AC/DC‘s historic Back in Black album will celebrate its 40th anniversary on July 25. Looking back on the pivotal moment in the band’s career, Loudwire — for a limited time only — is hosting viewing party of the complete Story of Back in Black documentary in partnership with Sony Music, beginning at 7PM ET on Friday, July 24.
“On the short list of best-selling albums of all time, none are paradoxically steeped in personal tragedy and good-time partying as AC/DC’s Back in Black,” begins the documentary, setting the stage for an epic look behind the scenes of this landmark release not just for AC/DC, but all of rock.
“The album, recorded just months after the tragic death of original lead singer Bon Scott, has gone on to take over record stores, radio stations and college campuses everywhere, selling over 40 million copies [worldwide] to date,” the narration continues, prefacing what’s to come by stating, “Back in Black is the unbelievable story of a band of brothers overcoming loss through the power of rock ‘n’ roll.”
In this 23-minute documentary interview clips from the album’s entire recording lineup — Brian Johnson, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd — collectively recall the crossroads the band was at following the tragic death of Bon Scott in February of 1980.
Johnson was officially named the new singer of AC/DC on April 1, 1980 and the group quickly got to work with returning producer Mutt Lange, who was at the helm of the group’s previous record, Highway to Hell.
Ultimately, Back in Black was a tribute to AC/DC’s late singer, with the black album cover serving as a memorial.
The Story of Back in Black is loaded with other historical anecdotes, such as “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” being written in 15 minutes to satisfy the requirement of needing one more track on the record. Shedding some light on the track’s fruition, Malcolm said, “We were in London at the time and there was a big deal about noise pollution with the clubs around London and everything else. They wanted the [decibel] meters in there and wanted to ban [rock bands] really.”
Whether you’re a casual AC/DC fan of a decades-long obsessive, The Story of Back in Black is mandatory viewing for anyone who considers themselves a rock fan.
Tune it at 7PM ET on July 24 to watch the complete documentary in the video player at the top of the page and at Loudwire’s YouTube channel. This video will only be available for viewing for 40 hours, one hour for each year of the album’s existence, so act quick!
Subscribe to Loudwire’s YouTube channel here.
If you’re not one of the 40 million people who have purchased Back in Black worldwide, get your copy of the album at this location.
See AC/DC’s Back in Black in the 20 Highest Selling Rock + Metal Albums in the U.S.