AC/DC

AC/DC

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).”