Back in Black
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| Back in Black | ||
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| Missing image Backinblack_thumb.jpg Album cover | ||
| Album by AC/DC | ||
| Released | August 2, 1980 | |
| Recorded | 1980 | |
| Genre | Hard rock | |
| Length | 41 min 31 s | |
| Record label | Epic Records | |
| Producer | Mutt Lange | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Q review | 4 stars out of 5 | December 1994 (http://www.q4music.com/nav?page=q4music.review.redirect&fixture_review=124962&resource=124962&fixture) |
| Q list | Appears on Best Metal Albums | August, 2000 p.126 (http://www.buy.com/retail/proreviews/product.asp?sku=60590750&loc=109&PageFormat=7) |
| Rolling Stone review | 4 stars out of 5 | October 3, 2002 p. 108 (http://rollingstone.com/reviews/cd/review.asp?aid=48532&cf=) |
| Mojo review | Favorable | December 2000 p. 84 (http://www.buy.com/retail/proreviews/product.asp?sku=60590750&loc=109&PageFormat=7) |
| Uncut review | 5 stars out of 5 | September 2003 p. 123 (http://www.buy.com/retail/proreviews/product.asp?sku=60590750&loc=109&PageFormat=7) |
| Popmatters.com review | Favorable | April 14, 2003 (http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/a/acdc-back.shtml) |
| 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, released in 1980 (see 1980 in music). After the success of Highway to Hell, their previous album, AC/DC began developing this particular album when lead singer Bon Scott died of alcohol poisoning. When Scott was replaced by Brian Johnson, the album was redone from scratch; with songs such as "Hell's Bells", "Have a Drink on Me" and the title track it became a loose concept album on the theme of mortality and hedonism. The album (a breakthrough one for the band) became a huge success in the US and elsewhere. PopMatters' Adam Williams claims that Back in Black 's importance in the development of 1980s music cannot be "overstated" [1] (http://popmatters.com/music/reviews/a/acdc-black.shtml); the album revitalized popular music and helped make radio-friendly heavy metal and hard rock music possible.
There have been some interesting tribute albums released that have been entirely dedicated to Back in Black - one example being Back in Baroque... The String Tribute to AC/DC released in 2003. US death metal outfit Six Feet Under released their second covers album Graveyard Classics 2 in 2004, which was also an entire remake of Back in Black.
In 2003 the TV network VH1 named Back in Black the 82nd greatest album of all time.
In 2003 the Recording Industry Association of America certified the classic "Back In Black" album as Double Diamond (20,000,000) sales in the US.
In 2005 "Back in Black" was certified by the RIAA as the fifth best-selling album ever sold, tying it with Billy Joel's "Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & II" with 21 million copies sold.
| Contents |
Track listing
- "Hells Bells" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 5:09
- "Shoot to Thrill" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 5:14
- "What Do You Do for Money Honey" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 3:33
- "Given the Dog a Bone" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 3:30
- "Let Me Put My Love Into You" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 4:12
- "Back in Black" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 4:13
- "You Shook Me All Night Long" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 3:28
- "Have a Drink on Me" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 3:57
- "Shake a Leg" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 4:03
- "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" (Johnson/Young/Young) - 4:12
Personnel
- Brian Johnson - lead vocals
- Angus Young - lead guitar
- Malcolm Young - rhythm guitar
- Cliff Williams - bass guitar
- Phil Rudd - drums
- Benji Armbrister - Assistant Engineer
- Bob Defrin - Art Direction
- Robert Ellis - Photography
- Ted Jensen - Remastering
- Tony Platt - Engineer
- Brad Samuelsohn - Mixing
- Jack Newber - Assistant Engineer
Chart positions
Australian album chart No. 1 [2] (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3601266&cat=201049&type=4&dept=4104&path=0%3A4104%3A4118%3A5096%3A22734) United Kingdom album chart No. 1 [3] (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3601266&cat=201049&type=4&dept=4104&path=0%3A4104%3A4118%3A5096%3A22734)
Billboard Music Charts (North America) - album
1980 Pop Albums No. 4 1990 The Billboard 200 No. 126
Billboard (North America) - singles
1980 You Shook Me All Night Long Pop Singles No. 35 1981 Back In Black Mainstream Rock No. 51 1981 Hells Bells Mainstream Rock No. 50 1981 Shoot To Thrill Mainstream Rock No. 60 1981 Back In Black Pop Singles No. 37
References
- Walmart.com (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3601266&cat=201049&type=4&dept=4104&path=0%3A4104%3A4118%3A5096%3A22734) review of Back in Blackhu:Back in Black