AC/DC – A Lifetime Of High Voltage Rock

At the time of writing, I am 8 sleeps away from heading down to Brisbane to watch AC/DC rock the socks off the QSAC stadium for the 7th show of their Australian tour. It’s been a long time coming and I cannot bloody wait!

The hero’s of Aussie rock music are bound to put on a killer show, with a reported 70 semi-trailer loads of equipment and sizzling 20 minute guitar solos by none other than the legendary Angus Young. Here’s a brief history of Australia’s most loved rock band of all time – AC/DC.

AC/DC – A Brief History

In 1973, brothers Malcolm and Angus Young could not have known that their new band name, taken from a suggestion from their sister after seeing the “AC/DC” name on a sewing machine tag, would become synonymous for heavy rock music around the globe.

More the three decades later, with more than 200 million records sold, and their 2003 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, AC/DC continues to sell-out shows and break sales records.

High Voltage

The Scottish-born Young brothers, who immigrated to Australia as children, teamed up with fellow Aussies, bass guitarist Mark Evans, vocalist Bon Scott, and drummer Phil Rudd, and recorded their first album, High Voltage, for the Australian market. The single, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”, was released later that year, and appeared on their second album, “TNT”, along with the song, “High Voltage”. “TNT” was also released for the Australia and New Zealand markets.

The band’s runway success caught the attention of Atlantic Records, who signed the band in 1976. Atlantic released a new version of “High Voltage”, which featured tracks from AC/DC’s first two recordings, and catapulted the band to international fame with initial sales of 3 million copies. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” was also released in 1976, but didn’t reach the US market until 1981.

Highway To Hell

1977 saw the release of “Powerage”, with the band now sporting Cliff Williams on bass. The new lineup recorded their second album, the enormously successful “Highway to Hell” in 1979, further entrenching the band as a major international artist, but the “H2H” album proved to be a harbinger of things to come.

Singer Bon Scott passed away in February of 1980, and it seemed that AC/DC’s highway had come to a sad and unexpected end…but it was only beginning.

Back In Black

Brian Johnson joined AC/DC as the band’s new singer later in 1980. As if Scott’s spirit approved, they recorded and released the best-selling “Back in Black”, followed by the US chart topper, “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”.

The band wallowed somewhat in the mid-1980’s, despite the release of five albums between 1983 and 1988; Flick of the Switch, ’74 Jailbreak, Fly on the Wall, Who Made Who, and Blow Up your Video. The ‘80s also saw the replacement of drummer Phil Rudd with Simon Wright, later replaced by Chris Slade.

AC/DC – Back In Black – Live

The Razor’s Edge

1990’s “The Razor’s Edge” brought the band back into the limelight with Thunderstruck, “Are You Ready?” and “Moneytalks” singles all charting, and the album receiving multi-platinum status. Phil Rudd returned as drummer in 1994, and with the former line-up in place, released “Ballbreaker” in 1995.

The remainder of the decade saw the release of two live albums, a re-mastered “Back in Black”, and a compilation album of rare track versions and outtakes.

AC/DC – Powering Into The Millennium

2000’s critically acclaimed “Stiff Upper Lip, and 2008’s chart topping “Black Ice”, proved that AC/DC could survive the perils of time and adversity, and still maintain hero status well into the new age.

A favorite of older and newer generations, AC/DC’s total albums sales rival that of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and The Who. In 2009, the Recording Industry Association of America ranked AC/DC the fifth-best-selling band in US history.

As mentioned at the start of the article, AC/DC are currently on their Australian tour and have just performed 3 shows each in Melbourne and Sydney and are on their way to the Brisbane QSAC stadium for show #7 on the 25th February 2010. Their newest album Iron Man 2 is set for release on April 19th.

AC/DC History by Scotty Smith
Guitarist Rock ©2008-2009