Australian drummer. Known for his work with the group AC/DC from 1975 to 1983, and then from 1994 to the present. After bassist Mark Evans left AC/DC in 1977, Phil remained the only Australian in the group. He is ranked 27th on Classic Rock magazine's list of the 50 Best Drummers in Rock.

Lead singer Bon Scott died in 1980. The band, with new singer Brian Johnson, recorded their most successful album, Back in Black. Phil Rudd took Scott's death badly, but continued to play in AC/DC until he left the band during the recording of the Flick of the Switch album in 1983. He finished his contributions to that album, and although session drummer B.J. Wilson was brought in to to help finish the recording, Wilson's drum tracks were ultimately not used.

Phil was replaced by Manchester drummer Simon Wright.

After being fired from AC/DC, Phil moved to New Zealand, where he bought a helicopter company. AC/DC fans began regularly visiting and trying to find his whereabouts.

Phil Rudd returned to AC/DC in 1995. During The Razor's Edge tour around the world in 1991 in New Zealand, AC/DC asked Phil to work with them again. Rudd decided to accept their offer and was eventually rehired.

In 2003, Phil was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC. In 2005, he was included in the list of the 50 best drummers in rock according to Classic Rock magazine. Phil Rudd plays Sonor drums, and in honor of their 40-year partnership, a signature snare drum and Phil Rudd Special Edition Drum Set.

English bass guitarist, best known as a member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC since June 1977, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 along with other members of AC/DC.

He moved with his family to Liverpool when he was nine, where he spent the first two working years of his life as an engineer before joining his first group.

In 1970, Cliff Williams began performing with his first band, Home: vocalist Mick Stubbs, guitarist Laurie Weesefield, keyboardist Clive John and drummer Mick Cook.

When the band breaks up, Cliff wants to give up music, but his friend convinces him to audition for AC/DC, who were looking for a bassist to replace Mark Evans, who was fired shortly after the recording of the Let There Be Rock album. Cliff auditioned and was accepted, but had trouble getting permission to enter Australia. After first performing with AC/DC on the Let There Be Rock tour, Cliff contributed to the studio album Powerage in 1978. He became known for playing sustained bass lines.

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Rock musician and poet, former vocalist of the band Geordie and current member of the Australian rock band AC/DC

Brian was born on October 5, 1947 in Dunston (England), in a small dirty house next to the railway. His father was a military man; he fought in Africa and Italy during World War II. Mother is Italian.

As a child, Johnson sang in a church choir, where he was distinguished by his good vocal abilities, and for some time he even performed in a popular show. At the age of 15, Brian left school to become a turner, and two months after entering college he already had his own successful group - The Gobi Desert Canoe Club.

At the age of 17, Brian was drafted into the army, he served in Germany for two years, after which he worked as a draftsman for 3 months.

Brian got into AC/DC by accident: after the death of Bon Scott, an unknown AC/DC fan sent Brian's candidacy to the band's manager Peter Menchi. Brian was one of the last to learn about his enrollment - on April 1, 1980. Before that, the musician was a member of the Geordie group.

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Rock musician, known as the founder and rhythm guitarist of the Australian rock band AC/DC.

Malcolm Mitchell Young was born into a large family. When Malcolm was 10 years old, the Young family moved to Australia. Like his older brother George, Malcolm was a talented footballer and was pursuing a career in the sport.

Malcolm's parents, William and Margaret, emigrated from Glasgow, Scotland to Sydney, Australia, in 1963 with their children George, Margaret, Malcolm and Angus, leaving their eldest son Alex in the UK. They eventually settled in Burwood, a suburb of Sydney.

Malcolm and Angus formed AC/DC in November 1973, when Malcolm was 20 years old and Angus 18. Their first national tour was in 1974 with original singer Dave Evans.

AC/DC moved to the UK in 1976 and began a busy schedule of international touring and recording. After Bon Scott's death in 1980, they recorded their best-selling album, Back in Black, with third vocalist Brian Johnson.

Influenced by rock and roll and blues rock in the 1960s and 1970s, Malcolm Young was considered a leading exponent of "rock" rhythm guitar.

A song (and album) by the Australian punk rock band Frenzal Rhomb was written about Young: “Forever Malcolm Young.”

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234 rebounds, 2 of them this month

Biography

AC/DC(abbreviated from the English alternating current/direct current alternating/direct current) Australian rock band formed in Sydney (Australia) in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.

Together with bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple AC/DC often considered as pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal. The musicians themselves classified their music as rock and roll, since it is based on rhythm and blues with a highly distorted sound of rhythmic and solo guitars.

The band went through several line-up changes before the band's first album, High Voltage, was released in 1975. The band's line-up remained unchanged until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977. On February 19, 1980, lead singer and songwriter Bon Scott (Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott) died after choking on his own vomit as a result of extreme alcohol intoxication. The group had every chance of breaking up, but soon a replacement for Scott was found in the person of former Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson. A year later, the group released their best-selling album, Back in Black.

The team has sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 68 million albums in the United States. The most successful album, Back in Black, sold more than 22 million in the United States and more than 42 million abroad. Generally, AC/DC is the most successful and famous rock band from Australia. AC/DC They are ranked number four on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and number seven on MTV's "Greatest Heavy Metal Band Of All Time" list.

Name

Malcolm and Angus Young came up with the name for their band after seeing the acronym "AC/DC" on the back of their sister Margaret's sewing machine. "AC/DC" is an abbreviation for "alternating current/direct current", which indicates that the device can use the specified types of energy. The brothers felt the name symbolized the band's raw energy and live performance energy, and the name stuck.

In some cultures, "AC/DC" is slang for bisexuals; The musicians claimed that they were unaware of the existence of this meaning until a taxi driver drew attention to this fact early in their career. Some religious leaders argue that the group's name should be understood as "Anti-Christ/Devil's Child", "Anti-Christ/Death to Christ" ) or “After Christ/Devil Comes”.

"AC/DC" is spelled, but the band is also known as "Acca Dacca" in Australia. The name led to the emergence of tribute groups using similar names: BC/DC from the province of British Columbia (Canada); AC/DSHE, a women's group from San Francisco; Swedish AB/CD and some others.

It is known that the group performed several times for the Freeride Entertainment team in films about Mountain Bike, from the Disorder series (in parts 4 and 5, currently there are 9 of them)

Story

Brothers Angus (born March 31, 1955; at the request of Atlantic Records, Angus's official birth year was incorrectly stated as 1959), Malcolm (born January 6, 1953) and George Young (George Young) were born in Glasgow (Scotland) and as children along with their family went to Sydney. George started playing guitar first and became a member of the most successful Australian band of the 60s, The Easybeats. They were the first local rock band to have an international hit with "Friday on My Mind" in 1966. Malcolm soon followed in his brother's footsteps, becoming the guitarist for the Newcastle band The Velvet Underground (not to be confused with the New York band The Velvet Underground).

Early years

After gaining their first musical experience, Malcolm and Angus formed AC/DC, inviting vocalist Dave Evans, bass guitarist Larry Van Kniedt and drummer Colin Burgess into the group. The group debuted on December 31, 1973 at Sydney's Checkers bar.

The original line-up changed frequently; the band went through several drummers and bassists throughout 1974. In September 1974, AC/DC replaced Dave Evans with the charismatic Bon Scott (born July 9, 1946 in Kirrimer, Scotland), lead singer of The Spectors in 1966. The real success of the group began with this event. With Evans, AC/DC recorded a single consisting of three songs: "Rockin" in the Parlour", "Show Business" and "Can I Sit Next to You Girl". The latter two were also recorded with Scott.

Angus Young's sister encouraged him to wear the school uniform he wore at Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney to concerts. He later wore this uniform at all the band's concerts.

With regular appearances on the Australian popular music television show Countdown, between 1974 and 1978 the band became one of the country's best known and most popular bands. AC/DC During these years they released a number of successful albums and singles, including the timeless rock 'n' roll anthem "Its a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock "n" Roll)." -roll]).

World famous

The group signed an international contract with Atlantic Records and began to actively tour the UK and Europe, achieving fame and gaining experience performing in the wings of famous rock bands of the time, such as Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, KISS, Cheap Trick, Nazareth, Foreigner, Thin Lizzy and The Who. AC/DC's third Australian album, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, was released in 1976.

The invasion and wave of popularity of punk rock in 7678. The group survived well due to their crude and provocative lyrics and, in part, due to the fact that in the British music press of the time they were classified as punk bands. They achieved success on the British rock scene thanks to their powerful and controversial live shows, and Angus Young quickly became famous due to his provocative behavior on stage, which, among other things, led to the band being banned from performing at several British concert venues .

Produced by Mutt Lange, the 1979 album Highway to Hell catapulted the band to the top of the world's rock music charts of all time. The album undoubtedly became the most popular of the group's discography at the time of its release. Many of the album's songs are still frequently heard on the radio, and the title track has become one of the most famous songs in the history of rock music.

Death of Bon Scott

Bon Scott died on February 19, 1980. He left another party and stayed overnight in the car of his friend Allistair Kinnear. He found Bon dead the next day. The official cause of death was hypothermia, although the most common version to this day is that Bon Scott choked on his own vomit. These rumors are supported by many contradictions in the official story of his death, which also gives rise to many theories about conspiracy, the musician's murder and a heroin overdose.

The group members initially planned to stop their musical activities as part of AC/DC, but later decided that Bon Scott would like the group to continue. The musicians tried several candidates for the vocalist position, and in the end there were two candidates left: Terry Slesser and Brian Johnson. Johnson during this period tried to restore his group Geordie, but performing two songs in public AC/DC and Tina Turner ("Whole Lotta Rosie" (Let There Be Rock) and "Nutbush City Limits", respectively) impressed the participants AC/DC and a few days later they informed Johnson that he was the new singer of the group.

"Back in Black"

Together with Brian Johnson, the group completed the songs unfinished due to Bon's death, and recorded the album Back in Black, also produced by Lang. Back in Black, released in 1980, became the band's best-selling album and one of the most significant in hard rock history. Among all the hits on the album, the song of the same name, written in memory of Bon Scott, and "You Shook Me All Night Long", are considered by many to be the quintessence of music AC/DC and, even hard rock in general.

The next album, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), released in 1981, also sold very well and was well received by critics. The composition of the same name on the album, ending with the thunder of firing guns, became the culmination and final number of most subsequent concerts. AC/DC.

The band produced 1983's Flick of the Switch without Lang. Drummer Phil Rudd left the band due to personal differences with the rest of the band, reportedly caused by problems with alcohol. In his place, after an anonymous audition, they took Simon Wright, a former member of the group Tytan. In 1985, with a new lineup, the group recorded the less successful album Fly on the Wall, produced by the Young brothers. Along with this album, the band released a series of music videos of the band performing five of the album's ten songs in a bar, using various special effects, including an animated fly.

In 1986, AC/DC returned to the charts with the title track of Who Made Who, the soundtrack to the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive. The album also contained two new instrumentals and hits from previous albums. In February 1986, the group was inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association Hall of Fame. The band released their 1988 album Blow Up Your Video with original producers Harry Vanda and George Young. This album sold better than the previous one and entered the UK top twenty singles chart with the song "Heatseeker".

After the release of Blow Up Your Video, Wright left the band and was replaced by session musician Chris Slade. Johnson was unable to participate in the band's work for several months, so the Young brothers wrote the songs for the next album themselves, as they did for all subsequent ones. In 1990, the album The Razor's Edge was released. It became very successful for the group and contained the hits "Thunderstruck" and "Money Talks". The album became multi-platinum, entered the top ten of the US charts (2nd place) and twenty singles in Great Britain.

In 1994, Phil Rudd returned to the group. Chris Slade's departure, in this regard, was amicable and was mainly due to the band members' strong desire to have Rudd back. According to Angus Young, Slade was the best musician in AC/DC, but the desire to see Phil in the group was stronger. As a member of 1980-1983, the group recorded the album Ballbreaker in 1995 with hip-hop and heavy metal producer Rick Rubin and Stiff Upper Lip in 2000.

After the release of these albums, the group signed a long-term contract for several albums with Sony BMG, which began to be released under the Epic Records label.

Recent years and recognition

In March 2003, AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City and performed their hits "Highway to Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" with Aerosmith's Steve Tyler. In May 2003, Malcolm Young was awarded the Ted Albert Award for his "outstanding contribution to Australian music". That same year, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) updated its album sales estimates from 46.5 million to 63 million, making AC/DC fifth group in US history to sell the most albums after The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Eagles. In addition, Back in Black was certified double diamond (20,000,000 copies sold), making it the sixth best-selling album in US history. In 2005, the album sold 21 million copies, which brought it to fifth position.

In July 2003, the band performed together with The Rolling Stones at Sarsfest, a concert dedicated to the fight against the SARS epidemic in Toronto, Canada.

On 1 October 2004, Corporation Lane in Melbourne was officially renamed ACDC Lane in honor of the group (street names in Melbourne cannot contain the "/" character). The street is next to Swanston Street, where the band recorded their video for the 1975 hit "Its a Long Way to the Top" in the back of a truck. There is also another street in the world named after the group AC/DC, in Spain, in the city of Legan (LeganГ©s), near Madrid “Calle de AC/DC”, not far from the streets named after the rock groups Iron Maiden and Rosendo (Spanish rock band).

In March 2005, a two-DVD set, "Family Jewels", was released, containing a music video and concert clips. The first disc was from the Bon Scott era (with concert footage filmed ten days before Scott's death), the second contained footage from the Brian Johnson era.

On August 28, 2008, the single "RocknRoll Train" was released. On October 20, 2008, AC/DC released their new album Black Ice, which a week after its release topped the charts in 29 countries. In its first week, the band sold 5 million copies of the album worldwide. There were 6 albums in the Australian Top 50 at the beginning of November AC/DC. Among those who spoke enthusiastically about the new album was Australian poet and writer John Kinsella, who noted the album's "smart, sharp, in its own way brilliant" lyrics.

At the end of October, the band went on a North American tour, inviting The Answer as support acts.

Influence on rock music

AC/DC is mentioned by many contemporaries and later musicians and bands of rock and metal music as an influence on their work. Among them: Anthrax, Bon Jovi, The Darkness, Def Leppard, Dio, Dokken, Dream Theater, Faster Pussycat, Iron Maiden, Great White, Guns N" Roses, Hanoi Rocks, Journey, Megadeth, Metallica, Nirvana, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison, Ratt, Rhino Bucket, Saxon, Scorpions, Skid Row, Supagroup, Tool, Twisted Sister, UFO, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Wolfmother, Y&T.

Many punk rock, hardcore punk, grunge, garage rock and alternative rock artists and groups have also celebrated AC/DC how it influenced them. Although the group was initially criticized by British punk rockers of the late 70s, many musicians from this movement paid tribute to AC/DC for the high energy of the music, a thorough and anti-commercial (although many may argue with this) approach to rock music.

Influence AC/DC it's hard to overestimate Australian music. Relatively speaking, every Australian rock band that appeared in the mid-70s and later was influenced by AC/DC. To Australian bands who have cited influences on them AC/DC, include, for example, Airbourne, Blood Duster, Frenzal Rhomb, INXS, Jet, The Living End, Midnight Oil, Powderfinger, Silverchair, You Am I.

There are names in the history of rock music that have paragraphs, pages, or even chapters associated with them. Well, this Australian quintet is worth no less than a whole volume. So, March 31, 1959, hospital in Glasgow (Scotland). “You have a son, Mrs. Young, a son! Happy third son, Mrs. Young!” The boy was named Anjus... Beginning of 1964, the port of Sydney (Australia). The Young couple and their children, having emigrated, arrive in their new homeland... Early 70s, Sydney. Two of the brothers, Angus and Malcolm (born in 1953), spent all their free time from school on rock and roll, performing with their own groups in small clubs... Angus left school at the age of 15 age. “By the time I was tired of studying, Malk was already performing with his own group, which I joined. Soon we realized that we were doing something completely wrong (we were playing pop music). And then we decided not to adapt to the tastes of the majority of our then public, but to play what we ourselves wanted. And we were all united by an interest in riotous rock and roll. New music also required new performers."... The first stable line-up, at the suggestion of the Young brothers' half-sister, Sandra, received the name AC/DC ("Alternating-direct current"), which, according to the creators, was supposed to denote "high spiritual and creative activity of the team members.” By the way, among their fellow countrymen “AC/DC” sounds like “Akkadakka”, which in translation, in addition to the already mentioned term, means (in slang) “bisexual”. Another possible decoding option is “Antichrist/Death of Christ.”

Simultaneously with the creation of the group, its “image” was also developed - a stage image at rock concerts. It was then that the now traditional appearance of Angus on stage in short “school” pants was “invented.” “My sister was the first to suggest it. After school I began to grow quickly; My parents didn’t have time to buy me new clothes, and I was already outgrowing them. It was then that my sister said that it would be a good idea to go on stage in... school breeches, since no one had ever done this before and was unlikely to ever think of it. And many of the listeners in the hall were dressed exactly the same. In a word, it was a great idea! (At least my parents were enthusiastic about it!). And I agreed." The driver of the van with which the group went on their first tour was one Ronald “Bon” Scott (b. 1946), also a Scot. Previously, he sang in amateur rhythm and blues groups. He became the lead singer of AC/DC, replacing the eldest Evans brother. “It was especially difficult to find the right “screamer.” We needed not just a singer, but a “screamer.” When I met Bon, I had the impression that he did not speak English. His speech consisted of swear words and Australian slang. I remember I even sent him home with a dictionary under his arm! But he suited us well.”

Angus and Malcolm received great help in putting together and establishing the group from their older brother George, who had a great influence on their musical tastes, and their father. “George was once the guitarist for the Easybeats, one of the most famous Australian pop ensembles of the late 60s. We learned a lot from him. He was the first to tell me: “Try to be different from others. Look for your own path in everything” (in the future we always followed this advice). It was he who criticized us for performing other people’s action films and unwitting imitation, forcing us to start writing. “At first it won’t work out, but then it will definitely work out!”, said the bro. Georgie was also a big influence on us as a guitarist and songwriter. He was also a good producer. Many people now call themselves producers, but in reality they can only be sound engineers. A producer, in my opinion, must have some understanding of sound, songs and arrangements (knowledge of recording equipment is, of course, mandatory), he must love and understand music, and must be a good psychologist. My brother, it seems to me, possessed all these qualities. He knew everything. Not many producers can tell you that your guitar is tuned incorrectly. My father supported us, as they say, morally and financially as best he could. He said: “It’s better to do this business than to wander the streets restlessly!” As always, my mother was in solidarity with him in everything.”

However, from the very beginning, the band began to stand out not so much due to the short pants of its lead guitarist, but due to his excellent solos, which many would soon compare to the production of Ritchie Blackmore himself, thanks to Bon Scott's instantly memorable vocals and the extraordinary rhythm section led by Malcolm Young. At first, the group focused on a hard version of blues-rock and rhythm and blues. Heavy metal began to sound later, when the solo guitar passages acquired a hurricane speed, and the rhythmic pulsation of the drums became self-pressing. The group's first two albums - "High Voltage" ("High Voltage") and "TNT" - received platinum status in Australia, and in 1976 the group debuted in the West with the compilation disc "High Voltage", composed of the best numbers of both Australian records. Already a well-known rock band in their homeland, the young musicians visited England in 1976, taking part in the British tour of the American glam rock band Kiss as an “auxiliary force”. During one of the concerts, held at London's Hammersmith Odeon, the members of the Sydney five, by their own admission, said to themselves: “We won’t until we move to this country and perform independently and triumphantly in this prestigious event for any musician.” hall! Thus, the goal was set and the group moved towards it slowly but surely.

Upon returning in November, the musicians recorded their third original long play “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” (“Bad deeds do not lead to good”), which also had major commercial success, and in March ’77 they toured the countries of the Old World again. So AC/DC continued to perform live. At a time when in Europe and America the style of “heavy metal rock”, gradually softening (Bad Company, Nazareth, Boston, Styx, Foreigner) began to move closer to pop music (Peter Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Status Quo), our heroes - forgive me Angus Young - revived it in its original (pristine) form. And it sounded fresh and more interesting. True, the Australian musicians also made some changes, which, however, cannot be called innovations: the musical format of the group at first was something between Black Sabbath and Rainbow on the one hand, and the Crusaders, professing Afro-jazz rock, on the other. In the future, critics will note that one of the “tricks” in AC/DC’s arsenal is the inclusion of funk elements in the compositions, which is why their heavy metal only benefits. All this was, as it were, wrapped in a “punk wrapper”. By and large, the band's early output consisted of a fusion of hard rock and boogie-woogie in the manner of Status Quo.

The 1977 album “Let the Rock Sound” brought truly major success to the musicians. It appeared in July and, being simultaneously released in Australia, Europe and America, became the group’s first “platinum” work abroad. In August, Akkadakka debuted to American audiences. Shortly before this, the bassist dropped out and his place was taken by the Englishman Clifford Williams (born in 1949), selected in London from more than 50 applicants. Both of the next albums - "Powerage" '78 ("Power") and "If You Want Blood... You Got It" '79 ("If you wanted trouble - get it") - took high places in the Australian and European charts. The latter was a concert event and was the result of the group's travels.

Then the group received a new manager-producer, Robert John "Matt" Lange, a studio professional and the owner of some amazing instinct in preparing records designed for great success. “Several people ran for the position of our producer. John had previously worked with many hard rock bands: among his clients were Thin Lizzy, Boomtown Rats, the Graham Parker group, etc. (later he collaborated with Foreigner and Def Leppard - author's note). Being an experienced person, Lange reoriented us somewhat, making the initially rather harsh sound of the group more commercial and thereby opening the way for us to the radio, where we are still frequent guests.” In August 1989, they gave birth to a new brainchild - the album “Highway To Hell” (“Road to Hell”), which became the starting point for the success of AC/DC with a capital letter. He “discovered” them to the whole world and made them a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic. However, unexpectedly the band's career was under threat: during one of the tours in 1980, Bon Scott died!!! As difficult as it was, it was necessary to look for a replacement. First, Australian Alan Friar was brought in, but then, at Malk's suggestion, Brian Johnson was taken from the semi-legendary hard rock line-up Geordie. The next giant disc, “Back In Black” (“Return in Mourning”) was released in June 1980 and was dedicated to the memory of a deceased friend (many famous groups and performers did not ignore this tragic event, reflecting it in their works - Trust, Journey, Ozzy Osbourne, etc.).

On the eve of this, in August, AC/DC, having successfully performed at Donington Castle, secured a high international rating. In the future, the group will become regulars at this popular and prestigious English rock festival, which often turns into an international one. The appearance on such forums, which gather huge numbers of fans, has contributed to the growth of popularity of Australian musicians abroad. By the way, AC/DC by that time was already purely nominally considered an Australian group; its members had firmly established themselves in England (the lineup had already performed at the Hammersmith Odeon several times), having acquired headquarters in Surrey and Suffolk, and came home more often partly only on tour or to see relatives and friends. As we can see, the musicians achieved their goal! Yes, the debut of Brian Johnson, who sings very close in style to his late predecessor, turned out to be extremely successful. “It's our best-selling album in America,” says Angus, “but in Europe our fans still prefer the band's older albums. In many places in “Return in Black” (the second possible translation of the title - author’s note), in my opinion, melodies are heard that can now often be heard on the radio. I think they are very good." And here is the opinion of Gene Simmons from Kiss: “AC/DC’s music is energetic and brilliant. Their best work is “Return...”: this is a super album! His best thing is “Hell’s Bells”: it’s a super hit!”

1979-1981 was the period of undoubted triumph for AC/DC. Not a single self-respecting magazine could help but write about the group during this period. The last two super-albums - “The Road” and “Return” - have become synonymous with success around the world. They also aroused interest in the ensemble’s previous works. “Thirty million records sold all over the world! Not bad, right?! Angus asked rhetorically in an interview with Joe Lzlein in 1985. “I just want to shout: ‘Long live the similarity of which we are constantly accused!’”

In 1981, the long play “For Those About That Rock” was released, which became the first work of the group to top the American hit parade (that is, the Billboard lists). The 1983 album “Flick Of The Switch” (“Electrocut”) had the same success. The year 1984 passed in constant travel. On August 17, at the next Donington forum, where Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Y And T, Gary Moor, Motley Crue and Accept performed, the quintet appeared in an updated form: Phil Rudd, who left in the summer of ’83 as a result of a personal conflict with the Young brothers, was replaced by 20- summer drummer of Toga ensembles! Toga! and Titan Simon Wright (b. 1963). Soon they were already writing about him: “Simon Wright officially joined AC/DC at the very end of August 1983 and quickly became an equal member of the team. His skills came in handy for the Young brothers quintet. This is a highly qualified rock musician. In AC/DC, I fought my way through the dense ranks of 200 applicants for a place behind their drum kit.”

On July 1, 1985, a new collective album “Fly On The Wall” (“Fly on the Wall”) appeared. The record, by inertia, rose to the top steps of the charts. However, this did not stop a number of experts from once again accusing the group of compilation and self-plagiarism: “AC/DC’s music is not distinguished by either rhythmic or special melodic diversity. All recordings after 1980 seem to have frozen in the once found “original” form. This provides the group with stable popularity among a stable circle of fans, although recently their commercial success has noticeably decreased.” But nothing could force the musicians to stop touring. Nothing, not even the sudden departure of Malcolm Young. Another Young was recruited in his place - Stevie’s nephew, who had previously starred in Star Fighter. In an interview about his departure, the 34-year-old guitarist said that playing in AC/DC had always been viewed as entertainment and the band's music as very unprofessional. Anjus commented very sharply on this brother’s statement. Unfortunately, this was not the last change in the ranks of AC/DC: in 1990, drummer Simon Wright gave up everything and moved to Dio. True, the next long play - “Blow Up Your Video” (’88) - was made with Malk Young.

Anjus realized that he had to rush around urgently, otherwise there would be trouble. Firstly, having made peace with his brother, he returned him to the group. Secondly, he recruited the famous hard rock drummer Chris Slade. Thirdly, I devoted considerable time to studio work. Fourthly, he got on his favorite hobby - he went on a new world tour (where is his wife looking?!). The result of all this was the appearance of high-quality work “The Razor Edge” (’90), performance at several major rock festivals. Speaking at a press conference dedicated to the end of the world tour, in which the partners of our heroes were Metallica, Motley Crue, Queensryche, The Black Crowes, Pantera and others, Angus Young said: “I hope that everything is ahead of us. There is enough strength for this!

Based on materials from the newspaper “Zarraza”, No. 10

“Today, it is with great pain in our hearts that AC/DC must announce the death of Malcolm Young,” the post reads. "As a brother, it's hard to put into words what he meant to me, our bond was unique and special," the message said in the words of Malcolm's brother and AC/DC co-founder Angus.

Malcolm Young was born in 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland, to William and Margaret Young. Ten years later, the Youngs moved to Sydney, Australia, where three of their five children were caught up in the rock 'n' roll boom. At first, he was the most successful of the brothers - his group The Easybeats enjoyed local popularity. Malcolm and Angus debuted in much less successful lineups and eventually decided to join forces, forming AC/DC in November 1973. Angus took over the duties of lead guitarist, and Malcolm mastered the rhythm guitar (which he played until 2014, when he was forced to leave the group due to progressive dementia). What follows are the golden pages of the history of rock music, in which there is a place for tragedy (the death of the first vocalist Bon Scott), and the victory of the human spirit, and most importantly - songs, many of which have become instant classics. Gazeta.Ru selected the most striking numbers from the musician’s extensive heritage.

"T.N.T." (1975)

One of the group's first hits, included on the album "High Voltage". When AC/DC moved to the UK in 1976, it was a line from “T.N.T.” The band's first UK tour was titled "Lock Up You Daughters".

"Whole Lotta Rosie" (1977)

The frivolous lyrics of this song were written by Bon Scott based on real events - a night spent in a Melbourne hotel in the company of a blonde of outstanding size. In addition, it was this song that became decisive in Brian’s approval during the auditions for the place of the band’s vocalist after Scott’s death. It's no wonder that "Whole Lotta Rosie" is performed at every concert, with a huge inflatable heroine always appearing on stage.

"Touch To Much" (1979)

The desperate number became one of the highlights of the album “Highway to Hell” - the last recording with Scott on vocals. Despite the love of fans, the song was not performed at concerts until 2016, when Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses temporarily took over as vocalist, replacing Johnson, who suffered from hearing problems.

"Highway To Hell" (1979)

The title number from the latest album with Scott is the band's constant calling card. It seems that never before has a song about the road to hell been filled with such rollicking optimism, making one believe that the Australians really are the devil himself.

"Rock"n"Roll Damnation" (1979)

The last song AC/DC recorded for the Powerage album. It was composed at the request of the record label, which demanded a single from the Australians for radio. As a result, the composition became the group's first chart success in the UK.

"Back in Black" (1980)

After the death of Bon Scott and the admission of Brian Johnson to the group, the musicians completely remade the already conceived album. The result was the album “Back in Black,” which today ranks third among the best-selling albums in history. The title issue is a kind of epitaph for Scott.

"Hells Bells" (1980)

The opening number “Back In Black” is one of the key numbers at the band’s concerts. During the song, Brian Johnson usually rings a giant bell.

"You Shook Me All Night Long" (1980)

Another song recorded for Back In Black, but eventually released on the 1986 Who Made Who album. Regularly takes first place in various charts of the best guitar songs in history.

"Shoot To Thrill" (1980)

An absolute classic is another single from “Back In Black”. It is curious that the song found a rebirth several years ago - when it was included in the soundtrack of the second part of “Iron Man” with Robert Downey Jr.

"Thunderstruck" (1990)

According to legend, this song was written after the plane on which he was flying was struck by lightning. However, the musician himself said that the song was born from a guitar jam, and the name simply goes well with the high-voltage name of the group.

"Black Ice" (2008)

The latest album, recorded with the participation of Malcolm Young, entitled “Black Ice”, is a kind of tour de force for the group and convincing proof that veterans should not be written off.

In November 1973, in Sydney, Australia, a certain Malcolm Young formed a band, which also invited Colin Bugess on drums and Larry Van Knedt on bass. Knedt, by the way, did not disdain the saxophone, while Malcolm replaced him on bass.

Later, vocalist Dave Evans, who, following Malcolm, left the Velvet Underground, joined the group after responding to an advertisement in the newspaper. Angus Young, who had just left the band Kentuckee, was invited by his older brother to serve as second lead guitarist.

In December of the same year, the band began rehearsing in Newton and at the same time the group acquired a name - AC/DC. This name was coined by the Youngs' sister Margaret, who read this seemingly ordinary inscription on some household appliance (some claim it was a vacuum cleaner, some recognize the mythical device as a sewing machine). AC/DC, translated from English, means alternating current / direct current.

One of the first concerts took place at the Checkers club in Sydney on December 31, 1973. The group's repertoire then consisted of their own cover versions of compositions by Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and others. Some compositions, such as "The Old Bay Road" or "Midnight Rock", remained unreleased.

The first single "Can I Sit Next To You Girl / Rockin" In The Parlour" was recorded in February 74 at the Sydney branch of EMI Studios. The song "Rock "N" Roll Singer" that appeared earlier was recorded there. The group was then produced by another representative of the Young family - George Young. He also did not hesitate to record bass parts.

A week after the studio sessions, while performing at the Chequers club, drummer Burgess became ill and soon left the group for health reasons and George Young took over the drums. Shortly after Burgess, Larry Van Knedt left the team. After that, bassists and drummers in AC/DC changed several more times.

A historic event in April 1974 was one of the AC/DC concerts in Sydney's Victoria Park, when Angus Young, at the suggestion of the same Margaret, first appeared on stage in his school uniform. True, then there was a telephone booth on the stage, in which, during the concert, Angus dressed up as a gorilla, Zorro and Super-Ang. The idea of ​​different costumes received support from the musicians, who decided to somehow stand out among other Australian bands. At the same time, Young Jr.’s famous jumps on stage appeared, which, by the way, he adopted from his idol Chuck Berry.

In July 1974, the single "Can I Sit Next To You Girl / Rockin" In The Parlour" was released in Australia and New Zealand on the Polydor label. In Australia, it immediately hit the charts and was celebrated with a small AC/DC tour of the country.

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Another historical event occurred in August of the same year: AC/DC was introduced to future vocalist Bon Scott (full name Ronald Scott), the former lead singer of Valentines with Bon, who was recovering from an accident at the time. In September, the last concert with Evans as vocalist took place in Melbourne, after which he left the group. At the same time, AC/DC was invited to work in Melbourne, where they collaborated with the Hard Rock Cafe and where in November 1974, a year after the founding of the band, the first album "High Voltage", produced by George Young and Harry Vanda, was recorded.

In January 1975, another important figure in the group's history joined AC/DC - Phil Rudd, who had previously played in a group called Buster Brown.

On February 17, the album "High Voltage" and the single "Love Song (Oh Jene) / Baby Please Don't Go" are released in Australia, which becomes the group's first hit and rises to tenth place in the Australian national chart. At the same time, after the presentation of the LP " High Voltage" at the Hard Rock Cafe in Melbourne, new bassist Mark Evans joined the band.

In the summer of 1975, AC/DC released the single "High Voltage / Soul Stripper", the second album "T.N.T." and receive superstar status, and the album "High Voltage" goes gold in Australia. Singles "It"s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock "n" Roll) / Can I Sit Next To You Girl", "It"s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock "n" Roll) )" (which, by the way, reached number 5 in the National charts in January 1976) was released in December 1975, and "High Voltage" had already become triple gold by that time. After this, the group signed a contract with the Atlantic recording studio in London, which would determine the fate of many subsequent AC/DC albums.

At the beginning of 1976, the band began recording their next album, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” and in the spring they released the single “T.N.T. / Rocker.” Composition T.N.T. enters the charts straight to second place. On March 27, another concert also took place, at which Angus exposed his butt for the first time.

In April, the singles "It"s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock "n" Roll) / Can I Sit Next To You Girl" and "High Voltage / Soul Stripper" were released in the UK and Germany, respectively, and in May "High Voltage" is released in the UK - a compilation of two LPs released in Australia. At the same time, several AC/DC concerts take place in Britain, including a four-song performance on BBC radio after AC/DC's Albion tour. return to Australia, where in July they record another famous single, “Jailbreak / Fling Thing”, released both in Australia and the United Kingdom. The last composition, by the way, is the national Scottish song. This period in the group’s work is characterized by a large number of tours and performances. , the release of the long-awaited album "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and the release of the album "High Voltage" in the United States.

In April 1977, AC/DC were invited to participate in a European tour in support of Black Sabbath. Then an incident occurred, after which AC/DC was expelled from the tour: Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler threatened Malcolm with a knife, after which he was punched in the face by the latter.

In May 1977, AC/DC was joined by a new bass player who still plays today: Cliff Williams, who had previously played in the band Home And Bandit. Already with him, the team begins preparations for a tour of the United States in support of “Let There Be Rock” released there. In August 1977, Angus received a device that was new at the time, which allowed him to connect his guitar at concerts without using wires. This transmitter was immediately tested at a concert in New York.

In September - October of the same year, AC/DC toured Europe, visiting, among other things, Belgium, where the crowd staged a real riot after local police tried to stop the performance. This incident later became the basis for the composition "Bedlam In Belgium". Also in October, a concert took place in London at Golders Green Hippodrome. The concert was filmed by the BBC's Sight And Sound program and broadcast simultaneously on Radio 1.

In December, AC/DC played a live concert at Atlantic Records in New York. Later this concert will be published by the same studio and will become a collector's item, becoming part of Bonfire.

In February '78, AC/DC's plans to tour Australia were thwarted - a group of fans from England and Cliff Williams were not given an entry visa by local authorities. After the incident, the musicians began recording a new album, which it was decided to call "Powerage", which was released in April. Also in the spring of 75, several AC/DC concerts took place in Australia: a live performance in the eccentric TV show “Countdown” with Bon Scott dressed as a schoolgirl, “Heavy Metal Nights” and performances for schoolchildren in the same Hard Rock Cafe and many others.

In September 1978, on ABC radio's Midnight Special, AC/DC played "Sin City", later included on the Volts album.

In January 1979, a preliminary presentation of one of AC/DC's most famous albums, "Highway To Hell", took place at Albrt Studios in Sydney. While recording compositions for the new album, the band changed several studios and producers, and Bon Scott also tried himself as a drummer. And yet, despite such chaos, the album "Highway To Hell", produced by John "Mutt" Lange, was released in the United States on July 30. It was already number 8 in the UK charts in August and was certified gold in November when sales reached 500,000 copies.

In December, AC/DC play two shows in one day in Paris at the Pavillion De Paris. The first was recorded in audio form and released on two discs as part of Bonfire under the title "Let There Be Rock - The Movie", and the second was published as the film "Let There Be Rock".

On January 20, 1980, AC/DC were invited to Cannes to present the awards for best album. Then "If You Want Blood You"ve Got It" and "Highway To Hell" went gold in France and silver in England, in addition, "Highway To Hell" went gold in Canada.

A month later, on February 20, 1980, at the Royal Hospital in London, Bon Scott's life was tragically interrupted. The previous evening, he had been left drunk in a friend's car and choked on his own vomit. In the morning, death was recorded as a result of an accident. On March 1, he was buried in Fremantle, Australia.

For a long time, AC/DC fans could not believe the death of the great vocalist. In the Soviet Union, for example, they composed the following poems:

Wake up, get up quickly, Bon Scott,

Look: the people are in mourning.

Get up, buddy, and carry it

Heavy AC/DC flag.

Soon AC/DC began searching for a new vocalist. Former Geordie singer Brian Johnson turned out to be a suitable candidate. It turned out that a 14-year-old fan wrote AC/DC a letter, which talked about his favorite singer from the group Geordie and how great he would look in the Australian lineup. At the rehearsal base in Pimlico, during an audition, he performed the compositions “Nutbush City Limits” and “Whole Lotta Rosie” directly with the group, which determined his future fate.

On April 8, Johnson was officially introduced as the new lead singer of AC/DC. Already in April - May in the Bahamas, the band began recording new material (those 15 songs that Bon Scott wrote before his death were rejected, because the musicians decided that Johnson should not sing them for reasons of morality and ethics, and Brian did not particularly argue ). So, a few weeks later, a new creation by AC/DC was released - “Back In Black” - an album that marked the beginning of a new period in the work of the ensemble that had already become super popular. It is published in the USA and England and almost immediately tops the charts, remaining there for two weeks in a row.

1979 - 80 was probably the peak of AC/DC's popularity. The musicians spent a lot of time in the studio and on tour, and new singles soared to the top of the charts, and concerts had one hundred percent attendance. In November 1980, AC/DC record sales reached 10 million copies, which was celebrated with a fantastic party at Cockney Pride in London. By the end of the year, all of the group's albums reached gold status in France ("Back In Black" then went platinum); a total of 2 million albums were sold in France at that time.

In 1981, AC/DC released "High Voltage" in Japan, after which they went to Australia, where they gave their first concerts in 4 years, which were a huge success. "Back In Black" sold 12 million copies, 5 million of which were in the United States.

In August '81, AC/DC headlined the second Monsters Of Rock festival in Donington, England, attracting 65,000 people. At the end of 1981, the single “For Those About To Rock We Salute You” was released, which led many charts in Europe and the USA for 3 weeks. Two weeks after its release in France, the single sold 400,000 copies.

April 1983 marked the beginning of a studio session for AC/DC to record compositions for the album, called "Flick Of The Switch". Then, in the Bahamas, 13 tracks were recorded, 3 of which remain unreleased to this day. In May, Phil Rudd left the band: this was due to his disagreements with the rest of the musicians and his addiction to drugs. He was replaced by Simon Wright. Already with him as a drummer, AC/DC released their new album, which is considered one of the heaviest in their entire history. In the USA he was listed in 15th place, and in England - in 4th.

On August 18, 1984, AC/DC headlined the eighth Monsters of Rock festival in Donington, having previously visited almost half of the European countries with the same festival. In October, the album "74 Jailbreak", consisting of only five songs, was released in a number of countries, after which recording of the album "Fly On The Wall" began.

In '85, AC/DC headlined the Rock In Rio festival in Rio De Janeiro in front of a crowd of three hundred thousand. The concerts are broadcast on television almost all over the world. In June 1985, total sales of AC/DC records reached 30 million units.

In September 1985, AC/DC found themselves at the center of a scandal involving serial killer Richard Ramirez. As it turned out, a cap with the AC/DC logo was found in his apartment, and the AC/DC song "Night Prowler" made him commit 16 murders. The press (especially in the USA) accused the musicians of worshiping the devil, and the authorities of the cities of Springfield and Dallas banned them from performing at their venues.

On May 27, 1986, the next single “Who Made Who” was recorded and released, and the album “Who Made Who” became the soundtrack to the Stephen King film “Maximum Overdrive” by Stephen King.

A year later, recording of the album "Blow Up Your Video" began, and in January - February 1988 it was released in Europe and the USA, in England taking 2nd place in the English charts.

In April 1988, Malcolm Young left the band for a while in order to cure his addiction to alcohol. And he was replaced by another representative of the Young family, Malcolm's nephew Stevie Young.

At the beginning of 1989, AC/DC began work on their next album. At this time, Simon Wright left for Dio, and his replacement was Chris Slade, who had previously worked in many bands, including Uriah Heep. He continued working on the next disc.

In 1989, a funny story happened in Panama related to the album “Highway To Hell”: American troops carried out an operation to eliminate the dictatorship of a local general and drug lord. He settled down in the Vatican embassy, ​​after which they began to smoke him out of there, installing powerful speakers on the street and turning on Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and much more. But this man gave up after listening to “Highway To Hell”. After this, Brian Johnson said that they probably would no longer be invited to tour the Vatican.

In the early 90s, AC/DC moved to Windmill Road Studios in Ireland to preview their new album. And already in the summer in Vancouver, Canada, they record "The Razor's Edge". Already in September, "Razor's Edge" appears in music stores in the USA, Europe and Australia. By October, the new brainchild of the group reaches 2nd place in the US charts when selling 3 million copies, and in Britain the album comes out in fourth place.

Meanwhile, "Back In Black" rapidly reaches the title of ten-time multi-platinum album, selling 10 million copies in the United States. The total sales of the group's discs were already 60 million copies.

On September 28, 1991, as part of the next festival "Monsters Of Rock / Rock Around The Block", AC/DC visited Russia together with Metallica. This event was called the “Tushinsky massacre”, when a concert of the above-mentioned groups took place at the Moscow airfield. About 500,000 people came to see the stars, from which AC/DC were protected by selected SA units. This concert was later released on video under the title "For Those About To Rock - Monsters In Moscow".

Shortly before this, a performance took place in the same Donington in good old England, also published on video as “Live At Donington”. This was also part of the Monsters of Rock festival and AC/DC was again the lead band.

In January - August '92, at a studio in Vancouver, AC/DC were working on creating the album "Live", which included only live compositions recorded during the band's world tour. As a result, the album was released on one CD, then a double CD (Live, Special Collector's Edition) appeared, which was included in Bonfire, as well as the video "Live At Donington".

On October 30, a somewhat unusual AC/DC single "Highway To Hell (Live) (Including Bonny Intro) - High Voltage (Live) - Hell Ain"t A Bad Place To Be (Live)." (Including Bonny Intro) appeared in Australia. “is on the double “Live” and it was recorded just before the composition “Highway To Hell”. And “Bonny” is nothing more than a song performed by the crowd to the accompaniment of Angus and dedicated to the untimely departed Bon Scott. (And in general, the original name of this national Scottish song is Loch Lomond (Scottish Air), after the name of a lake in Scotland). Soon “Live” becomes a platinum disc in the USA.

In early 1993, AC/DC recorded the song "Big Gun", which would be included on the soundtrack to the film "Last Action Hero" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the same time, a wonderful video clip for “Big Gun” was shot, starring A. Young, A. Schwarzenegger, B. Johnson and the rest of the team members. In one of the scenes in the video, the huge Arnold, dressed in shorts, a tie and a shirt, carries the small Angus around the stage in his arms.

In the summer of 1994, after Phil Rudd returned to the group, the musicians began recording new material at Sony studios in New York. Then, however, the work had to start again, as the team moved to the Ocean Ways studio in Los Angeles. At the end of August 1995, the new album "Ballbreaker" appeared - one of the most successful discs, the appearance of which coincided with another significant event: AC/DC received the Warner Music Int'l award, when the total sales of their creations reached 80 million copies. all over the world, with the possible exception of Australia and New Zealand.

In October 1995, "Ballbreaker" reached number 4 in the US and was certified platinum. Then, in April 1996, AC/DC went on a tour of Europe in support of the new album, during which on July 10 another fairly well-known concert “No Bull - Live Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas, Madrid” was recorded, held in Madrid. , Spain, in the bullring (Plaza De Toros).

Then, on July 5, the group gives a concert at the VH1 studio in London, where they play 12 compositions, some of which have never been performed by Johnson. On July 29, as part of the filming of the film "Howard Stern: Private Parts" in Bryant Park in New York, AC/DC play "You Shook Me All Night Long" - a song that dates back to the 80s is Stern's official anthem.

In the spring of 1997, AC/DC began work on the Bonfire Collector's Edition. The singles "Dirty Eyes" and "Bonfire" will be released soon. At the same time, "Back In Black" became a sixteen-time multi-platinum holder in the United States, its sales reached 16 million and it became the second best-selling hard rock album in America.

Then AC/DC continued to work on a new album and in the spring of 2000 they released “Stiff Upper Lip” to the world - the first album after a five-year break and the last to date. But the history of the great group continues, circulation is growing. AC/DC forever!