| 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[1] | |||
| Length | 42:11 | |||
| Label | Albert/Atlantic Records | |||
| Producer | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | |||
| AC/DC chronology | ||||
|
||||
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock 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 album was recorded 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 as part of 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 to date, making it the third 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 an Australian musical act.[2][3][4][5] On 13 December 2007, the RIAA certified it 22× Multi Platinum, recognizing sales of 22 million in the United States.[6]
Contents |
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, with the Young brothers composing the music and Johnson writing the lyrics.[7] It contains some of AC/DC's biggest hits, including "Hells Bells", "Shoot to Thrill", "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 Chart, the highest placing of any song on the album.
The album was recorded at the Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas. It was not easy for the band, as their equipment was initially held up by customs, and the island was overcome with tropical storms that wreaked havoc on the studio's electricity. Johnson reported having trouble adjusting to the environment, and even referenced the bad weather on the opening lines of "Hells Bells" ("I'm rolling thunder, pourin' rain. I'm comin' on like a hurricane. My lightning's flashing across the sky. You're only young but you're gonna die.").[7]
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. Atlantic Records disagreed with the cover, but accepted if the band put a grey outline around the AC/DC logo.[7] 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.[8] Despite its massive commercial success, it is not AC/DC's highest charting album in the U.S, peaking at number 4; their next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, hit number 1 in 1981,[9] 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 number 6 in the Parents Music Resource Center Filthy Fifteen list in 1985.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [10] |
| Blender | [11] |
| Robert Christgau | (B-)[12] |
| Rolling Stone (1980) | (favorable)[13] |
| Rolling Stone (2005) | [14] |
Critical response to the album was overwhelmingly positive; it is present on many "best of" lists. Commercial response was even more positive. 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. Michael Jackson's Thriller is the only album that has sold more copies.
In 1989, it was ranked number 26 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the '80s. 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 number 2 on the greatest hard rock albums. In 2003, the album was ranked number 73 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at number 9 in its list of the 40 Best Albums of the '80s.[15] It was listed at No. 2 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums, in October 2010.[16]
The album is the second best-selling album worldwide,[17] behind only 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. (behind Michael Jackson album Thriller, Eagles album Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975), and Led Zeppelin album Led Zeppelin IV). The album stayed in the Billboard chart for 131 weeks. The album, however, did reach number 1 in Australia and the United Kingdom. In April 2010, the album re-entered the Billboard charts at number 181.
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 on the Backtracks box sets. One thing to note about both videos is the original 1980 video features drummer Phil Rudd, who appears on the actual track, while the 1986 video features drummer Simon Wright who replaced Rudd in 1983. However, Rudd would return to the group in 1994. This isn't the first time Wright appeared in an AC/DC video for a track originally recorded with Rudd. Rudd appeared on AC/DC's 1983 release Flick Of The Switch while Wright appeared on the tour and videos for that album. "Let Me Put My Love into You" still remains unreleased but can be viewed on YouTube.
Back in Black was included among a group of 15 DualDisc releases that were test marketed in two cities in the US: Boston and Seattle. The DualDisc has the standard album on one side, and bonus material on the second side.
The DualDisc version was subsequently reissued in a commercial version that is somewhat different than the rare test market version:
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ö3 Austria Top 40[20] | 6 |
| UK Albums Chart[21] | 1 |
| US Billboard 200[22] | 4 |
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
| Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart | 1 |
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
| RIANZ Album Top 50[23] | 24 |
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
| Norwegian Album Charts[24] | 8 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
| Finnish Albums Chart[25] | 9 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
| US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums[22] | 1 |
| Year | Single | Chart | Position[26][27] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States | 22× Multi-Platinum[28] |
| Argentina | Platinum[29] |
| Austria | Platinum[30] |
| Canada | Diamond[31] |
| Germany | 2×Platinum[32] |
| France | 2×Platinum[33] |
| Switzerland | 2×Platinum[34] |
| 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 and 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 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||