There are rock bands. Then there is AC\/DC. Since exploding out of Sydney, Australia in 1973, the Young brothers and their rotating cast of road warriors have delivered one of the most consistent \u2014 and consistently loud \u2014 catalogues in rock history. No synthesizers. No ballads. No apologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brothers Malcolm and Angus Young formed AC\/DC in Sydney on New Year’s Eve 1973. Legend has it the name came from a sewing machine label \u2014 fitting for a band that runs on pure electrical energy. With Angus in his schoolboy uniform and Malcolm anchoring the rhythm from the shadows, the band built a ferocious reputation on the Australian pub circuit before taking the assault to the rest of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original lineup featured the magnetic Bon Scott on vocals \u2014 a wild, charismatic frontman who turned every song into a party invitation and every lyric into a smirk. Through the late ’70s, the band toured relentlessly, releasing a string of albums that grew heavier and more focused with each passing year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Rock and roll ain’t noise pollution… rock and roll is just rock and roll.” \u2014 AC\/DC<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tragedy and Triumph<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On February 19, 1980, the unthinkable happened: Bon Scott was found dead in London at 33. The rock world braced for the end of AC\/DC. Instead, the band made one of music’s most audacious decisions \u2014 they kept going. They found Brian Johnson, a gravelly-voiced Geordie with a voice like a buzzsaw wrapped in sandpaper, and headed straight back into the studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What they recorded would become the best-selling hard rock album of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Essential Albums<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n T.N.T.<\/strong> (1975) \u2014 Their second Australian release and the statement of intent. Raw, rough, and ready \u2014 the blueprint was in place. Key tracks: It’s a Long Way to the Top, T.N.T.<\/p>\n\n\n\n