AC/DC Back in Black Review

The opening track sets the template for the entire album: a single riff, repeated and developed over five minutes, with Johnson screaming over the top. The bell that opens the song was custom-cast at a foundry after initial recordings of a church bell captured too many birds. The bell tolls for nearly a minute before the guitars enter, and when they do, the riff locks in with the drums so tightly that the two sound like one instrument. Johnson wrote the opening lines in response to the tropical storms that hit Nassau while the band was recording: the thunder, rain and lightning imagery is specific to that moment. The song builds tension by repeating the same riff with slight variations in dynamics, and the solo at the three-minute mark is one of Angus Young's most controlled performances, staying inside the pentatonic box but using space and phrasing to create drama. This is the strongest track on the album and the one that best demonstrates what Lange's production achieved.

The second track is built on a riff that moves in the opposite direction of the first: where "Hells Bells" descends, this one climbs. The verse riff is a simple two-chord pattern, but Malcolm Young plays it with enough swing that it never sounds mechanical. Johnson's vocal melody in the verse is more interesting than most of the album's other melodies, moving up and down in response to the riff rather than sitting on top of it. The chorus is a shout rather than a hook, but it works because the band plays the riff harder underneath it. The solo is short and stays in the pocket. Solid opener that establishes momentum.

The riff here is weaker than the first two tracks, and the sexual metaphor in the title and chorus is the least subtle on an album full of blunt lyrics. Johnson sings about a woman who will do anything for money, and the verse does not develop the idea beyond restating it three different ways. The groove is tight, and the band plays with the same precision as everywhere else, but the song does not have a hook strong enough to justify the repetition. Filler.

Another riff built on the same mid-tempo groove, another lyric built on one sexual metaphor. The verse riff has some swing to it, and the pre-chorus riff adds a slight variation, but the song does not go anywhere. Johnson sells the lines with enough conviction that the performance works even when the writing does not, but this is one of the weaker tracks on the album. The solo is competent but unremarkable.

This is the track where Bon Scott played drums on the demo, though none of his contributions made it to the final recording. The riff is one of the album's best: a descending pattern that locks in with the bass and drums to create a groove that sounds heavier than anything else in the first half. Johnson's vocal melody in the verse is more dynamic than most of the other tracks, and the chorus has an actual hook rather than just a shout. The lyrics are still built on one extended metaphor, but the music is strong enough to carry them. The solo is short and melodic, and the band plays the outro riff with enough energy to make the fade feel earned.

The title track is the heaviest song on the album and the one that best demonstrates the band's ability to build a song around a single riff. The opening riff is one of the most recognizable in rock history: four chords, played in a descending pattern, with Malcolm Young hitting the downbeat slightly behind Angus so the two guitars sound like one massive instrument. The verse riff is the same as the intro riff, and the chorus is just the band playing the riff louder while Johnson screams the title. That should not work, but it does, because the riff is that good and because the band plays it with absolute conviction. The production here is dry and compact, with no reverb and no space, so every element hits at the same time. The solo is short and melodic, and the band plays the outro with enough energy to make the repetition feel like a climax rather than a loop. This is the second-best track on the album and the one that defines the sound.

The closest thing to a pop song on the album, and the only track with a chorus designed for radio rather than for the stage. The riff is simpler than most of the others, and the verse melody is more singable, with Johnson staying in a lower register and letting the words breathe. The chorus is the hookiest moment on the album: a two-line refrain that repeats twice, with the guitars dropping out so the vocal sits on top of the bass and drums. The production here is slightly less compressed than the rest of the album, with more space around the vocals, and the result is a track that sounds lighter and more accessible. The solo is melodic and concise, and the outro plays the chorus riff one more time before fading. This became the band's first Top 40 hit in the United States, and it remains the most recognizable song on the album for casual listeners.

This is the other track where Bon Scott played drums on the demo. The final version is a mid-tempo rocker built on a riff that sounds like a variation on the "Back in Black" riff, with the same descending pattern but a different rhythm. The lyrics are about drinking, and Johnson delivers them with the same conviction he brings to the rest of the album, but the song does not have a strong enough hook to stand out. Solid but not essential.

The riff here is built on a shuffle rhythm, which gives the song a slightly different feel from the rest of the album, but the verse and chorus follow the same formula as most of the other tracks. The lyrics are about dancing, or possibly about sex, and Johnson shouts them with the same energy he brings to every other song. The solo is short and stays in the pentatonic box. The track works as part of the album's sequencing, but it does not have a hook strong enough to justify listening to it on its own.

The closing track restates the album's thesis one more time: rock and roll is loud, it is simple, and it does not apologize. The riff is one of the album's best, with a syncopated rhythm that gives it more swing than most of the other tracks. Johnson sings the verses with conviction, and the chorus is a shout that works because the band plays the riff harder underneath it. The title came from a story Bon Scott had told the band, but Brian Johnson wrote the lyrics. The solo is melodic and concise, and the band plays the outro riff with enough energy to end the album on a high note. This is the right way to close the record: a final declaration that restates the argument and ends on a riff instead of a fadeout.