Nacimiento de AC/DC

AC/DC se formó allá por 1973 en Sydney, Australia. Los hermanos Malcolm y Angus
Young.

Inicialmente la banda tenía como vocalista a Dave Evans, aunque sus fanáticos dividen la
historia de AC/DC en la de Bon Scott (1974-1979) y la de Brian Johnson (1980-actualidad).

Los hermanos Malcom y Angus, ambos Australianos de nacionalidad escocesa decidieron

formar una banda de rock and roll y gracias a su hermano mayor George Young, que
alcanzó la fama con su grupo The Easybeats por los 60', lograron introducirse en el ámbito
musical.

En el 73', después de que desapareciera el grupo de Malcom, Velvet Underground, formó

junto a su hermano AC/DC y Margaret, la hermana de Angus, le sugirió el nombre AC/DC,
que lo vio escrito en el enchufe de una aspiradora, para la banda.

Tras idas y venidas en la batería y el bajo de la banda, la formación quedó formada por
Angus y Malcolm Young en guitarras líder y rítmicas respectivamente, Mark Evans en bajo,
Phil Rudd en batería y Bon Scott a la voz (reemplazando a Dave Evans).

Bon Scott ayudó a fomentar la imagen violenta del grupo. Tenía varios delitos menores y
fue rechazado del ejército por estar desadaptado socialmente. Durante su carrera
combinaron la agresividad y la imaginería violenta, todo ello salpicado de un peculiar
sentido del humor.
Sus primeros discos realizados en Australia fueron High Voltage (1974) y TNT (1975) y sus
primeros dos singles: "Rockin in the Parlour" y "Baby please don't go". El material de
ambos discos sirvió para elaborar el High Voltage en Estados Unidos y en el Reino Unido.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap apareció al año siguiente y en otoño de 1977 AC/DC lanzó
Let There Be Rock.

Más tarde AC/DC estaría de gira con artistas como Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Rush,
Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent, Heart, Scorpions, Molly Hatchet, Ronnie Montrose,
Nazareth, UFO, Journey, Foreigner, Van Halen, Styx, Blue Öyster Cult, Alvin Lee, Rainbow,
Savoy Brown, REO Speedwagon, The Doobie Brothers, Thin Lizzy, y The Who entre otros.

En 1979, después del lanzamiento de Powerage (1978) con Cliff Williams editaron Highway
To Hell, que fue sin dudas, el disco que los lanzó al estrellato. Éste álbum se convirtió en
su primer LP en vender un millón de copias y actualmente figura en la lista de los 200
álbumes indispensables elaborada por la revista Rolling Stone. El tema principal del
disco, "Highway to Hell", se acabaría convirtiendo para muchos en todo un himno del Rock
and Roll de finales de los '70.

La etapa con Bon Scott

El núcleo de la banda se formó básicamente por los hermanos Young, dos jóvenes
australianos de origen escocés que decidieron crear una banda de rock and roll. Gracias a
su hermano mayor George Young, que alcanzó la fama con su grupo pop The Easybeats
en los 60', Malcolm y Angus pudieron introducirse en la música. Después de que
desapareciera su grupo The Velvet Underground (nada que ver con Lou Reed), Malcolm
formó en 1973 AC/DC en Sydney. Margaret, la hermana de Angus, le sugirió a éste el
nombre de la banda, AC/DC, que vio escrito en el enchufe de una aspiradora.[4]

Tras diversas variaciones en la batería y el bajo de la banda, la formación quedó formada

por Angus y Malcolm Young en guitarras líder y rítmicas respectivamente, Mark Evans en
bajo, Phil Rudd en batería y Bon Scott a la voz (reemplazando a Dave Evans). Scott había
formado parte de otros grupos de distintos estilos, como Fraternity, The Spektors y The
Valentines. Más importante, ayudó a fomentar la imagen violenta del grupo. Tenía varios
delitos menores y fue rechazado del ejército por estar desadaptado socialmente. Y AC/DC
estaba desadaptada socialmente. Durante su carrera combinaron la agresividad y la
imaginería violenta, todo ello salpicado de un peculiar sentido del humor.

Sus primeros dos singles fueron: "Rockin in the Parlour" y "Baby please don't go". El grupo
realizó en Australia dos discos: High Voltage y TNT, en 1974 y 1975. El material de ambos
discos sirvió para elaborar el High Voltage en Estados Unidos y en el Reino Unido. Dirty
Deeds Done Dirt Cheap apareció al año siguiente y en otoño de 1977 AC/DC lanzó Let
There Be Rock. Al año siguiente se incorporó Cliff Williams con Powerage (1978). Todos
estos álbumes fueron producidos por Vanda y George Young. El ambiente de sus
conciertos fue captado en "If you want blood, you've got it". AC/DC se fue de gira con
artistas como Alice Cooper, Rush, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Boston, Black Sabbath, Cheap
Trick, Heart, Scorpions, Molly Hatchet, Ronnie Montrose, Nazareth, UFO, Journey,
Foreigner, Van Halen, Styx, Blue Öyster Cult, Alvin Lee, Rainbow, Savoy Brown, REO
Speedwagon, The Doobie Brothers, Thin Lizzy y The Who.
Lo que realmente les abrió las puertas del éxito fue Highway To Hell (1979), producido por
Mutt Lange, para muchos el mejor álbum de los australianos y que alcanzó el puesto 17º
en las listas americanas y el 8º en las británicas, convirtiéndose en su primer trabajo en
conseguir un millón de copias vendidas. Este álbum figura en la lista de los 200 álbumes
indispensables elaborada por la revista Rolling Stone. El tema principal del LP, la canción
"Highway to Hell", se acabaría convirtiendo para muchos en todo un himno del Rock and
Roll de finales de los '70.

Cuando todo parecía ir muy bien (AC/DC tenían éxito en ventas en Europa y los Estados
Unidos) la desgracia cayó sobre el grupo una noche londinense, 19 de febrero de 1980, en
que perdieron a su vocalista. La causa de la defunción de Scott fue de ahogamiento en su
propio vómito a consecuencia de una intoxicación etílica. Algunos dicen que se ahogó
cuando estaba parado en un semáforo mientras circulaba con su auto por vía pública, pero
no hay muchos datos sobre este hecho.

La Etapa con Brian Johnson

Tras la muerte de Bon Scott la banda se plantea su continuidad pero finalmente reclutaron
a Brian Johnson. El inglés provenía de la popular banda británica Geordie y se dice que era
el vocalista preferido de Scott. Johnson se encontraba sin grupo y meditaba si continuar en
el mundo musical.

Sin embargo, aceptó el reto y entró con el resto de compañeros a grabar lo que sería uno
de los discos de los años 1980: "Back In Black", disco dedicado a Bon Scott y también bajo
la producción de Mutt Lange. Las cifras alcanzadas por este álbum son notables: en
Estados Unidos, encabezó la lista de ventas durante 5 semanas, manteniéndose durante
otras 20 en el Top 10, y estando en total 131 en el Top 40. Transcurrido un año, había
rebasado los 5 millones de ventas en este país, y hasta la fecha la RIAA certifica 22
álbumes de platino para Back in Black, lo que se traduce en más de 22 millones de copias
vendidas en EEUU. A nivel mundial, las ventas de este LP se estiman superiores a los 40
millones de copias. Por todo ello figura en la segunda posición de la lista de los LPs más
vendidos de la historia.

El éxito del Back in Black disparó las ventas de todos sus álbumes anteriores, desatando
una "fiebre" por AC/DC. Aprovechando el boom, el disco "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
fue relanzado en marzo de 1981 en EEUU (donde no había sido publicado en 1976, como
se hizo en Australia y Gran Bretaña), permaneciendo 55 semanas en la lista de los 40 más
vendidos, y obteniendo en 2001 su sexto disco de platino. Asimismo, todos los álbumes
anteriores de la banda habían superado el millón de copias en julio del mismo año. En
noviembre de 1981, salió a la calle For Those About To Rock: We Salute You,que sacaria a
relucir el exito con el mismo nombre, este fue producido al igual que los dos álbumes
anteriores por Mutt Langue. Recibió una buena acogida entre los fans, pero no así entre la
crítica. Obtuvo también buenas cifras de ventas, con 1 millón de copias vendidas en su
primera semana, y en 2001 confirmó su cuarto álbum de platino en EEUU.

En mayo de 1983, Phil Rudd (batería) fue sustituido por Simon Wright. Los motivos por los
que Phil dejó AC/DC no se aclararon del todo, rumoreándose que había tenido una pelea
con Malcolm a causa de sus problemas con el alcohol. Tras este relevo, en agosto vería la
luz un nuevo LP: "Flick of the Switch". Sería el primer disco producido por Angus y
Malcolm. Este álbum hizo decaer el status comercial del grupo de manera muy notable. En
octubre de 1984 editarían "'74 Jailbreak" un mini-LP con varias canciones inéditas y que
conmemoraba los 10 años de existencia de la banda. En junio de 1985 aparece "Fly On the
Wall" , considerado por algunos como el peor disco de AC/DC, también producido por los
hermanos Young.

En mayo de 1986 se publica "Who Made Who", primer recopilatorio de AC/DC

especialmente realizado para la película de Stephen King "Maximum Overdrive", y que
obtuvo unas ventas razonablemente buenas. En enero de 1988 volverían a la carga con
"Blow Up Your Video", producido por Vanda y George Young. El disco no obtuvo el éxito de
principios de los 80. Durante el tour de 1988, por causas personales, Malcolm Young es
sustituido por su sobrino Stevie Young (Stevie solo sustituiría a Malcolm durante la gira
americana). En noviembre de 1989 Simon Wright abandona el grupo para incorporarse a
Dio y es sustituido por Chrish Slade.

Con The Razor's Edge (1990), producido por Bruce Fairbairn volvieron, casi 10 años
después, a todo lo alto de las listas de ventas (77 semanas en la lista de los 40 de EEUU y
5 millones de copias vendidas hasta la actualidad) lanzandos por el éxito "Thunderstruck".
Angus Young y Campino, cantante de la banda de punk rock Die Toten Hosen, en 2001.
Aumentar
Angus Young y Campino, cantante de la banda de punk rock Die Toten Hosen, en 2001.

En 1993 lanzan el single "Big Gun" para el soundtrack de la película "The Last Action
Heroe" protagonizada por Arnold Schwarzenegger, que luego saldría en el videoclip de la
banda.

En verano de 1994 vuelve Phil Rudd a la batería, luego de que la banda y el tuvieron un
reencuentro después de un concierto, Malcolm pudo perdonar a Phil y le pidio que volviera,
asi en otoño de 1995 lanzaron Ballbreaker, producido por Rick Rubin, entró en las listas en
el número 4 y vendió un millón de copias en los primeros seis meses con su single "Hard
As a Rock". "Stiff Upper Lip" le siguió a principios de 2000, álbum con el que volvieron a los
sonidos que más les influenciaron durante su juventud. Actualmente están a punto de
publicar un nuevo álbum de estudio.

Desde el 22 de marzo del 2000, AC/DC tiene una calle en Leganés (Madrid) llamada "Calle
de AC/DC", a cuya inauguración asistieron Malcolm y Angus con gran expectación de
público y fans. El mismo día de la inauguración la placa fue robada y repuesta a las dos
horas. Tres días después fue de nuevo robada y actualmente es incontable el número de
veces que ha sido sustraída. Ante esta situación el Ayuntamiento de Leganés decidió sacar
a la venta dichas placas para satisfacer las ansias de los fans. Esta anécdota fue expuesta
en la película española "ISI/DISI, Amor a lo bestia" dirigida por Chema de la Peña y
protagonizada por Santiago Segura y Florentino Fernández.

En el año 2003 AC/DC fue inducido al Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. En octubre de 2004 la
ciudad de Melbourne también hizo honor a la banda con una calle, la "ACDC Lane", al
aprobar el Ayuntamiento la sustitución del nombre anterior: "Corporation Lane". Inscribieron
"ACDC" porque la normativa de la ciudad no permite usar determinados símbolos como la
barra "/" en los nombres de sus calles.

En el año 2005 se lanza el dualdisc de Back in Black y el DVD Family Jewels, que es una
recopilación de los videos del la banda desde 1973-1990.

MIEMBROS DE LA BANDA

Angus Young
Nacido el 31 de marzo de 1955 en
Glasgow, Escocia, es un guitarrista de
música rock que es miembro y fundador
de la banda australiana AC/DC desde la
formación del grupo en 1973.

Agregar comentario - 20 comentarios

Bon Scott
Todo sobre el primer cantante de AC/DC, que
hoy es toda una leyenda.

Agregar comentario - 4 comentarios

Brian Johnson
El hombre que cargó con la responsabilidad de
ser la voz de AC/DC. Marcó un antes y un
después en la banda.

Agregar comentario - 9 comentarios

Malcom Young
Malcolm Mitchell Young (6 de enero de
1953, Glasgow, Escocia - ) es miembro
fundador y el guitarrista rítmico de la banda
de rock duro AC/DC.
 Agregar comentario - 3 comentarios

Cliff Williams
La base fundamental de la banda que, junto con
el baterista, conforma el sustento rítmico de
AC/DC!

Agregar comentario - 2 comentarios

Phill Rudd
Sus golpes a la batería son toda una marca
registrada. Su vida, sus pasos por AC/DC, su
legado. Todo lo que necesitás saber sobre
él.

GALERIA DE FOTOS
Angus Young

Bon Scott
Brian Johnson

Malcom Young

Cliff Williams

Phill Rudd
 THE EARLY YEARS
Chequers, the subterranean nightclub in Sydney had hosted anyone who was anyone in the
international entertainment world, but there was something particularly special about the band that
took the stage for the first time on New Year's Eve 1974.

Their name was AC/DC.

Rock and roll was dying and Malcolm Young wanted to recreate the sort of excitement his heroes
like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino, The Who and The Stones had generated.

The band's secret weapon was Malcolm's young brother, a tiny manic guitarist by the name of
Angus who looked like he was still at school but who had obviously been taking advanced levels in
his guitar classes.

With their name taken from the power outlet on the family vacuum cleaner, some wrongly assumed
it to be a reference to the bisexuality of the band members, a situation that saw them play a number
of gay bars where they won over the patrons with their sheer energy.

Their electrifying live show saw Angus not just in a schoolboy uniform but also occasionally dressed
as Zorro and even Spiderman.

In July 1974, the band's first single, "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" backed with "Rockin In The
Parlour," was released in Australia.

The single, which was produced by Harry Vanda and George Young, was well received.

Later, when the band were in Adelaide as part of their relentless touring schedule, they met up with
Bon Scott who, at the time, was recovering from a near fatal motorbike accident.

Bon immediately and not too surprisingly fell in love with AC/DC. He knew he could do better than
their singer at the time and proved it beyond any reasonable doubt one night while still in Adelaide
when he took total command of the microphone.
The band officially united with Bon for the first time back in Sydney at Rockdale Masonic Hall in
early October 1974.
It was a stunning debut. Bon seemed he had always been in the band. Without question, Bon and AC/DC had found
in each other the proper union.

No time was wasted and in November the band recorded its debut album, High Voltage, in Sydney's Albert Studios,
with Vanda and Young again handling production.

Once the album was completed they made the thousand mile move south to Melbourne, a logical one given that at
the time Melbourne was the rock and roll capital of the country.

Much to the chagrin of their neighbours, the band's base at Lansdowne Road, St Kilda quickly became a 24 hour
non-stop party zone.

By mid March, with drummer, Phil Rudd and bassist, Mark Evans recruited, the band made their legendary
appearance on the TV show Countdown doing a version of the blues classic, "Baby Please Don't Go" from their High
Voltage album. Bon came on dressed as a schoolgirl complete with tattoos and chest hair in full view.

With constant gigging - sometimes doing up to five shows a day - AC/DC were soon a phenomenon in Melbourne,
with performances at the 5,000 capacity Festival Hall turning into exercises in mass hysteria.

Similarly, a performance at a city department was closed down due to safety concerns when 6,000 fans turned up
and all hell broke loose.

The band's national standing grew to a commanding one with the December 1975 release of their TNT album, which
featured the classic "It's A Long Way To The Top" and saw the band sign a worldwide recording deal with Atlantic
Records in London.

AC/DC was flying high, but that didn't stop them from getting a flat bed truck from which to perform "It's A Long
Way To The Top" while doing laps through downtown Melbourne.

Shortly after they took to the skies, flying out of Australia bound for London in early April 1976 for their first UK tour
in support of the High Voltage album, a compilation of the band's first two efforts, which was released in the UK
soon after.

Again, constant touring coupled with a month long residency at the famed Marquee starting in July saw their
popularity swell dramatically.

In September, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was released in Australia. In the same month, AC/DC got their first US
release as High Voltage finally hit American shores.

The first half of 1977 saw great activity in the AC/DC camp with the release of the Let There Be Rock album,
another tour of the UK and Europe along with the recruitment of new bassist, Englishman, Cliff Williams.

Let There Be Rock was released in America in June and in late July the band kicked-ff their first tour of the US
where over the next few months they played to ever increasing crowds.

It would be five months before Let There Be Rock came out in the UK where the band was now hugely popular.

In early December, AC/DC played a historic live to air show from the Atlantic Recording Studios in New York City
which resulted in the promotional only album, Live At Atlantic Studios.

The band's blistering schedule resumed with the recording of the Powerage album, which was released in May, just
weeks after the band's incendiary late April appearance at the sold out Apollo in Glasgow, which was immortalised
on the If You Want Blood You've Got It live album released late that year. It remains, to this day, one of the
greatest live albums ever recorded.

But it was the August 1979 release of Highway To Hell, which in a first for the band was produced by Mutt Lange
and not by Vanda and Young, that really kicked open the doors. It was everything that AC/DC had always promised
to be.

A taste of the incredible power and energy of what AC/DC were unleashing at the time from stages across the map
was captured in the movie Let There Be Rock, which was recorded in Paris late in 1979.

AC/DC were on the brink of something huge. No argument.

 THE HEIGHT OF FAME
Just as they were prepared to finally capitalise on all of their years of hard work and long nights on the road, AC/DC
experienced tragedy with the sudden death of their singer Bon Scott on 19 February 1980. The shattering news
brought with it the possibility that the band would stop in its tracks, but in honor of the man who would have
wanted them to continue, they decided to soldier on with Bon in mind.

Replacing Bon was an impossible task, but in Brian Johnson they found someone just as special, unique and earthy.
In fact, Brian was perfect for AC/DC right from his first audition, at which he and the band tore through "Nutbush
City Limits" and "Whole Lotta Rosie".

Brian officially joined the band in April, starting a new chapter in the group's history. AC/DC would remain the band
that everyone knew and loved, but with Brian onboard they were soon to be known on a level never before
dreamed. But first came the recording of their next album.

With the pain and sense of loss felt by Bon's sudden passing, tempered by the energy Brian brought to the group,
AC/DC arrived at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas set to make what would become one of the greatest rock
n' roll albums ever created. Back In Black, with the classic "Hell's Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Rock and
Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" and, of course, the title track, "Back In Black," was an undeniable tour de force.

Audiences were quick and warm in their embrace of Brian on the band's first proper tour of the decade, which
began in July 1980 with a massive 64 date trek. Back In Black, which like Highway To Hell was produced by Mutt
Lange and was dedicated to Bon, was released late in the month.

The impact was as immediate and powerful as the album itself. The album sold so strongly that it was decided to
finally release Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in America just to satisfy the stateside demand for the band.

Within twelve months of its release, Back In Black had catapulted AC/DC to international fame as sales of the album
tipped the scales at 12 million units. That 65,000 people traveled to see AC/DC in the headlining spot at Castle
Donington's Monsters Of Rock festival in the UK on 8 August 1981 came as no surprise to anyone. AC/DC wasn't
heavy metal, but they could out-gun and out-rock anyone, at anytime, in anyplace and from any genre. And on that
August night in 1981, in front of 65,000 attendees, they did just that.

The band's next album, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), had the unenviable task of following in the wake
of the juggernaut that was Back In Black. Produced once again by Mutt Lange, it was released in November 1981
and somehow managed to pick up where Back In Black left off a year earlier, rocking fans across the globe with all
the power of a hurricane.

The tour that followed was the band's biggest in terms of audience attendance, staging and - thanks to the addition
of on-stage cannons which thundered to life during the new album's title track - it was also the loudest to date,
which after the ear-shattering Back In Black tour was no small feat.

After the sessions for the band's Flick of The Switch album, which like Back In Black was recorded in the Bahamas,
drummer Phil Rudd left the band and was replaced by Simon Wright.

Flick Of The Switch, released in August 1983, saw the band return to a grittier, back-to-basics sound favored by
Malcolm Young, who acted as primary producer on the album. MTV friendly it wasn't, but it was never meant to be.
Quite the contrary.

A return to Castle Donington for a second headlining spot at the Monsters of Rock festival in the UK, supported by
the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen and Motley Crue, was part of the touring schedule that followed in the wake
of Flick Of The Switch's release.

The Fly On the Wall album, produced by Malcolm and Angus Young, appeared in June 1985 with a host of classic
fist-in-the-air-anthems, like "Sink The Pink" and "Shake Your Foundations," in tow. However, just as the band was
set to start their tour of America in support of the release, fate and a gruesome crime spree stepped in.

In September, ludicrous claims appeared in the news media that Los Angeles serial killer Richard Ramirez's
murderous actions were incited by "Night Prowler", the closing song from AC/DC's 1979 release, Highway To Hell.
The accusations were seized upon by politicians, churches and community leaders who wildly labeled AC/DC as the
devil's advocates and picketed the band's concerts, forcing their ban in some cities. The tour turned into a true
highway to hell for the band though through no fault of their own.

The Who Made Who album, released in May 1986, found the band with no such distractions despite its legitimate
ties to a horrific figure of an entirely different kind. The album, a soundtrack to the Stephen King written and
directed Maximum Overdrive film, was a collection of classic tracks, such as "You Shook Me All Night Long" and
"Hell's Bells," mixed with new material recorded with Vanda and Young. The master horror author, and huge fan of
the band, was thrilled to have AC/DC release its latest album in conjunction with his film. So were fans, as the
soundtrack's single, "Who Made Who," became not only the anthem for many a Saturday night but gave the band
one of its most enduring radio hits to date.
The video for the title track was filmed at London's Brixton Academy with the help of a sea of Angus look-a-likes.
Even we admit, at times it's difficult to tell just who the real Angus is.

Next up was the 1988 release of Blow Up Your Video, the first AC/DC album since 1978's Powerage to be produced
entirely by the Vanda and Young team. The subsequent world tour saw the band play in Australia after a seven year
absence. Accordingly, there were riotous scenes from overly enthusiastic fans from the moment tickets went on
sale. The excessively exuberant behaviour would continue into the tour itself.

After years on the road, an exhausted Malcolm decided to sit out the grueling six month tour of America that band
undertook between May and November of that year and was replaced temporarily from within the family, so to
speak, by Stevie Young, the accomplished guitar-slinging nephew of Malcolm and Angus.

By year's end, Malcolm was fully rested and back in action with plenty of ideas, Simon Wright had left the band and
Chris Slade joined in his place for what would be the band's biggest album since Back In Black.

RENEWED POPULARITY
AC/DC kicked off the nineties with a huge bang and a desire to take absolutely no prisoners. Malcolm was back and
firing on all cylinders and with his return all of the band's energy was directed towards The Razor's Edge album,
which featured new drummer, Chris Slade and which would go on to spawn several huge hits, including
"Thunderstruck".

Produced by Bruce Fairbairn, The Razor's Edge was released in September 1990 and in the wake of the relatively
quiet sales of the band's past few albums it roared into action on the world charts, clocking up sales of three million
copies in America alone in just a matter of weeks.

Following the huge demand for the band's latest release was the public's near insatiable desire to see the AC/DC in
concert live, forcing the band to plot a world tour which was so extensive in American and Canada that it had to be
split into three legs. When the smoke cleared, the band had performed nearly 100 shows. Beyond any reasonable
doubt, AC/DC were back in a very big way.

The Razor's Edge world tour saw the band revisit familiar territory, as they did with their third headlining
appearance at the massive Monsters of Rock festival in the UK in August 1991, resulting in the spectacular Live at
Donington DVD, as well as introduced them to new audiences, as was the case when the band made their first ever
appearance in Russia on the 28th of September. The band appeared in Russia to perform at a free concert, which
attracted a reported 1.2 million people. The crowd was so enormous that it extended to the horizon in every
direction. AC/DC, never ones to vocalize social comments of any kind, made an enormous statement merely with
their presence. Their reception was more than a little humbling, even for a band that built a career out of never
placing themselves above their fans.

Even more than past tours, The Razor's Edge trek saw the band play to diverse crowds, including those who only
knew of AC/DC from Back In Black, which by now had sold ten million copies in America alone; those for who the
tour was their AC/DC baptism, and who would never be the same again; and, of course, those who had followed the
band from the beginning and would never miss a chance to see their favorite band in action. Entire generations of
fans were turning out for the shows. Fathers brought sons and even grandsons to see the masters demonstrate how
it was meant to be done. AC/DC were now more than just the most electrifying rock & roll band on the planet, they
were an institution that spanned social divides and age groups.

Given the enormous success of the tour, it seemed only fitting that fans received something more than lifelong
memories and temporary hearing loss from the show, which they did with the release of AC/DC Live. The live
album, recorded at various concert stops around the world, was released in October 1992. It was the band's first
live album featuring Brian Johnson and it captured AC/DC doing what AC/DC and only AC/DC can do very loud and
very live.

In June of 1993, the band swung back into action with a one off song titled "Big Gun," AC/DC's contribution to
soundtrack for the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, The Last Action Hero.

The song had a fresh, stripped down, lean magic that the band hadn't tapped into in many years. In keeping with
the band's newly rediscovered back-to-basics style, it was decided in 1994 that the band should re-recruit drummer
Phil Rudd, who had driven AC/DC's backbeat so powerfully before departing the band with the 1983 release of Flick
Of The Switch.

It was quite a moment; the classic AC/DC lineup was back together for the first time in 12 years.

The Ballbreaker album that followed in the wake of the reunion was produced by arch-fan Rick Rubin. The
September 1995 release lived up to the promise of Phil Rudd's return with such soon to be classics as "Hard As A
Rock," which includes what is perhaps Angus Young's only (and very brief) vocal in the chorus. For the album's
cover art, the band tapped the legendary Marvel Comics illustrative team. The release of an actual AC/DC comic
were conceived, but unfortunately never materialized.

The Ballbreaker tour swept away any disappointment with a show that delivered precisely what the album's name
none-too-subtly promised. The No Bull � Live Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas, Madrid home video, which was filmed
by music video innovator David Mallet on 10 July 1996, is a first class demonstration of what all the fuss, noise and
sheer excitement of the Ballbreaker tour was about.

Much like The Razor's Edge, the Ballbreaker tour had been a sweat-drenched-spectacular with highlights including a
performance for 120,000 rabid fans in Buenos Aires and, amazingly, a first in the down under, where the band
performed for the first time ever in Darwin, Australia.

In November 1997, the band paid tribute to the fallen Bon Scott with the release of Bonfire, a boxed set which paid
homage to Bon while acknowledging Brian's huge contribution to the AC/DC legend. In a tribute to all the band had
achieved with Brian, the set included a new version of the classic Back In Black, which by now had sold 16 million
copies in America alone. In honor of Bon, a number of earlier releases which were previously unavailable finally saw
the light of day. Among these was the famed 1977 Atlantic studios radio broadcast, the scorching soundtrack to the
movie, Let There Be Rock and alternate earlier versions of classic songs like "Whole Lotta Rosie," which was
originally titled "Dirty Eyes."

The set in no way meant to finally put Bon's presence as AC/DC's onetime frontman to rest, but rather, it aimed to
permanently install him upfront as the band's co-driver, while giving fans new and old a chance to hear Bon in full-
flight, at the peak of his abilities. The set aptly demonstrated what everyone around the band knew: Bon's spirit
was never far away from AC/DC and no one in the band wanted it any other way.

As the decade came to a close, the band found themselves condemned by The Pope. Divine recognition; Bon would
have loved it.

RECENT EVENTS
If Razor's Edge and the subsequent massive world tour tapped into an entirely new generation of
fans, by 2000 AC/DC were nothing short of a global phenomenon with magazines that had
previously written the band up - and off - as a joke now clamoring for a cover. And, with the
release of Stiff Upper Lip in February 2000 that mania reached a new level.

Maybe part of the excitement was due to the band dialing in George Young to produce an album
for the first time since 1988's Blow Up Your Video. George's sagely presence always brought out
the very best in Malcolm and Angus and Stiff Upper Lip was no exception with songs like
"Satellite Blues" and the classic title cut.

Not only did the album chart quickly and strongly around the world, but it brought with it
unforeseen honours, including the christening of a street in Madrid, Spain as Calle De AC/DC
that March, later to be joined by Melbourne's AC/DC Lane.

And with the new millennium, the band began to cross boundaries it had previously drawn
around itself, agreeing to perform on Saturday Night Live for the first time and to participate in
an MTV event titled AC/DC@MTV.

In September 2000, the accolades continued to come as the band was inducted into the
Hollywood Rock Walk on Hollywood Boulevard, where their handprints will remain in cement for
all time. Bon Scott would have loved it.

And the accolades were well deserved as the band continued to outdo themselves on all fronts,
especially where touring was concerned. The Stiff Upper Lip tour proved to be an even bigger
behemoth than those that had come before during the band's Back In Black and For Those
About To Rock eras.

Such was the demand to see the band live that in June and July 2001, as part of their second leg
in Europe, AC/DC took to playing a number of enormous football stadiums in previously visited
regions just to try and satisfy leftover demand.

Even after everything AC/DC had achieved throughout their career, this was an amazing feat.
To document the massive undertaking, the band filmed their Munich show and released it as the
Stiff Upper Lip Live DVD before the year was out. After popping the disc into their DVD players,
fans were treated to an introduction in which a gigantic Angus tore through the cities of the
world. And soon, the real Angus found himself in the presence of giants of another stripe.

In February 2003, Malcolm and Angus were in Sydney when The Rolling Stones came into town.
In a dream come true for the brothers who had idolized the pioneering English act as
youngsters, Malcolm and Angus joined their boyhood heroes onstage at the Enmore Theatre to
for a rousing rendition of the blues classic, "Rock Me Baby".

It wouldn't be the last time that year that Malcolm and Angus would share the stage with The
Stones nor would it be the last of the surreal circumstances the brothers found themselves in.

In March, AC/DC was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Aerosmith's Steven
Tyler introduced the band, referring to their power chords as "the thunder from down under that
gives you the second most powerful surge that can flow through your body," before joining them
onstage for "You Shook Me All Night Long". The event, which took place at New York City's
upmarket Waldorf Astoria Hotel in front of the cream of the music industry, was a long way from
playing four sets at night until four in the morning at Chequers in Sydney in the early seventies.
It was a big deal, but not quite as big as what came next.

In July 2003, AC/DC and The Stones crossed paths again when they joined the band for Toronto
Rocks, the largest ticketed single-day event in history, which convened 490,000 concert-goers in
Downsview Airfield to benefit sufferers of SARS.

The 2005 DVD release of Family Jewels kept the ball rolling and acted as an absolute revelation
for AC/DC fans of all persuasions, packed as it was with rare TV and concert footage featuring
both Bon Scott and Brian Johnson. It was a dream come true, only this time for the fans. Little
wonder it became one of the biggest selling music DVDs of all time.

The 2007 release of the Plug Me In DVD boxset set continued and expanded upon the Family
Jewels concept, providing impossible to find archival footage of the band that had fans all over
the globe pinching themselves to make sure they weren't, in fact, dreaming.

In March, AC/DC was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Aerosmith's Steven
Tyler introduced the band, referring to their power chords as "the thunder from down under that
gives you the second most powerful surge that can flow through your body," before joining them
onstage for "You Shook Me All Night Long". The event, which took place at New York City's
upmarket Waldorf Astoria Hotel in front of the cream of the music industry, was a long way from
playing four sets at night until four in the morning at Chequers in Sydney in the early seventies.
It was a big deal, but not quite as big as what came next.

In July 2003, AC/DC and The Stones crossed paths again when they joined the band for Toronto
Rocks, the largest ticketed single-day event in history, which convened 490,000 concert-goers in
Downsview Airfield to benefit sufferers of SARS.

The 2005 DVD release of Family Jewels kept the ball rolling and acted as an absolute revelation
for AC/DC fans of all persuasions, packed as it was with rare TV and concert footage featuring
both Bon Scott and Brian Johnson. It was a dream come true, only this time for the fans. Little
wonder it became one of the biggest selling music DVDs of all time.

The 2007 release of the Plug Me In DVD boxset set continued and expanded upon the Family
Jewels concept, providing impossible to find archival footage of the band that had fans all over
the globe pinching themselves to make sure they weren't, in fact, dreaming.