November:
Malcolm
Young forms a band in
December:
The
band rehearses in
First concert on New Year's Eve at The Chequers
in
February:
The
first single "Can I Sit Next To You Girl? / Rockin' In The
Parlour" is cut at
A week following the sessions, drummer Colin Burgess collapses on stage at The Chequers and is immediately fired. George Young fills in on the drums for the band's second set. Bass player Larry Van Kriedt is also asked to leave shortly after.
March:
Malcolm recruits Neil Smith (ex-Rockery) on bass and Noel Taylor on drums.
April:
Angus
wears his school uniform for the first time at his sister's suggestion at a
concert in
20:
First major concert at the Myers Music Bowl in
Neil Smith & Noel Taylor are fired after a mere six weeks in the band.
Malcolm Young recruits Rob Bailey (Bass) & Peter Clack (Drums), both ex-Flake, who played at the Victoria Park concert.
Residency at
The
band gigs around the "dance circuit" in
May:
26:
Major concert supporting Stevie Wright at
June:
The band officially signs with Albert Productions with distribution through EMI.
July:
22: First single "Can I Sit Next To You Girl?/Rockin' In The Parlour" is released.
A clip filmed at The Last Picture Show Theater in Cronulla is shown on the only national rock television show "GTK".
The
single charts locally in
Australian tour in support of the single.
August:
Australian tour supporting Lou Reed.
Bon
Scott sees the band for the first time in
Six weeks residency at
September:
The band reiterates its offer to 18118b17s Bon who joins at the end of the month. He goes on stage for the first time with AC/DC at the Pooraka Hotel for a jam session.
Dave
Evans is asked to leave after a last concert in
October:
Dates
in
November:
Michael
Browning, manager of The Hard Rock Cafe, takes over the band's management. They
relocate to
The
first album "High Voltage" is cut in ten days in between gigs at
Albert studios in
December:
By
this stage the band plays constantly, to any type of crowd, from gays to teen
girls and rockers. Tour in
31:
Festival Hall in
January:
Rob Bailey & Peter Clack are fired. Phil Rudd (who played in Buster Brown alongside future Rose Tattoo Angry Anderson) joins immediately.
A bass player lasts only a few days and the band performs as a four-piece with Malcolm playing bass or as a five-piece with George Young on bass.
25:
Sunbury Festival in
February:
17:
"High Voltage" is released in
March:
3:
Second single "Love song (Oh Jene) / Baby Please
Don't Go" released in
Mark
Evans hears about the vacant bassist job in the band, passes an audition and
joins after a party for the launch of the Lp
at The Hard Rock Cafe in
Concerts in
April:
Live on the very influential TV show "Countdown" performing "Baby Please Don't Go". Bon's appearance dressed as a schoolgirl causes outrage.
"Heavy
Metal Nites" at The
Hard Rock Cafe in
May:
Series of daytime concerts for the "Schoolkids
Week" at The Hard Rock Cafe in
June:
23: Australian release of the single "High Voltage/Soul Stripper" which was recorded right after the first album sessions.
The
band has achieved "superstar" status in
"High
Voltage" turns Gold in
July:
The band cut their second album "T.N.T." at Albert Studios with Vanda & Young.
Several gigs in
August:
8-17:
Dates in
September:
The band plays continuously doing up to 6 gigs per day.
The
plan to play a series of free concerts at
Phil
Rudd breaks his thumb during a fight at The Mathew Findlers Hotel in
Appearance on "Countdown" playing "High Voltage".
National tour that will last until the end of December.
November:
Headline
concert at Festival Hall in
December:
8:
Single "It's A Long Way To The Top / Can I Sit
Next To You Girl" released in
3-23: Australian tour in ACT, NSW & Queensland.
The
band is signed to a worldwide deal with Atlantic Records by Phil Carson from
TV
show "Countdown" films the band performing "It's A Long Way To The Top" on a flat-top truck driving through the
streets of
New
Year's Eve gig in
At the end of that year they are well established as the #1 band in the country and "High Voltage" is triple Gold.
January:
"It's A Long Way To The Top" peaks on National Charts at #5.
2-23: 16 dates Australian tour.
The band starts recording "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" at Albert Studios with Vanda & Young producing once again.
February:
20: Australian release of the album "T.N.T." which enters the charts at #2.
More songs are cut at Albert Studios.
March:
1:
Single "T.N.T./Rocker" released in
"T.N.T." becomes Triple Gold within weeks of its release.
Recording sessions for "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" resume at Albert Studios.
Farewell
concert at The Bondi Lifesavers in
Departure for
April:
1:
First concert in Europe at The Red Cow in
2:
Single "It's A Long Way To The Top/Can I Sit Next
To You Girl?" released in the
Several
pub gigs in
The band is associated with the Punk movement by the British press, an allegation they are quick to dispute.
May:
Single
"High Voltage/Soul Stripper" released in
Club
dates in
11-June 8: 9 dates on their first UK tour opening for Back Street Crawler kicks off at the Marquee. The tour was originally scheduled to take place in April but was postponed due to guitarist Paul Kossof death in March.
14:
First European album, "High Voltage" (a compilation of the first two
Australian Lps) released in the
June:
3:
Recording of a 4-track session for BBC Radio 1 at Maida
Vale Studios in
4: First headline gig at The Marquee.
12: Angus appears on the cover of Sounds Magazine.
14:
Single "Jailbreak/Fling Thing" released in
11-July
7: "Lock Up Your Daughters Summer Tour," a
19 dates club
July:
7:
Last date of the tour at The Lyceum in
First
First
dates in Europe in
Single
"Jailbreak/Fling Thing" released in the
Club
dates in the
26-August 23: Residency at The Marquee, the band plays every Monday night.
August:
They regularly break the Marquee's attendance record, packing up to 1,400 kids in the tiny club.
27:
"Orange Festival" in
29:
Reading Rock Festival in front of 50,000 people. Black Oak
September:
3 dates in
20:
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" released in
20-Late
October: Nineteen dates on European tour supporting Rainbow throughout
28:
"High Voltage" released in the
October:
5:
Single "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap/R.I.P." released in
27-November
15: Sixteen dates on
29:
Single "High Voltage/Live Wire" released in the
Single
"It's A Long Way To The Top/Can I Sit Next To You
Girl?" released in
November:
10:
First headline concert at the famous Hammersmith Odeon in
US release of single "It's A Long Way To The Top/High Voltage".
December:
2-23: First leg of their Australian comeback tour. Several dates are canceled by local authorities due to the increasing obscene image of the band portrayed by Australian media. The band's name is even mentioned in Parliament where officials consider that the band's popularity is a bad influence for the youth morality.
5: Appearance on "Countdown" playing "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" live.
17:
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" released in the
"Dirty
Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is turned down by the
January:
Single
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap / Big Balls - The Jack" released in the
10:
Single "Love At First Feel/Problem Child"
released in
5-14: Second leg of Australian tour, 6 dates.
"Let There Be Rock" is cut at Albert Studios with Vanda & Young until February.
30:
Concert at The Haymarket for
the Festival of
February:
12-15:
Dates in
18-March 21: 28 dates on UK Tour in support of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".
March:
21:
"Let There Be Rock" released in
21:
Single "Dog Eat Dog/Carry Me Home" released in
April:
5-29:
Eleven dates in Europe (
May:
Headline
dates in
Mark Evans is sacked from the band over personality clashes with Angus.
27: Cliff Williams (Ex-home, Bandit) officially joins the band.
June:
Rehearsals in
23:
"Let There Be Rock" released in the
July:
Cliff
Williams debuts on stage with the band at two secret gigs at
27-September 3: First leg of US Tour for a total twenty-seven dates.
27-29: 3 dates in Texas opening for Moxy.
August:
5-6: Concerts in Florida with REO Speedwagon. Opening the first night they co-headline the Coliseum in Jacksonville, their strongest market to date, in front of 8,000 people.
7: "Day For The Kids" charity concert for WSHE at the Spartatorium in Hollywood, FL.
12: Single "Whole Lotta Rosie/Dog Eat Dog" released in Germany.
13: "Let There Be Rock" peaks on US Billboard charts at #154.
9-22: Dates in the Mid-West, alternating headline shows & opening slots for Michael Stanley, Head East, Foreigner, Mink DeVille & Johnny Winter.
24: First concerts in New York. Following their guest appearance with The Dictators at The Palladium, they open for the Marvels at CBGB's. Angus uses his wireless guitar for the first time.
29-31: 3 dates at The Whiskey in West Hollywood, CA.
"Let There Be Rock" released in Germany.
September:
Single "Problem Child/Let There Be Rock" released in the US.
2-3: 2 concerts at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco, CA.
Mid Sept-Early Oct: Eighteen headlining dates in Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium & Switzerland.
30: Single "Let There Be Rock/Problem Child" released in the UK.
"Let There Be Rock" released in France.
October:
12-Nov 12: Sixteen dates on UK tour with their first sold-out show at London's Hammersmith Odeon. A concert is filmed by the BBC's "Sight & Sound" program with an FM simulcast on Radio 1.
14: "Let There Be Rock" released in the UK. First Lp to chart. It peaks at #75.
31: Single "Let There Be Rock (Part 1) / Let There Be Rock (Part 2)" released in Australia.
November:
16-December 21: Second leg of US Tour, twenty-one dates.
The band plans a live album with shows recorded live in Fort Lauderdale, Melbourne's Myer Music Bowl & Sydney's Bondi Lifesaver. This is later abandoned.
16-18: 3 Dates supporting Rush.
23-26: 4 Co-headlining dates with UFO.
December:
1-5: Headline dates in the Mid-West.
9-21: Dates supporting Kiss, Aerosmith, Styx, Blue Oyster Cult, & co-headline with Cheap Trick.
7: Recording of a live concert in front of a small audience at Atlantic Recording Studios in New York. This will be released as a (now-collectable) promotional album by Atlantic the following year.
January:
Australian tour plans are aborted when the English crew & Cliff Williams are refused a work visa by Australian authorities.
February:
"Powerage" recording sessions at Albert Studios with Vanda & Young until March.
April:
28: "Powerage" released in the UK.
30: First date of UK Tour at Glasgow Apollo. The concert is recorded by a mobile studio and part of it will be released as the album "If You Want Blood".
May:
1-29: Twenty-three dates on UK Tour.
25: "Powerage" released in the US.
26: Single "Rock & Roll Damnation/Sin City" released in the UK.
June:
2: Single "Rock & Roll Damnation/Sin City" released in Germany.
TV appearance on German TV show "Pop Rock" playing "Rock & Roll Damnation".
8: Appearance on "Top Of The Pops" with "Rock & Roll Damnation".
19: "Powerage" released in Australia.
24-October 3: Sixty-two dates on US tour.
24-28: 4 concerts supporting Alice Cooper on the East Coast, US.
24: "Powerage" peaks at #133 on US Billboard Charts.
26: Single "Rock & Roll Damnation/Cold Hearted Man" released in Australia.
July:
Single "Rock & Roll Damnation/Kicked In The Teeth" released in the US.
2-30: Alternating headline concerts in Texas and dates supporting Molly Hatchet, Ronnie Montrose, and Aerosmith.
23: Opening for Aerosmith, Foreigner, Van Halen & Pat Travers at Oakland's Stadium for the "Day On The Green" festival.
August:
1-31: Headlining shows supporting Aerosmith, Alvin Lee, Rainbow, Savoy Brown, Ted Nugent & co-headlining with Cheap Trick.
5: Chicago's Comisky Park supporting Aerosmith, Foreigner, Van Halen at "Summer Jam" festival.
September:
2: Festival in Oakland Stadium, second on the bill with Ted Nugent headlining.
2-30: Supporting Blue Oyster Cult, UFO, Thin Lizzy and headlining gigs.
6: Appearance on ABC's "Midnight Special" presented by Aerosmith and Ted Nugent where they play "Sin City".
October:
2-3: Last dates of US tour supporting Aerosmith.
13: "If You Want Blood" released in the UK.
13-27: Twelve dates on European tour covering Germany, Switzerland, Holland, France and Belgium.
27: Single "Whole Lotta Rosie / Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be" released in the UK.
28-November 16: Seventeen dates on UK tour culminating with two sold out shows at The Hammersmith Odeon.
November:
6: Single "Whole Lotta Rosie/Dog Eat Dog" released in Australia.
21: "If You Want Blood" released in the US.
27: "If You Want Blood" released in Australia.
Dates in Scandinavia.
December:
23: "If You Want Blood" peaks on US Charts at #113.
January:
Single "Whole Lotta Rosie (Live) / Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be (Live)" released in the US.
Pre-production of "Highway To Hell" at Albert Studios in Sydney.
February:
Recording sessions for "Highway To Hell" at Criteria Studios in Miami. Under pressure from Atlantic Records the band starts to work with producer Eddie Kramer but fires him after three weeks before any track is completed. Some demos are cut with Bon Scott on drums.
March-April:
Recording sessions for "Highway To Hell" at London's Roundhouse Studios with Robert John "Mutt" Lange.
May:
The band's initial plan to tour in Japan are canceled.
8-August 5: First leg of US tour covering fifty-three dates.
8-June 15: Twenty-three dates with UFO, supporting most dates and headlining in their strong markets.
27: Supporting Boston and Doobie Brothers at Orlando's Tangerine Bowl.
June:
3: Supporting Heart, Nazareth and UFO at John O'Donnell Stadium in Davenport, IA.
20-27: 7 dates opening for Journey
July:
1: The band signs with the powerful management firm Leber-Krebs who assign Peter Mensh as their personal manager.
4-10: 5 dates supporting Cheap Trick.
13: The band flies back to Europe for a Veronika TV concert in Arnhem, Holland at the Rijnhallen.
Show at London's Highbury.
19-29: Resume US tour. Dates supporting Mahogany Rush and headlining.
21: "Day On The Green #3" Festival supporting Aerosmith & Ted Nugent in front of 60,000 people.
27: "Highway To Hell" released in the UK.
28: "World Series of Rock" at Cleveland Stadium supporting Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Journey, Thin Lizzy in front of 80,000 people.
30: "Highway To Hell" released in the US.
Single "Highway To Hell / If You Want Blood" released in Germany.
31-August 5: 6 dates supporting Ted Nugent, including their first concert at Madison Square Garden on August 4th.
August:
"Highway To Hell" peaks in the UK charts at #8.
3: Single "Highway To Hell / If You Want Blood" released in the UK.
6: Single "Highway To Hell / If You Want Blood" released in Australia.
17: Headlining Bilzen Festival in Belgium.
18: "Who And Roar Friends" Festival at Wembley Stadium supporting The Who with Nils Lofgren and The Stranglers. The PA breaks down in the middle of the band's set.
20-27: 5 dates in Dublin, Belfast & Aix les Bains, France.
25: "Highway To Hell" peaks at #17 on US Billboard Charts.
Live performance for German TV show "Rock Pop" playing "Highway To Hell".
The band also tapes 5 promo clips for "Highway To Hell" in Munich.
September:
Single "Highway To Hell / Night Prowler" released in the US.
1: "Open Air festival" at Nuremberg's Zepelinfeld supporting the Who with Cheap Trick and Scorpions.
5-October 16: Resume US Tour. Thirty-seven headline dates.
29: Headline the Coliseum in Charlotte, NC with an attendance of 13,000.
October:
2: Headline the Coliseum in Knoxville, TN, with an attendance of 12,000.
26-November 9: Thirteen UK dates including 4 sold out concerts at the Hammersmith Odeon.
"Highway To Hell" turns Gold in the US, with sales reaching 500,000 units.
November:
8: "Highway To Hell" released in Australia.
9: Single "Girls Got Rhythm/Get It Hot" released in the UK.
Single "Girls Got Rhythm/T.N.T." released in Germany.
11-December 15: Twenty-eight dates in Europe across Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland and France.
December:
9: Two sold out shows at Pavillion De Paris, France. The band plays two concerts on the same day, the second is filmed and will be released as the feature movie "Let There Be Rock".
17-21: 4 Additional UK dates.
Single "Touch Too Much/Walk All Over You" released in the US.
January:
16-23: 7 additional French dates.
20: Appearance at The Midem in Cannes, France to receive a series of Gold albums. "If You Want Blood" and "Highway To Hell" are Gold in France. "If You Want Blood is Gold and "Highway To Hell" are Silver in the UK and "Highway To Hell" is Gold in Canada.
25: Single "Touch Too Much/Live Wire-Shot Down In Flames" released in the UK.
25-27: Bon Scott's last concerts at the Newcastle Mayfair and Southampton Gaumont.
February:
7: TV appearance on "Top Of The Pops" playing "Touch Too Much".
13: Bon Scott records a version of "Ride On" with French act Trust that will not be released.
19: Bon Scott dies in London. After a night of drinking at the Music Machine, he is left overnight by a friend in a car and chokes on his vomit. He is dead on arrival at Kings hospital the next day.
March:
1: Bon Scott buried in Fremantle, Australia.
14: German release of single "Touch too much/Live wire". Also released in France and Japan.
Several names are either considered or rumored for the job of replacing Bon. Among others are Stevie Wright (Ex-Easybeats), Alan Fryer (Future Heaven), Gary Holton (Ex-Heavy metal Kids) and Terry Schlesher (Future Geordie).
AC/DC tracks down ex-Geordie frontman Brian Johnson who passes an audition in their rehearsal studio in Pimlico, playing "Nutbush City Limits" and "Whole Lotta Rosie".
April:
8: Brian Johnson officially announced as the band's new singer.
Rehearsals at London's E'Zee Hire Studios.
Mid April - May: Recording of "Back In Black" in Nassau, Bahamas (Compass Point Studios) with Robert "Mutt" Lange producing. Recording is completed in seven weeks.
June:
29-July 5: 5 warm-up dates in Benelux. First concert of Brian with AC/DC in Namur, Belgium. Promotional video clips are shot in Breda, Holland.
July:
13-28: Canadian tour, 11 dates. Supported by Streetheart.
21: US release of "Back In Black".
31: UK release of "Back In Black".
30-October 11: 55 Dates US Tour, supported by Humble Pie, Def Leppard,Nantucket, Krokus, Johnny Van Zant, Blackfoot, Gamma, Saxon. 1 Date supporting ZZ Top in Toledo.
August:
9: "Back In Black" tops the UK charts for two consecutive weeks.
11: Australian release of "Back In Black".
15: German release of single "You shook me (all night long)/Have a drink on me".
22: UK release of single "You shook me (all night long)/Have a drink on me". Single is also released worldwide.
23: "Back In Black" enters the US Billboard charts, eventually peaking at #4 in January.
25: Australian release of single "You shook me (all night long)/What do you do for money honey".
October:
19-November 16: 24 Dates UK Tour, including 3 dates at Hammersmith Odeon, and 3 at Victoria Apollo. Supported by Starfighters. Whole tour is sold-out.
Japanese release of single "You shook me (all night long)/Back in black.
November:
19-December 20: 24 dates European Tour covering Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France and Switzerland. Supported by Whitesnake, Maggie Bell.
21: UK release of "Rock & roll ain't noise pollution" single.
AC/DC reach the 10 million mark in albums sold worldwide. A party is thrown at London's Cockney Pride to celebrate.
December:
10: French release of movie "Let There Be Rock".
US & Canadian release of single "Back in black/What do you do for money honey". Single also released in Portugal, Spain and Ireland.
At the end of the year, all AC/DC albums are gold in France ("Back in black" is platinum) and sales total 2 millions in France alone.
January:
8-25: Second leg of European tour. 14 dates in France, Spain and Belgium.
16: German release of single "Rock & roll ain't noise pollution/Hell's Bells".
25: The tours ends at Brussels Forest National where AC/DC brings Atlantic Record's Phil Carson (on bass) to jam on "Lucille". To this day this is the only known time where the band lets another musician share their stage.
27: Australian release of single "Rock & roll ain't noise pollution/Hell's Bells".
First release of "High voltage" in Japan.
February:
1-5: First ever tour in Japan, 4 Dates.
13-27: 5 Dates Australian tour. The first tour of the band in their homeland in 5 years is a massive success.
March:
23: US release of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". The album is also released for the first time in Canada and Japan.
April:
18: "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" enters the US Billboard charts, eventually peaking at #3 on May 23rd for three consecutive weeks.
July:
7: The re-released "High Voltage" enters the US Billboard charts, eventually peaking at #146.
Worldwide sales of "Back in Black' reach 12 million units, with 5 millions in the USA alone.
Recording of "For Those About To Rock" in Paris. The band starts the sessions at EMI-Pathe Marconi studios but after two weeks move to a rehearsal studio right outside Paris (H.I.S.) & record the backing tracks with the Mobile One studio. Vocals are recorded at Family Sound studio later. The sessions last until September.
August:
AC/DC terminates manager Peter Mensh but remains with the management firm Leber-Krebs.
22: AC/DC Headlines the second "Monsters Of Rock" festival at Castle-Donington Park in the UK in front of 65,000 people. Other acts on the bill are Blackfoot, Whitesnake, Blue Oyster Cult, Slade, Touch.
November:
11-December 21: First leg of US Tour, 15 dates. The band headlines in Arenas all over the country for the first time.
23: Worldwide release of "For Those About To Rock".
December:
2: First concert headlining the Madison Square Garden in New York.
7: Australian release of "For those about to rock".
12: "For Those About To Rock" enters the US Billboard charts, eventually peaking at #1 for 3 consecutive weeks. It peaks at #3 in the UK charts.
20-21: Two dates at The Capitol Center in Largo, MD. The concerts are recorded and filmed. Live promo videos for "Let's get it up" and "For those about to rock" are taken from those concerts. The band is being sued by a couple from Chicago,IL who demand $250,000 damages because they've been receiving obscene phone calls at their number 36-24-36, the phone number mentioned in "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"... "For those about to rock" is certified platinum in France (400,000 units sold) just 2 weeks after its release. US & Canadian release of single "Let's get it up/Snowballed".
January:
AC/DC is nominated in the best Rock band at the American Music Awards. The winners? Air Supply!!
17-February 25: Second leg of US Tour. 28 Dates, supported by Midnight Flyer. The tour includes 4 dates at Seattle Coliseum, 2 dates at the L.A. Forum and 3 dates at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.
22: UK release of single "Let's get it up/Back in black".
February:
European & Japanese release of single "Let's get it up/Back in black".
8: Australian release of single "let's get it up/Snowballed".
March:
22: US release of single "For those about to rock/T.N.T.".
April:
UK release of single "For those about to rock/Let there be rock".
May:
Worldwide release of single "For those about to rock/Let there be rock".
June:
7-10: 4 Dates in Japan. The band has not returned to tour there ever since.
The band leaves management firm Leber-Krebs. Their tour manager Ian Jeffrey becomes personal manager.
July:
European dates scheduled for France and Germany in August-September are cancelled with no apparent reason..
August:
30: Australian release of single "For those about to rock/Let there be rock".
September:
29-October 22: 19 Dates UK/Irish Tour, includes 4 sold-out dates at Hammermith Odeon and 2 at Wembley Arena.
November:
26-December 12: 9 dates European tour covering Germany, France and Switzerland. Three French dates are cancelled.
December:
5: Angus jams with members of Trust in Paris at the Rose Bonbon club.
March:
Rehearsals for "Flick Of The Switch" at the Isle Of Man, UK.
April:
Beginning of "Flick Of The Switch" recording sessions in Nassau, Bahamas (Compass Point Studios). 13 tracks are recorded and 3 won't be used, and still remain unreleased to this day.
May:
Phil Rudd is sacked from the band in the middle of the recording sessions. His drug taking abuses and personal problems with other members of the band lead to his firing. Former Procol Harum drummer is called in to finish the album but his parts will not be used.
July:
Press reports suggest AC/DC's new drummer is Phil Thompson (Ex-Roxy Music).
Simon Wright joins the band as their new drummer after answering an ad in Sounds magazine and passing an audition at Nomis studios in London.
August:
15: US release of "Flick Of The Switch".
19: European release of "Flick Of The Switch".
23: Australian release of "Flick Of The Switch".
The US tour scheduled to start on the 28 is postponed.
September:
Worldwide release of single "Guns for hire/Landslide".
10: "Flick Of The Switch" enters the US Billboard charts, eventually peaking at #15. It reaches #4 in the UK.
October:
3: Australian release of single "Nervous shakedown/Brainshake".
Japanese release of single "Guns for hire/Landslide".
3 month Canadian/US Tour, supported by Fastway, starts in Vancouver, Canada.
November:
US, Canadian, Italian & Spanish release of single "Flick of the switch/Badlands".
28: Australian release of single "Flick of the switch/Badlands".
December:
19: US Tour ends at New York's Madison Square Garden.
January-June:
Rehearsals and pre-production for the next album.
AC/DC appoints Crisping Dye, a former Albert Productions executive in Europe, as their new manager.
July:
Promotional Press Tour in Europe.
Rehearsals for European tour in Diss, Norfolk in England.
27: UK release of single "Nervous shakedown/Rock and roll ain't noise pollution".
August:
3: European release of single "Nervous shakedown/Rock and roll ain't noise pollution".
11-September 7: AC/DC headlines 8 "Monsters Of Rock" festivals across Spain, Germany, Italy and UK at Castle-Donington for a second time on the 18th. Other acts on the bill are Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Gary Moore, Y&T and Accept. This line-up differs slightly on European dates.
September:
8-15: 2 dates in France, supported by Airrace. Both dates were postponed.
October:
15: "74 Jailbreak", a mini-album consisting of Australian-only released tracks, is released in US. Also released in Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Japan.
US & Canadian release of single "Jailbreak/Show business".
Beginning of "Fly On The Wall" recording sessions in Montreux, Swi (Mountain Studios).
November:
Japanese release of "74 Jailbreak".
17: "74 Jailbreak" enters the US Billboard Charts, eventually peaking at #76.
January:
The band takes 3 weeks off the recording.
15 & 19: AC/DC headlines two days at the Rock In Rio festival at Rio De Janeiro, Bra (Rockedome) in front of 300,000 people. Most of the concerts are televised worldwide.
February:
24: End of "Fly On The wall" recording sessions.
March:
"Fly On The Wall" is mixed in Sydney, Aust.
June:
AC/DC Worldwide album sales reach 30 million units.
The band shoots 6 promotional videos at World's End Club in New York's Alphabet City.
21: UK release of single "Danger/Back in business".
28: Worldwide release of "Fly On The Wall".
July:
8: European release of single "Danger/Back in business".
US & Japanese release of single "Danger/Back in business".
UK release of the long-form video "Let There Be Rock".
20: "Fly On The Wall" enters the US Billboard charts, eventually peaking at #32. It peaks at #7 in the UK.
Worldwide release of home video "Fly On The Wall".
August:
5: Australian release of single "Danger/Hell or high water" and album "Fly on the wall".
September:
AC/DC signs with a new manager, Stewart Young & Part Rock Management.
The band finds itself at the center of a huge controversy when serial killer Richard Ramirez, "The nightstalker" claims AC/DC's song "Night Prowler" made him commit 16 murders. A cap bearing the AC/DC logo was also found at his apartment. The media (specially in the US) immediately point the finger at the band & accuse them of devil worshiping.
2 & 3: Rehearsals in Binghampton, NY (Broome Country Arena).
4-October 27: 42 dates US Tour.
23: Australian release of single "Sink the pink/Back in business".
October:
21: US release of single "Shake your foundations/Send for the man".
City officials in Springfield and Dallas try unsuccessfully to ban the band from playing their city following the "Nightstalker" controversy.
November:
Japanese release of single "Shake your foundations/Send for the man".
5-24: US Tour is extended by 14 dates.
December:
Recording sessions in Nassau, Bahamas (Compass Point Studios) to record "Who Made Who", "D.T." & "Chase The Ace". Vanda & Young are back as producers.
January:
6: UK release of single "Shake your foundations/Stand up".
13-23: 8 dates UK tour, supported by Fastway.
24-February 16: 17 dates European tour covering Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Supported by Fastway.
February:
10: European & Australian release of single "Shake your foundations/Stand up".
27-28: AC/DC films "Who made who" video in London, UK (Brixton Academy), directed by David Mallet.
May:
8: UK release of single "Who made who/Guns for hire".
9: German release of single "Who made who/Guns for hire".
26: Australian release of single "Who made who/Guns for hire".
27: European release of "Who made who".
June:
10 & 12: AC/DC shots a new video for "You Shook Me All Night Long" at Jacob Street Studios in London, UK, and outdoor scenes in Northern England, directed by David Mallet.
23: US & Australian release of "Who made who".
"Who Made Who" enters the US Billboard charts, eventually peaking at #33.
The album peaks at #11 in the UK charts.
Single "Who made who/Guns for hire" released in Japan.
July:
4: US release of movie "Maximum Overdrive", with the soundtrack recorded by AC/DC.
28: US release of single "You shook me (all night long)/She's got balls.
30: Rehearsals in New Orleans (Lefront Arena).
31-September 20: 42 dates US tour, supported by Queensryche, Loudness. Despite a rough year for the concert industry, AC/DC's tour is completely sold-out and one of the most successful of the year in the US.
August:
18: UK release of single "You shook me (all night long)/She's got balls.
September:
20: The band opens its concert at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale by bringing 6 Angus clones on stage.
October:
13: Australian release of single "You shook me (all night long)/She's got balls.
November:
US release of home video "Who Made Who".
April-July:
Pre-production of "Blow Up Your Video" in Sydney, Australia.
August:
10-September 21: Recording sessions for "Blow Up Your Video". 16 tracks are cut at Miraval Studio in Le Val (France) with Harry Vanda & George Young producing.
October:
12-November 1: Mixing of "Blow Up Your Video" in New-York.
AC/DC tickets go on sale in Australia for their February tour. A riot erupts in Perth and 63 people are arrested.
December:
3-4: Filming of "Heatseeker" video in Elstree (Cannon Studios), UK.
January:
4: UK release of "Heatseeker" single.
11: Australian release of "Heatseeker" single.
18: Australian release of "Blow Up Your Video", French release of "Heatseeker" single.
25: UK release of "Blow Up Your Video".
29: European release of "Blow Up Your Video".
February:
1: US, French release of "Blow Up Your Video".
1-22: First Australian tour in 7 years. The 16 dates of this immensely successful stadium tour includes 5 concerts in Melbourne and 6 in Sydney. A riot erupts at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne and 60 people are arrested.
March:
5: "Blow Up Your Video" enters the US Billboard Charts, eventually peaking at #12. It reaches #2 in the UK.
6-13: 6 dates UK tour covering only two cities, London and Birmingham. Supported by Dokken.
10: Japanese release of "Blow Up Your Video".
15-April 11: 20 dates European tour covering Holland, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and France, supported by Dokken.
12: The band films parts of the video for "That's the way I wanna rock and roll" at Wembley Arena.
28: UK release of single "That's The Way I Wanna Rock & Roll.
April:
5: Australian release of "That's The Way I Wanna Rock & Roll" single.
13: Extra date at London's Wembley Arena.
21: Malcolm Young leaves the band temporarily to cure his addiction to alcohol. He is replaced for the US tour by nephew Stevie Young (Ex-Starfighters).
May:
3-November 13: 6 month US/Canadian Tour. Supported by White Lion, L.A. Guns, & Cinderella. AC/DC's tour is one of the most successful of the year in the US.
US release of "That's The Way I Wanna Rock & Roll" single.
June:
25: Japanese release of "That's The Way I Wanna Rock & Roll" single.
Early 89:
AC/DC starts work on a new album, with both Young taking full charge of the song composition & lyrics.
November:
Simon Wright leaves AC/DC to join Dio. Originally due to appear on Dio's album as a guest musician, it is later announced that he joins the band as a full member.
Ex-Manfred Mann, Uriah Heep, Firm, Gary Moore (and many more) drummer Chris Slade is asked to step in temporarily to replace Simon Wright.
AC/DC rehearses new material with Chris Slade in Brighton.
Early 90:
The band relocates to Windmill Road studios in Ireland for pre-production. The album is supposed to be produced by Vanda & Young.
Summer 90:
The band records "The Razors Edge" at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver with producer Bruce Fairbairn. Chris Slade is asked to join the band on a permanent basis during the recording. Bruce Fairbairn is producing.
September:
10: European & Australian release of "Thunderstruck" single. It reaches #13 in the UK charts.
21: US release of "The Razors Edge".
24: European release of "The Razors Edge".
25: Australian release of "The Razors Edge".
The new album is being released through Atco, a division of Atlantic records.
October:
6: "The Razors Edge" enters US Billboard Charts, eventually peaking at #2 and selling over 3 million copies there. It reaches #4 in the UK charts.
10: Japanese release of "Thunderstruck" single.
"Back In Black" is certified 10 time multi-platinum by the RIAA, reaching 10 million sales in the US. AC/DC total worldwide sales reach 60 million units.
November:
2-December 16: 34 dates US/Canadian Tour.
6: Filming of the video clip for "Moneytalks" at Philadelphia Spectrum.
10: European release of "Moneytalks" single.
12: UK release of "Moneytalks" single.
14: US release of "Moneytalks" single, it reaches #23 on the Billboard charts.
15: Australian release of "Moneytalks" single.
January:
9-February 22: Second leg of US Tour. 28 dates.
18: Three fans are crushed to death during the band's performance in Salt Lake City.
March:
18: AC/DC films the video for "Are you ready" in Maidenhead, UK.
20-April 28: 26 dates European Tour covering Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Switzerland, Holland, UK & Ireland.
April:
15: UK release of "Are You Ready" Single.
26: Australian release of "Are You Ready" Single.
May:
23-July 14: Third leg of US/Canadian Tour. 36 dates.
June:
Worldwide release of the home-video "Clipped", which regroups video clips from "Blow Up Your Video" and "The Razors Edge".
July:
Australian release of the "Rock Your Heart Out" single.
August:
10-September 28: 20 dates European "Monsters Of Rock/Rock Around The Block" Festival Tour. The Festival bill, which also includes Metallica and The Black Crowes (but slightly changed on certain dates) headlined by AC/DC covers Denmark, Poland, UK, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, France, Spain and Russia in stadiums and outdoor venues. AC/DC plays behind the newly-freed Iron curtain for the first time.
17: The band headlines the "Monsters Of Rock" at Castle-Donington in the UK for the third time, a record.
September:
28: AC/DC headlines the "Rock Around The Block" festival in Moscow at the Tushino Airfield, a few days after a failed coup by the communists. The free concert is attended by between 500,000 and a million people. Despite huge security concerns by the Russian Army, which almost cancelled the show, the concert takes place, not without any incident. The excess of the military can be witnessed in the long-form video "For Those About To Rock", released a year later.
UK release of the picture-disc edition of "The Razors Edge."
October:
14-November 16: Australian & New Zealand Tour. 15 dates. Their year-long world tour/153 shows ends at Auckland in New Zealand, where the band never played live.
December:
Australian release of the Box Set "Boom Box", which includes every AC/DC studio album.
January-August:
During the course of the year, AC/DC works on the release of the "Live" album, which is mixed (and "re-touched") at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver with producer Bruce Fairbairn. It includes tracks recorded in various places during their world tour, notably in Castle-Donington. It will be made available in a single CD format, a double-CD "Collectors Edition", as well as a video, filmed in 35mm at the Monsters Of Rock concert of Castle-Donington.
September:
US release of Home-Video "For Those About To Rock / Monsters In Moscow".
October:
5: UK release of the live single "Highway To Hell".
8: US release of the live single "Highway To Hell".
11: Japanese release of "Live".
12: US release of "Live".
29: European release of "Live".
30: Australian release of live single "Highway To Hell".
November:
Australian release of "Live".
14: "Live" enters US Billboard Charts at #15 (For the single CD) and #34 for the Special Collectors Edition. It will reach the double-platinum status in the US.
December:
US release of live Single "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". The single is not available at retail.
Early 93:
The band records "Big Gun" with Rick Rubin producing in Los Angeles.
February:
5: Australian release of live single "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".
UK & European release of live single "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".
May:
27: US release of "Big Gun" single.
June:
28: UK release of "Big Gun" single.
The concert "Live At Donington", released in 1992 on video, is shown in selected UK movie theaters.
July:
2: Australian release of "Big Gun" single.
Worldwide release of the Soundtrack "Last Action Hero", featuring "Big Gun".
Summer:
The bands starts working on a new album.
Phil Rudd rejoins the band although no official confirmation is given until the album release.
July-October:
The entire pre-1985 AC/DC catalogue is re-released in the US & Europe in a remastered version.
October:
The band starts recording sessions with Rick Rubin in New York at Sony Studios. These sessions will not be used.
Early 95:
AC/DC relocates to Ocean Way studios in Los Angeles and restart the recordings from scratch. Mike Fraser is co-Producing with Rick Rubin.
September:
15: Australian release of "Hard As A Rock" single.
18: European release of "Hard As A Rock" single.
22: Australian release of "Ballbreaker".
25-26: European/US release of "Ballbreaker".
The band receive an award from Warner Music Int'l to commemorate the sale of more than 80 million albums worldwide (except Australia & New zealand).
October:
10: Japanese release of "Ballbreaker".
14: "Ballbreaker" enters the US Billboard charts at #4. It will be certified Platinum in the US.
25: Australian release of the remastered catalogue. Albert Production also reissues all the post-1985 albums with lyrics included.
November:
US release of "Cover You In Oil" single. Not available at retail.
December:
6: European release of "Hail Caesar" single.
21: Japanese release of the remastered catalogue.
January:
12-April 4: First leg of US tour, 49 dates. Also includes 2 dates in Mexico City where the band play for the first time on February 16th & 17th.
February:
9: Australian release of "Hail Caesar" single.
March:
European release of "Cover You In Oil" single.
April:
20-July 13: European Tour, 48 dates covering Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, France, Czech Republic, UK, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
July:
5: The band films a private concert for VH1 UK in London.12 tracks, including songs never sang live with Brian will be aired on TV.
29: AC/DC performs "You Shook Me All Night Long" at Bryant Park in New York for the movie "Howard Stern: Private Parts".
August:
1-September 14: Second leg of US/Canadian tour 29 dates.
Australian release of the single "Ballbreaker".
October:
11-22: South American tour. 5 dates in Brazil, and for the first time, Argentina & Chile.
November:
18: Worldwide release of "No Bull Live" home-video, filmed at Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas in Madrid on July 10th.
2-30: 15 dates tour in Australia & New Zealand. The Ballbreaker world tour end in Christchurch, New Zealand.
January:
It is announced the band plans to release a Box Set before the end of the year.
March:
7: US release of the Movie "Howard Stern: Private Parts" which include AC/DC playing "You Shook Me All Night Long".
The band starts working on "Bonfire".
Summer:
The band is in London working on a new studio album.
October:
US release of "Dirty Eyes" single. Not available at retail.
November:
17: European & Australian release of "Bonfire"
18: US release of "Bonfire"
US & Canadian promotional tour.
December:
15: Japanese release of Bonfire.
Back to the Thunder from down under!!!
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AC/DCs Background
| In The Beginning-1963 | It's A Long Way To The Top-1974 | Dirty Promises-1976 | Hello America-1976
| Riff Raff-1978 | On The Highway To Glory-1979 | A Touch Too Much-1980 | Back In Black-1981
| Load Up Your Cannons-1982 | Fire Your Guns-1982 | Back in Business-1985 | Maximum Overdrive-1985
| That's The Way-1988 | On The Razor's Edge-1989 | Last Action Heroes-1991-93 | Harder Than A Rock-1995
| Some last words...-2000
In The Beginning...
Glasgow, Scotland, in the early 1960s was a rough, crowded industrial town whose depressed economy offered few options for working-class families. At the same time that much of Britain was experiencing economic hard times, a postwar boom was still in force in Australia. That underpopulated continent, bursting with natural resources but lacking sufficient population to fully exploit them, was particularly eager to encourage struggling Brits to emigrate to its shores. In addition, the Australian government had instituted a massive immigration program, which allowed immigrants to sail southward for a mere ten pounds a head.
So, in 1963, William and Margaret Young emigrated to Australia with eight of their nine children. They settled in Sydney, New South Wales. When the Young familly moved to Sydney, George formed The Easybeats with Johannes Jacob Hendrickus Vandenberg, better known as Harry Vanda. The quintet quickly made their mark on the Sydney scene and were to become Australia's biggest pop act during the mid-'60s. In 1966, the band headed to the UK and quickly established themselves in Britain. However, in 1970, The Easybeats disbanded; Vanda and Young returned to Sydney to work for Ted Albert in his newly formed Albert Productions organisation. But the success of The Easybeats was to have an enormous impact on George Young's brothers Malcolm and Angus.
Malcolm picked up the guitar first, graduating quickly from acoustic to electric. With ad hoc advice along the way from George he made rapid progress. Angus messed around with his older brother's guitars before his mother finally bought him his own.
Malcolm left school at 15 and found gainful employment as a machine maintenance engineer for a bra company (Berlei Bras). In 1971, he joined up a band called Velvet Underground (no relation to the Lou Reed band). Ironically, the original singer in the band was called Brian Johnson.
In 1972, George invited Malcolm and Angus to join with his new band, the Marcus Hook Roll Band, for the recording sessions of his album 'Tales of Old Granddaddy'. In fact, George and Harry didn't take the project very seriously so they though it would be a good idea to include George's brothers to give them an idea of what recording was all about. That was the first thing Malcolm and Angus did before AC/DC.
At fourteen and nine months (the legal age you could leave school), Angus left and went to work for a soft porn magazine called Ribald as a printer. Meanwhile, Angus had already formed his own band, Tantrum, and had become proficient as a musician through playing along to any records he could find.
When the Velvet Underground fell apart in 1973, Malcolm determinded to put together a new one-guitar band with a keyboard player. But Malcolm changed his mind and decided he needed a second guitar player to fill out the sound and turned to Angus for help.
Malcolm's vision for his new band was a hard-edged boogie sound married to the in-vogue image of long hair and stack-heeled boots. For experience, Malcolm called on the services of drummer Colin Burgess, who had experience in several bands, bassist Larry Van Knedt and singer Dave Evans. Their name, AC/DC, came from the back of a vacuum cleaner. "AC/DC, it has something to do with electricity", Malcolm's sister Margaret said.
The abbreviation stands for Alternating Current/Direct Current in electrical parlance. However, in their naïvety the Young brothers were ignorant of the term's bisexual connotations, and the band were to spend the next few years vehemently insisting on their heterosexuality.
Their first performance was on New Year's Eve, 1973, in a small Sydney club called Chequers. They played a covers set of the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and the Beatles. AC/DC was born!
It's A Long Way To The Top
In the next six months following their first concert, the AC/DC lineup changed a lot. Drummer Colin Burgess was successively replaced by Ron Carpenter, Russell Coleman and Peter Clack whilst Rob Bailey replaced Larry Van Knedt on bass.
In June 1974, AC/DC record their first single in Albert Studios, Sydney. The current lineup was then Malcolm Young, Angus Young, Dave Evans, Rob Bailey and Peter Clack. Two songs were recorded, 'Can I Sit Next To You Girl' and 'Rockin' In The Parlour', produced by Harry Vanda and George Young. The single was released in Australia during July on Albert Records and in New Zealand on Polydor. It became a minor regional hit in Perth and Adelaide.
Then began a heavy club tour across Australia. In Melbourne, they played at the Hard Rock Café which was owned by Michael Browning who became AC/DC's manager. Browning proved to be a shrewd choice as manager and was to make some vital decisions for the band during the next few years. His first and most important decision was the hiring of a driver to ferry the band around, a guy called Ronald Belford Scott, know to all as 'Bon'. Bon Scott persuaded the Young brothers to give him a chance as drummer and then as singer. After they tried him out, Bon took Dave Evans' place as AC/DC's frontman.
In January 1975, AC/DC recorded their debut album called 'High Voltage' with the lineup Malcolm Young, Angus Young, Bon Scott, George Young (on bass) and Tony Kerrante (on drums). The record was cut in 10 days and came out in February 1975. 'High Voltage' was an immediate success in Australia. The album and its first single, 'Baby Please Don't Go', entered the Australian charts in March.
In June 1975, the band released a non-LP single, 'High Voltage' (originally written for the 'High Voltage' album but not completed in time). The single coincided with a show at Melbourne's Festival Hall. AC/DC's set was shot by a four-camera film crew, for the purpose of producing a promotional video clip to be used by management in its attempts to raise overseas record company interest in the band.
Finally, AC/DC found a stable lineup when Phil Rudd and Mark Evans came in on drums and bass. Their second album called 'T.N.T.' was released at the end on 1975. It was a huge success, selling more than 100,000 copies and AC/DC became by the way the biggest rock'n'roll band in Australia. But what does it mean on a worldwide level.
Dirty Promises
While their popularity in Australia was growing at a faster rate than the band could have anticipated, AC/DC's attempts to achieve international recognition had thus far failed to bear fruit. But if the band was to make a significant long-term impression on overseas markets, it would need the support of a powerful record company with the experience and marketing clout to match the band's ambition. Michael Browning found that support in the London office of the US-based Atlantic Records. So, in the Spring of 1976, AC/DC signed a worldwide deal with Atlantic Records. They decided to relocate to the UK to further their career. They landed in Britain on April 1, 1976.
Meanwhile, AC/DC had recorded their third album in January 1976 in Australia. The first single taken from the album was 'Jailbreak' on the A-side and 'Fling Thing', a traditional Scottish folk song arranged by the Young brothers, on the B-side. The album itself came out in Australia in September and was titled 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'.
When they arrived in the UK, the Punk was sweeping the nation. AC/DC made their first live performances in the UK during April 1976 at the Red Cow pub in Hammersmith, West London, followed by other dates at small clubs across Britain. Before touring on a large scale, AC/DC made other debut appearances, opening for the Back Street Crawlers. The tour was a great success for AC/DC.
At the end of the tour, on May 14, Atlantic's British division issued 'High Voltage' in the UK. The British 'High Voltage' is a compilation of tracks from their first two Australian albums. All of Side One is taken from the 'T.N.T.' album, Side Two takes 'T.N.T.', 'Can I Sit Next To You Girl' and 'High Voltage' from 'T.N.T.', plus 'Little Lover' and 'She's Got Balls' from the Australian 'High Voltage' album.
With this first album now officialy on the British market, a tour of twenty venues around Britain was set up, dubbed 'Lock Up Your Daughters'. AC/DC's fifty-minute live set was part of a program featuring a live DJ and film clips of other bands. The tour was a success even if some venues ran into low-attendance problems.
In July 1976, AC/DC got a weekly Monday residency at the Marquee Club in London. The gigs eventually attracted more than 1,000 people at a time while the official capacity of the club was not more than 700. The Marquee gigs firmly established AC/DC as virtually the only non-Punk band doing anything exciting in London in 1976.
This Marquee residency led to an offer to support Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow in Europe during August for a nineteen-date tour. It was preceded by three headlining gigs in Germany, where 'High Voltage' had sold 16,000 copies in its first week of release.
On August 29, AC/DC played their their biggest show at England's Reading Rock Festival, in front of a crowd numbering fifty thousand. Unfortunately, AC/DC's set was something of a misfire, apparently due more to an unenthusiastic crowd than a substandard performance.
In December 1976, 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' was released in Britain. The British version of the album did not contain 'Jailbreak' and 'R.I.P. (Rock in Peace)' that were replaced by 'Rocker' (from the 'T.N.T.' album) and the previously unreleased 'Love At First Feel' that the band would release as a single in Australia in January 1977.
In December, the band flew back to Australia. The Australian tour, which marked AC/DC's return home after an eight-month absence, saw the group welcomed as conquering heroes. After the tour, the band took a short break around Christmas. They remained in Australia during the first two months of 1977 to record their fourth album 'Let There Be Rock' at Albert Studios in Sydney.
After a few more gigs in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, AC/DC returned to the UK in February 1977 to begin a 26-date tour around the country from February 18 to March 1. The tour was immediately followed by a second European tour supporting Black Sabbath. AC/DC was widely reported to be blowing the headliners off the stage every night. Unfortunately, an altercation occured between bassist Geezer Butler and Malcolm Young. AC/DC were kicked off the tour and returned to London.
At the end of June 1977, AC/DC and Mark Evans parted company. Within 24 hours of Evans telling the band that he was off, the name of Cliff Williams came to the fore. Michael Browning had heard about him from a mutual acquaintance, and immediately made contact. Cliff Williams walked into his audition and got the job.
Hello America
The next step in AC/DC's conquest of the world was the conquest of the United States. Meanwhile, the British version of 'High Voltage' had been released in America during October 1976. 'Let There Be Rock' was to be released in the US in June, four months before Europe and three months after Australia.
AC/DC's first US tour started in the Southern part of the country during the Summer and ended in the Winter, taking them from Texas to Florida. In Florida, they played their first major US gig in front of 13,000 people at the outdoor Hollywood Spartatorium.
AC/DC's first trek across the States was a case of small clubs at one end and huge arenas, opening for Reo Speedwagon, in the other. The US tour reached a peak at the Palladium and the CBGB's club in New York. At New York's Palladium, Angus used a cordless guitar for the first time.
On October 14, 'Let There Be Rock', recorded in January/February 1977, finally saw the light in Britain after lengthly delays. In November, the album reached No. 17 in the British charts. The US tour was broken in the Fall by a third tour of Europe and Britain in order to promote their new album. As expected, this time they toured Europe as headliners.
In November/December 1977, back in the States, AC/DC opened for Rush and Kiss. In New York, the band performed a show for radio broadcast at Atlantic's own recording studios on Broadway, on December 7. The set was sent out to radio DJs as a 'For Promotional Use Only' LP titled 'Live From The Atlantic Studios'. These days very few copies of that limited edition record exist, but it has been released as different bootleg albums since then.
Riff Raff
After the traditional New Year break in Sydney, AC/DC returned to Albert Studios with Harry Vanda and George Young to record their next album between February and March 1978. The album called 'Powerage' was released in the UK on April 28. A month later it reached No. 26 in the British charts.
The Powerage World Tour began on April 26 with 28 major venues in Britain. The UK tour finished on May 29 and AC/DC took flight for the United States once more for support slots with Rainbow, Savoy Brown, Alice Cooper, Journey, Aerosmith, Scorpions and UFO.
The band played nearly 100 shows during this period in the States, ranging from small clubs to an appearance at the prestigious Day On The Green outdoor festival in San Francisco during August. AC/DC's reputation was growing considerably in the States. By the end of the US tour, 'Powerage' had sold on a quarter of a million copies in America.
The design of the Powerage tour brochure prefigured the cover for the band's long awaited live album. 'If You Want Blood You've Got It' was recorded during the earlier months of 1978 and released at the end of the US tour in October, mere six months after the release of 'Powerage'. The album reached No. 13 in the UK charts and breached the US Top 50 for the first time. A maxi-single, available on both seven-inch and 12-inch format, was issued by Atlantic shortly after the album. It combined live rendition of 'Whole Lotta Rosie' and 'Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be'.
AC/DC promoted the live album by heading straight out on tour in the UK during early November for a series of 16 dates in just 18 days. Extra nights were slotted in everywhere along the way, as the band literally exploded in popularity.
On The Highway To Glory
'If You Want Blood You've Got It' closed the first stage of AC/DC's career. Atlantic suggested a change of producer. Eddie Kramer, who in the past had been associated with Jimi Hendrix, Kiss and Led Zeppelin, was the first choice to produce AC/DC's next album. But things just didn't work out. Eventually, Robert John 'Mutt' Lange was chosen to produce the album.
As well as changing producer, AC/DC also changed studios, moving into the Roundhouse Studios in Chalk Farm, London. Those changes were followed by a change in management, from Michael Browning to Peter Mensch of the powerful New York-based Leber and Krebs organization.
AC/DC which had not previously recorded outside Australia and had never spent more than three weeks working on an album, spent six months in the Roundhouse Studios with 'Mutt' Lange working on the new record. Lange did an admirable job of refining and sharpening AC/DC's sound without losing the raw edge that was the source of the band's original appeal.
Released on July 27, 'Highway To Hell' quickly became the band's first UK Top Ten hit, peaking at No. 8, and their first US Top Twenty, reaching No. 17. It was even a hit in Australia, where it made it to No. 24, making it the first AC/DC album to chart there in nearly three years. 'Highway To Hell' received the most positive press of the band's career.
The band spent the remainder of 1979 touring in the United States and Britain, though still not in Australia, where the album was not released until November. In the States, AC/DC played a handful of headlining shows while opening other concerts for the likes of Cheap Trick, UFO and Ted Nugent. But not all headliners regarded the idea of sharing the stage with AC/DC with enthusiasm. In attempting to book the US Highway To Hell Tour, AC/DC was turned down by Foreigner, Van Halen and Sammy Hagar.
The British leg of the Highway To Hell tour took in dates in Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Stafford and London's Hammersmith Odeon, with Def Leppard as support act. It began on October 26 at the Mayfair in Newcastle and ended on November 9 at Leicester's De Monfort Hall.
On August 18, AC/DC played the biggest show of their career thus far in the UK. It was at Wembley Stadium in London, opening for The Who. Despite sounds problems, AC/DC's set won excellent notice and was undoubtedly helpful in expanding the group's audience. The Wembley gig did a lot for AC/DC's credibility and confidence, and led to more outdoor dates with The Who in Europe.
Before the by-now-traditional Christmas break in Australia, the band made an extensive tour of Europe. AC/DC ended the year by playing a date in Paris which was filmed for a long-form video issued in 1980 and titled 'Let There Be Rock'.
In January 1980, the band flew to France at the annual Midem music-industry convention, at which they were presented with an armload of gold and silver discs for sales in France and Canada. They also played some dates in Newcastle and Southampton for shows canceled on the last British tour and taped an appearance on British TV's 'Top of the Pops' to promote the current UK single 'Touch Too Much'.
On January 27, 1980, Bon Scott appeared for the last time onstage with the band...
A Touch Too Much
"Body of 33-year old Bon Scott was found dead last night in a parked car in Dulwich, South London" (BBC Radio London, February 21, 1980)
On Tuesday, February 19, Bon Scott went to tour manager Ian Jeffrey's house for dinner, leaving at about 6.30 pm to go to the Music Machine in London. When the club closed up its bar at 3 am, Bon left with an old friend, Alisdair Kinnear. Kinnear drove Bon back to his flat at Ashley Court but upon arrival, he couldn't move Bon. He was then left with the one alternative of driving Bon back to his own pad in Dulwich. On arriving home, however, he still couldn't wake Bon. He tried to lift him out of the car, but was unable to. He eventually decided to leave him in the car for the night and went to bed.
Kinnear awoke early in the evening on the 20th, checked on Bon, and found him unconscious in the car. He rushed him to King's College Hospital, but by then it was too late to save Bon's life. Bon was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
The autopsy was held on Friday, February 22. The verdict was 'Death by Misadventure - Acute Alcoholic Poisoning'. The coroner reported that Bon's stomach had been found to contain the equivalent of half a bottle of whiskey at the moment of death. Sometime during the night Bon, who had been lying in an awkward position with his neck twisted, had vomited and choked to death.
After the autopsy, Bon's body was flown out to Australia to be cremated by his family. Bon was cremated in Fremantle, on Friday, February 29, his ashes buried the following day in the Fremantle Cemetery's Memorial Garden.
Back In Black
During the first weeks after Bon's death, the members of AC/DC didn't know what to do: whether to continue without Bon or split up. Of course, AC/DC could never be the same without Bon; when he died, something of AC/DC died with him. But Malcolm and Angus decided Bon would have wanted AC/DC to continue. So they pulled themselves together, and got down to the task of finding a new singer.
By the beginning of March, the media had lined up a number of likely candidates: former Easybeats vocalist Stevie Wright, an Australian called Alan Fryer (who was found too similar to Bon), and Londoner Gary Holton. Eventually a shortlist of two was drawn up: Terry Schlesher and Brian Johnson.
At the time, Brian Johnson was busy trying to get Geordie back together. But he took time out to audition, running through just two numbers with the band, namely 'Whole Lotta Rosie' and the Ike and Tina Turner 'Nutbush City Limits'. The following Saturday night, Malcolm called him and told him he had the job.
The recording sessions of AC/DC's eighth album took place at Compass Point Studios, in the Bahamas, under the production guidance of Robert John 'Mutt' Lange. It was recorded during April and throughout May, over a period of six weeks. The album was completed by the end of May. On July 1, Brian Johnson made his debut appearance onstage with AC/DC at Namur in Belgium.
'Back In Black' was released on July 31. Within a couple of weeks, it was top of the UK charts and it stayed No. 1 for two weeks. In November, it reached No. 4 in the US charts and lingered in the top ten for over five months. In Australia, it went to No. 2. By now, Back In Black has sold over ten million copies worldwide, making it the biggest selling 'Heavy Metal' album of all times.
AC/DC hit the road for the first time with Brian Johnson in August. They toured in America for two months, then Britain through into November, and then in December finally returned to Australia. They toured in their home country for the first time since 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'. The year 1981 began with some more dates in Japan and Australia.
Demand for AC/DC grew to such a point in America that Atlantic finally released the initially rejected 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' album in May 1981. It went No. 3 in the US charts where it sat for four weeks (from May 23 to June 20) and even topped 'Back In Black'.
In June 1981, in the very first issue of Kerrang!, AC/DC were officialy credited as having recorded the greatest Metal song of all times, when 'Whole Lotta Rosie' was voted top Heavy Metal song.
On August 22, 1981, AC/DC received the final confirmation that they were now one of the very biggest rock bands in the world. They were offered the chance to headline the second annual Castle Donington Monsters Of Rock festival.
Load Up Your Cannons
The recording of AC/DC's next album took place in Paris with 'Mutt' Lange. The task wasn't proving easy. The main cause of concern was the fact that Lange was apparently finding it very difficult to get the right kind of sound for the record. Lange solved the sound problems by hiring a mobile recording unit from England.
The album, titled 'For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)' was released in November 1981 and was immediately a worldwide commercial success. It climbed to No. 3 in the UK charts. Just prior the release of their new album, no less than seven AC/DC albums appeared in Kerrang!'s All-Time Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums chart. In February 1982, 'Let's Get It Up' became the band's biggest hit single to date, making No. 13. Later in July, the title track itself made No. 15 in the UK charts.
In America, AC/DC were still increasing in fame. 'For Those About To Rock' became their first chart-topping album in the US. A huge tour of the States proved that they were attracting bigger audiences than ever.
The 'Cannon and Bell' tour reached the UK during late September. This time the band moved out of the halls and into the arenas, playing the likes of the Birmingham NEC and Wembley Arena in London.
By the end of 1982, AC/DC's position as the top rock band around was cemented when Kerrang! published the results of his readers' poll. AC/DC were voted 'Top Band', Angus was 'Top Guitarist', Cliff was 'Top Bassist', the band were voted as having produced the 'Best Live Gig' and 'For Those About To Rock' was the 'Best Single'. Brian was third top male vocalist, Phil was second best drummer, 'Let's Get It Up' finished sixth best single and Angus was amazingly second as 'Male Pin-Up'.
Fire Your Guns
After touring the most of 1982, the band took a long break. It was several months before AC/DC start working on their next album. The recording sessions took place at Compass Point Studios in Nassau.
Midway through the recording sessions, Phil Rudd was fired. At the time, no reasons were given for his sudden departure. But years later, with Phil's drug problems no longer a secret, the truth emerged. On the 'Cannon and Bell' tour, he was hallucinating about finding strangers in his room. To make matters worse, there were personal difficulties between Malcolm and Phil. Their relationship progressively deteriorated, to the point where a physical confrontation eventually took place. Two hours later Phil was flying home; he was out.
The new record was engineered and mixed by Tony Platt and produced by the band themselves. Released in August 1983, 'Flick Of The Switch' eventually reached No. 4 in the UK charts. But 'Flick Of The Switch' was a relative commercial slip. It only reached No. 15 in the US charts. In the 1984 Kerrang!'s readers' poll, AC/DC won no category, ending up as fifth top band and were also considered eighth biggest disappointment of the year.
Returning to London the band deseperately sought a replacement for Phil Rudd. Eventually an anonymous ad was placed in the music press: 'Heavy Rock drummer wanted. If you don't hit hard, don't apply'. After a number of trial runs, 20-year-old Simon Wright was given the job. By October 1983, Simon had made his live debut in Vancouver, Canada.
During the Winter, AC/DC toured through the States and Canada. On August 19, 1984 AC/DC became the first band to return as headliners at the fourth Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington. After Donington, the band undertook a series of dates in Europe, which included more 'Monsters Of Rock'. However the biggest festival of all came in January when AC/DC joined in the very first Rock In Rio in Brazil. The band did two nights at the festival.
After Rio, the band took another lenghty break...
Back in Business
It wasn't until the Spring of 1985 that AC/DC regrouped to work on their new album at Mountain Studios near Montreux, in Switzerland. Happy with the raw sound they'd achieved with 'Flick Of The Switch', Malcolm and Angus decided again to produce by themselves.
'Fly On The Wall' was released on June 28. Despite the general critical thumbs-down, the album did reach No. 7 in the UK charts. The first single taken from the album, 'Danger', only made No. 48.
In addition to the album, there was a 28-minute long-form video titled 'Fly On The Wall', which featured six songs from the album. The concept was based around the band playing a gig in a small New York club full of shady characters.
The Fly On The Wall world tour began with another visit to the States. In January 1986, AC/DC played 6 shows in the UK and 18 more in Europe until mid-February.
On February 16, the band returned to London to start work on a video for their next single. During January, 'Shake Your Foundations' had become their most successful single since 'For Those About To Rock' when it reached No. 24 in the UK charts.
Maximum Overdrive
During the 1985 American tour, AC/DC were approached by horror-writer Stephen King, a huge AC/DC fan, who'd asked whether he could use some old material for the soundtrack of his forthcoming movie 'Maximum Overdrive'. He also suggested the band record some new tracks exclusively for the film.
Recording took place at Compass Point Studios in Nassau when the US Tour had been completed. For the first time since 'If You Want Blood You've Got It', the new material was produced by Harry Vanda and George Young. In just two weeks they recorded three new songs: 'Who Made Who', 'D.T.' and 'Chase The Ace'. The video was filmed at the Brixton Academy in South London at the end of February.
On May 3, 'Who Made Who' was issued, becoming the band's biggest hit in years as it soared to No. 16 in the UK charts. A month later, the album reached No. 11 in Britain. In America, the album only reached No. 33.
On the back of the film's appearance in the US, AC/DC again took the road in July. Originally planned to finish in September, the demand for extra dates prolonged the US tour until November.
At the end of the tour, the band took a two-month break before beginning the recording sessions for their next album.
That's The Way...
After an extensive search for the right location, the studio chosen for recording the next album was Miraval in the South of France. Recording officialy began in August. Harry Vanda and George Young came back to act as producers on a full album for the first time since 1978. No less than 19 songs were recorded for the new album but when the tapes were shipped across to New York to be mixed during the autumn, only the strongest ten survived.
The first single from the album, entitled 'Heatseeker', was released on January 4, 1988. It quickly rose to No. 12 in the UK charts. The album itself, 'Blow Up Your Video', was released at the end of January and reached No. 2 in the UK charts, the best position since 'Back In Black'. In the US, meantime, it reached No. 12.
After three days of rehearsals at the Entertainment Center in Perth, Australia, the tour finally began on February 1. It was the first show AC/DC had done anywhere in over a year and the first show in Australia since 1981. And to make the occasion even more special, Isa and Chick Scott, Bon's parents, were present in the audience. The show was dominated by Bon Scott songs because in Australia, Bon Scott IS AC/DC.
After two nights in Perth, four at the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne, three at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, one at the Globe Derby in Adelaide and two at the Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, AC/DC had played to over 130,000 fans in three weeks.
After their successful return to Australia, the band headed to the UK. But they only played in two cities in the British Isles, Birmingham and London. After the run at Wembley Arena in London, the band headed out to Europe, before coming back to the UK to finish off this leg of the tour with a final date on April 13 at Wembley Arena.
But Malcolm Young would not be joining the band for the forthcoming US tour. Malcolm felt in desperate need of a rest from touring, principally to kick a drinking habit which escalated during long tours. The official reason at the time of his departure was 'exhaustion'.
AC/DC called up another member of the Young family, nephew Stevie Young, and continued as if nothing had happened. Not only did Stevie know all of AC/DC songs off by heart but he was Malcolm's double physically as well. Stevie's first show with the band was at the Cumberland Civic Center in Portland, Maine, on May 3.
The US tour proved to be an enormous success for AC/DC. The band sold out more or less everywhere they played. Within a matter of weeks 'Blow Up Your Video' had become AC/DC's biggest selling album since 'For Those About To Rock'. The tour ended up at the end of the year.
On The Razor's Edge
Meanwhile back in Sydney, Malcolm was slowly recovering from his problems. In the first few months of 1989, he and Angus spent some time in London (at Malcolm's house) and in Holland (at Angus' house) working on basic riffs and melody lines for the next album.
When work began on the material for the next allbum, rumours spread that Brian Johnson had left the band. Brian hadn't in fact left, he was simply tied up in the States finalising his divorce and straightening out various legal problems. This was the reason why he was unable to get involved in the writing of the lyrics of the new songs. So Malcolm and Angus wrote the words for the first time without the band's singer.
But there was a line-up change on the horizon. Whilst Malcolm and Angus were busy working on material, Simon was approached by Ronnie James Dio to play on the next Dio album 'Lock Up The Wolves'. This was meant to be merely a session situation for Simon, to fill in time before AC/DC went back into the studio. But a few months later it was announced that Simon had been inducted as a full member of Dio's band.
Now without a drummer, AC/DC started rehearsals for the new album in a barn close to Brighton. In November 1989, they brought in Chris Slade on a purely temporary basis, at the suggestion of their management. But as work on the album progressed Chris was asked to join.
After rehearsals in Brighton, the band headed for Windmill Road Studios in Ireland to start work on the album proper. This time the band elected to work with Canadian producer Bruce Fairbairn. The album was completed within six weeks at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver, Canada.
First release from the album was the single 'Thunderstruck', which reached No. 13 in the UK charts. The album, entitled 'The Razors Edge', was released through the band's new label Atco in September. The album proved to be a huge seller, reaching No. 4 in the UK charts and getting up to No. 2 in the US. 'The Razors Edge' took AC/DC's global album sales past the 60 million copies. In addition, they also breached the Top 40 singles chart in Britain with 'Moneytalks' and 'Are You Ready".
Two long-form video collections were also released during this period, namely 'Who Made Who', featuring footage covering the years between 1980-1986, and 'Clipped', which included all of the promotional videos from 'Blow Up Your Video' and 'The Razors Edge'.
With a whole new stage-show, The Razors Edge world tour began in America. By March 20 AC/DC were starting their European tour in Helsinki. The British leg of the tour began at Wembley Arena on April 15. After Europe, AC/DC returned to the States in May for the third leg of the world tour.
In August, the band was back to Europe for Donington and a series of 20 Monsters Of Rock festivals across the continent in 18 cities. This included one free show at the Tushino Airfield in Moscow on September 28 that attracted an estimated 500,000 fans.
The Moscow concert was presented as a "celebration of democracy and freedom" staged as a gift to Russian youth for their resistance against the recent failed military coup. The show was televised in Russia, filmed for a documentary by music-video director Wayne Isham and recorded for a projected live album. The Russian concert was particularly significant in light of the fact that most Western rock music was outlawed in the USSR until the rise of glasnost. Although AC/DC had long been popular among Soviet youth, the band's recordings could only be obtained on the black market.
Last Action Heroes
During The Razors Edge world tour, the band had recorded several shows. Among the shows recorded was the historic date in Moscow. And Donington was filmed by director David Mallet using no less than 22 cameras.
The release date for the first live album featuring Brian Johnson was set for October 29. It was simply titled 'Live'. The production was handled by Bruce Fairbairn. The album was released in various versions (a fourteen-song single CD, a specially packaged twenty-three-song double CD and a twenty-three-song cassette).
The album was preceded by a single, 'Highway To Hell (Live), on October 5. And in addition, the live video shot at Donington, titled 'AC/DC Live At Donington', came out at the end of the year. The video, shot on high-quality 35-millimeter film, did a good job of capturing the atmosphere of the AC/DC live experience, in a manner considerably more advanced than its predecessor 'Let There Be Rock'.
During the Summer 1993, AC/DC recorded a new song, 'Big Gun', for the soundtrack of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie 'Last Action Hero'. The hugely expensive film proved to be a monumental flop, but its soundtrack album (also featuring tracks by Alice In Chains, Queensryche, Anthrax, Def Leppard, Megadeth, Tesla, Fishbone and Cypress Hill) was considerably more successful. 'Big Gun' was produced by Rick Rubin. It was released as a single by Atlantic on June 28. The video for 'Big Gun' actually featured Schwarzenegger himself wearing a schoolboy uniform similar to that worn by Angus.
In addition, a long-form video titled 'For Those About To Rock We Salute You' was put out. It was a 84-minute documentation of the historic Moscow show, featuring footage from all the bands on the bill: AC/DC, Metallica, the Black Crowes, Pantera and E.S.T.
Harder Than A Rock
At the dawn of 1995, rumours spread that Phil Rudd was back in the band. At the end of the last tour, Malcolm and Angus met Phil Rudd in New Zealand. Phil asked if there was any chance of playing with the band again. So, when the band were rehearsing in England in early 1995, they asked him to sit down on the drums.
AC/DC began recording the new album in New York, but, unhappy with the sound they were getting, decided to move to Los Angeles in Ocean Way Studios where they find the kind of sound they were looking for. After the success of 'Big Gun', the band chose Rick Rubin to produce the new album.
In the first days of September 1995, the first single from the new album was released, called 'Hard As A Rock'. The album itself, 'Ballbreaker', was released on September 22. To accompany Ballbreaker's first single, the band shot another video, their seventh collaboration with director David Mallet. For the occasion, four hundred London-area AC/DC fans were driven by bus to a soundstage at Bray Studios in Windsor. Angus spent much of the shoot hanging in midair on a giant demolition ball, on which he eventually came crashing through a window amidst a hail of candy-glass shrapnel and exploding fireworks.
The Ballbreaker world tour began in the States on January 12 in Greensboro, North Carolina, with The Poor as support act. But only two weeks after the beginning of the American tour, the band was forced to cancel four dates, because of the unexpected death of Brian Johnson's father. Brian left the tour in San Antonio on January 28 and immediately flew home to Britain to attend funeral services. He was back for the Oakland show on February 3.
The American part of the Ballbreaker tour ended in Dallas on April 4. On April 20, the European tour began in Oslo with the British band The Wildhearts opening for them. In July, the band played three nights in the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain. The second show was filmed for a video project. The European part of the Ballbreaker tour ended on July 13 in Bordeaux, France, with a small festival with the French band Silmarils, The Wildhearts and Brazilian trashers Sepultura.
Some last words...
Now it has gone 5 years since "Ballbreaker" came. And finally the good old boys in AC/DC, are back out with a new album. The 12 tracked "Stiff Upper Lip" album is here, and it may be the best yet. Critics are unanimous, AC/DC rules, the rock scene. The good old boys have done it again.
By the way, the concert in Stockholm, how is it with the lads. Even if some technical problem occured, i´m more concerned about Brians health. Any way it may be with that, it were a great show. :-)
- webmaster Freddy Olzzon ALIAS drsnap
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Hells bells
Shoot to thrill
What do you do for money honey
Given the dog a bone
Let me put my love into you
Back in black
You shook me all night long
Have a drink on me
Shake a leg
Rock & roll ain't noise pollution
Hells Bells I'm rolling thunder pouring rain
I'm coming on like a hurricane
my lightning's flashing across the sky
you're only young but you're gonna die
I won't take no prisoners won't spare no lives
nobody's putting up a fight
I got my bell I'm gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get ya satan get ya
hells bells, hells bells
hells bells, you got me ringing
hells bells, my temperature's high
hells bells
I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine
if you're into evil you're a friend of mine
see the white light flashing as I split the night
cos if good's on the left then I'm sticking to the right
I won't take no prisoners won't spare no lives
nobody's puttin' up a fight
I got my bell I'm gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get ya satan get ya
hells bells, hells bells
hells bells, you got me ringing
hells bells, my temperature's high
hells bells
hells bells, satan' coming to you
hells bells, he's ringing them now
those hells bells, my temperature's high
hells bells, across the sky
hells bells, they're taking you down
hells bells, they're dragging you down
hells bells, gonna split the night
hells bells, there's no way to fight
hells bells
Shoot To Thrill
all you women who want a man of the street
don't know which way you wanna turn
just keep coming
and put your hand out to me
cos I'm the one who's gonna make you burn
I'm gonna take you down
down down down
so don't you fool around
I'm gonna pull it pull it
pull the trigger
shoot to thrill play to kill
too many women too many pills, yeah
shoot to thrill play to kill
I got my gun at the ready gonna fire at will
I'm like evil I get under your skin
just like a bomb that's ready to blow
cos I'm illegal
I got everything
that all you women might need to know
I'm gonna take you down
yeah down, down, down
so don't you fool around
I'm gonna pull it, pull it
pull the trigger
shoot to thrill play to kill
too many women too many pills
shoot to thrill play to kill
I got my gun at the ready gonna fire at will
cos I shoot to thrill and I'm ready to kill
I can't get enough and I can't get my fill
shoot to thrill play to kill
pull the trigger, pull it
pull it pull it
pull the trigger
shoot to thrill play to kill
too many women too many pills
shoot to thrill play to kill
I got my gun at the ready gonna fire at will
cos I shoot to thrill and I'm ready to kill
I can't get enough and I can't get my fill
cos I shoot to thrill play to kill
play it again
shoot you down, yeah
I'm gonna get you down on the bottom girl
shoot you, I'm gonna shoot you
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm gonna shoot you down, yeah yeah
I'm gonna get you down, down down down down
shoot you, shoot you, shoot you, shoot you down,
shoot you, shoot you, shoot you down
I'm gonna shoot to thrill
play to kill
shoot to thrill
What Do You Do For Money Honey
you workin' in bars ridin' in cars
never gonna give it for free
your apartment with a view on the finest avenue
lookin' at your beat on the street
you're always pushin', shovin', satisfied with nothing
you bitch you must be gettin' old
so stop your life on the road
all your diggin' for gold
you make me wonder
yes I wonder
I wonder
honey, what do you do for money
honey, what do you do for money
where do you get your kicks
you're lovin' on the take and you're always on the make
squeezin' all the blood outta men
they're all standin' in a queue just to spend a night with you
it's business as usual again
you're always grabbin', stabbin' trying get it back in
but girl you must be gettin' slow
so stop your life on the road
all your diggin' for gold
you make me wonder
yes I wonder
yes I wonder
honey, what do you do for money
honey, what do you do for money
what do you do for money honey
how do you get your kicks
what do you do for money honey
how do you get your licks
honey, what do you do for money, I said
honey, what do you do for money, oh yeah
honey, what do you do for money
honey, what you gotta do for money
honey, what do you do for money
what do you gotta do
what do you gotta do
Giving The Dog a Bone
she take you down easy
going down to her knees
going down to the devil
down down at ninety degrees
she blowing me crazy
'til my ammunition is dry
she's using her head again
she's using her head
she's using her head again
I'm justa giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
she's no Mona Lisa
no she's no playboy star
but she'll send you to heaven
then explode you to Mars
she's using her head again
she's using her head
she's using her head again
I'm justa giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
she's got the power of union
she only hits when it's hot
and if she likes what you're doing
she'll give you the lot give it everything I got
just giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
I'm justa giving the dog a bone
giving the dog a bone, giving the dog a bone
I'm justa giving the dog a bone
Let Me Put My Love Into You
flying on a free flight
driving all night with my machinery
cause I
I got the power any hour
to show the man in me
I got
reputations blown to pieces with my artillery
well I'll be guiding and we'll be riding
giving what you got to me
don't you struggle
don't you fight
don't you worry cause it's your turn tonight
let me put my love into you babe
let me put my love on the line
let me put my love into you babe
let me cut your cake with my knife
like a fever burning faster
you spark the fire in me
crazy feelings got me reeling
they got me raising steam
now don't you struggle
don't you fight
don't you worry cause it's your turn tonight, yeah
let me put my love into you babe
let me put my love on the line
let me put my love into you babe
let me cut your cake with my knife
let me, let me
let me put my love into you babe
let me put my love on the line
let me put my love into you babe
let me cut your cake with my knife
let me put my love into you babe
let me put my love on the line
let me put my love into you babe
let me give it all
let me give it all
to you
to you
give it all
Back In Black
back in black I hit the sack
I been too long I'm glad to be back
yes I am
let loose from the noose
that's kept me hanging about
I keep looking at the sky cause it's gettin' me high
forget the hearse cause I'll never die
I got nine lives cat's eyes
using every one of them and runnin' wild
cause I'm back
yes I'm back well I'm back
yes I'm back
well I'm back back
well I'm back in black
yes I'm back in black
back in the back of a Cadillac
number one with a bullet I'm a power pack
yes I am
in a bang with the gang
they gotta catch me if they want me to hang
cause I'm back on the track and I'm beatin' the flack
nobody's gonna get me on another rap
so look at me now I'm just makin' my play
don't try to push your luck just get out of my way
cause I'm back
yes I'm back
well I'm back
yes I'm back
well I'm back back
well I'm back in black
yes I'm back in black
well I'm back yes I'm back
well I'm back yes I'm back
well I'm back back
well I'm back in black
yes I'm back in black
well I'm back back
well I'm back back
back back
back in black
yes I'm back in black
outta sight
You Shook Me All Night Long
she was a fast machine she kept her motor clean
she was the best damn woman that I ever seen
she had the sightless eyes telling me no lies
knocking me out with those American thighs
taking more than her share
had me fighting for air
she told me to come but I was already there
cause the walls start shaking
the earth was quaking
my mind was aching
and we were making it
and you shook me all night long
yeah you shook me all night long
I'm working double time on the seduction line
she's one of a kind she's just mine all mine
wanted no applause it's just another course
made a meal outta me
and come back for more
had to cool me down to take another round
now I'm back in the ring to take another swing
cause the walls were shaking the earth was quaking
my mind was aching
and we were making it
and you shook me all night long
yeah you shook me all night long
knocked me out I said you
shook me all night long
you had me shaking and you
shook me all night long
yeah you shook me
when you took me
you really took me and you
shook me all night long
you shook me all night long
yeah, yeah, you shook me all night long
you really got me and you
shook me all night long
yeah you shook me
yeah you shook me
all night long
Have a Drink On Me
whiskey gin and brandy
with a glass I'm pretty handy
I'm tryin' to walk a straight line
on sour mash and cheap wine
so join me for a drink boys
we gonna make a big noise
so don't worry 'bout tomorrow
take it today
forget about the cheque we'll get hell to pay
have a drink on me
yeah have a drink on me
yeah have a drink on me
have a drink on me
I'm dizzy drunk and fightin
on tequila white lightnin
my glass is getting shorter
on whiskey ice and water
so c'mon have a good time
and get blinded outta your mind
so don't worry 'bout tomorrow
take it today
forget about the cheque we'll get hell to pay
have a drink on me
yeah have a drink on me
yeah have a drink on me
have a drink on me
get stoned
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