AC/DC

AC/DC

AC/DC are an australian hard rock band, formed in the early 70's by brothers  Malcolm and Angus Young, who are still in the band. Commonly refered to as a Hard Rock or Blues Rock band, they are also considered pioneers of Heavy Metal, together with other great bands, such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Judas Priest. However, their members have always summed up their style as simply Rock & Roll.

They have experienced several line-up changes until they finally put out their first album:  High Voltage (1975). 

They line up kept stable until until  Cliff Williams took Mark Evans place on the bass for the album Powerage (1977). Within months of recording the album Highway to Hell, lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980 after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but buoyed by support from Scott's parents, decided to continue and set about finding a new vocalist. Ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was auditioned and selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released the new album, Back in Black, which was made as a tribute to Bon Scott. The album launched them to new heights of success and became their all time best-seller.

                        

Name

Malcolm and Angus Young developed the idea for the band's name after their sister, Margaret Young, saw the initials "AC/DC" on a sewing machine. "AC/DC" is an abbreviation meaning "alternating current/direct current" electricity. The brothers felt that this name symbolised the band's raw energy, power-driven performances of their music. "AC/DC" is pronounced one letter at a time, though the band are colloquially known as "Acca Dacca" in Australia.

Bon Scott's era and International Success

The first AC/DC album to gain worldwide distribution was a 1976 compilation of tracks taken from the High Voltage and T.N.T. LPs. Also titled High Voltage, it has sold 3 million copies worldwide. The band's next album, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, was released in the same year with both international and australian versions. In 1977, the new bassist  Cliff Williams took place in the band. The 1978 release of Powerage marked the debut of bassist Cliff Williams, and was the last album produced by Harry Vanda and George Young that had lead vocals by Bon Scott. It is also claimed to be AC/DC's most underrated album.

 
High Voltage

 

Powerage                                                             

Brian Johnson's era (1980 - present) and Back In Black

After Bon Scott's death, and with Brian Johnson, the band completed the songwriting that they had begun with Bon for the album Back in Black. It became AC/DC's biggest-selling album and a hard-rock landmark; hits include "Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" and the title track (Back in Black). The album was certified platinum three months after its release, and reached No.1 in the UK and No.4 in the US, where it spent 131 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart. Black In Black is the 5th best-selling album of all time in the US.

    Back in Black

    You Shook Me All Night Long

Other Albums, Hits and Present

In 1990,  The Razors Edge was released. It regained the band popularity that had been down with some hits, such as Thunderstruck and Are You Ready. The album went multi-platinum and reached the US top ten. Several shows on the Razors Edge tour were recorded for the 1992 live album, titled Live.Live was produced by Fairbairn, and is considered one of the best live albums of the 1990s.

On 18 August 2008, Columbia Records announced 18 October Australian release, and 20 October worldwide release, of the studio album Black Ice. The 15-track album was the band's first studio release in eight years.

Rock 'n' Roll Train, the album's first single, was released to radio on 28 August. On 15 August, AC/DC recorded a video for a song from the new album in London with a special selection of fans getting the chance to be in the video. Black Ice made history debuting at No.1 on album charts in 29 countries and also has the distinction of being Columbia Records' biggest debut album. With over 6.5 million copies of Black Ice shipped worldwide, combined with over 5.5 million in catalogue sold, AC/DC have surpassed The Beatles as the No.1 selling catalogue artist in the US for 2008.                                     

Their last appearence in Brazil was in 2009 at São Paulo. They also have been to Argentina recently, and have performed one of the most epic shows ever, at the River Plate Stadium.

   Highway To a Hell (one of the most knwon songs of the band)

   ACDC Live at River Plate (DVD), was a hell of a show.

Current Formation

   

Angus Young (Lead Guitar)      Malcom Young (Guitar)            Brian Johnson (Vocals)

  

Cliff Williams (Bass)                        Phil Rudd (Drums)

I've choosen AC/DC because it represents my taste of music. I love rock 'n roll and this band is one of the best in this style. It has such great hits and it's the one band that equals the live performace to the studio one. Their perform and representation are unique in the wolrd of music. You Shook Me All Night Long is one of my top favourite song, and AC/DC is, together with The Beatles, Metallica and System of a Down, my favourite band.

By Hugo Rodrigues, 1ºA