This entry assumes that you know your AC/DC – spend some time on Allmusic or Wikipedia if you have to.

I was surprised when quite a few people commented on[1] my selection of Hells Bells for the xmas 06 compilation. Here’s the offending snippet:

This compilation opens with what is, in my opinion, their greatest achievement – Hells Bells.
me, on AC/DC

The protests went along one of two lines; either ‘What about Thunderstruck?’ or ‘There can never be anyone like Bon Scott and choosing a song by Brian Johnson is just not AC/DC’.

Without wanting to offend anyone I’m not going to spend any time on the first line, Thunderstruck – great song, great video – not life changing.

The second line carries a lot more weight – Bon Scott.
Depending on how you count their releases, the first six[2] AC/DC albums belonged to Bon Scott. He owned them.
And in a band with a napoleonite personality such as Angus Young that says something of Scott’s charisma.

1974 line-up: Malcolm Young, Bon Scott, Angus Young, Mark Evans and Phil Rudd.

Those first six albums defines AC/DC completely.
I’ve read several opinions that it’s not worth owning any albums other than those – I tend to agree, in audio form at least. But then the only discography items that I own in their entirety[3] are Let There Be Rock, AC/DC Live ’91, Stiff Upper Lip Live DVD and the Family Jewels DVD (on which more later).
And while the band have done some great things since then[4], the fact is that those first albums (and by extension Scott himself) are a complete realisation of what AC/DC was and is about – Rock ‘n Roll.

Bon Scott in full flight

Bon Scott had tattoos and got into fist fights in bars; he got drunk, had a lot of sex and died choking on his own vomit in the back of a car in London on February 20, 1980.
Here’s Bon:

I said up, they said down
They said straight, I said round
They said lost, I said found
I said free and they said bound
Bad boy boogie
Bad Boy Boogie

Idlin’ down the highway
Goin’ to a show
Stop in all the by-ways
Playin’ rock ‘n’ roll
Gettin’ robbed
Gettin’ stoned
Gettin’ beat up
Broken boned
Gettin’ had
Gettin’ took
I tell you folks
It’s harder than it looks
It’s a long way to the top
If you wanna rock ‘n’ roll
It’s a long way to the top (If you wanna rock ‘n’ roll)

Going down, party time
My friends are gonna be there too
I’m on the highway to hell
No stop signs, speed limit
Nobody’s gonna slow me down
Highway to Hell

Let There Be Rock

So how does Back in Black and Hells Bells fit into all of this?

In my opinion Back in Black is not their best album (that’ll be Let There Be Rock).
Nor does it include the best guitar work (that’ll be Bad Boy Boogie, from Let There Be Rock).
It also doesn’t include the best vocal performance (High Voltage from High Voltage).
Best album cover? Let there be Rock – no doubt.

That doesn’t leave much does it?

Back in Black

Here’s the deal.
My first experience of Back in Black was from the three videos included on the Family Jewels DVD – Hells Bells, Back in Black and Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution.
Three great songs all filmed in muted colours, performed on the same empty stage by the band and their new satan-bad frontman, Brian Johnson.
The camera drops in to the sound of the tolling bell as Angus Young picks the opening riff.
Malcolm Young plays a big white acoustic-electric guitar.
Angus wears a black cap with a skull on it.

Hells Bells

And that’s it – right there.
Those first few seconds are the only time(ever) that we see AC/DC in mourning.

Bons Scott may not be there, but Hells Bells is about and for him.
Brian Johnson may have written the lyrics and delivers a rocking, screaming performance, but it still is Bon Scott’s song.

In my opinion it is their greatest achievement – transcending the death of the founder member who was(and is) the soul of a rockin’ band.

[1] protested at
[2] by my count: High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock, Powerage, If You Want Blood…You’ve Got It and Highway to Hell.
[3] let’s agree not to count individual MP3′s
[4] Back in Black is the second best selling album of all time – 42 million copies – no shit