AC/DC – FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK LP – Nr MINT  ROCK METAL

AC/DC – For Those About To Rock
(Atlantic Records  1981  K50851)
Ireland Pressing
Matrix No’s: K50851-A  ST-A-814831-E(crossed out)A  MASTERDISK  EDP  M2SF1-mg
K50851-B  ST-A-814832-A  MASTERDISK  RL  EDP  M2SF2 SM9

Embossed Gatefold Sleeve in Excellent+ condition
 – some wear to edges/corners & sticker mark in top right corner

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

AC/DC are an Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who have remained constant members. Commonly referred to as a hard rock or blues rock band, they are also considered pioneers of heavy metal and are sometimes classified as such, though they have always dubbed their music as simply “rock and roll”. To date they are one of the highest-grossing bands of all time.

AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, on 17 February 1975. Membership subsequently stabilised until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977 for the album Powerage. Within months of recording the album Highway to Hell, lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980 after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but buoyed by support from Scott’s parents, decided to continue and set about finding a new vocalist. Ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was auditioned and selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released the new album, Back in Black, which was made as a tribute to Bon Scott. The album launched them to new heights of success and became their all time best-seller, selling over 10,000 copies a day in its first week.

The band’s next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, was their first album to reach number one in the United States. AC/DC declined in popularity soon after drummer Phil Rudd was fired in 1983 and was replaced by future Dio drummer Simon Wright. The band experienced a resurgence in the early 1990s with the release of The Razors Edge. Phil Rudd returned in 1994 after Chris Slade, who was with the band from 1989 to 1994, was asked to leave in favour of him, and contributed to the band’s 1995 album Ballbreaker. Since then, the band’s line-up has remained the same. Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000 and was well received by critics, and the band’s latest studio album, Black Ice, was released on 20 October 2008 and was the second-highest-selling album of that year. It was their biggest hit on the charts since For Those About to Rock, eventually reaching No.1 on all charts worldwide. The band’s line-up remained the same until 2014 with Malcolm Young’s retirement due to early-onset dementia and Rudd’s legal troubles. In 2016, Johnson was advised to stop touring on account of worsening hearing loss and Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose stepped in as the band’s vocalist for the remainder of that year’s dates. Long-term bass player Cliff Williams retired from the band at the end of their 2016 Rock Or Bust world tour.

As of 2010, AC/DC had sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, including 71 million albums in the United States alone, making them the fifth-best-selling band in the United States. Back in Black has sold an estimated 50 million units worldwide, making it the fifth-highest-selling album by any artist – and the third-highest-selling album by any band. The album has sold 22 million units in the US alone, where it is the sixth-highest-selling album of all time. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” and were named the seventh “Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time” by MTV. In 2004, AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. Legendary producer Rick Rubin, who wrote an essay on the band for the Rolling Stone list, referred to AC/DC as “the greatest rock and roll band of all time.” In 2010, AC/DC were ranked number 23 in the VH1 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.

For Those About to Rock We Salute You is the eighth Australian and seventh international studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in 1981. The album was a follow-up to their highly successful album Back in Black. For Those About to Rock has sold over four million copies in the US. It would be AC/DC’s first and only No. 1 album in the U.S. until the release of Black Ice in October 2008. In their original 1981 review, Rolling Stone magazine declared it to be their best album. In Australia, the album peaked at No. 3 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart.

The album was the third and final produced for the band by Robert John “Mutt” Lange.

The name of the album was inspired by a book Angus Young read, entitled For Those About to Die, We Salute You, about Roman gladiators. The gladiators’ final words to the emperor were “Ave Caesar morituri te salutant” – or, “Hail Caesar, we who are about to die, salute you”. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC remasters series.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson. 

According to the official AC/DC website, the second track is “Put the Finger on You”. On some versions of the album the title is shown as “I Put the Finger on You”.

Personnel

• Brian Johnson – lead vocals
• Angus Young – lead guitar
• Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Phil Rudd – drums, percussion