AC/DC Celebrates 50th Anniversary With Vinyl Reissue
First the comeback concert tour, now AC/DC announces a reissue of its catalog on wax.
In celebration of 50 years rocking, the legendary Australian band will release its full set of albums, pressed on “vibrant gold vinyl,” reads a brief statement. The first nine titles will be released March 15, and are part of the “AC/DC 50” collection: High Voltage (1975), Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap (1976), Powerage (1978), Highway to Hell (1979), Back in Black (1980), For Those About to Rock (1981), Who Made Who (1986), The Razor’s Edge (1990), and the double album Live (1992).
Also, new colored pressings of Highway to Hell (orange blend) and Back In Black (black/white blend) are available to pre-order from AC/DC’s official webstore.
As previously reported, the Rock Hall-inducted band is powering-up for a pan-European tour with a line-up featuring singer Brian Johnson, guitarist Angus Young, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction) replacing longtime bassist Cliff Williams. Williams retired from the band after the conclusion of the 2016 Rock or Bust tour, returning to the fold briefly for the 2020 Power Up album.
Power Up blasted to the summit of the Billboard 200, for their third leader, and on the Official U.K. Albums Charts, for their fourth No. 1.
In their homeland, Power Up charged to No. 1 on the ARIA Chart for their sixth leader, setting a unique record as the only Australian group to have No. 1 albums in each of the past five decades.
The forthcoming 24-date trek of the U.K. and Europe, their first in eight years, is slated to kick off May 17 with the first of two dates at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
Formed in Sydney in 1973, the rockers were inducted into the inaugural ARIA Hall of Fame, saluted at a ceremony in 1988, alongside Dame Joan Sutherland, Johnny O’Keefe, Slim Dusty, Col Joye and Vanda & Young. In 2003, AC/DC were elevated into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, and, a decade on, in 2013, Back In Black was entered into the Grammy Hall Of Fame, established by the Recording Academy to honor “recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.”
Those meaty rock records are never out of style. The title track from their seminal seventh LP, Back In Black, recently passed one billion views on YouTube, the band’s second to hit the milestone after “Thunderstruck” crossed the line in 2021.
Lars Brandle
Billboard
