Back In Black
AC/DC
1980
Album Summary
Back in Black is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It was released on 25 July 1980 by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It is the band's first album to feature lead singer Brian Johnson, following the death of previous lead singer Bon Scott. After the commercial breakthrough of their 1979 album Highway to Hell, AC/DC was planning to record a follow-up, but in February 1980, Scott died from alcohol poisoning after a drinking binge. Instead of disbanding, they decided to continue on and recruited Johnson, who was previously vocalist for Geordie. The album was composed by Johnson, Angus and Malcolm Young, and recorded over seven weeks in the Bahamas from April to May 1980 with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who had worked on their previous album. Following its completion, the group mixed Back in Black at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The album's all-black cover was designed as a "sign of mourning" for Scott. As their sixth international studio release, Back in Black was an unprecedented success. It has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide, and is the second best-selling album in music history. The band supported the album with a yearlong world tour, cementing them among the most popular music acts of the early 1980s. The album also received positive critical reception during its initial release, and it has since been included on numerous lists of "greatest" albums. Since its original release, the album has been reissued and remastered multiple times, most recently for digital distribution. On 9 December 2019, it was certified 25× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
WikipediaSuch a beast of an album. Just legendary. Every song is a banger. Every track a shredder. "Relentless" is a really great descriptor for this album. It never lets up, never slows down, never lets you rest. It's the opposite of a rickroll.
Great album from this totally ‘balls to the wall’ Aussie rock group. It’s heavy but it’s not metal as many people often categorise their music to be. They rely on the trusted and true technique of playing the blues fast with accompanying power chords and saturated in full blown Marshall distortion. These guys are the masters of this genre and this album is one of their best examples. Every track is almost as good as any other, including released singles...that in itself is a rarity. While I actually favour AC/DC with their former and original frontman Bon Scott, there is no doubting the genuine quality of these tracks. The album definitely deserves to be rated a classic. Turn it up to 11!! 4 Stars!
Probably the most macho album ever, without ever being offensive. When aliens come down and ask about rock n roll, this will be the first album humans will play them.
Whereas I get sick of Aerosmith's "middle school boy music" aesthetic, I still cannot get enough of it when AC/DC does it. Maybe they're just better at it. Maybe they're the real thing when Aerosmith is just poseurs. I don't know. What I do know is that every single one of these songs is a stone cold rock classic. Just listening to one of these is guaranteed to get you an STD. Hail Satan, and rock on AC/DC.
obviously a decent record but lyrically it improves tenfold when you imagine it’s being sung by toad
Vous savez quoi ? Alors que j'étais partagé entre l'idée d'accorder un 4 à cet album, et celle de lui accorder un 5, j'ai finalement opté pour la dernière option. Et vous savez pourquoi ? Tout simplement parce que je voyais arriver le jour arriver où j'allais donner mon troisième 5 à Adèle et où on allait me traiter de fragile qui écoute seulement des filles qui pleurent en chantant. Alors voilà, un bon gros 5 pour Back In Black, un album bien viril, fait pour les hommes qui ont des clébards sales. Qu'est-ce que vous allez pouvoir dire maintenant ?
“Back in Black” by AC/DC (1980) I bought this album when it first came out, because my students (at a private Christian high school) had expressed alarm that if you play it backwards there were discernible messages from Satan. This was in the heyday of the evangelical Christian “backmasking” conspiracy theory. Anyway, I played parts of it in class (forward and backward), demonstrating that what they had been told to listen for (repeated references to “666”, etc.) were actually just cymbals and other sounds that only coincidentally sounded like words. Some of them remained unconvinced, and thus I learned a valuable lesson about religious fundamentalism: People will believe the craziest shit under the right conditions. But the music on this album is very good. Brian Johnson has a voice that seems to do violence to both his throat and the listener’s ears. But it is a very disciplined violence, with excellent range, diction, and breath control, and that makes it musically attractive. The guitar work of the Young brothers displays a particular virtuosity, especially for the time. Clearly one of the standout heavy metal guitar duos. Listen carefully for Angus Young’s deftly executed ‘quick bends’ on individual notes in the scales of his lead riffs. Exquisite. The rhythm section is exceptionally tight and steady, with enough variety to keep it interesting. The lyrics, on the other hand, are simply unconnected expressions of misguided manliness, angry arrogance, and cultural chaos. Even lyricist Brian Johnson is reported as having described the lyrics on the title track “Back in Black” as nonsense. And Johnson’s lyrics on “Hell’s Bells” are an unconvincing paean to evil. Consider the line “'Cause if good's on the left, then I'm sticking to the right”. Brian, if you’ve ever had children (and he did), then we all know you’re full of shit. What holds these lyrics together are the standard heavy metal themes of unrestrained individuality, untempered judgmentalism and the irresponsible abuse of what little they know. It’s not art. If you want to hear a message from Satan on this album, don’t play it backwards. Play it forwards. But the sound. The sound. It is metal done to perfection. 4/5
One of my favorite quotes is Angus Young saying “ I'm sick to death of people saying we've made 11 albums that sounds exactly the same, Infact, we've made 12 albums that sound exactly the same.” And hey, if your dumb horny rock n’ roll music ain’t broke, I certainly agree you shouldn’t fix it.
Day 39 of Albums You Must Hear Before You Die! It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n roll, that is, unless you’re AC/DC. The Young brothers, Malcom and Angus had a vision in the early Seventies to bring straight forward, hard edged, and unapologetic Rock ‘n Roll bangers to the masses. AC/DC was a hard working band that had no problem grinding it out on the road, and their hard work would pay off in a huge way. Although the years ahead would bring tragedy and line-up changes, they would deliver time and time again. From 1974-1980, with Bon Scott as the lead singer and charismatic frontman, AC/DC would turn every record they touched into something better than gold, they turned them all into platinum. T.N.T., High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, and Let There Be Rock, would all be released in that time and any band in the world would be able to comfortably say that their musical careers had been a success and ride off into the sunset. When AC/DC prepared to record their sixth album, Highway to Hell, they parted from long time producers Harry Vanda and brother George Young, and ushered in Mutt Lange, who would help steer the band into a whole new stratosphere of rock. Highway to Hell would become their highest selling album up to that point and go on to be known as one of the greatest hard rock albums of all time. Singer Bon Scott would live out all of the excesses of a Rock God in his public and personal life, respectively. When he passed away unexpectedly in early 1980, his absence left an obvious gaping hole in the band. It seemed that AC/DC’s residency at the top of their game had come to an abrupt end. AC/DC isn’t the kind of band that rolls over and dies. When Bon Scott’s mother gave her blessing to continue on without her son, they soon recruited Brian Johnson to join the group. Bon Scott had seen Johnson perform before his death and highly recommended that the guys check him out sometime. Wanting to give tribute to their fallen band mate gave AC/DC the fuel to create their next album, and they did so in record time. In July 1980, only six months after Scott’s death, AC/DC would release Back in Black, once again collaborating with producer Mutt Lange. Back in Black was meant to have a totally black cover in memory of Scott, something that their label was very against, so they compromised and released the record with a mostly all black cover with just the title in grey. Due to the circumstances, most people would expect the band to take a more somber approach to the album. Hell no, AC/DC paid their respects by bringing the same frenzied energy to Back in Black that they were known to always have. Brian Johnson was the perfect frontman to step in on vocals. He didn’t try to replace Scott or mimic him at all. The opening track, Hell’s Bells starts off with the ominous ringing of a massive bell, setting the tone for Back in Black’s dark, yet pumped up approach. Their are no taboo topics on this rebirth. Death, Hell, drinking, partying, sex, it’s all there. When the most famous guitar riff of all time kicks in on the albums title song, Back in Black, I still feel the hairs on my neck rise. On You Shook Me All Night Long, you can feel the drums hit you in the chest as if you’re on the stage with the band. This is one of the cleanest recorded albums of all time, and it really shines because of its rough and rugged content. Have a Drink On Me and Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution are songs that you will still hear played on neighborhood bar jukeboxes around the world to this day. My personal favorite song on Back In Black is Let Me Put My Love Into You, it never loses its shine or sex appeal 40 years later. AC/DC had the perfect balance of Blues infused hard rock and work ethic that made them accessible to anyone that’s not a Bible thumping prude that can’t separate music entertainment from reality. My first memories of AC/DC come from my Uncle Mike. He always played their records at maximum volume that would vibrate the Angus Young plastered posters taped to his bedroom walls, and I thank him for that. (I can still picture Angus Young in his school boy outfit, with horns poking out from his hat, he’s my favorite). Back In Black is still the second highest selling album in the world. Let that sink in. There is no other band before AC/DC or to follow, that can overcome the loss of their frontman at the peak of their career, and go on to not only recover, but soar even higher than before. I’ll leave you with one last fact that I find to be especially impressive. While most albums have many, many songs recorded before selecting the final tracks that will go on the record, and leaving the rest on the cutting room floor, AC/DC recorded only 10 songs, all of which made it to the final cut. Then sold over 50 million copies of Back in Black... Mind blowing. Please share your thoughts, memories and opinions!!
This album is fantastic. The first entry from their new lead singer(after the death of their previous one) is their best outing. Show casing a new vocal sound that is today the opitome of ACDCs iconic music. This album plays almost like a greatest hits album containing numerous songs that are mainstays on any rock radio staion(or playlist - "helps bells", "shoot to thrill", "back in black", "you shook me all night long" and "rock and roll ain't noise pollution") but even the lesser tracks on this album are still great songs("what do you do for the money honey", "given the dog a bone" and "shake a leg"). This album hits high on almost every song and delivers the iconic sound we love from one of rocks greatest bands.
This is how a hard rock record should sound. The songs are great - nothing particularly ground-breaking or avant-garde, but amazing riffs, fantastic to sing along to, and definitely elicits an emotional response (especially when turned up loud). Some questionable lyrics, but they never took themselves too seriously and I don't think they expected the audience to either. In terms of overall sound, it's clear to see why this album is held up as one of the pinnacles of hard rock production. Solid rhythm section, and the guitars all sound incredible. The sound of a Gibson into a Marshall and turned up loud can't be beaten. Guitar solos suit the music perfectly, as do Brian Johnson's vocals. Makes me want to go grab my guitar and turn it up loud.
This album is about as nuanced as Hulk Hogan driving a monster truck to a Republican Party rally. But who needs nuance when you have riffs? It's big, it's basic, and it's timeless. 42 years old and could have been recorded yesterday. I'm not sure anything betters this in terms of loud, balls out, unpretentious rock. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: Back in Black Date listened: 30/09/22
Proof that Black Sabbath served a purpose. This mob learnt from their shortcomings, at least. Too serious? Um, they're wearing school uniform. Failure to deliver on their image? Not possible, the songs are literally *about* rocking very hard. Bypassed lyrics on the highway to riffs? Nope. This is pure poetry: "Back in the back / Of a Cadillac / Number one with a bullet, I'm a power pack / Yes, I'm in a bang / With a gang / They've got to catch me if they want me to hang." Too basic? I mean, the aim is to wipe their grubby heinies in your sour moosh and that's exactly what they do. In short, I had a blast because I was getting ready for a wedding and wanted to get pumped up. This did the trick. Is it a three? It was then so it is now.
What a great album, every song is class and belongs on there and is catchy
Awesome Rock and Roll. Simple but killer riffs with a good sense of fun. Interesting to read that this was the break through album following the death of their previous lead singer through MisAdventure.
All of my existing favorites, plus a handful of others that are also bangers. Led to a great continuation by Spotify also.
Love it- knew I loved it before I listened to it. Listened to it twice. Totally pumped for work
The soundtrack to my middle school years! In my search to find the music that felt like me. ACDC time and time again came through as an artist I could vibe to
Probably one of if not the greatest pure rock n roll albums of all time. The energy in it is still alive after 40 years. This album is a rock masterpiece and it changed my life.
C’est vraiment un masterpiece! Des mélodies simples, des drum simples mais c’est catchy a mort ! La voix est pour moi parfaite ! Une corneille qui chante bien! Ça démocratise le hard rock! Ça rend de bonne humeur et ça se danse Je l’évite Shake a leg moyenne elle Je lévite, hells bells wow, shoot to thrill!! Rock n roll aint noise pollution
El álbum que levantó los ánimos de la banda al ser mucho más exitoso posterior al fallecimiento de su primer vocalista
Excellent - incredible riffs, an undeniable groove and plenty of great hooks.
C’est un 5, c’est ça pis c’est toute! Au moins 5 tounes qui me font applaudir dans mon salon. J’ai même rejoué certaines tounes parce que je chantais. Shoot to thrill, PLAY TO KILL!
This album is just so representative of the AC/DC sound and of the rock during that time. I love this album.
A resounding cheer from Sass and Nick. I planted the back window box to some of it.
Считаю ли я AC/DC переоценёнными? Скорее да. Пилили ли они при этом достойное музло? Скорее да. Если бы группа не была главной иконой хард-рока в массовом сознании, если бы какие-то школьницы на Первом канале не пели "Highway to School", если бы на футболке Батхеда красовался другой логотип, если бы Back In Black не стояла годами у отца на звонке... я бы, вероятно, воспринимал их музыку с большим удовлетворением. Но я же у мамки разумист, умею абстрагироваться. Так вот, если отбросить всякие предрассудки, то альбом то... кайфовый. Прям ну балдёж же. Конечно, балдёж балдежу рознь, дискографию гонять часами дома желания никакого нет. Но, например, для бега на плеер кинуть - вполне неплохая идея. Да и между делом услышать не прочь. Если только не на звонке в течении долгих лет. Отличное музло, лаконичные и запоминающиеся гитарные партии, яркий вокал, атмосфера "Е-е-е... ро-о-ок!" Да и то, при каких условиях альбом был записан, внушает увожение. На самом деле лучшим треком ныне кажется You Shook Me All Night Long, ранее его как-то не выделял, особенно на фоне вездесущей заглавной темы. Вступительный трек эпичную атмосферу задаёт, что даже некоторое разнообразие вносит в доминантную разгильдяйскую эстетику. Главную проблему AC/DC вижу именно в недостатке разнообразия, слишком узком выборе эстетики и отсутствии выраженного развития на протяжении карьеры чтоль. Но если альбом рассматривать отдельно от всего этого, он ж пиздатый.
its an iconic album ofc! I am not that into this type of genre, however I like some of the songs. like back in black and let me put my love into you.
A masterpiece! If you think any different you’re not playing it loud enough. From the days when albums were albums not playlists.
I mean.. it’s back in black. The hits are great, the deep cuts are great.
This album is perfection, it really gets me going, I love it. There isn't a bad song, all bangerz. Great guitar, such a great voice, I love the simplicity of the lyrics, it's not poetry but it's amazing fun. ACDC? More like AC-Inredible-DC.
Once I read that as/dc are just playing rock n roll, so after listening to this album, I'm convinced they are. Pretty good album
Another AC/DC album, and easily another classic. The second best-selling album of all time, right behind Thriller. Just like Highway to Hell, this one holds a lot of memories for me. I used to listen to this as a kid quite a bit. I could get away with saying "hell" in Hell's Bells. I've always been obsessed with the opening of the title track, but who isn't? I think overall I prefer Highway to Hell, but the hits on this one run deep as well. Imagine being AC/DC, losing your lead singer, and then coming back a year later with an album that rocks just as hard, if not harder, than anything you've made. This one's special. There's so much energy and heat here, and so many of the tracks are very horny, it almost seems like parody. But damn, they really did this. I can't say anything bad about this, I just love it. Favorite tracks: Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long, Hell's Bells, Let Me Put My Love Into You, Shoot to Thrill. Album art: Just enough. Barely more than a plain black cover, but the stenciled text is a great touch. I guess this is as funereal as a heavy metal rock band can afford to be. 5/5
I don't even need to listen to this album to write a review but I will anyway. Even the songs that I don't actively look to listen to were awesome. This is a classic rock album at its core. Hells Bells, Shoot to Thrill, Back in Black, and You Shook Me All Night Long were my favs. Perfect album cover as well. It's hard to top something like this so perfect start to the week.
Hells Bells 🔔 still rings strong for me! Love that song 🎧 and Back in Black and Shook Me are timeless. In my top20 albums
Oh, apparently it's metal week for me! After reviewing British Steel yesterday, I guess it's wholly appropriate that I get to do Back in Black, the other powerhouse early 80s hard rock album that everyone should listen to. Back in Black certainly lives in the same neighborhood as music we would classify as metal, but maybe down a house or two. Metal fans love AC/DC. AC/DC is also probably the gateway drug into the metal genre for most non-metal fans. But really, AC/DC is still a rock and roll band, a good old fashioned dirty blues and rock band that just happens to rock really hard. I mean really, really hard. This band shares commonalities with bands like the Stones as well as bands like Judas Priest. This makes them a better band than most metal bands. They have a very specific sound and they're really good at it. As a side note, I like that Rob Halford credits a tour with AC/DC as an influence on some of the songs on British Steel. Music doesn’t exist in a vacuum. What can I say about this album except that it’s pretty perfect. From the first toll of the bell, you know you’re in for something special, and AC/DC really delivers. This gets said a lot, but it’s really rare for a band to recover after the loss of a beloved core member like Bon Scott. Not only did AC/DC recover, but they sharpened their sound and became even more successful. It’s a singular event in music, kicked off with this album right here. It’s a swaggering, exuberant masterpiece. The band found a dream singer in Brian Johnson, who was able to step in and embrace the band’s sound, but also to make his own mark as a singer. They also found a masterful producer in Mutt Lange, who really helped the band to hone their sound. The great hooks were always kind of there in AC/DC’s music, but they went next level here and produced some incredibly catchy rockers for the ages. “You Shook Me All Night Long” is one of the best songs ever recorded, something people will be listening to with wonder 50 years from now. But make no mistake, the darkness and the edge are still there. The broody sense of foreboding in “Hell’s Bells” is fantastic and is an undercurrent that weaves through the whole album. It foregrounds the dark space the band (and their fans) had been occupying and helps to balance the high energy party vibe of songs like “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Have a Drink on Me.” Musically, the band is on fire here. They’re a completely tight ship of a band. Beautiful riffs across the board from Angus and Malcolm Young, augmented with Angus' delightful solos. There’s a reason his name comes up in an any serious discussion of guitar players. Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd set the pace and hold the whole thing together while the band just burns through it. The songs are crisp and efficient, not an extraneous note or unnecessary solo to be found. I’ll also add, this album is beyond fun to listen to. The sound is powerful, but the band never loses that schoolboy energy. What’s more, Black in Black has got a groove to it. Try to sit still in a chair and listen to this album. You can’t do it! Fave Songs: You Shook Me All Night Long, Hell's Bells, Back in Black, Have a Drink on Me
Well this particular trip back to my embarrassing middle school "classic dad rock is the only good music" phase was actually definitely worth it. This album has actually continued to age particularly well. Hells Bells, Back in Black and You Shook Me All Night Long are great. Shoot to Thrill is the real sleeper hit that really only got the recognition it deserved in the gratuitously gratuitous movie "Shoot em Up".
Beautiful production, showcasing every instrument perfectly, with Brian’s vocals sounding crisp and clear. Some absolute crackers on there that have remained in the AC/DC regular set list 30 or 40 years later. Stand out tracks: Hells Bells, Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long
-A legendary album. "Hells Bells," "Shoot To Thrill," "Back In Black," "You Shook Me All Night Long," and "Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" are all absolute rock classics -I hadn't heard "What You Do For Money Honey" and I love the part where it cuts to just singing and drumming and then goes into the guitar solo -Back In Black is legendary for many reasons, but one thing I like it the cool rhymes throughout the sonf
I really like AC/DC, so this album was great for me. I feel like AC/DC is quintessential fun rock. Not the most technical band out there. Just great to listen to.
This is one on which I happily clicked "Play" to listen all the way through even though I already know the whole thing. I could write far too much here because I'm a fan of the band and this album, so I'll try to rein it in here. In a genre (hard rock/heavy metal) in which bands can too easily devolve into unintended self-parody, AC/DC always managed to avoid that and play what I always hear as just really fun rock. And this album is absolutely super-fun! They somehow play hard-driving rock that's danceable and upbeat without being syrupy or saccharine. Not sure many bands can pull that off. Plus, from the interviews I've seen and the stories I've heard, this band is full of truly nice people. Angus Young's genuine humility and decency always seem apparent to me whenever I hear him chatting. It's great. It's really cool to see my son in his early teens, and a few of his peers, discover and love this band and this album too.
It's AC/DC. What were you expecting? Best Tracks: Shoot To Thrill; Back In Black; You Shook Me All Night Long
About 8 of these 10 songs could have carried an entire career. So much swagger, absolutely unique sound.
I remember getting this CD in high school (my second AC/DC CD after Dirty Deeds) likely from Columbian House. It’s a fantastic album and even though AC/DC aren’t in as high rotation anymore for me (nothing personal) it’s still such a cool story than Brian was able to swing in and make the band his own so quickly after Bon Scott’s death. Bon died in February, Brian got the job in March and this was released in July. That’s wild, especially considering there’s hardly a bad song on the album. You Shook Me All Night Long is fantastic because the melody and production helped it become a huge crossover it. It’s near perfect. Fave tracks: “Shoot to Thrill” “You Shook Me All Night Long” “Given the Dog a Bone” “rock and roll ain’t noise pollution”