AC/DC have released the first single from their upcoming “Power Up” album. You can listen to “Shot in the Dark” below. The track features the band’s signature sound, with ripping guitars, a pulsating backbeat and the guttural howls of singer Brian Johnson. A teaser of the song surfaced last week. Rumors about AC/DC working on the follow-up to 2014’s Rock or Bust began in August 2018, when guitarists Angus and Stevie Young, singer Johnson, and bassist Cliff Williams plus drummer Phil Rudd were spotted at various times at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver.
Williams had previously announced his retirement upon the conclusion of the Rock or Bust tour; Rudd returns after legal issues prevented him from going on the road six years ago. Johnson was forced to leave the band in March 2016 after doctors advised him that hearing issues would probably worsen. The new record is the first to feature AC/DC’s most well-known line-up since Black Ice (2008). The band later picked up Axl Rose mid-tour to fill in on vocals. Not long after that tour with Rose, longtime bassist Williams also announced his departure. “It’s time for me to step out. That’s all…I’m just ready to get off the road,” he said at the time. Young says that the new album is a tribute to his brother. “This record is pretty much a dedication to Malcolm, my brother,” he said . “It’s a tribute for him like ‘Back in Black’ was a tribute to Bon Scott.”
The band recently said the new album was inspired by riffs created by late rhythm guitarist and co-founder Malcolm Young. “Angus and Malcolm had done riffs together all their life and really had a big box of them,” Johnson explained. “And Angus said he basically just went through them all and he went, ‘Oh, that’s a good one. This is a good one,’ and he brought them out. So, it really is true that Malcolm is on there, basically in spirit and all of that.”
AC/DC will release their comeback single ‘Shot In The Dark’ on Wednesday (October 7th), the band have confirmed. Previewed last week in the form of a short video clip the song is taken from the recently reunited upcoming bands new project “PWR UP”. AC/DC shared another short clip comprised of behind-the-scenes footage featuring brief appearances by all five members of the band Brian johnson, Angus Young. Stevie Young, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams. The teaser ends by confirming that ‘Shot In The Dark’ will be released as a single on Wednesday, with the song set to premiere at 5am UK time.
Speaking recently about the band’s upcoming new album — their first since 2014’s “Rock Or Bust” longtime AC/DC sound engineer Mike Fraser told the fans about how the bands song-writing and recording process this time around echoed the approach that was adopted on their last album.
“I think Angus Young, guitarist] kind of came into this with a lot of ideas and riffs and not too many completed songs,” Fraser said. “But that was similar on ‘Rock Or Bust’, ‘cos him and MalcolmYoung had written tons of songs before Mal got sick and eventually passed away in 2017.
“So he’s got a whole treasure trove of ideas and riffs and all that. He’s probably spent a few years before we came in to do this record pooling ideas together and all that, and then when he came into the studio here, he just sat down with a whole suitcase full of little demo things he had done. And him and Brendan O’Brien, who produced the record, would sift through all the ideas and say, ‘Hey, that’s great. That’s a really good song. Let’s put that riff here.’”
The brief preview of the predictably neck-snapping tune is highlighted by one of guitarist Angus Young’s signature heavy riffs, as well as snapshots of the reformed group’s members.
The single announcement comes after weeks of teases from the group, which is also welcoming the return of singer Brian Johnson, who stepped aside in 2016 on doctor’s orders due to hearing-loss issues. Late rhythm guitarist and co-founder Malcolm Young died in November 2017 at age 64, three years after he stepped down from the band due to complications from dementia.
Rock’s biggest-selling album ever — AC/DC’s Back in Black — is turning 40 years old this month,. In a joint effort with Gibson Guitars, we’re presenting “Back in Black 40th Anniversary: A Virtual Celebration”. The online stream will take place Friday, July 24th, premiering at 5:00 p.m.
Going into 1980, it most certainly seemed like it would be smooth sailing across the finish line for AC/DC. After several years of slowly climbing up the ladder of success Stateside and in Europe (they were already gigantic in their homeland of Australia), 1979 had perfectly set the stage for a bona fide worldwide breakthrough in the new decade.
Their last album, Highway to Hell, had peaked at No. 17 in the US and went gold (while the album’s anthemic title track reached No. 47 on the singles chart), and the band — then comprised of singer Bon Scott, guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams, and drummer Phil Rudd — were about to make the transition from opener to arena headliner. And then …tragedy struck.
Well-known for his fondness for partying and in particular, for alcohol, Scott was found dead on February 19th, 1980, at the age of 33 in the backseat of a car in London (his death certificate lists the cause as “death by misadventure” — for many years it was assumed caused by alcohol, but in recent times, the possibility of a heroin overdose has come to light). A decision was eventually made by the surviving members to carry on, with former Geordie singer, Brian Johnson, officially being named Scott’s successor on April 1st. Soon after, Johnson and his new bandmates (and the producer behind Highway to Hell, Mutt Lange), congregated at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to get to work on AC/DC’s next studio LP. By May, the sessions had wrapped up, and on July 25th, the world was given one of rock’s all-time classic (and largest-selling) recordings, Back in Black.
AC/DC’s landmark 1980 LP, “Back in Black”, turns 40 years old on July 25th, and they’re marking the occasion by releasing vintage videos from the era on YouTube. The newest one is a performance of “What Do You Do for Money Honey” from a February 1981 show at Nippon Seinenkan in Tokyo.
Original AC/DC frontman Bon Scott died slightly less than one year before this show in Tokyo, and this was their first time on the road with singer Brian Johnson. It’s a rare live video where Johnson isn’t wearing his trademark newsboy hat. He is wearing an Ohio State University shirt, which he probably picked up when the group played Columbus, Ohio, five months earlier.
While all 10 of the album’s tracks crediting both the Young brothers and Johnson as the sole composers, it later surfaced that Scott had some sort of involvement in the genesis of the material (at the very least, playing drums on a few demos — with others going so far as to allege he may have contributed a bit lyrically). But either way, the end result was simply stunning, as Back in Black (whose title was an obvious nod to their recently deceased bandmate) rocked hard from front to back — one of the rare albums where not a single weak track was included. probably more so than on any other AC/DC album, the classics outweigh the lesser compositions, including four songs that have never left their setlists (nor rock radio playlists) since their initial unveiling: “Hells Bells”, the title track, “You Shook Me All Night Long”, and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”. And then there are tunes that would probably be most other bands’ A-listers — “Shoot to Thrill”, “What Do You Do for Money Honey”, and “Have a Drink on Me” .
There was initially some skepticism about whether or not AC/DC could flourish without Scott, but all doubts were put to rest the second that Back in Black hit. It was their biggest album to date, and songs like “Hells Bells,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Back in Black,” “Shoot to Thrill,” and “Rock & Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” have been at the center of their live show for the past 40 years. “What Do You Do for Money Honey” has gotten slightly less love. They last played it on the 2001 Stiff Upper Lip tour.
The future of AC/DC is somewhat of a mystery at the moment, but there is photographic evidence that the group spent time at a Vancouver recording studio in 2018, suggesting that drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Cliff Williams, and Johnson are back in the fold. By the conclusion of the Rock or Bust tour in 2016, they had all departed from the group for various reasons. There were widespread rumours of a new album and tour earlier this year, but it’s quite possible that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed their plans.
unlike certain rock albums that storm the charts and then become largely forgotten over time (or sound increasingly dated as the years progress), Back in Black has possessed incredible staying power in the consciousness of rock fans. So much so that at last count (December 2019) the album has sold a staggering 25 million copies … in the US alone. Looking back on Back in Black 40 years after its original release, it remains impressive both how the band was able to assemble and record the album so soon after the death of Scott and also how they happened to locate the perfect replacement behind the mic (something that is quite difficult to do in most cases.
Tom Compagnoni’s film The Forgotten Sydney Of AC/DC is launched online – features archive footage and interview clips with band’s early members,
A new documentary exploring AC/DC’s early days in Sydney has been launched online. The project was helmed by Tom Compagnoni and features archive footage along with interviews with early band members Dave Evans, Mark Evans, Noel Taylor, Rob Bailey and Tony Currenti. The Forgotten Sydney of AC/DC sees them sharing their recollections from the mid-70s, including rehearsals, filming their first video at Cronulla’s The Last Picture Show, and the moment Angus Young first appeared in his famous schoolboy uniform at Victoria Park Pool.
A statement on the film reads: “AC/DC was indisputably born and bred in Sydney but there aren’t the statues, plaques and laneways that other cities have to show the origins of one of the biggest rock bands of all time.
“Take a high-voltage trip through Sydney and learn about the forgotten haunts and the story that shaped AC/DC.”
The film also has footage from after Malcolm Young’s funeral in the city, while the guys lament the decline of Sydney’s live music scene.
The story of AC/DC’s formative years in Sydney is told through the recollections of early members Mark Evans (bass player 1975-77), Noel Taylor (drummer 1974) and Rob Bailey (bass player 1975-75). They recall band rehearsals and social events at the Young family home in Burwood, seeing Angus first don his schoolboy outfit at Victoria Park Pool, filming the first video clip in The Last Picture Show in Cronulla and recording their first album at Albert Studios on King St in the heart of Sydney.
Meanwhile in Penshurst, Tony Currenti, an Italian immigrant and owner of Tonino’s Penshurst Pizzeria, tells the story of how he unexpectedly became the drummer on AC/DC’s debut album, High Voltage. After completing work on the album, Tony declined an offer to formally join the band – and then watched as they became one of the biggest groups in the world. Tony still works in the pizza shop, its walls lovingly adorned with AC/DC posters, records and photos from his brief time in the band.
All members reflect on Sydney’s role in shaping AC/DC and more generally on the decline of Sydney as a live music hub.
Earlier this month, Vocalist Brian Johnson sent a message to AC/DC fans during the online Bonfest celebrations.
There’s been much speculation about his return to the fold after he was forced to stop touring with AC/DC back in 2016.
He appeared to confirm his return to the band back in January last year after being spotted outside a Vancouver studio with drummer Phil Rudd in August 2018.
MALCOLM YOUNG, guitarist and co-founder of AC/DC, died Saturday at the age of 64. Malcolm had been suffering with dementia for the past three years, an illness that forced his retirement from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band he founded with his brother Angus Young in 1973. Malcolm Young last performed live with AC/DC on tour in June 2010 at a concert in Bilbao, Spain.
“Today it is with deep heartfelt sadness that AC/DC has to announce the passing of Malcolm Young,” AC/DC wrote in a statement. Young was the “driving force” behind rock band AC/DC . Young was born in Glasgow in 1953, but his family emigrated to Sydney, Australia, 10 years later. Young’s elder brother George found fame first with his band the Easybeats, before going on to produce for AC/DC. He died last month, aged 70.
Three years ago the band announced Young was stepping down to receive treatment for dementia. Shortly afterwards he retired permanently, to be replaced by one of his nephews, Stevie, for the band’s most recent tour.
Even before AC/DC concluded their Black Ice tour on June 28th, 2010 in Bilbao, Spain, they were aware that there was a problem with founder Malcolm Young’s health.
As his brother Angus said in November 2014, Malcolm had issues with memory and concentration since before they started work on their 2008 album, but he was still able to participate in the recording and the promotion of the record. “[Malcolm] was still capable of knowing what he wanted to do. I said to him, ‘Do you want to go through with what we’re doing?’ And he said, ‘S—, yeah.’”
During the tour, which lasted nearly two years, Malcolm “got good help, good medical care,” Angus continued, even though he had to relearn many of the songs he wrote,
Stevie had also briefly replaced his uncle on the Blow Up Your Video world tour in 1988 tour while Malcolm sought treatment for alcoholism.
Eddie Van Halen has lamented on Twitter it was a “sad day in rock and roll”. “Malcolm Young was my friend and the heart and soul of AC/DC,” he said. “I had some of the best times of my life with him on our 1984 European tour. He will be missed and my deepest condolences to his family, bandmates and friends.”
Ozzy Osbourne, of Black Sabbath and solo fame, has also remembered Young as a friend. “So sad to learn of the passing of yet another friend, Malcolm Young. He will be sadly missed. God Bless @ACDC,” the singer wrote on Twitter.
From their first release in 1975, High Voltage, two years after the formation of the band, up until their final album, Rock or Bust, Young and his younger brother, Angus, were credited as co-writers on all AC/DC tracks.
The Fat Angel Sings 