AC/DC gave every mellowing influence of the 70s the slip and gifted the world with hard rock best played at top volume in a speeding car, possibly running through red lights though we’re certainly not advocating breaking any laws. But hypothetically speaking…yeah, rev up that engine in time with the guitar riffs and pedestrians better watch out. AC/DC earned a place in the pantheon of metal rock alongside greats like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin.

Australian brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed the band in 1973 playing lead and rhythm guitar, respectively, and recruited Larry Van Kriedt (bass), Dave Evans (vocals) and Colin Burgess (drums). After a few gigs, the band signed a record deal with an EMI subsidiary, which only distributed their albums in Australia and New Zealand. Soon thereafter replaced Bon Scott replaced Dave Evans; van Kriedt and Burgess also gave way to Mark Evans and Phil Rudd.  Their first two albums, High Voltage and T.N.T. became huge successes in the two countries and in 1976 the boys from Down Under set out to conquer the rest of the world. Their arsenal included hard guitar sounds and raunchy lyrics and by this time Angus had perfected his on-stage persona, the raucous exuberant man-child clad in a schoolboy uniform complete with cap and short pants.

The band’s line-up underwent a few more changes but continued to tour widely and amass a huge fan base in the U.S. and Europe. In 1978, they released Powerage, closely followed by the live album If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It. The following year, AC/DC hit the jackpot with Highway to Hell, an album that had more mainstream appeal while still providing head banging aplenty. Unfortunately, Bon Scott died in 1980 in true, alcohol-fueled, rock star fashion leaving the band to complete Back in Black without his edgy, raw vocals. Brian Johnson joined the group as the new front man and Back in Black became a best seller, going platinum a year after its release. The album includes such classics as You Shook Me All Night Long, Hell’s Bells and the title track, Back in Black.

The next album was For Those About To Rock We Salute You which reached #1 and launched two more favorite songs, Let’s Get It Up and the title track. The album was a commercial and critical success but also ushered in a less than stellar period in AC/DC’s history. The next few albums disappointed fans and it wasn’t until the quasi-compilation Who Made Who, featuring older AC/DC classic along with new tracks written for Stephen King’s directorial debut, Maximum Overdrive, hit the airwaves that light was glimpsed at the end of the tunnel. The Razor’s Edge followed in 1990 giving us hits like Thunderstruck and Moneytalks and signaling a comeback. The international tour in 1992 formed the basis for the excellent Live album, one of the best of that decade.

AC/DC released Bonfire in 1997, a box set tribute to the late Bon Scott, which included remastered songs, live cuts, alternate takes and two live albums. The latest album, Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000; the title track stayed in the #1 spot for a few weeks though all but the most loyal fans agreed that the album was nothing to screech about. The most loyal fans will simply remind us that AC/DC were inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and that the band’s name has graced the covers of millions of school notebooks, which is perhaps the true hallmark of rock immortality.