AC/DC’s “Back in Black” Album
Back in Black was released on July 25, 1980 by Atlantic Records and Albert Productions as Australian rock band AC/DC’s seventh studio album.
Recording was done in the Bahamas over a period of seven weeks from April through to May 1980. It was mainly composed by Malcom Young, Angus and Johnson, with production done by Robert John Mutt Lange. On reaching Compass Point Studios to begin the recording, the band was faced with tropical storms which kept knocking out the electricity at the studio.
The album became the first of the band’s to feature lead vocalist Brian Johnson. This was after former lead vocalist Bon Scott passed away due to alcohol poisoning.
The cover art for the album was all-black as a sign of mourning Bon Scott. The album was released 5 months after his death as a tribute.
Malcom Young and Agnus went back to work on the album two days after Scott’s funeral because they didn’t want to be overcome by grief.
The tenth and final track, Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution was the only one written entirely in the Bahamas. It was reportedly written within 15 minutes.
A crab is said to have wandered into the Bahamas studio when the band was recording the album.
Scott had written several songs for the band before his death; however, they refused to release them because they felt it was not right to profit off his work.
The main guitar riff for Back In Black was initially used as a warm up tune by Malcom Young.
Success of “Back in Black”
Back in Black achieved commercial success, selling more than 50 million copies worldwide and being named as one of the best-selling albums in the history of music. It is only second to Michael Jackson’s Thriller and has been ranked as the best selling rock album of all time.
The album never peaked at number 1 on the US Album charts despite its massive sales volume. It however reached number 1 on France music charts and in the UK in 1980, and then Canada and Australia in 1981. In the US however, the album only peaked at number 4 on the charts.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album 25x Platinum in December 2019.
At the peak of the album’s success in 1980, even the worst song on it was considered better than any other rock song released during that time.
