Back in Black
Released: 1980

Back in Black

by AC/DC

The 91st greatest album of all time

Back in Black is AC/DC's 1980 album and the first to feature singer Brian Johnson after Bon Scott's death. Produced by Robert John Lange, it channels the band's hard rock and blues-rock roots into concise, riff-driven songs built on Angus Young lead work and Malcolm Young rhythm parts, with punchy drums and clear guitar tones. Tracks such as Hells Bells, Back in Black, Shoot to Thrill, and You Shook Me All Night Long illustrate the arena-ready, no-frills sound that helped define the band's signature style.

Appears On These Lists

500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 2023 edition

Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2023 update) is the latest edition of the magazi...

100 Best Albums

Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums (2024) is an editorially curated, all-time canon built by Apple Mus...

NME’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

NME’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2013) is a special issue compiled from ballots cast by...

TIME's All Time 100 Albums

TIME’s All-TIME 100 Albums (2006) is an unranked, editorial canon compiled by critics Josh Tyrang...

Entertainment Weekly's 100 All-Time Greatest Albums

Entertainment Weekly’s 100 All-Time Greatest Albums (2013) is an editorial canon—not a public bal...

Uncut’s 200 Greatest Albums of All Time

Uncut’s 200 Greatest Albums of All Time ran as the February 2016 cover story (issue “Take 225”), ...

VH1’s Top 100 Albums

VH1’s Top 100 Albums (aired January 2001 as a five-part TV special) is a ranked, all-time list bu...

Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums

A book series created by Encyclopedia of Popular Music editor Colin Larkin (1st ed. 1994; later p...

Pitchfork’s The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Pitchfork’s The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s (Sept. 10, 2018) is a staff-curated, ranked retrospe...

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005)

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a long-running reference book series (first published...

100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Published in Kerrang! (Issue #682, Jan 1998), “100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” is a hard...

500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die

who voted: John Aizlewood (editor), Matt Ashare, Michael Azerrad, Greg Beato, Johnny Black, Ben B...

The 1000 Best Albums of All Time

Fnac’s Les 1000 CD des disquaires de la Fnac (Dec 2008) is a collective, staff-driven canon: Fnac...

The 1000 Best Albums of All Time (Updated 2015)

This list is basically a personal canon of albums across the modern LP era (framed on-site as “si...