ACDC

Revision as of 20:17, 5 June 2008

AC/DC

AC/DC is a rock band formed in Sydney, Australia by Angus and Malcolm Young in 1973. AC/DC are considered pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal they consider themselves rock n roll.

AC/DC got their name from their sister Margret's sewing machine. "AC/DC" is an abbreviation for "alternating current/direct current", which indicates that an electrical device can use either type of power. Angus and Malcolm felt this symbolized the bands energy, performances, and love for music so they kept the name. There have been rumers that AC/DC stands for Anti Christ/Devil's Children or After Christ/Devil Comes.

Early Years of AC/DC

In November 1973, Malcolm and Angus Young formed AC/DC and recruited bassist Larry Van Kriedt, vocalist Dave Evans, and drummer Colin Burgess. AC/DC played their first gig at a club named Chequers in Sydney Australia on New Year's Eve, 1973. They were later signed to the EMI-distributed Albert Productions label for Australia and New Zealand. The early line up of the band changed often, Colin Burgess was the first member fired, and several bassists and drummers came and gone during the next year.

The Young brothers decided that Evans was not a suitable frontman for the group, because they felt he was more of a glam rocker. On stage, Evans was occasionally replaced by the band's first manager, Dennis Laughlin, who was the original lead singer with Sherbet. Meanwhile Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott, an experienced vocalist and friend of George Young's, Angus and Malcolm's other brother, was interested in becoming their vocalist.

In September 1974, Bon Scott replaced Dave Evans. The band had recorded only one single with Evans, "Can I Sit Next to You". "Can I Sit Next to You" was re-recorded with Bon Scott under the title "Can I Sit Next to You Girl".

By January 1975, the album High Voltage had been recorded. It took only ten days[20] and was based on instrumental songs written by Angus and Malcolm, with lyrics added by Scott.

A few months later, the lineup was stabilised which included singer Scott, guitarist Angus, guitarist Malcolm, bassist Mark Evans, and drummer Phil Rudd. In the same year they released another single Its A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock'n'Roll) which became their rock anthem.

AC/DC goes International

In 1976, AC/DC signed an international deal with Atlantic Records, and toured throughout Europe. The first AC/DC album to gain worldwide distribution was a 1976 compilation of tracks taken from the High Voltage and T.N.T. High Voltage, released on the Atlantic Records label, album sold three million copies worldwide, partly due to popularity with the British punk audience. The tracks were heavily weighted toward the more recent T.N.T. album, and included only two songs from their first album, Hihgh Voltage. The next album they released was called Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap which was released in 1976 too and track listings varied worldwide. AC/DC wasn't popular in the United States until 1981 so thats when Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was released there.

In 1977, AC/DC was recording their next album Let There Be Rock, when bassist Mark Evans left due to personal differences between Angus. Cliff Williams replaced him on bass and became backing vocals with Malcolm. AC/DC's first American exposure was through the Michigan radio station in 1977. The station's manager booked the band to play at Flint's Capitol Theater. The supporting act was MC5, who had just briefly reunited and agreed to play at the event. The band opened with their popular song "Live Wire" and closed with "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)".