AC/DC
One of the most famous hard rock bands on the planet, AC/DC emerged in 1973 in Australia and remains active to this day. Formed by guitarist brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, the group is considered one of the most important in history.
With millions of albums sold worldwide, AC/DC has had numerous lineups. The current lineup consists of Angus Young and his nephew Stevie Young, along with drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Cliff Williams, and vocalist Brian Johnson.
Unlike many bands, the story of AC/DC's formation is quite unremarkable. The sons of seven siblings, musicians George, Malcolm, and Angus Young were born in Scotland and moved to Australia in 1963.
The oldest of the three, George, was the first to become a musician. He learned to play guitar and joined the Easybeats, one of Australia's most famous bands in the 1960s.
In 1966, the group achieved international success and even opened for the Rolling Stones.
This caught the attention of his younger brothers, who decided to follow in his footsteps. Thus, Malcolm Young joined a band from Newcastle called Velvet Underground (named after the New York group led by Lou Reed).
Angus Young, for his part, was passionate about the guitar since childhood. His musical debut was as the guitarist for the group Kantuckee, which later became Tantrum.
In 1973, Malcolm and Angus Young decided to form their own band. To be able to perform live, they spent some time thinking about what name to choose.
Then they noticed Sister Margaret Young's sewing machine, which bore the markings AC/DC, an abbreviation for Alternating Current/Direct Current.
Believing the name perfectly symbolized the band's energy, they decided to name it AC/DC.
In the documentary Behind The Music, Malcolm Young recounted that he even considered changing the band's name after discovering that AC/DC was local slang for bisexual people.And for those who are wondering, the band's name is pronounced one letter at a time. However, in Australia, AC/DC is known as Acca Dacca.
With the band formed, the brothers decided to recruit bassist Larry Van Kriedt, drummer Colin Burgess, and vocalist Dave Evans. AC/DC's first performance was at a club in Sydney, playing Chuck Berry songs during New Year's Eve.
After signing a contract with the record label Albert Productions, the drummer was fired. Then it was the turn of the other musicians, who were not considered suitable for the band.
Throughout 1974, several bassists and drummers played with AC/DC. In September of that year, singer Bon Scott took over as the band's vocalist.
In 1975, the group's initial lineup was established with Bon Scott on vocals, Mark Evans on bass, Phil Rudd on drums, and the Young brothers on guitars.
It was also in 1975 that the band released their first album, High Voltage, recorded in just ten days. They then released T.N.T., their second album. The albums were only released in Australia.
Success didn't take long to arrive for AC/DC. In 1976, they signed with Atlantic Records and began touring Europe, opening for acts like Black Sabbath, Kiss, Styx, and Aerosmith.
That same year, the new record label released an international compilation featuring songs from the band's first two albums. The album was a huge hit, selling 3 million copies worldwide.
Despite their success, AC/DC only reached the top of the international charts with their sixth album, Highway To Hell, released in 1979. Produced by Robert Lange, the album was the band's first to enter the Top 100 in the US.
It was also the last one recorded by vocalist Bon Scott. This is because he passed away in February 1980 due to pulmonary aspiration of vomit.
With Scott's sudden death, the band even considered giving up their career. However, they decided to continue.
The chosen replacement for the deceased vocalist was Brian Johnson, with whom the band released the legendary Back In Black.
Recorded in the Bahamas, AC/DC's seventh album introduced audiences to songs like Back In Black, Hells Bells, You Shook Me All Night Long, and Shoot To Thrill, becoming an immediate success.
Released in 1980, Back In Black is the best-selling rock album of all time and the second best-selling album in history, behind Michael Jackson's Thriller.
The album is included in the list of 200 definitive albums in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
After the success of Back in Black, the band experienced a decline. Going through a period of infighting, which resulted in the departure of drummer Phil Rudd, in 1983 AC/DC released their ninth album, Flick of the Switch, considered a disappointment.
And so it remained until 1988, when the group released Blow Up Your Video, which was a success.
After going through several different lineups, successful releases, and sold-out tours, in 2000 AC/DC took a break from releasing new material.
After a years-long hiatus, the band returned in 2008 with Black Ice, their fifteenth album. It debuted at number one on the charts in 29 countries and was the second best-selling album in the world that year.
This led to AC/DC surpassing the Beatles as the best-selling artists in the United States.
With a solid career, AC/DC released their most recent album, Power Up, in 2020. It was their first album since the death of Malcolm Young, who passed away in 2017 due to dementia.
AC/DC - FUTPEDIAMUSIC SELECTION
AC/DC
Futpediamusic Selection
20 Songs To Download
Needed WinRar or Winzip to open the files
Click here: