THIS DAY IN HISTORY – Australian rock gods AC/DC earn their first Top 40 hit with “You Shook Me All Night Long” – 1980

Via History.com

On October 25, 1980, AC/DC earn their first pop Top 40 hit with “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

Back when they were releasing albums like Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1977), AC/DC would have seemed an unlikely candidate to become one of the top-selling pop-music acts of all time. But over the course of the coming decades, that’s exactly what these Australian rock gods became, and not by keeping pace with changes in musical fashion, but by sticking steadfastly to a musical style and business strategy that have helped the group stand the test of time.

With a hard and loud sound now recognized as influencing nearly all heavy metal music that followed, AC/DC quickly earned a loyal following among hard-rock audiences in the mid-to-late 1970s, but it was “You Shook Me All Night Long” that first gave a hint of their mainstream appeal. “You Shook Me All Night Long” was the lead single from what would prove to be AC/DC’s biggest-ever album, Back In Black (1980). Their previous release, Highway To Hell (1979) had been the first by the group to land on the U.S. album charts, but the group’s planned follow-up was put in jeopardy by the March 1980 death of lead singer Bon Scott, who choked on his own vomit during a bout of heavy drinking. With new singer Brian Johnson put in place just two months later, the group formed in the early 1970s by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young recorded Back In Black in the summer of 1980. The album would spend a solid year on the U.S. album charts, spawning a second Top 40 hit in the form of its title track and a sports-stadium anthem in the form of “Hells Bells” and ultimately selling more than 20 million copies worldwide.

AC/DC would never have another single as popular as “You Shook Me All Night Long,” but the group’s ongoing ability to sell full-length rock albums—even in an era when digital downloads have decimated album sales across all genres— is utterly without parallel. The group’s commercial success has been credited, in part, to their refusal to allow their song catalog to be cannibalized and repackaged into compilation albums..

DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd on New Zealand murder plot charge

The drummer of the hard rock group AC/DC, Phil Rudd, has appeared in a New Zealand court on charges of attempting to arrange a murder.

Mr Rudd, who was born in Australia, has also been charged with possessing the drugs methamphetamine and cannabis, and of making threats to kill.

The musician’s waterfront house in Tauranga, on New Zealand’s North Island, was raided on Thursday morning.

AC/DC are due to release a new album later this year.

A statement on the band’s website said: “We’ve only become aware of Phil’s arrest as the news was breaking. We have no further comment.

“Phil’s absence will not affect the release of our new album Rock or Bust and upcoming tour next year.”

Mr Rudd, 60, was released on bail after a brief appearance at Tauranga district court.

As part of his bail conditions, he must not have any contact with anyone involved in the alleged murder plot.

Local media reports say that the alleged plot targeted two men. The judge ruled that their names as well as that of the alleged hit-man cannot be revealed.

Mr Rudd will appear in court again on 27 November. He has yet to enter a plea.

AC/DC on stage in Munich, 2003
AC/DC – pictured here in 2003 – are one of the highest grossing music acts of all time

Under New Zealand law, the charge of attempting to “procure” a murder carries a jail sentence of up to 10 years.

A police official quoted by the SunLive news website said the information that led to the raid on the house was provided by a member of the public.

Mr Rudd was kicked out of the band in 1983 and rejoined in 1994.

But he did not appear in a new photo of band members released last month to promote their upcoming album Rock Or Bust, and was reportedly absent from the filming of a new music video, prompting online speculation about whether he was still in the band.