The following is a list of songs known to have been recorded by Australian rock band AC/DC. Since 1973, they have released 18 studio albums (16 available worldwide and two issued only in Australasia), two soundtrack albums, three live albums, one extended play, 57 singles, 11 video albums, 52 music videos and two box sets. Although many AC/DC singles have been released, the band refused to issue any greatest hits-type packages. Brothers Angus (lead guitar) and Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar) formed AC/DC in November 1973 in Sydney.[1][2] The band released two albums in Australasia before issuing their first international effort, High Voltage in 1976; the Youngs had been joined by vocalist Bon Scott, bassist Mark Evans and drummer Phil Rudd.[1][2] In 1980, less than a year after the appearance of the successful Highway to Hell, Scott died and was replaced by British singer Brian Johnson, with whom AC/DC released their best-selling album, Back in Black.[1][2][3] The album Black Ice, from 2008, reached number one in 29 countries.[4] In 50 years of their career, AC/DC have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, roughly 100 million in the United States.[5] Back in Black alone sold 25 million copies in the US (50 million worldwide), and went on to become the second highest-selling album in history.[6]
Verizon made AC/DC albums available for digital download in 2007;[7][8] for five years the band refused to release their albums via iTunes, as that company allows downloading of individual tracks.[9] Angus Young observed, "We honestly believe the songs on any of our albums belong together. If we were on iTunes, we know a certain percentage of people would only download two or three songs from the album – and we don't think that represents us musically."[9] However, in November 2012, the band relented and released their entire discography via iTunes.[10] On 30 June 2015 their catalogue appeared on Spotify for the first time, which made their works available for streaming.[11] Their most certified singles in the US are "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Back in Black" (both 1980) – each have received 3× platinum from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2019.[12] In Australia, "Thunderstruck" (1990) was accredited 10× platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2022.[13]
- ^ a b c
- 1st edition [on-line]: McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia Entry for 'AC/DC'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- 2nd edition [print]: McFarlane, Ian; Jenkins, Jeff (Foreword) (2017). "Encyclopedia entry for 'AC/DC'". The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (2nd ed.). Gisborne, VIC: Third Stone Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-9953856-0-3.
- ^ a b c Holmgren, Magnus. "AC/DC". Australian Rock Database. Archived from the original on 6 December 2003. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2008.
- ^ Elliott, Paul; Hughes, Rob; Wall, Mick; Barton, Geoff; McIntyre, Ken; Brannigan, Paul; Rowley, Scott; Wilding, Philip; Mitchell, Ben. "AC/DC Albums Ranked". TeamRock.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum – November 07, 2010". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ Partridge, Kenneth (25 July 2015). "AC/DC's Back In Black at 35: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Bruno, Antony (1 August 2007). "AC/DC Goes Digital via Verizon Wireless". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ Huynh, Terence (2 August 2007). "AC/DC Sells Music Digitally..." TechGeek.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b Boyd, Brian (29 September 2008). "iTunes Under Threat as Bands Take Their Business Elsewhere". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "AC/DC Finally Joins iTunes". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ Greenberg, Alissa (30 June 2015). "AC/DC Has Finally Joined the World of Music Streaming". Time. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "American certifications – AC/DC". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 13 November 2023.