23 Years Ago: AC/DC Release ‘Stiff Upper Lip’


Before AC/DC follow up on their 12th US album ball breaker, the band members agreed they did not want to return to the meticulous, demanding work ethic of the Rick Rubin-produced disc.There was nothing wrong with the recorded songs ball breaker By itself, but in the studio Rubin was a perfectionist, asking the band to do as many as 50 takes of some songs.

So, album No.13 is stiff upper lipwas released on February 28, 2000, AC/DC decided to return to their down and dirty roots to recapture the bluesy, gritty, instantly felt vibe of their first few albums. Decided.

“We really wanted to write a basic hard rock and roll album with some toe-tapping swing,” guitarist Angus Young told me shortly before the album was released. I truly believe that less is more when making , and as more technology is introduced into the recording process, there is always the temptation to dabble. ball breaker

AC/DC “Stiff Upper Lip” music video

“I’ve always seen it as a quick fix,” he continued. “Instead of going in, setting up a mic, getting a great drum sound, and then playing, they say, I need an ‘X’ effects gadget number 52. Here you have the Austrian Alps drum sounds. ‘Even the names of some of these gadgets are hilarious.The one I always remember is the old Big Bottom Exciter.And someone told me that the guy actually used that as a joke after a binge drink.’ When he woke up from his hangover, he panicked and ran up the road screaming, “No, I didn’t mean to!” So I’ve always viewed many gadgets, toys, etc. as distractions and completely useless. You should try as much as possible. ”

To help recapture the no-frills rock ‘n’ roll foundation they started with, AC/DC hired producer George Young — Angus’ brother and rhythm guitarist Malcolm and Australian band Easy Beats. multi-instrumentalist and co-producer of AC/DC’s first four internationals. Release – work with them on an album. Not only was Young able to re-utilize his style of recording away from the band, but he was also able to generate renewed enthusiasm in the studio.

“From the very early days, George helped us discover sounds,” said Angus Young. “When Malcolm and I were kids, George showed us what we could do in the studio. He taught us a lot of the basics. When you were little, you didn’t know the difference between a verse and a chorus, let alone a drum break or a middle eight, and he helped you with a lot of that. also gave us room to be who we wanted to be, not his idea of ​​what a hit producer should be.He was literally family and who he was. He knew us better than he did and it made the whole process really fun, so it made sense to work with him again.

AC/DC “Safe in New York City” Music Video

In fact, it wasn’t until 1979, six years after their formation, that AC/DC worked with a producer other than Young (Matt Lange) in the 1979s. highway to hellThey remained with Lange until the 1983s flick of a switch, they self-produced.All Youngs Enjoyed The Reunion stiff upper lipand Angus said it was George Young himself who suggested starting AC/DC, err, see others.

“He thought it would be really nice to see how different producers worked,” Young explained. There are many people who know rock and roll and have different ways of doing it. But he always held hands. Whenever we were writing, he would always say, “What have you got?” what are you up to? ‘”

I started writing AC/DC stiff upper lip In March 1998, I spent 18 months thinking about the song. Ironically, some of the material they worked on was too calculated or a little too light, so the band spent extra time. They wanted everything on the album to sound intense and impulsive.

“A lot of the clean and soft stuff was popular while we were writing, so we went for the dirty and sleazy stuff,” said Young. It felt a little barren, so let’s give them a good old wham, bum, rock’n’roll album, that’s what we focused on. I have done things.”

AC/DC recording stiff upper lip At Bryan Adams’ Warehouse Studios in Vancouver. The band he joined in September 1999 with 18 songs and appeared three months later, tracking his 13 songs including the non-CD track “Cyberspace”. The main purpose during the session was to maintain a strong, primal energy. “It’s basically laborious and cooking,” said Young. “When a guitar solo pops out of nowhere and it smokes up, it adds to the atmosphere. I was. And you go!

“One of the most exciting things to watch is Angus leading,” added vocalist Brian Johnson. “And it’s not in the way you might think. Angus’ studio had a wheelchair-accessible office chair and the floor was beautiful, shiny wood. Angus was playing and we played bits.” He was as excited as ever.The f-ing chair doesn’t stand still!He was playing and the object was flying down the corridor.It’s an experience to see, I gotta tell you and it was great to see George hear the magic take George is so quiet he usually just sits there But boy, when you hear the right thing , he stands up, screaming…that’s rock’n’roll!

Upon its release, stiff upper lip It debuted at number seven on the Billboard album chart, selling 130,000 copies in its first week. Bolstered by the singles “Stiff Upper Lip” and “Safe in New York City”, the album went platinum the following year. This is in part thanks to a demanding touring schedule that puts him on over 130 shows in just 12 months. A frantic pace took its toll. It would be another eight years before AC/DC released his fourteenth international album. black iceappeared in 2008 and brought the band back to the top of the hard rock hierarchy.

Loudwire contributor Jon Wiederhorn, author of Raising Hell: Backstage Tales From the Lives of Metal Legends and co-author of Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal, is the autobiography of Scott Ian. ‘I’m Man: The Story of the Man from Anthrax and Al Jurgensen’s Autobiography, Ministry: Al Jurgensen and the Lost Gospels of the Agnostic Front My Riot! Grit, guts and glory.

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