Rock Hard Forever: AC/DC

AC/DC are, without a doubt, one of the most influential and consistently successful heavy metal bands in the world. Three-chord blues based boogie songs about sex, booze and damnation has been their recipe for success over the years, but guitarist Angus Young (in his knee-high school boy's uniform) gives the band its identity.

Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed AC/DC in Sydney, Australia in 1973 and had a revolving door membership in their formative years. Their debut single, "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" featured Dave Evans on vocals but it wouldn't be until the band solidified with Mark Evans (bass), Phil Rudd (drums) and petty criminal Bon Scott on vocals that AC/DC began to get noticed. When Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans due to fatigue in 1977 chart success wasn't far behind, as Highway To Hell cracked the Top 20 in America. However just as the band was about to take the world by storm they almost disintegrated. It was February 19, 1980 when famed front-man Bon Scott died from choking on his own vomit after an all night drinking binge - the official coroner's report called it "death by misadventure". Upon losing their charismatic singer it was unsure if AC/DC would be able to continue or not, and even if they did return would fans accept a new vocalist?

Those questions were answered when a mere two months later the band had recruited ex-Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson and went on to record one of the best selling albums in rock history, Back In Black. The album shot up to #4 on the Billboard charts with the help of AC/DC staples such as "You Shook Me All Night Long" and the Bon Scott tribute "Hells Bells". Despite riding the wave of their first (and so far only) #1 album, For Those About To Rock, non-stop touring and drug abuse led to Phil Rudd's departure during the recording of 1983's Flick Of The Switch - Simon Wright was soon named as his replacement. By 1988 years of partying forced Malcolm to withdraw from the Blow Up Your Video tour to get a handle on his alcohol abuse. During the group's 1989 layoff Simon Wright got restless and defected to Dio, leaving room for former Firm member Chris Slade to take the drum stool. The resulting album, The Razors Edge, would once again give the Aussie rockers a hit album, reaching #2 on the U.S. charts.

Phil Rudd was back in the band for the Ballbreaker album and the boys continued to churn out their signature brand of hard rock. In 2004 Back In Black was certified as selling over 20 million copies in the U.S.A. alone, making it one of the ten best selling albums in the history of music. Countless tours, countless albums, and countless indulges in drug and alcohol have yet to sway AC/DC from their path and the band's rabid fan base continues to support whatever they do.

As of January 2006, AC/DC have been working on a new studio album. According to Malcolm Young, "The band are currently writing and recording material for the eagerly anticipated next album, but no release date has been set. In a 2004 interview, Brian Johnson revealed that for the first time since the 1988 album Blow Up Your Video, he would be handling lyrics. He also said that Angus Young has written harder riffs than those on Stiff Upper Lip. In 2005, Johnson confirmed that the band did not know when the album will be recorded, or who would produce it and Malcolm Young said that the new album has "gotta be perfect". Johnson and Williams, along with Steve Luongo and Mark Hitt, recorded new songs for a fund-raising tour named "Classic Rock Cares", and the new songs were to be presented during concerts. So far, three new songs, "Chain Gang on the Road," "Blood Alley," and "Who Phoned The Law?" have been played live. Williams stated that "the Young brothers have been writing new material, but there’s no telling when that will crystallise into an album. In March, 2008, several websites claimed that AC/DC were spotted in Vancouver, where the band recorded their last two studio albums with Vancouver engineer and mixer Mike Fraser. Fraser has engineered previous AC/DC Vancouver sessions, leading metalunderground.com to speculate that he is working on the new album.

In April of 2008, AC/DC's official website confirmed the release of the new album with producer Brendan O'Brien and audio engineer Mike Fraser. Johnson recently revealed during an interview with Washington D.C.'s DC 101 radio station that AC/DC have finished recording the new album and are currently mixing it for a late 2008 release.

Current Members

Brian Johnson – lead vocals (1980–present)
Angus Young – lead guitar (1973–present)
Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1973–present)
Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals (1977–present)
Phil Rudd – drums, percussion (1975–1983, 1994–present)

Former Members

Bon Scott – lead vocals (1974–1980)
Simon Wright – drums, percussion (1983–1989)
Chris Slade – drums, percussion (1989–1994)
Mark Evans – bass guitar (1975–1977)
Dave Evans – lead vocals (1973–1974)

Discography

High Voltage (1975)
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)
Let There Be Rock (1977)
Powerage (1978)
Highway to Hell (1979)
Back in Black (1980)
For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981)
Flick of the Switch (1983)
Fly on the Wall (1985)
Who Made Who (1986)
Blow Up Your Video (1988)
The Razors Edge (1990)
Ballbreaker (1995)
Stiff Upper Lip (2000)
Fifteenth studio album (2008)

Official Website: http://www.acdc.com/

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You Shook Me All Night Long