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AC/DC biography
AC/DC BIOGRAPHY
AC/DC's bowel-shakin' stadium riffs and primal scream, yelping vocals pretty much set the blueprint for any metal that followed. Without these school uniform-wearing bad boy misogynists strutting their stuff, there'd be no Metallica or Beastie Boys. For those about to rock, we salute you...
Scottish brothers Angus and Malcolm Young emigrated to Australia in the early 60s where their elder brother George was a member of The Easybeats. The band were formed in 1973 by guitarists Malcolm and Angus and were joined by another Scottish exile, vocalist Bon Scott. Drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Mark Evans completed the lineup.
The band signed with Albert Records, run by eldest Young brother, George. The band's first two albums were Australia only releases. High Voltage (1975) and TNT (1976) were crammed with competent boogie pub rock but nothing earth shattering. Still, the band had generated enough interest for label major Atlantic Records to come knocking. Now with major label clout behind them our cock-rock heroes re-located to London in 1977 just as punk was emerging. The band's rebellious sneer and don't-give-a-s**t attitude initially had them lumped in with the punk movement but it was clear with their paint-stripping riffs and Scott's rebel yelp that the band were archeytypal metal. In the UK, an amalgam of the band's first two albums was released as one album, confusingly titled High Voltage.
The band's first proper worldwide release was 1976's Dirty Deeds Done Cheap. The follow up, Let There Be Rock gave the band their first sniff of chart success. But they were building their reputation on their electrifying stage shows. A manic, school-uniformed Angus would perform his trademark duckwalk, complete with physical jerks and ticks and Scott's ear-shattering vocals would bow the crowd into submission.
The band's live thrill was showcased on their next album, If You Want Blood, You've Got It in 1978. But the band would arrive into the premier league of stadium rockers with their next album, Highway To Hell. Producer Mutt Lange (the future Mr. Shania Twain) gave the band a more commercial sheen with anthemic, testosterone-fuelled rockers such as the title track, Touch Too Much and Shot Down In Flames. Lyrically the band weren't breaking new ground, stuck in the juvenile sniggering and back-of- the-class innuendo of songs such as, er Beating Around The Bush and Love Hungry Man. The album gave the band their first US Top 20 hit.
But just as the band were hitting their peak, singer Bon Scott choked on his own vomit during a drinking bout and died in February 1980. The coroner cited 'acute alcohol poisoning.' Scott was regarded as irreplaceable but incredibly the band did find someone to step into Scott's shoes. Ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was recruited for the band's next album, Back In Black. Vocally, Johnson's gravel-filled squall was uncannily similar to Scott's. Back In black turned out to be the perfect metal album.
Eventually reaching 19m sales in the US alone, the album would be pipped only by Michael Jackson's Thriller to the title of best selling album of all time. Created as a tribute to Bon Scott, the set was far from maudlin, turning into a stack of memorably thumping riffs and anthemic choruses from start to finish on the title track, Hell's Bells and the innuendo laden You Shook Me All Night Long. Again produced by Mutt Lange, Back In Black would become metal's most celebratory album, inspiring a generation of rockers that would follow, from Guns N' Roses and Metallica to The Darkness. The album propelled the band into one of the world's biggest stadium draws.
1981 follow up, For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) saw the band sustain their popularity by topping the US charts and scoring a UK hit with the nudge-nudge-wink-wink of single Let's Get It Up. But subsequent albums, Flick Of The Switch (1983) and Fly On The Wall (1985) were regarded as metal-by-numbers. But by now AC/DC were seen as the elder statesmen of riffing metal. 1986 saw them record the soundtrack to Stephen King flick, Maximum Overdrive, the songs contained on 1986 album, Who Made Who. 1988's Blow Up Your Video album saw a return to form and in the same year the band had UK hits with Heatseeker and That's The Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll. 1990's The Razor's Edge album sustained the resurgence with a UK Top 20 hit, Thunderstruck. The band continued to be a top draw live act. 1992 live album Live, documented the thrill of AC/DC on stage and in 1993 the band had another UK hit with Big Gun, taken from the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, Last Action Hero. But by the mid 90s the band's metal riffing, juvenile innuendo was wearing thin. 1995's Ballbreaker album wasn't going to win any plaudits from the feminist lobby and the band remained resolutely un-pc on tracks such as Hard As A Rock, Cover You In Oil and Caught With Your Pants Down.
In 2000 the band signed to new label Liberty for the return to form of the Stiff Upper Lip album. And the band aren't ready to lay down those axes yet. They are currently recording new material for a new album, proving that cock rockers never die, they just go limp occasionally.
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