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This article is about the band from Australia. For other uses, see AC/DC (disambiguation).

AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Fremantle, Western Australia in 1973 by rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young and his brother, lead guitarist Angus Young. The band has sold over 150 million albums worldwide, making them one of the most successful hard rock acts ever. Their 1980 album Back in Black has sold 42 million units worldwide (21 million in the US alone) and is the second highest selling album of all time. In its recording career, the band has had two distinctive lead singers, and its fans tend to divide its history into the "Bon Scott era" (1974-80), and the "Brian Johnson era" (1980-present).

Although the group is generally considered to be a pioneer of hard rock and heavy metal music (they are ranked number 4 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock"), the members have always referred to their music as rock 'n' roll.

Overall, AC/DC are the most successful and well-known band to hail from Australia. In 2005 the band finished second in a list of highest-earning entertainers from Australia – trailing only The Wiggles – despite neither releasing an album nor touring that year. *

History

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, the brothers Angus, Malcolm and George Young moved with their family to Sydney, Australia as children. George began playing guitar first and became a member of Australia's most successful band during the 1960s, The Easybeats. They were the first local rock act to score an international hit ("Friday On My Mind" in 1966). Malcolm and Angus soon followed in his footsteps. Malcolm first played with a Newcastle, New South Wales band called The Velvet Underground (not to be confused with the New York based Velvet Underground which included member Lou Reed).

Early years

In November 1973, Malcolm Young started AC/DC, in which he played rhythm guitar and Angus played lead guitar. They recruited drummer Colin Burgess (ex-The Masters Apprentices), bassist Larry Van Kriedt, and vocalist Dave Evans. They originally intended to have a keyboardist, but soon dropped the idea. They played their first gig at a club in Sydney, Australia on New Year’s Eve, 1973.

The early lineups of the band changed often. Colin Burgess was sacked after passing out on stage (reportedly because someone spiked his drink), and a number of different bassists and drummers passed through the band over the next year, some lasting only a few weeks.

Another vital innovation was Angus Young's adoption of his now-famous school uniform as a regular stage outfit; the original was reputedly Angus' real uniform from his secondary school, Ashfield Boys High School, in Sydney. This idea was suggested by the Young brothers' sister, Margaret.

In September 1974, after skipping a gig, Dave Evans, was replaced by the band's chauffeur, the charismatic singer Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott, former lead vocalist with The Spektors (1964-66), The Valentines (1966-70) and Fraternity (1970-73). This signified the beginning of real success. With Evans, they had recorded one single, "Can I Sit Next To You"/"Rockin' In The Parlour". "Can I Sit Next To You" was eventually recorded with Bon Scott under the title "Can I Sit Next To You Girl".

By early 1975, the line-up had stabilised around Scott, the Young brothers, Mark Evans (bass) and Phil Rudd (drums), and an Australian-only album High Voltage had been released. Between 1974 and 1978, aided by regular appearances on the nationally-broadcast TV pop music show Countdown, AC/DC became one of the most popular and successful acts in Australia, scoring a string of hit albums and singles including their perennial rock anthem "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)", included on their second album T.N.T. which again was only released in Australia and New Zealand.

International fame

AC/DC signed an international deal with Atlantic Records. They worked all over the UK and Europe to establish themselves, touring almost constantly and gaining invaluable experience on the stadium circuit supporting the top hard-rock acts of the day including Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Cheap Trick, Nazareth, Foreigner, Thin Lizzy, and The Who.

Their next album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was released in 1976. There were slightly different track listings in different territories, and the album didn't reach the US until 1981 (when AC/DC were at the peak of their popularity). After 1977's Let There Be Rock, Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams.

AC/DC was first played in America on AM 600 WTAC in Flint, Michigan. The station manager's manager and legendary promoter "Peter C" Cavanaugh, who had also introduced The Who to America, booked the band to play Flint's Capitol Theater in the Fall of 1977. The opening act was The MC5 who were briefly reunited and agreed to play the event. AC/DC opened with Live Wire and closed with It's a Long Way to The Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll). The entire event is chronicled in Cavanaugh's book Local DJ

They survived the punk rock upheavals of 1976 and 1978, partly because they were tagged as a punk rock band by the British music press, a label they despise to this day. They gained a solid cult following in the UK with their powerful performances and outrageous stage antics; Angus Young quickly became notorious for mooning the audience and the group was banned from several British venues. Their meaty hard-rock sound and Scott's provocative, leering stage persona have also reputed to have been significant influences on The Sex Pistols' lead singer Johnny Rotten.

Highway to Hell

It was their 1979 sixth album, Highway To Hell, produced by Mutt Lange, that propelled them into the top ranks of hard rock acts; its anthemic title track is still a radio staple and is still widely popular in the U.S. This album was the first album not produced by Harry Vanda and George Young and the last to feature Bon Scott on vocals.

Bon Scott's death

Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980. He passed out after a night of routine partying, and was left in a car owned by an acquaintance named Alistair Kinnear. Sometime the next day, Bon was found unconscious by Kinnear and immediately rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The official cause of death was listed as "Acute alcohol poisoning" and "Death by Misadventure", although common folklore cites pulmonary aspiration of vomit as the cause. There are many inconsistencies in the official story, which in recent years have lead to many conspiracy theories, many involving heroin overdoses. It should be noted, however, that Bon was asthmatic and the temperature was below freezing that morning.

The band members considered quitting, but they decided Bon would have wanted AC/DC to continue. Shortly after, the band had lined up various candidates. Among them were ex-Back Street Crawler vocalist Terry Slesser and ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson. Johnson was trying to get Geordie back together, but he went to the AC/DC audition and sang two songs: "Whole Lotta Rosie" (from Let There Be Rock) and "Nutbush City Limits" (Ike & Tina Turner). A few days later, the band told Johnson that he was the new vocalist of AC/DC.

Back in Black

With Johnson, they completed the song-writing that was started while Bon Scott was still alive and began recording Back in Black, also produced by Lange. This became their biggest-selling album, a hard-rock landmark. Among the album's hits, the title track, an unstated tribute to Scott, and "You Shook Me All Night Long", are quintessential AC/DC: pounding guitars, start-stop rhythms, and the vocal style one critic affectionately described as "crotch on barbed wire". The follow-up album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, released in 1981, also sold very well and was well received by critics.

The band split with Lange for their self-produced 1983 album, Flick of the Switch. Amid rumours of alcoholism, drummer Phil Rudd left after personal differences with Malcolm Young. Rudd was replaced by Simon Wright formerly of Tytan, after the band held an anonymous audition. With the new lineup they recorded the less successful Fly on the Wall, produced by the Young brothers, in 1985. An ambitious series of music videos featuring the band at a bar playing five of the album's ten songs and supplemented by a variety of goings-on, including an animated fly, was also released.

In 1986, the group returned to the charts with the title track from Who Made Who, the soundtrack to Stephen King's film Maximum Overdrive. The album also included two new instrumentals along with previous hits. In February 1988 AC/DC were inducted into ARIA Hall of Fame. The next album, Blow Up Your Video (1988) saw them reunited with their original producers, Harry Vanda and George Young. It had better sales than the band's two previous albums, scoring a British Top 20 single with "Heatseeker".

Following Blow Up Your Video, Wright left the group and was replaced by session veteran Chris Slade. Johnson was unavailable for several months and the Young brothers wrote the songs for the next record themselves, as they would do for all subsequent releases. The new album would be produced by Bruce Fairbairn who had worked previously with Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi. Released in 1990, The Razors Edge was a big comeback for the band and included hits "Thunderstruck" and "Moneytalks". The album went multiplatinum and went into the top ten in the United States and elsewhere around the world.

By 1994, a sober Rudd had returned. The departure of Chris Slade was, however, amicable and mainly due to the band's strong wish to return with Rudd. According to Angus Young, Slade was the best musician in AC/DC, but the wish to regroup with Rudd was stronger. With the 1980–1983 lineup back, the group recorded Ballbreaker (1995) with hip hop and heavy metal producer Rick Rubin and Stiff Upper Lip (2000).

In 2002, Q magazine put AC/DC at the very top of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die" list. AC/DC have entered into a long-term, multi-album deal for new recordings, which will be released through Epic Records.

In 2003, Epic Records released newly remastered AC/DC albums. These albums are a part of AC/DC's Remasters series. This included all the albums, except Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip. Ballbreaker was rereleased in 2005, and Stiff Upper Lip will be rereleased in 2010.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction

In March 2003, the walls at New York City's historic Waldorf Astoria hotel shook, as AC/DC performed "Highway To Hell" during part of their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and "You Shook Me All Night Long" with guest vocals by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, who inducted AC/DC into the hall of fame. "AC/DC became the litmus test of what rock does," Tyler said. "Does it make you clench your fist when you sing along? Does it scare your parents to hell, and piss off the neighbours? Does it make you dance so close to the fire that you burn your feet--and still don't give a rat's ass? Does it make you want to stand up and scream for something that you're not even sure of yet? Does it make you want to boil your sneakers, and make soup outta your girlfriend's panties? (audience laughter) If it doesn't, then it ain't AC/DC". Alongside the band were two of Scott's nephews. In a brief acceptance speech, the band again thanked the fans for their support. Brian Johnson quoted the band's 1977 song "Let There Be Rock," written by Bon Scott. "In the beginning, back in 1955, man didn't know about the rock 'n roll show and all that jive. The white man had the schmaltz, the black man had the blues, but no one knew what they was gonna do, but Tchaikovsky had the news, he said, let there be rock", Johnson said, "Bon Scott wrote that. And it's a real privilege to accept these awards tonight."

Recent Events

In May 2003, Malcolm Young accepted the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Service to Australian Music and paid special tribute to Bon Scott. That same year, the Recording Industry Association of America upgraded the group's US sales figures, increasing their cumulative sales from 46.5 million to 63 million, making AC/DC the fifth-best-selling band in US music history, behind The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and the Eagles. The RIAA also certified the classic Back in Black album as double diamond (20,000,000) US sales, making it the sixth-best-selling U.S. album in history. As of 2005, the album has sold 21 million copies, moving it into fifth place.

On July 30 of the same year, the band gave a performance with the Rolling Stones at the "Sarsfest", Toronto Rocks, in Toronto, Canada. Held before an audience of 500,000, the concert was held to help the city overcome the effects of the 2003 SARS epidemic. Johnson has long been working on a musical version of Helen of Troy; he was inspired to do so after seeing Cats and describing it as 'fucking shit, wrist-cuttingly bad'.

On 1 October 2004 Melbourne's road Corporation Lane was officially renamed "ACDC Lane" in honour of the band (street names in the City of Melbourne cannot contain the "/" character). It is near Swanston Street, the location where, on the back of a truck, the band recorded their video for the 1975 hit "It's a Long Way to the Top". (Two members of the band were born in Melbourne.) There is another street named after the band in Leganés, Spain (near Madrid) called 'Calle de AC/DC', close to other streets named after Iron Maiden and Rosendo, Spanish hard rock legend.

In March, 2005, an official two-disc DVD set containing music videos, live clips and promotional videos called Family Jewels was released. The first disc is from the Bon Scott era (with live videos shot ten days before his death), and the second disc is from the Brian Johnson era.

AC/DC are currently working on a new studio album, but as of now, no release date has been set. In a 2005 interview with Brian Johnson, he has confirmed that the band does not know where the album will be recorded and finished. Also during the year, it was announced that there was a possibility the next release could be a double album. In a recent interview (April 2006) with Guitarist magazine, Malcolm Young stated, "The band is currently recording and writing material for the eagerly anticipated next album." *

Name

It has been said by Angus and Malcolm that the name's origins are from the back of their sister Margaret Young's sewing machine. In fact, the acronym "AC/DC" stands for "Alternating Current/Direct Current" which is used as a symbol to show that a given device that can run on either type of electrical current. In any event, the Young brothers liked the way that this name symbolized the band's raw energy and power-driven performances so the name stuck.

It's also been said that the band was initially unaware of the bisexual connotation of the term and that public response finally brought it to their attention. Supposedly, this public perception was exacerbated by their early "glam rock" image, which included satin jumpsuits (common rock attire in the early 1970s) and other costumes including Angus' schoolboy persona. Many bands at the time, however, adopted a deliberately theatrical and androgynous look, including two of Malcolm's heroes: The Rolling Stones and Marc Bolan.

Some religious figures have suggested that the name stood for "Anti-Christ/Devil's Children", After Christ /(the) Devil Comes and "Anti Christ / Death to Christ; the rumour has long persisted among critics who, already disliking the band's image, use it to paint the band as Satanists. The band has stated this is not true and these accusations are laughed at (Malcolm adding, "Me mum would kill me for that!") . This was also denied stating publicly, "We write songs like this to make a point and to give the listeners a picture in their minds." For example, the band states that Highway to Hell was written about touring on the roads of America, before they were highly popular.

The name AC/DC is pronounced one letter at a time, although the band is nicknamed by its Australian fans as "Acca Dacca", a parody of the AC/DC name.

Band Members

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(February 1974 - March 1974) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(March 1974) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(March 1974 - April 1974) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(April 1974 - September 1974) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(September 1974 - November 1974) with ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(November 1974 - January 1975) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(January 1975 - March 1975) with ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(March 1975 - July 1977) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(July 1977 - February 1980) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(February 1980 - April 1983) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(April 1983 - May 1988) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(May 1988 - November 1988) with ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(November 1988 - January 1989) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(January 1989 - July 1994) ! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" | AC/DC
(July 1994 - present)
Detailed AC/DC Line-Ups (By Month and Year)
AC/DC
(November 1973 - February 1974)

AC/DC Members By Year and Album (Australlian Releases)
Year Lead
guitar 		Rhythm
guitar/
vocals 		Lead
vocals 		Bass/vocals Drums Album
1973 Angus
Young 		Malcolm
Young 		Dave
Evans 		Larry Van Kriedt Colin Burgess
1974 Rob Bailey Peter Clack
1975 Bon
Scott 		George Young Tony Currenti High Voltage
1976 Mark Evans Phil Rudd T.N.T. + Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
1977 Let There Be Rock
1978 Cliff Williams Powerage + If You Want Blood You've Got It
1979 Highway To Hell
1980 Brian
Johnson 		Back in Black
1981 For Those About to Rock
1982
1983 Flick of the Switch
1984 Simon Wright
1985 Fly on the Wall
1986 Who Made Who
1987
1988 Blow Up Your Video
1989
1990 Chris Slade The Razors Edge
1991
1992 Live + 2 CD Collector's Edition
1993
1994
1995 Phil Rudd Ballbreaker
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000 Stiff Upper Lip
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Videography

Influences and tributes

Influence on rock music and other artists

AC/DC has been mentioned by many contemporary and later hard rock, heavy metal (although they distanced themselves from this genre), and progressive rock bands as an influence, including Accept, Anthrax, Bon Jovi, The Darkness, Def Leppard, Dio, Dokken, Dream Theater, Exodus, Faster Pussycat, Iron Maiden, Great White, Guns N' Roses, Hanoi Rocks, Journey, Megadeth, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison, Ratt, Rhino Bucket, Saxon, Scorpions, Skid Row, Supagroup, Twisted Sister, UFO, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Wolfmother and Y&T.

Many artists within the punk rock, hardcore punk, grunge, garage rock and alternative rock movements have also cited AC/DC as an influence. Whilst AC/DC themselves were initially critical of the British punk movement of the late 1970s, many artists within the scene drew on AC/DC's energetic, basic and (as some may argue) anti-commercialist approach to rock music.

AC/DC's legacy on the Australian music scene should not be underestimated. Virtually every Australian rock band to emerge since the mid 1970s has been influenced by AC/DC, including their "contemporaries" within the Australian pub rock movement which emerged at the same time. Some of the notable Australian acts who have acknowledged the influence of AC/DC include Blood Duster, Frenzal Rhomb, Dallas Crane, INXS, Jet, The Living End, Midnight Oil, Powderfinger, Silverchair, Wolfmother, Spiderbait and You Am I.

Tributes in Film and Motion Pictures

AC/DC's incredible influence on the zeitgeist is nowhere more evident than in popular culture films. Beyond the influence of the music itself, Angus' school uniform and duck walk are a body of text often mimicked. So too the band's logo, which is often used in the fashion of anti social characters and parodied in movies.
  • Empire Records (1995)* - Anthony LaPaglia's character plays the song If You Want Blood, You've Got It on the drums in a fit of anger.
  • Idiot Box (1996)* - Ben Meldonson's character wears a "RIP Bon Scott" t shirt in several scenes.
  • School of Rock (2003) * - Jack Black's character Dewey Finn is heavily based on Angus Young.
  • Butthead in the Beavis and Butthead animated series always wears an AC/DC shirt.
  • Thunderstruck (2004) * "After a near death experience, five Boys, all devoted AC/DC fans, make a pact to bury their best friend next to the grave of Bon Scott. 12 years later, having gone their different ways, they come together to fulfill the promise.".

Tributes by other artists

Many artists have paid tribute to the works of AC/DC, and many tribute albums have also been issued. The list is very extensive - examples include the following:

  • A character bearing a striking resembelance to Angus Young can be seen on the cover the 1994 album Dookie by Green Day. He is on top of the red building on the right, right behind the dogs pouring brown matter into the street.

  • 2004 saw the release of a tribute to AC/DC album The Rock-A-Billy Tribute to AC/DC.

  • The Colombian singer Shakira covered the song "Back in Black" in "Live & Off the Record (CD & DVD)"

  • In 2005, Nerf Herder frontman Parry Gripp released his first solo album titled For Those About to Shop, We Salute You as a parody of the title For Those About To Rock (We Salute You). The album cover is also parody of the international version of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

  • Motörhead covered the songs Highway To Hell and It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll).

  • Danish death metal band Illdisposed covered Beating Around The Bush on their 2000 release Retro.

  • American Bluegrass band Hayseed Dixie released the album "A Hillbilly Tribute To AC/DC", which was a cover of many of the band's greatest hits.

  • The movie School of Rock featured a cover of It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll). This song is featured on the soundtrack. (The movie also features the original version of For Those About To Rock (We Salute You), though this doesn't appear on the soundtrack.) Also in the movie, Jack Black dresses in a schoolboy outfit for the final performance.

  • Sprung Monkey performed a cover of Thunderstruck, the latter part of the song incorporating AC/DC lyrics from other songs such as Big Balls and For Those About to Rock (We Salute You). This song appears on the soundtrack for Varsity Blues.

  • Mark Kozelek performed three covers on his EP "Rock 'N' Roll Singer". The covers were radically interpreted into a "folk ballad" style. They were so well-received that he decided to do a whole album of AC/DC covers. The album was titled "What's Next To The Moon".

  • Living Colour recorded a cover version of Back In Black for their 2004 reunion album, Collideøscope

  • Quiet Riot performed a cover of Highway To Hell.

  • Ugly Kid Joe (Also known as The Sensational Whiskiteer Band) performed covers of Live Wire and Ride On.

  • John Farnham covered It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock And Roll) for his Age of Reason album.

  • You Am I with Tex Perkins on vocals covered Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap for the Dirty Deeds motion picture soundtrack in 2002.'

  • Cult Australian punk rock band the Hard Ons covered Let there be Rock with Henry Rollins on vocals.

  • An Australian tribute album called Fuse Box release in 1995 * featured 17 Australian bands covering their favourite tracks. A famous highlight was Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi's cover of Jail Break. Singer Mandawuy Yunupingu made a very cheeky stab at the issue of Aboriginal deaths in police custody, by changing a lyric to "And he got out. . . With a Sheet around his neck", instead of ". . . a bullet in his back."

  • Norweigan punk band Turbonegro in live performances combine the riff from Thunderstruck with their song I got erection

External Links

AC/DC | Peel Sessions artists | Australian musical groups | Australian rock music groups | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees | Hollywood Walk of Fame

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