Back in Black Song By Song

[Zzzptm]

Back in Black was the 7th studio album from Australian rockers AC/DC and their first with Brian Johnson, after the tragic loss of original singer Bon Scott. It was a smash hit for AC/DC and became the second best selling album of all time.

Critics disagreed on their reception of the album - some hailed it as the best expression of the blood and sweat of rock since Led Zeppelin II and others bemoaned the crude, unimaginative sexism in the lyrics. Over time, though, most everyone agreed that this album totally rocked out.

 

Side one
1.   "Hells Bells"   5:10
2.   "Shoot to Thrill"   5:17
3.   "What Do You Do for Money Honey"   3:33
4.   "Given the Dog a Bone"   3:30
5.   "Let Me Put My Love into You"   4:16
Side two
1.   "Back in Black"   4:15
2.   "You Shook Me All Night Long"   3:30
3.   "Have a Drink on Me"   3:57
4.   "Shake a Leg"   4:06
5.   "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution"

[Zzzptm]

HELLS BELLS

The opening bell sound kicks off the soundtrack to my 7th grade year, lol. This is not an intricate song, just the right three chords in the right order. Makes me want to bang my head and rock on out. It's no Tarot Woman or Neon Knights, but it's still one of the best album openers out there.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

Back in Black is an iconic album and deserves all the success it got. Sadly this was a last hurrah for AC/DC as they've never come anywhere near this good since. And even though Power Up was an improvement on other more recent albums it's still a pale shadow of their heyday.

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Hells Bells

Along with Whole Lotta Rosie, Highway to Hell and Touch Too Much, this is my favourite AC/DC song. I believe it was inspired by a massive thunder storm that the bands tour bus passed through, so is only loosely satanic!

It really has one of the best intros of any song, but I've always liked a song where the instruments come in separately. Atmospheric with the bells, this really rocks and helped influence my musical tastes around 1980 when I started to get into rock and metal.

[Tyr66]

I had read a very good article on Classic Rock where Brian told how he was inspired to write this song. it seems that was when they arrived at the studio in the Bahamas and during this time,  several tropical storms hit Nassau.
the first hearing of Hells Bells was very special because, being already a fan of the band and Bon Scott, I didn't know what to expect concerning the voice of the new singer. The knell sounding alone, the dramatic riff, an unforgettable moment as well as Johnson's first words surrounded by the ghostly shadow of Scott hovering above.
one of their best song.

[Zzzptm]

Doing a little musical research on our man Brian Johnson...

That's what he sounded like back in '72. They were going up against Slade and Sweet and Status Quo with a sound like that. Interesting. Lyrically, well, seems like it's not a thinkin' man's song, now is it?

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

^^^
Oh, those flairs! I remember them (never worn them!).

[Vyn]

Hells Bells - a friend of mine sold me a guitar right before this record came out. This song was so awesome it was the first one I learned to play. And the last one I learned to play lol. Fantastic opener, instantly recognizable, and certainly one of their best. Definitely less bluesy and more hard-rock than they were known for.

[Zzzptm]

SHOOT TO THRILL

Lyrics - I believe that Mr. Johnson is communicating that he is a desirable partner for intimate activities. At least that's the gist of his message.

Music - a great Angus Young riff and a beautiful little bridge part. This is AC/DC's "Woman From Tokyo". The riff pulled me in, but the bridge enchanted me. But even though there's a twist in the music, don't think that Mr. Young has gone prog on us all! Far, far, far from it. His rhythm work is spot-on and his solo work is hands-down awesome stuff.

[Vyn]

Shoot to Thrill - a nice tempo change from the opener. But "what" is he shooting and "who" is he thrilling?

A year or so after this record came out, a close friend of mine at the time was walking from his car one night to his house when he was jumped by several guys. One of them hit him in the head with a baseball bat, knocking him to the ground. The guy hit him two more times with the bat. The lot of them stole $12 from him. And his car keys, but not his car. He died from his injuries three days later.

This was his favorite song.

[Jack the Stripper]

^^^Thats a sad story. I hope they at least caught the perpetrators.

[Vyn]

^^^Thats a sad story. I hope they at least caught the perpetrators.

They were caught, the valueless cocksuckers. I didn't mean to toss a wet blanket on things, or derail it, but that song is hardwired in my mind with my friend because of what happened to him. It's weird, because nothing else on that record brings him to mind, just that one, and whenever I hear it I can see him sitting there listening to it and hear his voice telling me it's his favorite song.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

@Vyn

Nasty, utterly unnecessary business, hope they got what they deserved.


Shoot to Thrill

After Hells Bells this was a great way to continue. There's no ambiguity with the lyrics of this song or virtually any other song on this album... it's about makin' lurve! But nothing wrong with that!

It's a nice bluesy rocker, not the best on the album but not far short.

[Zzzptm]

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR MONEY HONEY

Real subtle title, there...

Like AC/DC cares about things like "subtlety". They've got some basic criteria: 1. Does it got a catchy riff? 2. Is there a fun chorus? 3. Does Angus give 'em a great show with his solo? For this song, it's yes, yes, and yes.

Tell you what, I wish there was a Motorhead cover of this tune, it'd be just as much fun as this.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

What Do You Do For Money Honey?

This is a pretty good song too. A nice uptemp boogie!

Quite crude lyrically, but not the worst on here (and I can't complain about the lyrics given some of groups I'm a fan of! ), but I am surprised the moral majority didn't complain more with this album!

[Vyn]

What Do You Do for Money, Honey

Energetic and catchy. Clearly not Gloria Steinem's favorite track