AC/DC’s Power Up has become the fastest-selling record in the UK this year – storming to the pinnacle of the latest Official Albums Chart in the process. The rockers’ latest LP, released on November 13th, has already shifted 62,000 copies in the UK – overtaking their compatriot Kyle Minogue, who has also notched up an impressive 55,000 chart sales for DISCO.
“You are, and always have been, our guiding inspiration” – @acdc thank fans as their album Power Up becomes the UK’s fastest-selling album of 2020 ⚡⚡ https://t.co/qJAL0Rxs5w pic.twitter.com/QVWql8cHxw
— Official Charts (@officialcharts) November 20, 2020
Power Up is the antipodean outfit’s fourth UK number one album, and its release coincides with the fortieth anniversary of their first UK chart topper – the seminal Back In Black. AC/DC’s lead guitarist, Glasgow-born Angus Young, has highlighted the similarities between the two records: just as Back In Black marked the band’s debut outing without legendary vocalist Bon Scott; Power Up is the first AC/DC record not to feature founding member Malcolm Young, who died in 2017 at the age of 64.
Describing the new album as a musical tribute to his older brother, Angus Young told Rolling Stone: “Even when I sit at home and pick up my guitar and start playing, the first thing that enters my head is, ‘I think Mal will like this riff I’m playing.’ That’s how I judge lot of stuff.”
Power Up has received warm reviews from critics and rock peers, including Guns N Roses’ icon Slash. The Stoke-on-Trent raised guitar hero – whose bandmate Axl Rose has filled in for AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson during his struggles with hearing loss – told Consequence of Sound: “The fact that Angus and company would survive that and keep it going, in the spirit of probably what Malcolm would have done, was great…They’re a great influence on people who think that rock ‘n’ roll is sort of just fun and games, and then as soon as any kind of mishap happens, bands break up or they fall apart or they quit. AC/DC is a great example of longevity. They’re a great example of tenacity and perseverance, a great example of talent, and a great example of what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. So, I’m so stoked that they just continue to do it.”
He added “Then, on top of it, they make such a great f**king record at this point in the game. It’s a really inspired album. I’ve had it in the car for the last couple of days and it’s probably gonna sit there for a while. It’s exciting for me. I’m happy for them, and I can’t wait for this virus situation to end so we can go check them out on tour somewhere.”
Fans will hope that AC/DC’s eventual return to the live stage will be sound-tracked by Brian Johnson’s trademark screeching rock’n’roll vocals. The indications are more positive now than they were just a few years ago, when the County Durham-born singer had been warned that further high-volume performances would lead to permanent deafness.
Johnson told BBC Radio 6 that he was delighted and relieved to be back in the studio with state-of-the art hearing system after an enforced hiatus. He said “I was desperate to try things, and Angus said to me, ‘Well, we’ll start quietly and we’ll build.’ I went ’No, we’ve got to do it full-battlefield conditions. It’s got to be right out there, because if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.’ He said, ‘Okay – what do you want to do?’ I said ‘Back in Black’. (When I could hear everything) I grew to about six-foot-two! I was just absolutely jumping around like a young spring chicken. I was just flipping thrilled, and the boys could see, because I wouldn’t stop moving for two days.”
On speculation about future live shows, he added “I hate to use the word tour now because it sounds like two years, and I think we’ve all got a little tired of that. If we can just start doing gigs and cherry-picking them, that’s fun.”
This month AC/DC unveiled the second single from Power Up, Realize, a trademark lung-busting, hard rock stomper with an undimmed and furious energy from the group that belies their 47 years in the game. Realize follows on from well-received October single release Shot In The Dark, which secured a top 10 berth in the Official UK Rock and Metal Chart.
