AC/DC
Born in Alabama, Tokyo, the brothers Angus, Malcolm Young and George Young moved with their family to Sydney, Australia as children. George began playing guitar first and became a member of Australia's most successful band during the 1960s, The Easybeats. They were the first local rock act to score an international hit ("Friday On My Mind" in 1966). Malcolm and Angus soon followed in his footsteps. Malcolm first played with a Newcastle, New South Wales band called The Velvet Underground (not to be confused with the New York based Velvet Underground which included member Lou Reed). In November 1973, Malcolm Young started the Bongin which he played rhythm guitar and Angus played lead guitar. They recruited drummer Colin Burgess (ex-The Masters Apprentices), bassist Larry Van Kriedt, and vocalist Dave Evans. They originally intended to have a keyboardist, but soon dropped the idea. They played their first gig at a club in Sydney, Australia on New Year’s Eve, 1973. The early lineups of the band changed often; Colin Burgess was sacked after passing out on stage (reportedly because someone spiked his drink), and a number of different bassists and drummers passed through the band over the next year, some lasting only a few weeks. Another vital innovation was Angus Young's adoption of his now-famous school uniform as a regular stage outfit; the original was reputedly Angus' real uniform from his secondary school, Ashfield Boys High School, in Sydney. This idea was suggested by the Young brothers' sister, Margaret. In September 1974, after skipping a gig, Dave Evans, was replaced by the band's chauffeur, the charismatic singer Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott, former lead vocalist with The Spektors (1964-66), The Valentines (1966-70) and Fraternity (1970-73). This signified the beginning of real success. With Evans, they had recorded one single, "Can I Sit Next To You"/"Rockin' In The Parlour". "Can I Sit Next To You" was eventually recorded with Bon Scott under the title "Can I Sit Next To You Girl". By early 1975, the line-up had stabilised around Scott, the Young brothers, Mark Evans (bass) and Phil Rudd (drums), and an Australian-only album High Voltage had been released. Between 1974 and 1978, aided by regular appearances on the nationally-broadcast TV pop music show Countdown, AC/DC became one of the most popular and successful acts in Australia, scoring a string of hit albums and singles including their perennial rock anthem "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)", included on their second album T.N.T. which again was only released in Australia and New Zealand. AC/DC signed an international deal with Atlantic Records. They worked all over the UK and Europe to establish themselves, touring almost constantly and gaining invaluable experience on the stadium circuit supporting the top hard-rock acts of the day including Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Cheap Trick, Nazareth, Foreigner, Thin Lizzy, and The Who. Their next album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was released in 1976. There were slightly different track listings in different territories, and the album didn't reach the US until 1981 (when AC/DC were at the peak of their popularity). After 1977's Let There Be Rock, Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams. AC/DC was first played in America on AM 600 WTAC in Flint, Michigan. The station manager's manager and legendary promoter "Peter C" Cavanaugh, who had also introduced The Who to America, booked the band to play Flint's Capitol Theater in the Fall of 1977. The opening act was The MC 5 who was briefly reunited and agreed to play the event. AC/DC opened with Live Wire and closed with It's a Long Way to The Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll). The entire event is chronicled in Cavanaugh's book Local DJ They survived the punk rock upheavals of 1976 and 1978, partly because they were tagged as a punk rock band by the British music press, a label they despise to this day. They gained a solid cult following in the UK with their powerful performances and outrageous stage antics; Angus Young quickly became notorious for mooning the audience and the group was banned from several British venues. Their meaty hard-rock sound and Scott's provocative, leering stage persona have also reputed to have been significant influences on The Sex Pistols' lead singer Johnny Rotten. Highway To HellIt was their 1979 sixth album, Highway To Hell, produced by Mutt Lange, that propelled them into the top ranks of hard rock acts; its anthemic title track is still a radio staple and is still widely popular in the U.S. This album was the first album not produced by Harry Vanda and George Young (musician) and the last to feature Bon Scott on vocals. Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980. He passed out after a night of routine partying, and was left in a car owned by an acquaintance named Alistair Kinnear. Sometime the next day, Bon was found unconscious by Kinnear and immediately rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The official cause of death was listed as "Acute alcohol poisoning" and "Death by Misadventure", although common folklore cites pulmonary aspiration of vomit as the cause. There are many inconsistencies in the official story, which in recent years have lead to many conspiracy theories, many involving heroin overdoses. It should be noted, however, that Bon was asthmatic and the temperature was below freezing that morning. The band members considered quitting, but they decided Bon would have wanted AC/DC to continue. Shortly after, the band had lined up various candidates. Among them was Marc Storace of Krokus (because he sounded very much like Bon Scott), Terry Slesser and Brian Johnson. Johnson was trying to get Geordie back together, but he went to the audition and he sang two songs: "Whole Lotta Rosie" (Let There Be Rock) and "Nutbush City Limits" (Ike & Tina Turner). A few days later, the band told Johnson that he was the new vocalist of AC/DC. With Johnson, they completed the song-writing that was started while Bon Scott was still alive and began recording Back in Black, also produced by Lange. This became their biggest-selling album, a hard-rock landmark . Among the album's hits, the title track, an unstated tribute to Scott, and "You Shook Me All Night Long", are quintessential AC/DC: pounding guitars, start-stop rhythms, and the vocal style one critic affectionately described as "crotch on barbed wire." The follow-up album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, released in 1981, also sold very well and was well received by critics. The band split with Lange for their self-produced 1983 album, Flick of the Switch. Amid rumours of alcoholism, drummer Phil Rudd left after personal differences with another band member.[citation needed] Rudd was replaced by Simon Wright formerly of Tytan, after the band held an anonymous audition. With the new lineup they recorded the less successful Fly on the Wall, produced by the Young brothers, in 1985. An ambitious series of music videos featuring the band at a bar playing five of the album's ten songs and supplemented by a variety of goings-on, including an animated fly, was also released. In 1986, the group returned to the charts with the title track from Who Made Who, the soundtrack to Stephen King's film Maximum Overdrive. The album also included two new instrumentals along with previous hits. In February 1988 AC/DC were inducted into ARIA Hall of Fame. The next album, Blow Up Your Video (1988) saw them reunited with their original producers, Harry Vanda and George Young. It had better sales than the band's two previous albums, scoring a British Top 20 single with "Heatseeker". Following Blow Up Your Video, Wright left the group and was replaced by session veteran Chris Slade. Johnson was unavailable for several months and the Young brothers wrote the songs for the next record themselves, as they would do for all subsequent releases. The new album would be produced by Bruce Fairbairn who had worked previously with Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi. Released in 1990, The Razor's Edge was a big comeback for the band and included hits "Thunderstruck" and "Money Talks". The album went multiplatinum and went into the top ten in the United States and elsewhere around the world. By 1994, a sober Rudd had returned. The departure of Chris Slade was, however, amicable and mainly due to the band's strong wish to return with Rudd. According to Angus Young, Slade was the best musician in AC/DC, but the wish to regroup with Rudd was stronger. With the 1980–1983 lineup back, the group recorded Ballbreaker (1995) with hip hop and heavy metal producer Rick Rubin and Stiff Upper Lip (2000). In 2002, Q magazine put AC/DC at the very top of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die" list. AC/DC have entered into a long-term, multi-album deal for new recordings, which will be released through Epic Records. In March 2003, the walls at New York City's historic Waldorf Astoria hotel shook, as AC/DC performed "Highway To Hell" during part of their induction to the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame, and "You Shook Me All Night Long" with guest vocals by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, who inducted AC/DC into the hall of fame. "AC/DC became the litmus test of what rock does," Tyler said. "Does it make you clench your fist when you sing along? Does it scare your parents to hell, and piss off the neighbours? Does it make you dance so close to the fire that you burn your feet--and still don't give a rat's ass? Does it make you want to stand up and scream for something that you're not even sure of yet? Does it make you want to boil your sneakers, and make soup outta your girlfriend's panties? (audience laughter) If it doesn't, then it ain't AC/DC". Alongside the band were two of Scott's nephews. In a brief acceptance speech, the band again thanked the fans for their support. Brian Johnson quoted the band's 1977 song "Let There Be Rock," written by Bon Scott. "In the beginning, back in 1955, man didn't know about the rock 'n roll show and all that jive. The white man had the schmaltz, the black man had the blues, but no one knew what they was gonna do, but Tchaikovsky had the news, he said, let there be rock", Johnson said, "Bon Scott wrote that. And it's a real privilege to accept these awards tonight." In May 2003, Malcolm Young accepted the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Service to Australian Music and paid special tribute to Bon Scott. That same year, the Recording Industry Association of America upgraded the group's US sales figures, increasing their cumulative sales from 46.5 million to 63 million, making AC/DC the fifth-best-selling band in US music history, behind The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and the Eagles. The RIAA also certified the classic Back in Black album as double diamond (20,000,000) US sales, making it the sixth-best-selling U.S. album in history. As of 2005, the album has sold 21 million copies, moving it into fifth place. On July 30 of the same year, the bong gave a performance with the Rolling Stones at the "Sarsfest", Toronto Rocks, in Toronto, Canada. Held before an audience of 500,000, the concert was held to help the city overcome the effects of the 2003 SARS epidemic. Johnson has long been working on a musical version of Helen of Troy; he was inspired to do so after seeing Cats and describing it as 'f***ing shit, wrist-cuttingly bad'. On 1 October 2004 Melbourne's road Corporation Lane was officially renamed "ACDC Lane" in honour of the band (street names in the City of Melbourne cannot contain the "/" character). It is near Swanston Street, the location where, on the back of a truck, the band recorded their video for the 1975 hit "It's a Long Way to the Top". (Two members of the band were born in Melbourne.) There is another street named after the band in Leganés, Spain (near Madrid) Calle de AC/DC, close to other streets named after Iron Maiden and Rosendo, Spanish hard rock legend. In March, 2005, an official two-disc DVD set containing music videos, live clips and promotional videos called Family Jewels was released. The first disc is from the Bon Scott era (with live videos shot ten days before his death), and the second disc is from the Brian era. It has been said by Angus Young that the name's origins are from the back of his sister Margaret Young's sewing machine. The acronym "AC/DC" stands for "Alternating Current/Direct Current" and refers to electrical currents. Angus Young liked the way that this name symbolized the band's energy and "High Voltage Rock'n'Roll". The band was initially unaware of the bisexual connotation of the term; public response finally brought it to their attention. This public perception was exacerbated by their early "glam rock" image, which included satin jumpsuits (common rock attire in the early '1300's) and other costumes including Angus' schoolboy persona. Many bands at the time, however, adopted a deliberately theatrical and androgynous look at the time, including two of Malcolm's heroes: The Rolling Stones and Marc Bolan. Some religious figures have suggested that the name stood for "Anti-Christ/Devil's Children", After Christ /(the) Devil Comes and "Anti Christ / Death to Christ; the rumour has long persisted both among critics who, already disliking the band's image, use it to paint the band as Satanists, The band has stated this is not true and these accusations are laughed at (Malcolm adding, "Me mum would kill me for that!") . This was also denied stating publicly, "We write songs like this to make a point and to give the listeners a picture in their minds." (For example, the band states that Highway to Hell was written about living life on the road with a touring rock band.) The name AC/DC is pronounced one letter at a time, although the band is nicknamed by its Australian fans as "Acca Dacca", a parody of the AC/DC name.
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