Back in Black

Back in Black
Studio album by
Publication (s)	July 25, 1980
Label (s)	Atlantic Records
Format (s)	CD, dual disc, LP, MC
Genre (s)	Hard rock
Title (number)	10
running time	41:53
occupation	Singing: Brian Johnson Lead guitar: Angus Young Rhythm guitar: Malcolm Young Bass: Cliff Williams Drums: Phil Rudd
production	Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Studio (s)	April to May 1980 at Compass Point Studios , Nassau (Bahamas)
chronology Highway to Hell (1979) Back in Black For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (1981)

Back in Black (English for " Back in Black ") is the sixth internationally released studio album by the Australian hard rock band AC / DC . It was released on July 25, 1980 and was the first album with singer Brian Johnson, whoreplaced Bon Scott ,who had died five months earlier. The band dedicated the album to their former lead singer. With over 50 million records sold, the album isthe second best-selling album in the world after Michael Jackson's Thriller and the most successful hard rock album to date.

background

The search for a new singer

AC / DC had been in pre-production for the next album since early January 1980 when Bon Scott was found dead in a car on February 19, 1980. Whether Scott had already written lyrics for the album is controversial. After his death, a resurgence of the band was initially not expected, which had become famous in 1979 with Highway to Hell . But at the end of February 1980, Angus and Malcolm Young began looking for a new singer and justified this with the alleged wishes of Scott and the encouragement of Scott's parents. The singers who were allowed to audition were usually chosen personally by the two of them; however, there were exceptions such as Brian Johnson, who was known to the Young brothers through his former band Geordie . After repeated suggestions from their producer, they let Johnson audition. There he sang, with guitar support from the Young brothers, the AC / DC classic Whole Lotta Rosie and also Nutbush City Limits by Ike and Tina Turner . Johnson was then named AC / DC's new lead singer on April 8, 1980, just under two months after Bon Scott's tragic death.

Recordings and creation

Back in Black was written, played and recorded at Compass Point Studios on Nassau (Bahamas) under the direction of producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. According matched reports of the band, the sound engineer and producer was You Shook Me All Night Long , the first song that was recorded. This was probably followed by the title song Back in Black , the riff of which Malcolm had already thought of during the Highway-to-Hell tour. Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution was the last song to be recorded. To this day it is still a matter of dispute who is the author of the song. Bon Scott's last friend claims to this day that he wrote the song after a neighbor complained to them about the loud music from their apartment, while Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson say they wrote the song while on a pub crawl invaded the Bahamas . But also because of the other songs there are uncertainties to what extent Bon Scott still had an influence on it. Shortly after the album was released, Angus and Malcolm Young announced that they had started a kind of “pre-production” for a new album with Bon in early January 1980. It was often alleged in specialist journals that after Bon Scott's death, song records had been removed from his apartment.

Track list

1. Hells Bells (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 5:11
2. Shoot to Thrill (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 5:17
3. What Do You Do for Money Honey (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 3:35
4. Givin the Dog a Bone (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 3:31
5. Let Me Put My Love into You (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 4:15
6. Back in Black (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 4:15
7. You Shook Me All Night Long (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 3:30
8. Have a Drink on Me (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 3:58
9. Shake a Leg (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 4:05
10. Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution (Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson) - 4:16

Single releases

You Shook Me All Night Long

This song was the first single from the album and contained the B-side Have a Drink on Me , also from the album Back in Black . The single reached number 29 in Germany. You Shook Me All Night Long also appeared on the 1986 album Who Made Who , and was re-released as a single that year.

Hells Bells

Hells Bells appeared with What Do You Do for Money Honey as the B-side and placed 25th in Germany. The song is one of the group's most popular titles and has been an integral part of AC / DC's live program ever since.

Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

The last single from Back in Black was released with Hells Bells from the same album as the B-side. The song peaked at number 15 in the UK and Ireland. In Australia, the title placed 7th, the best chart position that a single from Back in Black has achieved.

Publications

Promo videos

Promo videos were recorded for the following songs, which, with the exception of Let Me Put My Love into You and You Shook Me All Night Long, are included on the Family Jewels DVD :

• Hells Bells
• What Do You Do for Money Honey
• You Shook Me All Night Long
• Back in Black
• Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
• Let Me Put My Love into You

These videos were recorded in the Dutch city of Breda.

DualDisc output

On August 29, 2005, a so-called DualDisc was released by Back in Black . On the one hand, this disc contains the album in the usual CD version; on the second side there is a DVD part on which, according to the cover, the following extras are included:

• PCM Stereo Album Program
• The film The Story of Back in Black including interviews with Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson, Cliff Williams, Phil Rudd and engineer Tony Platt
• Archival footage
• In-studio performances by Angus and Malcolm Young from Hells Bells , You Shook Me All Night Long , Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution , Shoot to Thrill and more
• On-screen discography

reception

Back in Black has been sold over 50 million times to date, 22 million times in the US alone. It was also one of the first albums to receive the Diamond Award, founded by the RIAA in 1999 . In August 2004 came the breakthrough through the 20 million mark in the USA and with it the second Diamond Award. This makes it the fifth best-selling album in the US. It was ranked number 1 in Great Britain and number 4 in the USA, where it is the most successful album of the band with 22 platinum awards. In Finland the record reached ninth place in the album charts in 2009.

In 1989 Rolling Stone magazine voted the album 26th among the best albums of the 1980s. In 2007, Rock Hard magazine published a list of the best under the title “The 500 strongest rock and metal records of all time”, which was led by Back in Black . AC / DC was represented with a total of six albums in this list. Götz Kühnemund justified this in Rock Hard with a full ten points and came to the conclusion: “Much faster than expected, AC / DC presented their new singer Brian Johnson, who introduced himself with the previously released single You Shook Me All Night Long and like a bomb hit the fans. If Bon Scott had left AC / DC to join another band, Brian Johnson would certainly not have been accepted so unconditionally - but as it was, the loyal AC / DC fan base was happy to be presented with new material from their favorites - especially themselves Angus & Co. had surpassed themselves with this darkest and heaviest album of their entire career: every song a direct hit, every riff a neckbreaker, every note a godsend! Divine!"

The popularity of the album can also be seen in various revivals by other artists. The songs on the album were covered by many renowned bands, for example Def Leppard recorded a version of Back in Black , and many other bands such as Metallica or Aerosmith often play the classics of the Scottish-Australian band at live concerts. The Colombian pop and Latin singer Shakira also sings the title song in some live performances. In addition, the entire album was covered in 2004 by the American death metal band Six Feet Under .

In addition, the album was interpreted by the Vitamin String Quartet on Back in Baroque .

Awards for music sales

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Argentina (CAPIF)	3 × platinum	180,000
Australia (ARIA)	12 × platinum	840,000
Denmark (IFPI)	2 × platinum	40,000
Germany (BVMI)	2 × platinum	1,000,000
France (SNEP)	2 × platinum	600,000
Italy (FIMI)	2 × platinum	200,000
Canada (MC)	diamond	1,000,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	platinum	15,000
Austria (IFPI)	platinum	50,000
Switzerland (IFPI)	2 × platinum	100,000
Spain (Promusicae)	Gold (Atlantic) + Gold (DRO) + Gold (Sony)	150,000
United States (RIAA)	22 × platinum	22,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	2 × platinum	600,000
All in all	3 × gold 31 × platinum 3 × diamond	27,775,000

Main article: AC / DC / Music Sales Awards

See also

• List of the best-selling music albums certified by BVMI in Germany

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/06/heavy-metal-under-the-sea-sharks-act-calmer-when-listening-to-acdc/
2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140821051008/http://www. britica.com/blogs/2010/08/acdc-back-in-black-great-moments-in-pop-music-history /
3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130124104520/http://www.ctzine.com/cultural-impact-acdc-back-in-black/
4. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/arts/music/12levi.html?pagewanted=all
5. ↑ See: Rock Hard . July 2010, issue 278, p. 38, pagewanted = all
6. ↑ Back in Baroque: The String Tribute to AC / DC - Vitamin String Quartet | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved February 16, 2020 (American English).