25 July 2020

Band: AC/DC (Sydney, Australia)
Active: since 1973
Album: BACK IN BLACK – the band’s seventh LP
Released: 25 July 1980 – 40 years ago today
Info: It was the first longplayer with vocalist Brian Johnson
following the tragic death of mad frontman Bon Scott in January 1980
Score: It sold over 50 million copies worldwide (21 million in the US)

Pitchfork said: “The album didn’t signify any sort of change or cultural marker. It instead proved the power of stasis, of doing something well, then doing it again but louder and with more money. In a sense, the success of Back in Black helped predict the current reboot moment: Give the people what they want, but more… The record’s ultimate legacy comes less from the artists it influenced or even the songs that remain staples of whatever is left of commercial rock radio than in its confirmation that evolution can be an overrated quality. And, as ever, AC/DC were their own best messengers for this simple idea, laid bare in the final moments of their most famous work: “Rock’n’roll ain’t no riddle, man.”

Key phrase: “We’re a rock group. we’re noisy, rowdy, sensational and weird.” – Angus Young

Key tracks: You Shook Me All Night Long / Hells Bells / Back In Black

– HELLS BELLS –

– YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG –

– BACK IN BLACK –

Full decibels…

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AC/DC: Facebook