Band Of The Week - AC/DC

Jeng Jeng Jengggggg®... Holiday for festive season just over, these two days (Thursday & Friday) I was so lonely in my office, all still on leave for Hari Raya holiday and I'm alone in my office, so enjoy the moment, no body disturb me and I can switch on my Rock n Roll MP3s as loud as I can.

Alright, this weekend my pick for my favorite rock band is AC/DC. I started know this band since I was a small kid from my uncle, that time still using 'records' (turn-table) to listen, no cassette, no CD too. My uncle still keeps the record until now, just very hard to get the player and amp with 'phono' features. Let's listen to my favorite song of AC/DC... Back In Black, this song makes me know this band. Highway To Hell, really enjoying when driving on the highway...:P and the respect to all rockers... For Those About To Rock, We Salute You~~~.

Click 'Play' to listen


AC/DC - Back In Black


AC/DC - Highway To Hell


AC/DC - For Those About To Rock

About AD/DC

AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. The band have sold over 150 million albums worldwide and over 68 million albums in the United States, 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 and the biggest selling album by any band. In its recording career, the band has had two distinctive lead singers; Bon Scott and then later, Brian Johnson. Thus, fans tend to divide its history into the "Bon Scott era" (1974—80), and the "Brian Johnson era" (1980—present).

From left to right: M. Young, Scott, A. Young, M. Evans, Rudd

Although the group is generally considered to be a pioneer of hard rock and Heavy metal music along with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, the members have always referred to their music as "rock 'n' roll". The band also accept the description "hard rock" (they are ranked number 4 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock"), but they find the "metal" description offensive. At one point they were known as a punk band, which AC/DC also disagreed with.


History (sources from wikipedia)

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, brothers Angus, Malcolm and George Young moved, along with most of their family, to Sydney, Australia, in 1963, when they were all still young children. George began playing guitar first and became a member of Australia's most successful band during the 1960s - The Easybeats, who 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 featured Lou Reed).

In 1974, George Young was playing on an album by the Marcus Hook Roll Band, called Tales Of Old Granddaddy, when he introduced Angus and Malcolm to a recording studio for the first time, and invited them to contribute to the album

Angus Young

Bon Scott Era (1974-1980)

In September 1974, Dave Evans was replaced by Bon Scott, former lead vocalist with The Spektors (1964-66), The Valentines (1966-70) and Fraternity (1970-73). This signified the beginning of the band's international 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 re-recorded with Bon Scott under the title "Can I Sit Next To You Girl".

By January 1975, the Australian-only album entitled High Voltage was recorded, based on instrumental songs written by the Young brothers and lyrics written by Scott. Within a few months the line-up had stabilised around Scott, the Young brothers, Mark Evans (bass) and Phil Rudd (drums). Later that year, the band released the single, "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)", which became their perennial rock anthem. It was included on their second album, T.N.T., again only released in Australia and New Zealand. The album also featured another classic, "High Voltage".

Between 1974 and 1978, aided by regular appearances on the nationally-broadcast TV pop music show, Molly Meldrum's Countdown, AC/DC became one of the most popular and successful acts in Australia.

Bon Scott

Bon Scott's death (1980)

Bon Scott died on 19 February, 1980 (see 1980 in music). He had passed out after a night of routine partying in London, and was left in a car owned by an acquaintance of his named Alistair Kinnear. The next day, Bon was found unconscious by Kinnear and immediately rushed to the King's College hospital in Camberwell, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Although common folklore cites pulmonary aspiration of vomit as the cause of his death, the official cause was listed as "Acute alcohol poisoning" and "Death by Misadventure".

There are many inconsistencies in the official story, which in recent years have led to many conspiracy theories, many involving heroin overdoses. Some think it was murder, and that Bon Scott was killed by fumes from the exhaust being redistributed into the car, and some think Kinnear didn't even exist. It should be noted, however, that Bon was asthmatic and the temperature was below freezing that morning.

Scott's family buried him in Fremantle, Western Australia, the area to which they emigrated when he was a child.


Brian Johnson era (1980-present)

With Johnson, the band completed the songwriting that was started while Bon Scott was still alive and began recording Back in Black at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas a few months after Scott's death. Back in Black, also produced by Lange, and became their biggest-selling album and a hard-rock landmark, featuring hits like; "Hell's Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long" and the title track. Back in Black was certified platinum a year after its release and by 1997 it had sold 16 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Brian Johnson

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. Two of the band's biggest hit singles to date were featured in this album, "Let's Get It Up", reaching #13 in the U.K., and the title track, "For Those About to Rock", reaching #15 on the U.K. charts. The band split with Lange for their self-produced 1983 album, Flick of the Switch in an effort to find the rawness and simplicity of their early albums.


Departure of Rudd (1983)

Amid rumours of alcoholism and drug-induced paranoia, drummer Phil Rudd's friendship with Malcolm Young was deteriorating. After a long period of unfriendliness, the two's dislike for each other grew so strong that, at one point, they got into a fight. Two hours later, Rudd was fired from the band.

Phil Rudd

Rudd was replaced by Simon Wright, after the band held an anonymous audition. With the new line-up, the band recorded and produced the less successful album, Flick of the Switch, which was was considered underdeveloped (AC/DC was voted as the eighth biggest disappointment of the year in the 1984 Kerrang!'s readers' poll). However, Flick of the Switch eventually reached No. 4 in the UK charts. Fly on the Wall, produced by the Young brothers in 1985, was also regarded as underdeveloped and directionless. A music concept video was also released, it featured 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.

Simon Wright

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. This album also included two new instrumentals along with previous hits such as "Hell's Bells" and "Ride On".

In February 1988, AC/DC were inducted into ARIA Hall of Fame.


Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction

During their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003, AC/DC performed "Highway To Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" with guest vocals by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, who inducted the band into the hall. Tyler also called the band's power chords, "the thunder from down under that gives you the second most powerful surge that can flow through your body."

Brian Johnson with Steven Tyler

ACDC Lane

On 1 October 2004 a central Melbourne thoroughfare, Corporation Lane, was officially renamed ACDC Lane in honour of the band (street names in the City of Melbourne cannot contain the "/" character). The lane 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". There is another street, in Leganés, Spain, which was named after the band in 2 March 2000, called 'Calle de AC/DC'. It is close to other streets named after Iron Maiden and Spanish hard rock star, Rosendo.

Band Members

Current line-up

* Angus Young — lead guitar
* Malcolm Young — rhythm guitar / backing vocals
* Brian Johnson — lead vocals
* Cliff Williams — bass / backing vocals
* Phil Rudd — drums

Original line-up

* Angus Young — lead guitar
* Malcolm Young — rhythm guitar / backing vocals
* Dave Evans — lead vocals
* Larry Van Kriedt — bass
* Colin Burgess — drums

From left: Malcolm Young, Phil Rudd, Angus Young, Cliff Williams and Brian Johnson

AC/DC... Another legendary classic rock band!!!

Happy Weekend & Have a Safe Journey Home...