AC/DC to celebrate the 40th anniversary of 'Back in Black' all month long
The landmark album is four decades old
Last updated 14th Jul 2020
AC/DC have announced they will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of their 50 million selling blockbuster album ‘Back in Black’ throughout July.
The rock legends’ social media accounts sparked into action today (Monday 13th July) to confirm the 40th anniversary celebrations.
As well as updating their profile photos with Back in Black 40th anniversary imagery, AC/DC also posted a 30-second teaser video soundtracked by ‘Hells Bells’ and featuring lightning strikes and a gargantuan 'Hell’s Bell'. They captioned it “Celebrate Back in Black's 40th Anniversary all month long! #backinblack40.”
Two hours later, they posted a photo of a billboard advertising Brian Johnson’s inaugural North American concert with AC/DC at Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Canada exactly 40 years ago today.
The Story Of Back In Black video series
On Tuesday 14th July, AC/DC launched The Story of Back in Black video series on YouTube. Episode 1 focuses on 'You Shook Me All Night Long', which you can watch right here:
Further details of the ‘Back in Black’ celebrations are yet to be revealed, however it could be similar to the 40th anniversary celebrations of ‘Highway To Hell’ in July 2019.
Alongside social media activity, AC/DC uploaded rare archive performances of ‘Highway To Hell’, ‘The Jack’ and ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ to YouTube, and they launched a new range of commemorative merchandise and a ‘Highway To Hell’ filter for mobile phones.
Originally released on 25th July 1980, ‘Back in Black’ is AC/DC’s first album with Brian Johnson following the untimely death of Bon Scott five months earlier.
One of the best-selling albums of all time, ‘Back in Black’ spawned the huge singles ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’, ‘Hells Bells’, ‘Back in Black’ and ‘Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution’.
Back in January, an Australian broadcaster called Eddie McGuire claimed that AC/DC would release their much-rumoured new album in February or March of this year before embarking on a tour in late 2020. Obviously, this hasn’t come into fruition.
AC/DC themselves have made absolutely no comment on their future, however speculation about new activity was fuelled when photos emerged online in August 2018 of Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and engineer Mike Fraser outside Vancouver’s Warehouse Studios where Stevie and Angus Young were also spotted that week.
The rumours gained traction weeks later when JAM Magazine quoted sources who claimed that the new AC/DC album will be dedicated to the memory of Malcolm Young and feature his distinctive rhythm guitar playing lifted from recording sessions several years before ‘Black Ice.’
In January 2019, grindcore trio Terrorizer said on Facebook that Brian Johnson had told them he was back in AC/DC.
They wrote: “We ran into Brian Johnson from AC/DC at the airport today after the flight home and we asked him about the rumours of him being on the new AC/DC album and he said 'yes' and that he is 'sick of denying it.' So that was a cool surprise ending to the tour."
Then in April 2019, the band’s long-term engineer Mike Fraser confirmed that AC/DC have been in the studio “doing something”and weeks later US radio DJ Eddie Trunk quoted “reliable sources” who told him AC/DC will "absolutely" tour with Brian Johnson.
Chris Slade, however, urged a note of caution over fan speculation, saying in November 2018 that he's learnt over the years "not to believe the rumours".