Problems playing the files? See media help.

Following the tour, Wright left the group to work on the upcoming Dio album Lock Up the Wolves , and was replaced by session veteran Chris Slade. Johnson was unavailable for several months while finalising his divorce, so the Young brothers wrote all the songs for the next album, a practice they have continued for all subsequent releases. The new album, The Razors Edge , was produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who had previously worked with Aerosmith and Bon Jovi. Released in 1990, it was a major comeback for the band, and included the hits "Thunderstruck" and "Are You Ready", which reached #5 and #16 respectively on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart, and "Moneytalks", which peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album went multi-platinum and reached the US top ten. Several shows on the Razors Edge tour were recorded as footage for the 1992 live album, entitled Live . Live was produced by Fairbairn, and is considered one of the best live albums of the 1990s. A year later, AC/DC recorded "Big Gun" for the soundtrack of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero , and was released as a single, reaching #1 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, the band's first #1 single on that chart.

In 1994, Angus and Malcolm invited Rudd to several jam sessions. He was eventually rehired to replace Slade, whose amicable departure arose in part due to the band's strong desire to again work with Rudd. In 1995, with the 1980—83 line-up back together, the group released Ballbreaker , recorded at the Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, California, and produced by Rick Rubin. The first single from the album was "Hard as a Rock". Two more singles were released from the album: "Hail Caesar" and "Cover You in Oil".

In 1997, a box set named Bonfire was released. It contained four albums; a remastered version of Back in Black ; Volts (a disc with alternate takes, outtakes, and stray live cuts) and two live albums, Live from the Atlantic Studios and Let There Be Rock: The Movie . Live from the Atlantic Studios was recorded in 1978 at the Atlantic Studios in New York. Let There Be Rock: The Movie was a double album recorded in 1979 at The Pavillon in Paris, and was the soundtrack of a motion picture, AC/DC: Let There Be Rock . The US version of the box set included a colour booklet, a two-sided poster, a sticker, a temporary tattoo, a keychain bottle opener, and a guitar pick.

Recent events: 2000–2008

In 2000, the band released their fourteenth studio album, Stiff Upper Lip , produced by George Young. The album was better received by critics than Ballbreaker , but was considered lacking in new ideas. The Australian release included a bonus disc with three promotional videos and several live performances recorded in Madrid in 1996. Stiff Upper Lip reached #1 in five countries, including Argentina and Germany; #2 in three countries, Spain, France and Switzerland; #3 in Australia; #5 in Canada and Portugal; and #7 in Norway, the US and Hungary. The first single, "Stiff Upper Lip", remained at #1 on the US Mainstream Rock charts for four weeks. The other singles released also did very well; "Safe in New York City" and "Satellite Blues" reached #31 and #7 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks, respectively.

In 2002, AC/DC signed a long-term, multi-album deal with Sony Music, who went on to release a series of remastered albums as part of their AC/DC remasters series. Each release contained an expanded booklet, featuring rare photographs, memorabilia, and notes. In 2003, the entire back-catalogue (except Ballbreaker and Stiff Upper Lip ) was remastered and re-released. Ballbreaker was eventually re-released in October 2005; Stiff Upper Lip was later rereleased in April 2007.

On July 30, 2003 the band performed with The Rolling Stones and Rush at Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto. The concert, held before an audience of half a million, was intended to help the city overcome the negative publicity stemming from the effects of a 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic. The concert holds the record for the largest paid music event in North American history. The band came second in a list of Australia's highest-earning entertainers for 2005, and sixth for 2006, despite having neither toured since 2003 nor released an album since 2000. Verizon Wireless has gained the rights to release AC/DC's full albums and the entire Live at Donington concert to download in 2008.

On October 16, 2007, Columbia Records released a double and triple DVD titled Plug Me In . The set consists of 5 and 7 hours of rare footage, and even a recording of AC/DC at a high school performing "School Days", "T.N.T.", "She's Got Balls", and "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)". As with Family Jewels , disc one contains rare shows of the band with Bon Scott, and disc two is about the Brian Johnson era. The collector's edition contains an extra DVD with 21 more rare performances of both Scott and Johnson and more interviews.

AC/DC will make their music rhythm video game debut with Rock Band 2 as "Let There Be Rock" was announced to be playable on the game's setlist at E3.

Black Ice

On August 18th, Columbia Records announced the October 20th release of AC/DC's widely-anticipated Black Ice , the band's first studio album in eight years. Black Ice features 15 new tracks from brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson, Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd. The album was produced by Brendan O'Brien at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, Canada.

"Rock 'n' Roll Train," the album's first single, will be released on August 28. On August 15, AC/DC recorded a video for a song from the new album in London with a special selection of fans getting the chance to be in the video. The video will premiere in September. AC/DC are set to kick off their first world tour since 2001 in late October.

Black Ice will be sold in the US exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club and ACDC.COM.

No Bull: The Directors Cut , a newly edited, comprehensive HD DVD of the band's July 1996 Plaza De Toros de las Ventas concert in Madrid, Spain, will be released on September 9.

Recognition

AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003. During the ceremony the band performed "Highway to Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long", with guest vocals provided by host Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. He described the band's power chords as "the thunder from down under that gives you the second-most-powerful surge that can flow through your body." During the acceptance speech, Brian Johnson quoted their 1977 song "Let There Be Rock".

In May 2003, Malcolm Young accepted a Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Service to Australian Music at the 2003 Music Winners Awards, during which he paid special tribute to Bon Scott.

On October 1, 2004, a central Melbourne thoroughfare, Corporation Lane, was renamed in honour of the band. However, the City of Melbourne forbade the use of the slash character in street names, so the four letters were combined. The lane is near Swanston Street where, on the back of a truck, the band recorded their video for the 1975 hit "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)". Additionally, a street in Leganés, Spain was named "Calle de AC/DC" on March 2, 2000.

In 2005, the Recording Industry Association of America upgraded the group's US sales figures from 63 million to 69 million, making AC/DC the fifth-best-selling band in US history and the tenth best selling artist, selling more albums than Madonna, Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson, just to name a few. The RIAA also certified Back in Black as double Diamond (twenty million) in US sales, and by 2007 the album had sold 22 million copies, which moved it into fifth place.

Band members

• Brian Johnson – lead vocals (1980–present)
• Angus Young – lead guitar (1973–present)
• Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1973–present)
• Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals (1977–present)
• Phil Rudd – drums, percussion (1975–1983, 1994–present)

Former members

• Dave Evans – lead vocals (1973–1974)
• Mark Evans – bass guitar (1975–1977)
• Bon Scott – lead vocals (1974–1980)
• Simon Wright – drums, percussion (1983–1989)
• Chris Slade – drums, percussion (1989–1994)

Discography

• High Voltage (Aus.) (1975)
• T.N.T. (1976)
• High Voltage (1976)
• Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Aus.) (1976)
• Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976)
• Let There Be Rock (Aus.) (1977)
• Let There Be Rock (1977)
• Powerage (1978)
• Highway to Hell (1979)
• Back in Black (1980)
• For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981)
• Flick of the Switch (1983)
• '74 Jailbreak (1984)
• Fly on the Wall (1985)
• Who Made Who (1986)
• Blow Up Your Video (1988)
• The Razors Edge (1990)
• Ballbreaker (1995)
• Stiff Upper Lip (2000)
• Black Ice (2008)

References

1. ^ "AC/DC". Enc