July 20, 2009 Posted by acdczone in Information

Flashback: 'Back in Black' released

It was 29 years ago today (July 21st, 1980), AC/DC released their biggest selling album ever, Back In Black. It was their first album without lead singer Bon Scott, who had died a few months earlier.

The group quickly decided to press on and hired Brian Johnson from the band Geordie to take over on vocals, and they headed to the Bahamas for about six weeks to do the album. AC/DC had made some serious headway in America before Scott's death, but no one knew how Back In Black would be received. The album took off, and eventually sold over 21 million copies in the U.S.

  • Johnson told us that he didn't have a clue how successful Back In Black would turn out to be: ["I'd just melted me brain in there, and I didn't know if it was good or bad. That was the first time I'd been in the Bahamas, anyway, or near America, you know, and you (have to) remember, I was just fascinated by the whole culture and all, and I had no idea what the hell I was doing! And (laughs) lucky, really -- I was a bit lucky, I think."] SOUNDCUE (:15 OC: . . . lucky I think)

FAST FACTS

  • The album included the singles "You Shook Me All Night Long," which peaked at Number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Back In Black," which peaked at Number 37.
  • Despite its massive success, it never got higher than Number Four on the album charts. The band's next album, For Those About To Rock, reached Number One.
  • Back In Black is tied for fifth place with Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Vols I & II on the list of the biggest selling albums in the U.S.
  • The album was produced by Robert "Mutt" Lange, who went on to produce Def Leppard, Foreigner, the Cars, and Bryan Adams. He married Shania Twain in 1993 and has produced all her albums since then.
  • AC/DC's latest album Black Ice is only being sold in the States through Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and ACDC.com.
  • AC/DC perform on Tuesday (July 28th) in Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium

Source: http://www.cfox.com/Channels/Reg/Music/RockNews/Story.aspx?ID=1116952

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Tags: Back in Black
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