AC/DC's 'Back in Black' cracks all-time top 5

CNN ^ | 6/8/05 | CNN

[freedom44]

NEW YORK (Billboard) -- AC/DC's 1980 breakthrough "Back in Black" has been certified for U.S. shipments of 21 million copies, tying it for fifth place with Billy Joel's "Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & II" on the Recording Industry Assn. of America's all-time best-sellers list.

The Australian hard rock group's first album with lead singer Brian Johnson, who replaced Bon Scott following his alcohol-related death, "Back in Black" was originally released by Atco and was reissued in 2003 by Epic along with the rest of the band's catalog.

Joel's "Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & II" reached 21 million in 2000. The leader of the list remains "Eagles/Their Greatest Hits" (Asylum), last certified in 2002 at 28 million. In second is Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (Epic), which reached 27 million in an April RIAA accounting, followed by Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (23 million/1999; Capitol) and "Led Zeppelin IV" (22 million/1999; Atlantic).

[GOPyouth]

AC/DC made Def Lep possible

This is very true. Before Lep headlined, they were opening up for ACDC. If you check out their High n Dry cd, they sound very ACDCish.

Another bit of info...Mutt Lange, who was the brain-child behind High n Dry, Pyromania, Hysteria, and Andrenalize, was the producer for Back in Black. :)

By far, ACDC and Def Leppard are my favorite live bands.

[steve dubya]

who the hell is van hagar's singer now?

First it was spandex-wearin' high-kickin' David Lee Roth

Then it was Hagar with a mop on his head

Then it was the dude from the one-hit-wonder Extreme for about 5 minutes.

Then it was middle-aged, one-too-many-lines-of-coke-snortin' Diamond Dave again for about 3 minutes.

Then it was Hagar with a haircut again, I think.

Then Dave Navarro joined the band. Oh wait, that was the RH Chili Peppers...

[US_MilitaryRules]

Great band! My 14 year old son likes them too! Plays it all the time on his computer.

[ConservativeStatement]

An AC/DC song that is a true anthem and one of my faves:

AC/DC Lyrics - For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
We roll tonight
To the guitar bite

Stand up and be counted
For what you are about to recieve
We are the dealers
We'll give you everything you need
Hail hail to the good times
'Cause rock has got the right of way
We ain't no legend, ain't no cause
We're just livin' for today

For those about to rock, we salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you

We rock at dawn on the front line
Like a bolt right out of the blue
The sky's alight with the guitar bite
Heads will roll and rock tonight

For those about to rock, we salute you
For those about to rock, we salute you

We're just a battery for hire with a guitar fire
Ready and aimed at you
Pick up your balls and load up your cannon
For a twenty-one gun salute

For those about to rock - fire
We salute you

Shoot, shoot

We salute you
(Ain't gonna get tired, won't take a break, we salute you.)

[stands2reason]

I'll second STT as an awesome classic.

It never gets stale.

[BBell]

I remember reciting lyrics to "givin the dog a bone" and some girls thought I was making them up. They had heard the song but had never paid attention. With the vulgar crap out now those lyrics would now be considered tame.

[MikeD]

Same with the white album -- that one gets counted twice along with the Anthologies and the Red and Blue albums. Technically, only Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road should count as Diamond albums.

[MikeD]

All the best songs are about fat women. Fat bottom girls is another favorite from Queens distant past.

Big Bottom! Played on 3 bass guitars!

And I wouldn't call "Fat Bottom Girls" distant past -- Jazz was their next-to-last good album.

[MikeD]

Hard to think of another group (Deep Purple?) that changed frontmen and kept their audience, sound and quality.

Pink Floyd. OK, so their sound changed a *little* after Syd was fired, but they only became more popular. I'd say Genesis, but you really can't compare the Gabriel years to the Collins years. Two separate bands that shared a name and a rhythm section. I won't even go into the whole Fleetwood Mac thing...

[stands2reason]

A double album is counted twice.

[stands2reason]

Yeah, real American rock n' roll.

Only they're Irish. :-)

[Cloud William]

AC/DC also only wrote one political song that I know of.

"Burnin' Alive" which was a shot at Klinton.

There was a great line by Malcolm in the VH1 "Behind the Music" episode on AC/DC, too. He was talking about the lyrics censorship movement which had been stirred up in the '80s, and referred to Tipper Gore as a "twit". His venomous tone made me think that he had a stronger word in mind (but VH1 cut that line out after the first broadcast). LOL!

[mikegi]

All the best songs are about fat women. Fat bottom girls is another favorite from Queens distant past.

The best recent fat girl song is "Tonz of Fun" by Presence. The lyrics are a riot. Song isn't bad, either.

[CaliGirl-R]

Mutt is also married to Shania Twain :)


Bringin on the Heartache by Def Leppard. One of my favorites.

[Clemenza]

I never owned Thriller either. I thought I was the only one...

[Clemenza]

Rock and Roll Aint Noise Pollution

[Clemenza]

Highway to Hell is the based based on "Night Prowler" alone.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Party on the Patio.

[Clemenza]

"All in the name of Li-BAH-ty!"

If you ever get a chance to see the video, Angus looks like he's 12.

[Clemenza]

Joe Elliot has one of the worst voices in rock and roll. No range and he sounds like he's constipated. He squeals too. Like a pig. Like Ned Beatty.