AC/DC

AC/DC
Formed 1973, Australia

Albums:
1975 High Voltage
1975 T.N.T.
1976 High Voltage
1976 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
1977 Let There Be Rock
1978 Powerage
1978 If You Want Blood You've Got It
1979 Highway To Hell
1980 Back In Black
1981 For Those About To Rock We Salute You
1983 Flick Of The Switch
1984 '74 Jailbreak
1985 Fly On The Wall
1986 Who Made Who
1988 Blow Up Your Video
1990 The Razors Edge
1992 Live: Special Collectors Edition
1992 Live
1995 Ballbreaker
1997 Bonfire
2000 Stiff Upper Lip

DVDs:
1992 Live At Donington
1996 No Bull
2000 Stiff Upper Lip Live
2005 Family Jewels


History:
AC/DC are, without a doubt, one of the most influential and consistently successful heavy metal bands in the world. Three-chord blues based boogie songs about sex, booze and damnation has been their recipe for success over the years, but guitarist Angus Young (in his knee-high school boy's uniform) gives the band its identity.

Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed AC/DC in Sydney, Australia in 1973 and had a revolving door membership in their formative years. Their debut single, "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" featured Dave Evans on vocals but it wouldn't be until the band solidified with Mark Evans (bass), Phil Rudd (drums) and petty criminal Bon Scott on vocals that AC/DC began to get noticed. When Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans due to fatigue in 1977 chart success wasn't far behind, as Highway To Hell cracked the Top 20 in America. However just as the band was about to take the world by storm they almost disintegrated. It was February 19, 1980 when famed front-man Bon Scott died from choking on his own vomit after an all night drinking binge - the official coroner's report called it "death by misadventure". Upon losing their charismatic singer it was unsure if AC/DC would be able to continue or not, and even if they did return would fans accept a new vocalist?



Those questions were answered when a mere two months later the band had recruited ex-Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson and went on to record one of the best selling albums in rock history, Back In Black. The album shot up to #4 on the Billboard charts with the help of AC/DC staples such as "You Shook Me All Night Long" and the Bon Scott tribute "Hells Bells". Despite riding the wave of their first (and so far only) #1 album, For Those About To Rock, non-stop touring and drug abuse led to Phil Rudd's departure during the recording of 1983's Flick Of The Switch - Simon Wright was soon named as his replacement. By 1988 years of partying forced Malcolm to withdraw from the Blow Up Your Video tour to get a handle on his alcohol abuse. During the group's 1989 layoff Simon Wright got restless and defected to Dio, leaving room for former Firm member Chris Slade to take the drum stool. The resulting album, The Razors Edge, would once again give the Aussie rockers a hit album, reaching #2 on the U.S. charts.

Phil Rudd was back in the band for the Ballbreaker album and the boys continued to churn out their signature brand of hard rock. In 2004 Back In Black was certified as selling over 20 million copies in the U.S.A. alone, making it one of the ten best selling albums in the history of music. Countless tours, countless albums, and countless indulges in drug and alcohol have yet to sway AC/DC from their path and the band's rabid fan base continues to support whatever they do. Society changes, new fads come and go, but one thing always remains certain and untouched by time, and that is AC/DC - one of music's finest bands.

Links:
The Official AC/DC Page