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AC/DC “Back in Black”

sfilzen — Sat, 25 Jul 2020 16:14:20 +0000

AC/DC “Back in Black” released 40 years ago today, July 25th, 1980. AC/DC’s 7th studio LP and their first with singer Brian Johnson; the band began recording Back In Black just before original singer Bon Scott died in February ‘80, the death officially deemed from “acute alcoholic poisoning and death by misadventure.” Back In Black is beyond iconic hard rock; its anthemic riff-driven rock-n-roll is etched into the collective consciousness of those who listened to basically any kind of music in the 80′s. It has become one of the highest selling albums in history, reaching #1 on the UK album charts and #4 in the US and remained in the Top 200 for 131 weeks. It subsequently has reentered the charts over the years, in 2010 and then again in 2014 and 2015.

AC/DC released four singles from Back In Black: “You Shook Me All Night Long” (#35 US, #46 UK, #8 Australia; like the LP it has also reemerged onto the charts over the years: in ‘86, 2012 and 2017), “Hells Bells” (#50 US Mainstream Rock chart and again in 2012 at #51), the title track “Back In Black” (#37 US, hitting the charts again in 2012) which has the most quintessential hard rocking opener ever; and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution,” which was released in spring of ‘81(#15 UK). These singles continue, almost 40 years later, to be staples on classic hard rock radio. I also really love “Shoot to Thrill” which was not released as a single but like the official releases, is played a lot on classic hard rock radio stations and managed to chart in both ‘81 (#60 US) and again in 2012 (#75).

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AC/DC “Highway to Hell”

sfilzen — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 18:51:12 +0000

AC/DC “Highway to Hell” released 40 years ago today, July 27th, 1979. Highway to Hell was the band’s sixth studio LP and the last with singer Bon Scott, who died in early 1980 (the circumstances of which have given rise to a variety of theories and conspiracies: he either choked on his own vomit after a night of extreme drinking and/or an overdose of heroin, froze to death or was asphyxiated sleeping in a car overnight). It went to #17 on the US album charts (it remains one of their best-selling albums) and is considered to be one of the best hard-rock LP’s of all-time. The title track, “Highway to Hell” is a big, hard-rock anthem and one of their most popular, hitting #4 in the UK and #47 in the US. Also awesome and enduring are the singles “Girls Got Rhythm” and “Touch Too Much” (#29 UK). Great, too, is “Shot Down in Flames” and “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It).” The ending of “Night Prowler” is hilarious and weird as hell: Bon Scott says Mork’s (of Mork and Mindy) catchphrase “Shazbot, na-nu na-nu.” Present on Highway to Hell is the band’s self-proclaimed worst song, “Love Hungry Man” which Angus Young states he “must have written after a night of bad pizza – you can blame me for that.”

The post AC/DC “Highway to Hell” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

AC/DC “Back In Black”

sfilzen — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 17:30:22 +0000

AC/DC “Back In Black” released on this date, July 25th 1980. AC/DC’s 7th studio LP and their first with singer Brian Johnson; the band began recording Back In Black just before original singer Bon Scott died in February ‘80, the death officially deemed from “acute alcoholic poisoning and death by misadventure.” Back In Black is beyond iconic hard rock; its anthemic riff-driven rock-n-roll is etched into the collective consciousness of those who listened to basically any kind of music in the 80′s. It has become one of the highest selling albums in history, reaching #1 on the UK album charts and #4 in the US and remained in the Top 200 for 131 weeks. It subsequently has reentered the charts over the years, in 2010 and then again in 2014. As of today, July 25th 2017, it is at #184.

AC/DC released four singles from Back In Black: “You Shook Me All Night Long” (which will forever remind me of my good friend Rhonda who, back in the 80′s, sang – and epitomized – the lyrics “She was a fast machine/She kept her motor clean/She was the best damn woman I had ever seen/She had the sightless eyes/Telling me no lies/Knockin’ me out with those American thighs”); “Hells Bells;” the title track “Back In Black” which has the most quintessential hard rocking opener ever; and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution,” which was released in spring of ‘81. These singles continue, almost 40 years later, to be staples on classic hard rock radio – I’m pretty much guaranteed at least one AC/DC song when I turn on the radio back in my hometown (WAPL in Appleton) and I always crank it up and sing along.

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