For Those About to Rock We Salute You

Last updated

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
ForThoseAboutToRock ACDCalbum.jpg
Studio album by
Released20 November 1981 (1981-11-20) [1]
RecordedMay – September 1981
Studio
  • Family (Paris)
  • H.I.S. (Paris)
Genre Hard rock
Length40:10
Label
Producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange
AC/DC chronology
Back in Black
(1980)
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
(1981)
Flick of the Switch
(1983)
Singles from For Those About to Rock We Salute You
  1. "Let's Get It Up"
    Released: January 1982 [2]
  2. "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"
    Released: June 1982

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) (shortened to For Those About to Rock on its cover) is the eighth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was released on 20 November 1981 in the United States and on 27 November 1981 in the United Kingdom. [3]

Contents

The album is 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. [4]

The album, recorded in Paris, was the third and final AC/DC collaboration with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Christgau's Record Guide C [7]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 8/10 [8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Metal Storm 8/10 [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]

For Those About to Rock became the first AC/DC album to ever hit No. 1 in the US on the Billboard chart and stayed on the top for three weeks. To date, in the US, it has achieved four million sales. In the UK, the album's two singles, "Let's Get It Up" and "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)", made it to No. 13 and No. 15, respectively. The album has sold an estimated seven million copies worldwide, making it one of the highest sold AC/DC albums worldwide.[ citation needed ] However it marks a major drop-off in sales in the United States, only selling 4 million as follow-up to the 25× platinum Back in Black. In a 2008 Rolling Stone cover story, David Fricke singled out the title track for praise, noting its "unusual stop-start effect that hooks you just as hard as their usual railroad drive."[ citation needed ] Robert Christgau stated: "Brian Johnson takes over, defining an anthemic grandiosity more suitable to their precious-metal status than Bon Scott's old-fashioned raunch. Also dumber. 'Let's Get It Up' is a limited sentiment in any case. But I'd appreciate some indication that Johnson knows the difference between his dick and the light tower." [12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"5:43
2."Put the Finger on You"3:25
3."Let's Get It Up"3:53
4."Inject the Venom"3:31
5."Snowballed"3:23
Side B
No.TitleLength
6."Evil Walks"4:23
7."C.O.D."3:19
8."Breaking the Rules"4:23
9."Night of the Long Knives"3:25
10."Spellbound"4:28
Total length:40:10

Personnel

AC/DC
Production

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [31] 5× Platinum350,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria) [32] Gold25,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [33] Gold50,000^
France (SNEP) [34] Platinum400,000*
Germany (BVMI) [35] Platinum500,000^
Italy (FIMI) [36]
sales since 2009
Gold25,000
Japan (RIAJ) [37] Gold100,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [38] Gold50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [39] Platinum50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [40] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [41] 4× Platinum4,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Back in Black</i> 1980 studio album by AC/DC

Back in Black is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC, released on 25 July 1980 by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. It was the band's first album to feature Brian Johnson as lead singer, following the death of Bon Scott, their previous vocalist.

<i>Highway to Hell</i> 1979 studio album by AC/DC

Highway to Hell is the sixth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 27 July 1979. It is the first of three albums produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, and is the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who died on 19 February 1980.

<i>A Collection of Great Dance Songs</i> 1981 greatest hits album by Pink Floyd

A Collection of Great Dance Songs is a compilation album by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on 23 November 1981 in the United Kingdom by Harvest Records and in the United States by Columbia Records.

<i>Blow Up Your Video</i> 1988 studio album by AC/DC

Blow Up Your Video is the eleventh studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 1 February 1988. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.

<i>Flick of the Switch</i> 1983 studio album by AC/DC

Flick of the Switch is the ninth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. The album was deemed a commercial disappointment after it failed to match the sales figures of the band's two previous releases, 1980's Back in Black and 1981's For Those About to Rock, and its release represented the beginning of the band's commercial decline. The third AC/DC album to feature lead vocalist Brian Johnson, the album is also the last to feature drummer Phil Rudd before his return on Ballbreaker (1995). The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.

<i>Let There Be Rock</i> 1977 studio album by AC/DC

Let There Be Rock is the fourth studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It was originally released on 21 March 1977 in Australasia, through Albert Productions label. A modified international edition was released on 25 July 1977, through Atlantic Records. It was the last AC/DC album to feature Mark Evans on bass.

<i>Hi Infidelity</i> 1980 studio album by REO Speedwagon

Hi Infidelity is the ninth studio album by American rock band REO Speedwagon, released on November 21, 1980, by Epic Records. The album became a big hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200, spending 15 weeks at number one. It went on to become the biggest-selling album of 1981, eventually being certified 10 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>The Razors Edge</i> (AC/DC album) 1990 studio album by AC/DC

The Razors Edge is the twelfth studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. Released on 24 September 1990, through Albert Productions/CBS Records International in Australasia and Atlantic Records in Europe, it was recorded in 1990 in Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada, and was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser and produced by Bruce Fairbairn. It was a major comeback for the band, featuring the hits "Thunderstruck", "Are You Ready" and "Moneytalks". This is the only studio album to feature Welsh drummer Chris Slade, who was the drummer for AC/DC from 1989 to his dismissal in 1994.

<i>If You Want Blood Youve Got It</i> 1978 live album by AC/DC

If You Want Blood You've Got It is the first live album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, and their only live album released during Bon Scott's lifetime. It was originally released in the UK and Europe on 13 October 1978, in the US on 21 November 1978, and in Australia on 27 November 1978. The album was re-released in 1994 on Atco Records and in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.

<i>Fly on the Wall</i> (AC/DC album) 1985 studio album by AC/DC

Fly on the Wall is the tenth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 1 July 1985 by Albert Productions, and Atlantic Records. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.

<i>AC/DC Live</i> 1992 live album by AC/DC

AC/DC Live is the second live album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in October 1992. Two versions were released, one containing a single CD, with the second version being a double album on LP and CD known as AC/DC Live: 2 CD Collector's Edition. A feature-length live video, AC/DC: Live at Donington, was released concurrently. The double album AC/DC Live: 2 CD Collector's Edition was released a month after the single-disc version, in a slipcased two-disc "book" and containing an AC/DC dollar note known as "Angus Bucks". Both editions of the album were re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.

<i>Autoamerican</i> 1980 studio album by Blondie

Autoamerican is the fifth studio album by American rock band Blondie. It was released in November 1980 and reached No.3 in the UK charts, No.7 in the US, and No.8 in Australia. The album spawned two singles, "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture". "The Tide Is High" hit number one in several countries, including the US and the UK. "Rapture" became the first rap song ever to reach number one on the singles chart in the US. It also reached number five in the UK and number four in Australia.

<i>Hot Rocks 1964–1971</i> 1971 greatest hits album by the Rolling Stones

Hot Rocks 1964–1971 is a compilation album by the Rolling Stones released by London Records in December 1971. It became the Rolling Stones' best-selling release of their career and an enduring and popular retrospective. The album includes a mixture of hit singles, such as "Jumping Jack Flash", B-sides such as "Play with Fire", and album tracks such as "Under My Thumb" and "Gimme Shelter", the last of which has become one of the Rolling Stones' most popular and highly regarded songs. The album artwork depicts five nested silhouettes of the band members' profiles taken by rock photographer Ron Raffaelli in 1969. A photograph of the band at Swarkestone Hall Pavilion, taken by Michael Joseph in 1968, was printed on the back cover of the vinyl release.

<i>Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap</i> 1976 studio album by AC/DC

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is the third studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, originally released only in Europe, Australia and New Zealand in 1976. The album was not released in the United States until 1981, more than one year after lead singer Bon Scott's death. This was also AC/DC's first album in its entirety to be recorded with the same lineup, rather than including at least one track recorded with a different bassist or drummer.

<i>High Voltage</i> (1976 album) 1976 international studio album by AC/DC

High Voltage is the first internationally released album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It contains tracks completed from their first two previous Australia-only issued albums, High Voltage and T.N.T..

<i>Who Made Who</i> 1986 soundtrack album by AC/DC

Who Made Who is a soundtrack album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Released on 26 May 1986, the album is the soundtrack to the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.

<i>Backtracks</i> (AC/DC album) 2009 box set by AC/DC

Backtracks is a box set by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was announced on 29 September 2009 and was released on 10 November 2009. This is a collection of the band's studio and live rarities together in one boxset. There are two editions; a Deluxe Edition and a Standard Edition. All tracks have been remastered to match the sound of the 2003 album remasters and many songs appear on CD for the first time. It is the band's second box set of rarities, following the Bonfire release in 1997.

<i>Stiff Upper Lip</i> (album) 2000 studio album by AC/DC

Stiff Upper Lip is the 14th studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was released on 28 February 2000. The album was produced by George Young, older brother of Malcolm and Angus Young. It was the last AC/DC album that George produced before his death in 2017.

<i>Live at River Plate</i> (album) 2012 live album by AC/DC

Live at River Plate is a live album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 19 November 2012.

<i>Rock or Bust</i> 2014 studio album by AC/DC

Rock or Bust is the sixteenth studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC, released on 28 November 2014. Rock or Bust is the group's first album to feature rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, replacing founding member Malcolm Young, who had retired from the band earlier in the year due to health concerns. It is the shortest studio album ever released by the band. At approximately 35 minutes, it is two minutes shorter than their previous shortest album, Flick of the Switch, which was released in 1983. It sold 2.8 million copies worldwide.

References

  1. @acdc (12 November 2021). ""For Those About To Rock" release date info" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  2. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 3. ISBN   9780862415419.
  3. "BPI".
  4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN   0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  5. 1 2 Huey, Steve. "AC/DC - For Those About to Rock review". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  6. "AC/DC : For Those About to Rock Review on Blender :: The Ultimate Guide to Music and More". Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  7. Christgau, Robert (1990). "A". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s . Pantheon Books. ISBN   0-679-73015-X . Retrieved 16 August 2020 via robertchristgau.com.
  8. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 10. ISBN   978-1894959315.
  9. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 34. ISBN   978-1-84609-856-7.
  10. metallum, omne. "AC/DC - For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) review". Metal Storm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  11. Loder, Kurt (21 January 1982). "For Those About To Rock We Salute You". Rolling Stone .
  12. Robert Christgau: CG: ac/dc
  13. "For Those About to Rock at the AC/DC official website". acdc.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  14. "The School of Rock (2003) – Memorable quotes". Archived from the original on 26 June 2004. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 11. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  16. "Austriancharts.at – AC/DC – For Those About To Rock" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  17. "Dutchcharts.nl – AC/DC – For Those About To Rock" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  18. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "AC/DC". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 9. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – AC/DC – For Those About To Rock" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  20. Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. ISBN   978-1094705002.
  21. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: {{{date}}}" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  22. "Charts.nz – AC/DC – For Those About To Rock". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  23. "Norwegiancharts.com – AC/DC – For Those About To Rock". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  24. "Spanishcharts.com – AC/DC – For Those About To Rock". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – AC/DC – For Those About To Rock". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – AC/DC – For Those About To Rock". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  27. "AC DC Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  28. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1982". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  29. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  30. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1982". Billboard. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  31. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  32. "Austrian album certifications – AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  33. "AC/DC Gold Award". Wall-of-fame.de. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  34. "French album certifications – AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You" (in French). InfoDisc.Select AC/DC and click OK. 
  35. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (AC/DC; 'For Those About to Rock We Salute You')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  36. "Italian album certifications – AC/DC – For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 31 August 2020. Select "2020" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  37. "A Japanese in-house "gold" record for the AC/DC album "For Those About Rock We Salute You" presented to drummer Phil Rudd and dated "1982"". 25 May 2024.
  38. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 953. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  39. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('For Those About to Rock We Salute You')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  40. "British album certifications – AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You". British Phonographic Industry.
  41. "American album certifications – AC/DC – For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)". Recording Industry Association of America.