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Australian heavy-metal band AC/DC features knickers-clad guitarist Angus Young, who became as famous for mooning audiences regularly as for his gritty blues-based lead guitar and songs about sex, drinking, and damnation. AC/DC's raucous image, constant touring, and raw, juvenile yet amusing lyrics in songs like "Big Balls" and "The Jack" helped make it one of the top hard-rock bands in history. The group has remained a major concert draw, and its albums consistently go platinum despite its never having had a Top 20 single in the U.S.
The Young brothers moved with their family from Scotland to Sydney in 1963. In 1973 they formed the first version of AC/DC, adding vocalist Bon Scott in early 1974, followed by drummer Phillip Rudd and bassist Mark Evans later that year. Their first four albums were produced by ex-Easybeats Harry Vanda and George Young, Angus’ older brother. The group had gained a solid reputation in their homeland early on, but it wasn’t until 1979 with the platinum Highway to Hell (#17, 1979) that they became a presence on the American charts.
Within months of AC/DC’s American success, vocalist Scott died from choking on his own vomit after an all-night drinking binge. Two months later he was replaced by ex-Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson, and less than four months after that, Back in Black began a yearlong run on the U.S. chart, peaking at #4 (1980), selling over 13 million copies to date, and featuring the double-entendre-ridden “You Shook Me All Night Long.” Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, a 1981 reissue of a 1976 Australian LP, went to #3 in the U.S., followed by For Those About to Rock We Salute You, the group’s first and, to date, only U.S. #1 LP, in late 1981. The less spectacular showings of the gold albums Flick of the Switch (#15, 1983) and Fly on the Wall (#32, 1985) gave way to the multiplatinum Who Made Who (the soundtrack to Maximum Overdrive) and The Razors Edge (#2, 1990). The latter contains the group’s closest thing to a hit single, “Moneytalks” (#23, 1991). In January 1991 three fans were crushed to death at an AC/DC show in Salt Lake City, Utah. In late 1992, the group paid the families of the three deceased teenagers an undisclosed sum, following an out-of-court settlement. Other parties to the settlement included the convention center, the concert’s promoter, and the company in charge of security.
AC/DC laid low until 1995, when the Rick Rubin–produced Ballbreaker (which also marked the return of drummer Phil Rudd) entered the charts at #4. The bulk of the 5-CD box set Bonfire, released in 1997, was made up of live tracks recorded in 1977 and 1979, as well as of a remastered version of Back in Black. It marked the first time AC/DC had released material featuring Bon Scott since the singer’s death. With older brother George Young (who had worked on such early AC/DC albums as Let There Be Rock andPowerage) back on board as producer, Stiff Upper Lip (#7, 2000) confirmed AC/DC’s status as one of the most enduringly popular hard-rock bands on the planet. Wisely sticking to its time-tested formula of no-frills riffing, the band followed the record’s release with extensive touring, during which Angus Young wore, as always, a schoolboy uniform. (That outfit has become such a part of rock legend that it was included in Rock Style, an exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which opened in 1999.) Always a reliable live act, AC/DC once more brought out the big guns - literally, since the band’s stage act included cannons that went off during “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).”DISCOGRAPHY
Main Releases
Accelerators
T.N.T.
2002
For Those About To Rot: Tribute To AC/DC
2000
Stiff Upper Lip
2000
Thunderbolt: A Tribute To AC/DC
1998
Bonfire
1997
(What's the Story) Morning Glory?
1995
Dead Presidents
1995
Ballbreaker
1995
AC/DC Live
1992
Live
1992
Live (2 CD)
1992
The Razor's Edge
1990
Blow up Your Video
1988
Who Made Who
1986
Fly on the Wall
1985
Flick of the Switch
1983
Swing to the Right
1982
For Those About To Rock We Salute You
1981
Back In Black
1980
Adventures in Utopia
1980
Highway to Hell
1979
Powerage
1978
If You Want Blood You've Got It
1978
Oops! Wrong Planet
1977
RA
1977
Let There Be Rock
1977
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
1976
High Voltage
1976
Singles
Thump That Funk [CD/Vinyl Single]
1995
Highway to Hell [Single]
1992
'74 Jailbreak
1984
Compilations
Let There Be Metal: A Tribute to AC/DC
2002
Covered In Black: An AC/DC Tribute
1996
Last Action Hero
1993
Atlantic Rock & Roll Box
1991
Guest
Bon Appetite - A Tribute To The Bon Scott Years Of AC/DC
2007
Maximum AC/DC
AC/DC
2005
Ac/Dc X-Posed: The Interview
AC/DC
2005
Back In Baroque: The String Tribute To AC/DC
2003
Beavis And Butt-Head Do America
1996
Interview
AC/DC
1992
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