AC/DC
Back In Black

THE REVIEW

On February 22, 1980, the singer of AC/DC (a band that made it big in the USA and worldwide with the album "Highway To Hell") Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (07/09/1946, Kirriemuir, Scotland), died choking on his own vomit in a friend's car. The brothers Malcolm (01/06/1953, Glasgow, Scotland) and Angus Mckinnon Young (03/31/1955, Glasgow, Scotland), guitarists (from a Scottish family long transplanted to Australia) of the band, personally broke the news to the mother of the unfortunate singer.

«After Bon's death, we were tempted to quit everything, but we immediately rejected that idea. It would have been too difficult for me to stop. We are all young and do what we love. It makes me feel sick just thinking of being anything other than the guitarist for AC/DC. I'm sure that if it had happened to someone else, including myself, the group would have made the same decision. Bon would not have thrown in the towel. No matter the circumstance, we have always kept a brave face. We have never betrayed anyone. Of course, Bon's death devastated me, I felt as if I had lost a brother. But life goes on» (Angus Young).                                         

«It is a miracle that the band came through Bon's death unscathed. I must say, though, that everyone was very kind to us. I believe, in fact, that people admire us even more for not giving up when adverse fate hit us. We started again almost from scratch. The album BACK IN BLACK is entirely dedicated to Bon, from the title to the cover, it's a tribute to him. In a way, his death helped tighten the group. I consider myself lucky to have continued» (Malcolm Young)

«A bloody surprise! I was reforming Geordie in Newcastle when I received the phone call and when I broke the news, no one wanted to believe it. Even today, I can't realize my luck» (Brian Johnson).

BACK IN BLACK (Atlantic Records, 1980) is the non-plus-ultra of hard rock. It's the pinnacle of the genre. This album concludes a discourse that began with "Led Zeppelin II" by Led Zeppelin and "In Rock" by Deep Purple (Mark 2): all within one decade. The 10 magnificent hits are now known by everyone. This is one of the best-selling albums in musical history. An incredible commercial success, for a record dedicated to the death of a life companion and made in a hurry and rush feeding on hellish damnations ("Hells Bells"), brazen sexualities ("Shoot To Thrill", "What Do You Do For Money", "Given The Dog A Bone", "Let Me Put My Love Into You", "You Shook Me All Night Long"), dirty business ("Back In Black"), vicious tunnels with funeral toasts ("Have A Drink On Me") and healthy rock 'n' roll ("Shake A Leg", "Rock 'n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution").

Because in the end, what matters is the music. «Everything comes from the rhythm: it is the base and the "feeling" of what we play. We want people to physically feel the energy we release: we want them to ingest every single watt» (Angus Young).

The production by John "Mutt" Lange in this regard is most precious: already in the previous "Highway To Hell," the bass of Clifford "Cliff" Williams (12/14/1949, Romford, England) and the drums of Philip Hugh Norman "Phil Rudd" Witschke (05/19/1954, Surrey Hills/Melbourne, Australia) benefit quite a bit compared to past productions by Harry Wanda & George Young. And if, due to concealed contractual needs, the credits indicate that the songs were written by the Young brothers and newcomer Brian Johnson (10/05/1947, Newcastle, England), in reality, Back In Black is not the beginning of the Johnson era, but the end of the Scott era. All the songs were written as if Bon Scott was supposed to sing them, not Brian Johnson. The difference with the albums that followed throughout the '80s is all too evident. The ambiguity will only be cleared at the beginning of the '90s, when the music and lyrics will be the exclusive domain of the Young brothers. Compositorially, the comparison between Bon Scott and Brian Johnson does not hold and leans entirely in favor of the former. However, the latter is a great interpreter and perhaps even more of a singer than the former. When Brian Johnson finally shakes off the weight of his predecessor, no longer writing lyrics himself, AC/DC will return with "The Razor's Edge," "Ballbreaker," and "Stiff Upper Lip," as the masters of hard rock: which musically may be dead, but in spirit, it will never be.

«The audience is our reason for existing. If we see bouncers roughing up kids trying to get closer, we stop them. The kids have paid for the ticket and are not aggressive: they are just excited. The fault is in our music: it's enough to watch Angus on stage, the kids are like him. This is rock 'n' roll: the best fucking drug in the world» (Brian Johnson).

Rock Profile (by Filippo Guzzardi): http://filippoguzzardi.blogspot.com/