AC/DC

AC/DC are one of the best-selling rock bands of all time and a byword for loud, stripped-down hard rock. Formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, they have always called their sound simply rock and roll.

The early years

After the Australian-only High Voltage (1975) and a move to London, the band found its footing with Let There Be Rock (1977). Angus Young’s schoolboy-uniform stage look and Bon Scott’s snarling vocals became their trademark.

Highway to Hell and Back in Black

Highway to Hell (1979) broke them worldwide. After singer Bon Scott died in early 1980, the band nearly broke up, then carried on with new vocalist Brian Johnson and recorded Back in Black, a tribute to Scott that became one of the best-selling albums in history.

The classics

Albums like For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981) and The Razors Edge (1990) kept them on top, with “Thunderstruck”, “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Hells Bells” turning into stadium anthems. Bands across hard rock and metal, including Metallica, have covered “Highway to Hell”.

Still rolling

Founding guitarist Malcolm Young retired in 2014 after a dementia diagnosis and died in 2017. The band returned in 2020 with Power Up. They entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 and have sold more than 200 million records.

Most loved songs

A spread across the catalogue. Each title opens through the in-site player.

From a stadium chant to a riff you would know anywhere, the odds are good an AC/DC song has rattled your speakers. Type the line you remember into the search box above and you may find it leads back to them.