Back in Black
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| Studio album by AC/DC | ||||
| Released | 25 July 1980 | |||
| Recorded | April — May 1980 at Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas and Electric Lady Studios in New York | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, heavy metal[1] | |||
| Length | 42:11 | |||
| Label | Albert/Atlantic Records | |||
| Producer | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
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| AC/DC chronology | ||||
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Back in Black is a hard rock album by Australian band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band.
Released on 25 July 1980, Back in Black was the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, who died on 19 February 1980 at the age of 33, and was dedicated to him. The band considered disbanding following Scott's death, but they ultimately decided to continue and shortly thereafter hired Brian Johnson as their new lead singer and lyricist. Producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who had previously worked with AC/DC on Highway to Hell, was again brought in to produce. The recordings were done at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, and Electric Lady Studios in New York, where the album was also mixed.
The album was remastered and re-released first in late 1994, then again in the Bonfire box set in 1997, and as part of the AC/DC Remasters Series in 2003 by George Marino. In addition, a Dualdisc version was released in 2004, featuring the album in enhanced LPCM Stereo format and the video documentary The Story of Back in Black.
It sold an estimated 49 million copies to date, making it the band's highest selling album and second only to Michael Jackson's Thriller as the best-selling album of all-time as well as the best selling album ever released by a band.[2][3][4][5] On 13 December 2007, the RIAA certified it 22× Multi Platinum, recognising sales of 22 million in the United States.[6]
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Back in Black contains some of AC/DC's biggest hits, including "Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long", and the title track "Back in Black." According to Angus Young the album's all-black cover was a "sign of mourning" for Scott, as black is the traditional Western colour of mourning. It is AC/DC's best selling album, the second best-selling album of all time, and the biggest selling album by any band, with more than 45 million copies sold worldwide.[2][3] In 2006 Back in Black was certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as the fifth best-selling album in the United States, with 22 million copies sold.[7] Despite its massive commercial success, it is not AC/DC's highest charting album in the U.S, peaking at #4; their next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, hit #1 in 1981[8] as did the band's 2008 album Black Ice.
In 1989, it was ranked #26 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Albums of the 80's. The song "Back in Black" was ranked number 187 on the same magazine's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[citation needed] VH1 also rated Back in Black one of the greatest comeback albums of all time and #2 on the greatest hard rock albums.[citation needed]
[edit] Track listing
- All songs written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Brian Johnson.
- "Hells Bells" – 5:10
- "Shoot to Thrill" – 5:17
- "What Do You Do for Money Honey" – 3:33
- "Givin' the Dog a Bone" – 3:30 (titled "Given the Dog a Bone" on original release)
- "Let Me Put My Love into You" – 4:16
- "Back in Black" – 4:15
- "You Shook Me All Night Long" – 3:30
- "Have a Drink on Me" – 3:57
- "Shake a Leg" – 4:06
- "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" – 4:15
[edit] Personnel
- Brian Johnson — lead vocals
- Angus Young — lead guitar
- Malcolm Young — rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Cliff Williams — bass guitar, backing vocals
- Phil Rudd — drums, percussion
[edit] Production
- "Mutt" Lange — producer
- Benji Armbrister — assistant engineer
- Bob Defrin — art direction
- Robert Ellis — photography
- Bob Ludwig — mastering (original LP)
- Barry Diament — mastering (original CD releases)
- Ted Jensen — remastering (EMI/Atco reissue)
- George Marino — remastering (Epic reissue)
- Tony Platt — engineer
- Brad Samuelsohn — mixing
- Jack Newber — assistant engineer
[edit] Chart performance
[edit] Albums
| Year | Chart | Position[9][8][10] |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | UK Albums Chart | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 4 | |
| Ö3 Austria Top 40 | 2 | |
| Norwegian Album Charts | 11 | |
| RIANZ Album Top 50 | 24 | |
| 1981 | Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart | 1 |
| 1991 | US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums | 1 |
| 2008 | US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums | 1 |
| 2009 | Finnish Albums Chart | 9 [11] |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position[12][13] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "You Shook Me All Night Long" | UK Singles Chart | 38 |
| "You Shook Me All Night Long" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 35 | |
| "Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" | UK Singles Chart | 15 | |
| 1981 | "Back in Black" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 37 |
| "Hells Bells" | US Billboard Top Tracks | 52 | |
| "Back in Black" | US Billboard Top Tracks | 51 | |
| "Shoot To Thrill" | US Billboard Top Tracks | 60 |
[edit] Certification
| Country | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 22,000,000 | 22x Platinum |
| Canada | 5,000,000 | 5x Platinum |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Engleheart, Murray & Arnaud Durieux (2007-01-02), AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, Harper Entertainment, ISBN 0-0611-3391-4, <http://www.acdcbook.com/>.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Back in Black > Overview". All Media Guide. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wzaxqjkboj6a. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ a b "Ageless and Defiant, AC/DC Stays on Top Without Going Digital". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/arts/music/12levi.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- ^ a b "AC/DC, fuoco alle polveri: <<Lasciate che ci sia il rock!>>". Gazzetta di Parma. http://www.gazzettadiparma.it/primapagina/dettaglio/4/16119/ACDC_fuoco_alle_polveri:_%C2%ABLasciate_che_ci_sia_il_rock%C2%BB.html. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
- ^ "How AC/DC Conquered the Globe". California Chronicle. http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/132325817. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ AC/DC The Encylopedia, by Malcom Dome and Jerry Ewing ISBN: 9781842404362
- ^ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS
- ^ "Top 100 Albums". Recording Industry Association of America. 2006-07-31. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTop100. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
- ^ a b "AC/DC discography". Rock Detector. http://rockdetector.com/discography,111.sm. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
- ^ "Charts & awards - Billboard albums". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:lxfibkj96ak9~T30. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
- ^ "Number 1 Albums - 1980s". Every Hit. http://www.everyhit.com/numberalb4.html. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
- ^ Suomen virallinen lista
- ^ "Charts & awards - Billboard singles". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:57d6vwrva9xk~T31. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
- ^ "Every Hit". http://www.everyhit.com/. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple by Deep Purple |
UK Albums Chart number one album 9 August 1980 – 22 August 1980 |
Succeeded by Flesh + Blood by Roxy Music |
| Preceded by Zenyattà Mondatta by The Police |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one album 9 March – 15 March 1981 |
Succeeded by Greatest Hits by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show |
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