I think I still would have preferred a red copy. It’s not any rarer of course, but I think it was just an error when the seller went to post my parcel. The transfer is fantastic, and I’d say the audio source itself is about 7.5/10. Wonderful for an audience recording, so don’t let that scare you off. It should be no surprise that the packaging is a solid 10/10, and the cool poster is a nice added bonus. If you are looking to experience the OG AC/DC lineup on wax, this is a great way to do it. It’s not a brand-new release, but you should be able to find a copy or two floating around if you take the time to look for it. Just remember that if you want to get one for a reasonable price, you are on borrowed time.