Back in Black

Back In Black
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
AC/DC chronology
Highway to Hell (1979) Back in Black (1980) For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981)

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 made 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 in 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.

The album has sold an estimated 49 million copies worldwide copies to date worldwide, making it the second highest selling album of all time, and the best selling hard rock or heavy metal album, 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

Overview

After the success of their previous album, Highway to Hell, Bon Scott and company began developing a new album. Some of the songwriting had been completed when Scott died unexpectedly from alcohol poisoning. When Brian Johnson became lead singer, the group decided to finish the songwriting they had started under Scott and Back in Black was the final result. It contains some of AC/DC's biggest hits, including "Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long", and the title track "Back in Black". The final song on the album, "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" reached number 15 on the UK singles charts, the highest placing of any song on the album. 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 49 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 No. 4; their next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, hit No. 1 in 1981[8] as did the band's 2008 album Black Ice. However, it hit number 1 on the UK charts.

The song "Let Me Put My Love into You" was rated No. 6 in the Parents Music Resource Center Filthy Fifteen list in 1985.

Reception

 Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 5/5 stars[9]
Blender 5/5 stars[10]
Robert Christgau (B-)[11]
Rolling Stone (1980) (favorable)[12]
Rolling Stone (2002) 4/5 stars[13]
Rolling Stone (2005) 5/5 stars[14]

Critical response to the album was overwhelmingly positive; being put on multiple "best of" lists. Commercial response was even larger. Selling over 22 million copies in the United States and 49 million copies worldwide, it is the highest selling album by any band and the highest selling hard rock album of all time; taking second place for highest selling album, it was only beaten out by Michael Jackson's "Thriller".

Legacy

In 1989, it was ranked No. 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. VH1 also rated Back in Black one of the greatest comeback albums of all time and No. 2 on the greatest hard rock albums. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 73 on Rolling Stones's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at No. 9 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s".[15] On, July 21, 2010 93.3 WMMR Philadelphia had a poll for fans to choose which side of the vinyl they wanted played on the 30th anniversary of the album. Side 2 was chosen but due to fans' response the album was played in its entirety.

Sales

The album is the second best selling album worldwide, only behind Michael Jackson's Thriller, and the best selling album ever made by a band. The album was successful around the world, but never reached number one on the Billboard 200, making the 22x Platinum distinction, denoting 22 million albums sold, especially unique and making it the fourth highest selling album in the U.S. The album stayed in the Billboard chart for 131 weeks. The album did reach No. 1 in the United Kingdom. In April 2010, the album re-entered the Billboard charts at No. 181.

Music videos

The band recorded six music videos for the album which were recorded in Breda, in the Netherlands. The songs they used for the six videos were "Back in Black", "Hells Bells", "What Do You Do for Money Honey", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Let Me Put My Love into You" and "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", and were basic performance videos. Most of these remained officially unreleased until "Back in Black", "Hells Bells", "What Do You Do for Money Honey", and "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution", as well as the 1986 video for "You Shook Me All Night Long" which was filmed for the Who Made Who album, were released on the Family Jewels DVD. The original video for "You Shook Me All Night Long", however, was later released on the promo DVD Back in Black The Videos and in the Backtracks box sets. "Let Me Put My Love into You" still remains unreleased but can be viewed on YouTube.

Track listing

Side one
  1. "Hells Bells" – 5:10
  2. "Shoot to Thrill" – 5:17
  3. "What Do You Do for Money Honey" – 3:33
  4. "Givin' the Dog a Bone" – 3:30
  5. "Let Me Put My Love into You" – 4:16
Side two
  1. "Back in Black" – 4:14
  2. "You Shook Me All Night Long" – 3:30
  3. "Have a Drink on Me" – 3:57
  4. "Shake a Leg" – 4:06
  5. "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" – 4:15

Personnel

Production

Chart performance

Albums

Year Chart Position[8][16][17]
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 [18]

Singles

Year Single Chart Position[19][20]
1980 "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" UK Singles Chart 15
"You Shook Me All Night Long" US Billboard Hot 100 35
"You Shook Me All Night Long" UK Singles Chart 38
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

Certification

Country Sales Certification
United States 22,000,000 22x Platinum
Canada 5,000,000 5x Platinum
Germany 1,000,000 2x Platinum[21]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ 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. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Levine, Robert (2008-10-12). "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. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "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. 
  4. ↑ "How AC/DC Conquered the Globe". The Irish Times. 2009-06-27. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0627/1224249636218.html. Retrieved 2009-12-03. 
  5. ↑ AC/DC The Encyclopedia, by Malcom Dome and Jerry Ewing ISBN 978-1-84240-436-2
  6. ↑ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS
  7. ↑ "Top 100 Albums". Recording Industry Association of America. 2006-07-31. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblTop100. Retrieved 2007-02-01. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "AC/DC discography". Rock Detector. http://rockdetector.com/discography,111.sm. Retrieved 2007-02-01. 
  9. ↑ Allmusic.com review
  10. ↑ Blender review
  11. ↑ Robert Christgau review
  12. ↑ Rolling Stone review (1980)
  13. ↑ Rolling Stone review (2002)
  14. ↑ Rolling Stone review (2005)
  15. ↑ Q August 2006, Issue 241
  16. ↑ "Charts & awards – Billboard albums". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:lxfibkj96ak9~T30. Retrieved 2007-02-01. 
  17. ↑ "Number 1 Albums – 1980s". Every Hit. http://www.everyhit.com/numberalb4.html. Retrieved 2007-02-01. 
  18. ↑ Suomen virallinen lista
  19. ↑ "Charts & awards – Billboard singles". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:57d6vwrva9xk~T31. Retrieved 2007-01-29. 
  20. ↑ "Every Hit". http://www.everyhit.com/. Retrieved 2007-02-01. 
  21. ↑ "Gold/Platin-Datenbank" (in German). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank_beta/. Retrieved January 10, 2010. 

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
9–15 March 1981		 Succeeded by
Greatest Hits
by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
AC/DC
Brian Johnson · Angus Young · Malcolm Young · Cliff Williams · Phil Rudd
Bon Scott · Dave Evans · Peter Clack · Rob Bailey · Simon Wright · Chris Slade · Mark Evans
Studio albums
High Voltage · T.N.T. · High Voltage (international version) · Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap · Let There Be Rock · Powerage · Highway to Hell · Back in Black · For Those About to Rock We Salute You · Flick of the Switch · Fly on the Wall · Blow Up Your Video · The Razors Edge · Ballbreaker · Stiff Upper Lip · Black Ice
Compilations
'74 Jailbreak · Volts · Bonfire · Backtracks
Live albums
If You Want Blood You've Got It · Live · Live from the Atlantic Studios · Let There Be Rock: The Movie – Live in Paris
Soundtracks
Who Made Who · Iron Man 2
Video albums
AC/DC: Let There Be Rock · Fly on the Wall · Who Made Who · AC/DC · Clipped · Live at Donington · For Those About to Rock · No Bull · Stiff Upper Lip Live · Live '77 · Family Jewels · Plug Me In''
Production
Vanda & Young · Harry Vanda · George Young · Mutt Lange · Bruce Fairbairn · Rick Rubin · Brendan O'Brien
Tours
For Those About to Rock Tour · Flick of the Switch/Monsters of Rock Tour · Fly on the Wall Tour · Who Made Who World Tour · Blow Up Your Video World Tour · Razors Edge World Tour · Ballbreaker World Tour · Stiff Upper Lip World Tour · Black Ice World Tour
Related articles
Discography · Awards and nominations · ACDC Lane · Angus Bucks · Members · Tribute albums · AC/DC Remasters
Wikipedia book Book · Category Category · Portal Portal