30 things you didn’t know about AC/DC! (List)

Learn them here!

1. Their earliest albums weren’t released in America until after they hit it big. While the band was popular in their native Australia right away, it took some time for them to find an international audience. That’s why the bands first two albums, High Voltage and T.N.T., were initially released exclusively in Australia. An international release of High Voltage — which included tracks from both albums — would come out the following year. Additionally, 1976’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap would not be released until 1981, after the band had become superstars with Back In Black.

2. AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2003

3. In 2004, AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

4. The band have always worn outlandish outfits. Angus Young used to wear school-uniforms on stage as well as Spider-Man, Zorro and gorilla costumes. He has also worn the outfit of Super-Ang, a parody of Superman.

5. AC/DC has sold nearly 71 million albums in the U.S. alone, making AC/DC one of the five top-selling bands in American music history. They have sold more than 200 million worldwide.

6. Lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February1980, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption.

7.  In 1989, the US military blared AC/DC music at General Manuel Noriega’s compound in Panama for two continuous days. The dictator surrendered.

8. One of the group’s best-loved works, Back In Black, has achieved RIAA ‘Double Diamond’ status, for sales in excess of 22 million copies in the United States, and is America’s fifth largest-selling album ever.

9.  The current members of the band are: Angus Young (1973-present), Malcolm Young (1973-present), Phil Rudd (1975-1983, 1994-present), Cliff Williams (1977-present), Brian Johnson (1980-present). There have been 18 other former and temporary members.

10. Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young of Australia formed the group in 1973. Their older sister Margaret saw the initials AC/DC (which stands for “alternating current/direct current”) on a sewing machine. The brothers thought this name summed up their energy.

11. The band is popularly known as ‘Acca Dacca’ in Australia.

12. A 1976 review of AC/DC’s first albumn in Rolling Stone declared, “Hard Rock has unquestionably hit its all-time low.” They finally appeared on the cover in 2008.

13. “Emission Control” is the latest in a long series of double entendre-laden songs.

14. In April 2014, the band was planning to write and record new material and go on an 40th anniversary tour and dismissed rumours they were planning to quit.

15. On November 19, 2012, AC/DC released Live at River Plate, their first live album in 20 years. The band have also released 18 studio albums.

16. Before joining AC/DC, Brian Johnson sang in a band called Geordie.

17. Malcolm Young was forced to retire from the band this year after suffering from dementia.

18. They have an unlikely fan in Celine Dion, who covered “You Shook Me All Night Long”

19. The band did the soundtracks to Maximum Overdrive and Iron Man 2.
Despite tons of memorable hits, AC/DC has yet to release a Greatest Hits-type album. But if you’re looking for an officially released compilation of their hits throughout the years, you could do worse than to pick Who Made Who, effectively the band’s soundtrack to Maximum Overdrive, or their Iron Man 2 soundtrack, which compiled tracks from all eras of the band’s existence.

20. Phil Rudd was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, but the charges were eventually dropped.

21. They have yet to put any of their albums on Spotify.

22. Brian Johnson’s vocal chords have been shredded over the years.

23. AC/DC are one of the five top-selling bands in American music history, selling nearly 71 Million albums in the US alone!

24. The term “AC/DC” is a slang for bisexuality—something that the Young brothers did not find out till later.

25. In 1989, the US military blared AC/DC music at General Manuel Noriega’s compound in Panama for two continuous days. The dictator surrendered.

26. The Young brothers and Bon Scott were all born in Scotland.

27. Malcolm Young claims he gave up being the lead guitar player for the band because he wanted to focus on drinking.

28. Malcolm Young claims he gave up being the lead guitar player for the band because he wanted to focus on drinking.

29. The band were commemorated on an Australian ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ stamp set in 1998.

30. In their 2008 US tour, the band requested three oxygen tanks and three masks at each venue.