AC/DC - 1973-1979: The Bon Scott Years

by Jeff Apter

To fans and critics alike, the years 1973 to 1980 – the Bon Scott era – are the most significant of AC/DC's five-decade career. In a prolific and frequently brilliant run, they recorded six studio albums, established a diehard fanbase that stretched from Australia to the UK, Europe to North America, toured relentlessly, and created no small amount of controversy and chaos.

At one low point in Australia, the band's records were banned, their shows were cancelled, and they were hounded by police – all because Angus Young dared bare his spotty backside at a press conference. In the midst of the mayhem, however, they were building a body of work that remains unmatched in hard rock. Many of AC/DC's classic songs were cut during this time – Dirty Deeds, Rock and Roll Damnation, High Voltage, If You Want Blood (You Got It), Whole Lotta Rosie, Long Way to the Top, Let there be Rock, and more – and it says plenty that these fan favourites are still staples of the band's current live sets today.

Illustrated throughout with rare photographs from the era, this book documents all the key events of this frenetic time, beginning with the band's very first shows in the bloodhouses of suburban Sydney – even before the name AC/DC had been dreamed up by Margaret Young, Malcolm and Angus's big sister – and culminating with 1979's Highway to Hell, the album that paved the way for the mammoth success of Back in Black and all that was to follow, and the untimely death of Bon Scott, both an end and a new beginning for the band.