By 1979, AC/DC were poised to receive a significant level of success with their sixth studio album, Highway to Hell. Robert John "Mutt" Lange produced the record, making the band's sound more catchy and accessible to international audiences, and it became their first platinum album in the United States. As the new decade approached, the group set off for the UK and France for the final tour dates of their breakthrough release. They planned to begin recording a follow-up shortly after its completion. On February 19th 1980, Scott went on a drinking binge in a London pub that caused him to lose consciousness, so a friend left him rest in the back of his car overnight. The next morning, Scott was found unresponsive and rushed to King's College Hospital where medical personnel pronounced him dead on arrival. The coroner ruled that pulmonary aspiration of vomit was the cause of Scott's death, but the official cause was listed on the death certificate as "acute alcoholic poisoning" and classified as "death by misadventure". The loss devastated the band, who considered breaking up. However, friends and family persuaded them to carry on.
After Bon Scott's funeral, the band immediately began auditions for a replacement frontman. At the advice of Lange, the group brought in singer Brian Johnson, who impressed the group. After begrudgingly working through the rest of the list of applicants in the following days, Johnson returned for a second rehearsal. On March 29th, Malcom Young called the singer to offer him the job, to his surprise. Out of respect for Bon Scott, the band wanted a frontman who would not be a mere imitator of him.
They recorded their next album over a period of seven weeks in the Bahamas. That album was Back in Black.
Their sixth international release, Back in Black was an unprecedented success: it has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide. Its enormous sales figures have made it tied for the second-highest-selling album in history (behind Michael Jackson's Thriller). The band supported the album with a yearlong world tour, cementing them among the most popular music acts of the early 1980's.
Not only did it go to #1 on the UK Albums Chart (it peaked at #4 in the US), its success meant AC/DC were the first band since The Beatles to have four albums in the British Top 100 simultaneously (Highway to Hell, If You Want Blood You've Got It, and Let There Be Rock all re-entered the charts right after Back in Black was released).
In the US, the single "You Shook Me All Night Long" became AC/DC's first Top 40 hit in the country, peaking at #35. The title track, along with "Hells Bells", "Shoot To Thrill", "You Shook Me All Night Long", and "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" all became fan favorites and staples of the band's live performances.
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