by Steven Booth

Created on: June 28, 2009

The critics go on and on about smart rock and roll- The great songwriters and musicians who gave intellegence to rock and roll. Too late and too little do they give credit for balls, which is the reason rock and roll succeeded in the first place. AC/DC is one of the finest examples of his, and "Back In Black" is their tour-de-force. On this record they have balls. Big balls. Their music breathes white male testosterone, and the caveman-like worldview of the songs is all about self-gratification with nary a literary reference or a self-deprecating wink to be found..

No band, not even The Ramones, get more bang out of a simple formula. With Malcom Young's guitar anchoring the rhtyhm section, brother Angus manically plays his leads in and around the locomotive stomp. On top of that, Bon Scott and Briah Johnson offered two distinct voices. They key to Back and Black was the irresitible melodies of the Young brothers and Brian Johnson's psychotic snarl. No AC/DC album since has offered that combination. Johsnon slowly and inevitably fried his voice, and while the band continued it's blues-based chug-a-lug, they appealed more to the considerable amount of die-hards than the fans of all stripes that bought up "Back in Black".

The record begins in almost a Black Sabbath-like darkness with "Hells Bells", a dark procession which introduces us to Johnson's Jack-the Ripper vocals He screamed at your face, as opposed to Bon Scott's reptilian croon which would work it's way down your pants. Johson's vocals just take what is his without any regard or resistance. He reverts to more familiar ground on "Shoot To Thrill" and "What Do You Do For Money", than serves up the NOW favorite "Given The Dog A Bone". It wasn't the strongest side of the record. The band should've reversed them. "Hells Bells" is good, while "Given The Dog a Bone" is misogynistic fun, but all this side does is show the band is alive and kicking despite the death of it's original frontman.

Side two, at least the beginning of it, is a revelation. "Back In Black" is a statement of purpose like no other metal song before or since. Johnson's vocals are in your face, almost threatening, while the band churns out a melody as forceful as any they've done. It is followed by "You Shook Me All Night Long", one of the best pop-metal songs ever written. Angus's guitar melody draws you in, even if you tell yourself you hate this band. The vocal harmonies of the chorus bring to mind the Beatles on speed and whisky. Second-rate bands like Poison and Motley Crue have spent careers trying to re-write this song, and they didn't even come close. The rest of the record is formulaic, with the songs sticking to the classic pattern, succeeding in not letting down the AC/DC formula, but not neccessarily pushing it up a notch like "Hells Bells" and the first two songs of side two.

Critics must keep in mind that AC/DC fans are not looking for a intellectual, spiritual, or even a musical revelation. They want to crank it up and rock hard while they're drinking their beer at the end of the day. Even on the more mediocre tuneslike "Shake A Leg" However, what makes this record great are the processional "Hells Bells", the attack of "Back in BlacK", and the un-apologettically catchy "You Shook Me All Night Long".

The secret here is the songwriting. Johsnon and the Young brothers know their audience. They keep the songs at about three or four minutes long, don't stray into the dungeons and dragons world of some of their colleagues, and write great melodies. In short, they set their target and produce, consistently pleasing their fans. On "Back in Black" they took it one up from there writing an album anyone, even a NOW member would have to like.

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