With Back In Black AC/DC unleash a monster

AC/DC : Back in Black

[Purchase]

On July 25, 1980 AC/DC released Back in Black, the album that would help the band finally conquer America while paying tribute to its original singer, Bon Scott who died in February.

"There was a nothingness around everyone," Malcolm Young told MOJO Magazine. "At the funeral Bon's dad said 'You can't stop, you've got to find someone else', and our manager came up with a list of singers --but we weren't interested. We thought, we can't replace Bon. He was unique."

Eventually the band chose Geordie singer Brian Johnson, who joined AC/DC in the Bahamas with Mutt Lange to record an album that already had a title and cover art concept. It would be called Back in Black to pay homage to Scott. Johnson wrote the lyrics of the title track under strict orders not to make it morbid. 

"I thought, 'Well no pressure there, then' (laughs). I just wrote what came into my head, which at the time seemed like mumbo, jumbo. 'Nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild.' The boys got it though. They saw Bon's life in that lyric."

As hurricanes struck the Bahamas, the band focused on the album creating classic track after classic track.  "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Hell's Bell's", Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution". They had the riffs, the beats, and everything going for them.

And just in case anyone thought the Young brothers et al had suddenly matured, they also recorded songs with lyrics like 

She takes you down easy 
Going down to her knees 
Going down to the devil 
Down down to ninety degrees 
Oh, she's blowing me crazy 
'Til my ammunition is dry

Back in Black would sell 50 million copies worldwide, 10 million in the US alone, even if it only managed to convince some critics of its greatness.

From David Fricke of Rolling Stone :

Back in Black is not only the best of AC/DC’s six American albums, it’s the apex of heavy-metal art: the first LP since Led Zeppelin II that captures all the blood, sweat and arrogance of the genre. In other words, Back in Black kicks like a mutha.


From Robert Christgau of the Village Voice a grade of B-

Replacing Aerosmith as primitives of choice among admirers of heavy machinery, these Aussies are a little too archetypal for my tastes. Angus Young does come up with killer riffs, though not as consistently as a refined person like myself might hope, and fresh recruit Brian Johnson sings like there's a cattle prod at his scrotum, just the thing for fans who can't decide whether their newfound testosterone is agony or ecstasy. AC/DC can't decide either--"Shoot to Thrill," "Given [sic] the Dog a Bone," and "Let Me Put My Love Into You" all concern the unimaginative sexual acts you'd imagine, and "What Do You Do for Money Honey" has a more limited set of answers than the average secretary would prefer. My sister's glad they don't write fantasy and science fiction, and if you're female you're free to share her relief. Brothers are more deeply implicated in these matters. 

 And from Smash Hits a dreadful review: