Happy birthday to the 16th studio album from AC/DC, Rock or Bust, which turns 10 today.
After releasing classic album after classic album, full of songs chanted throughout the generations, AC/DC still showed up for Rock or Bust, put on their devil horns, and took everyone to class in 2014.
Much of AC/DC’s appeal in their heyday came from their unapologetic rock ‘n’ roll behaviour. The band threw their youth and their love for sex, drugs and rocking in everyone’s faces, but jump forward a few decades, it became difficult to encapsulate that same energy without seeming tacky.
Following 2008’s acclaimed Black Ice and a brief foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Iron Man 2 soundtrack album, AC/DC put produced a new album album that paved the way for a more mature (but still unapologetic) era.
Rock or Bust was a clear statement to the music world that AC/DC weren’t going anywhere. But that’s not to say they weren’t changing.
AC/DC are no stranger to departing members and in founding member Malcolm Young’s case, he does have a writing credit for every track on Rock or Bust. But it’s actually the first AC/DC album to not feature him on rhythm guitar, having left the band in 2014 following a dementia diagnosis. Instead, his nephew, Stevie Young, took over playing.
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Despite decade-spanning bands always being caught in a push and pull between their iconic styles and the need to evolve, Rock or Bust suitably impressed AC/DC fans, with the album reaching the top 40 in charts around the world. It unsurprisingly reached the top spot on the ARIA Albums Chart, and also made it to No. 3 in the US and UK.
Some critics at the time (including our US cousins), however, did point out a familiar pattern that had found its way into the new album. But once the new songs had settled, fans and casual listeners alike seemed to unanimously shrug and say, “Well, if it ain’t broke!”
