"Flick of the Switch" is the ninth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in August 1983. Despite being associated with the band's classic lineup, the album deviated from the blueprint of its highly successful predecessor, "For Those About to Rock We Salute You." Instead, "Flick of the Switch" was a stripped-down, straight-ahead effort that marked a return to the raw, lean sound of earlier records.
Produced by the band themselves, it was the third AC/DC album to feature lead vocalist Brian Johnson, and their last to include drummer Phil Rudd before his eleven-year absence from the band. While its minimalist production and the band's reinforced raw energy received mixed reviews at the time of release and it did not match the numbers of their previous records, over the years, it gained appreciation from fans.
The album title referred to the power of activation, a 'flick of a switch', as the songs were intended to deliver a jolt of hard-hitting rock. The album's cover featured a pencil-drawn animation sequence of a man being electrocuted while grabbing a live wire. Despite its iconic status among fans, "Flick of the Switch" stands as a defiant testament to AC/DC's uncompromising commitment to the pure, high-voltage, hard rock that has always been the core of their music.
