AC/DC - "BACK IN BLACK" 1980 . . . . TALK ABOUT RISING PHOENIX LIKE FROM THE ASHES . . . . WHEN BON DIED, I, LIKE MILLIONS OF OTHER FANS AROUND THE WORLD, FIGURED IT WAS ALL OVER FOR OUR AUSSIE ROCKERS . . . . NO WAY COULD THEY GO ON WITHOUT THE INCREDIBLE PRESENCE OF THEIR BELOVED FRONTMAN AND UBER SHOWMAN . . . . I MEAN, WHAT'S THE CHANCE OF EVER FINDING A HALF ADEQUATE REPLACEMENT ???? ENTER BRIAN JOHNSON.

IT WAS TOWARD THE END OF MY FIRST YEAR AT UNI WHEN THE NEWS STARTED TO FILTER OUT THAT ACCA DACCA WERE ABOUT TO RELEASE A NEW ALBUM MINUS BON SCOTT . . . . I WAS IMMEDIATELY A FULLY BLOWN SCEPTIC, NO FUCKING WAY COULD ANYBODY FILL THOSE SHOES, LET ALONE WITH THAT LINEUP OF HEAVY HITTERS IN THE BAND BEHIND THEM . . . .

I'D SEEN THEM ONCE, AT THE END OF 1975 WHEN 'LONG WAY TO THE TOP' WAS GOING GANGBUSTERS, AT THE GOULBURN SHOWGROUNDS . . . . LEG IN PLASTER FROM TOES TO TESTICLES AFTER BREAKING MY LEG ON MY BRAND NEW PRIMO FREESTYLE/CHICAGO TRUCKS/CADILLAC WHEELS SKATEBOARD . . . . MY FIRST REAL GIG AND THEY WERE TOTALLY MINDBLOWING !!



So, when the talk of a new record without the wild man of Aussie rock surfaced I thought 'not a bloody snowflake's chance in hell', I was not alone, nobody could foresee what was about to go down . . . . we were in David Trigger's room, mid arvo, musta been September/October, radio playing in the background, then it started, tic toc tic toc tic toc . . . . da dadada dadada didadada . . . . what the fuck !!! Then, the hardest, toughest, beyond Lemmy roughest, vocals join the barrage, it couldn't have been any other band than AC/DC . . . . but Bon was dead, who the fuck was this throat tearing, gravel gargling, blood spitting singer doin the yodellin . . . . ????

It was of course, Brian Johnson, ex lead crooner for northern England rockers, 'Geordie", and all round good bloke, he fitted like a finger in a bum, not only had they found a replacement but someone capable of instantly creating his own place and style within an existing act without compromising in any way its track record . . . . furthermore, and this is the fucking kicker for mine . . . . the entire package of album title paying homage and respects to Bon, the choice of material therein and the new guy being his own, down to earth, grounded man and not overplaying the thing, lead them to a future that went from fucking bright to dazzlingly brilliant overnight . . . . perhaps that may never have happened even if Bon Scott had not met such a tragic and premature end . . . . I still love everything, every song they ever did with Bon, yet for me, "Back in Black" will always be my most loved AC/DC long player.