Maps of Music

Ballbreaker (1995)

Where the lyrics of Ballbreaker take you, and where it was really made.

Ballbreaker is the only AC/DC album produced by Rick Rubin, a producer who had long been a fan of the band.

Key places

Where the band finally got its sound (1995)

Recording site Ocean Way Recording — The band moved here from New York and found the sound it wanted, so the album's main recording work continued in Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Where production began in New York (1995)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Production of the album began at this New York studio, but the band was unhappy with the sound and later moved to Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Ballbreaker: thirteenth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC
• Released 25 September 1995
• Re-released in 2005 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series
• The only AC/DC album produced by Rick Rubin
• The album took five months to record

Background

• Marked the return of drummer Phil Rudd, who had played with AC/DC from 1975 to 1983
• Rudd had left during the Flick of the Switch sessions because of drug problems and his incompatibility with Malcolm Young
• According to Arnaud Durieux's book AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll, Rudd made an open-ended pitch to rejoin after a 1991 Auckland show
• Rudd accepted the invitation to rejoin in August 1994
• Drummer Chris Slade, who had been recording demos with the band in London, was disappointed by Rudd's return
• Rubin had been a long-time fan of the band
• Rubin's first assignment with AC/DC was Big Gun, which appeared on the soundtrack for the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero

Recording

• Production started at the Record Plant Studios in New York City, but the band became dissatisfied with the sound there
• The band moved to Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, where they were immediately satisfied
• Getting the right drum sound at the Record Plant proved impossible; Rubin isolated the drums in a tent inside the studio
• Rubin and Malcolm Young clashed over the album's direction, and Rubin demanded as many as 50 retakes on some songs
• Mike Fraser was credited for recording, engineering and mixing the album

Cover

• Marvel Comics contributed to the cover art

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.
• The band name comes from the AC/DC symbol on the adapter of their sister Margaret's sewing machine.
• Their music has been described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal, though the band calls itself simply a rock and roll band.
• Their early sound was rooted in Australian pub rock.

Members

• Angus Young (lead guitar) and Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar) were the founding core of the band until Malcolm retired in 2014.
• Bon Scott was lead vocalist until his death in February 1980.
• Brian Johnson became lead vocalist in 1980.
• Phil Rudd, Cliff Williams and Stevie Young have also played key roles.

Career

• Their 1980 album Back in Black became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• The band has sold an estimated 200 million records worldwide.
• They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: Jancee Dunn gave the album two out of five stars, saying the band's longevity came from nostalgia and from AC/DC still seeing the world through the mind of a horny 15-year-old
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that although Hard as a Rock comes close, no song is as immediately memorable as their 1970s classics or even Moneytalks, but unlike any record since Back in Black, there are no bad songs on the album
• Ultimate Classic Rock: the site said the album had all the makings of an AC/DC purist's dream come true, with the Young brothers' songwriting confidence restored, Rudd's percussive style making the band sound like themselves again, and Rubin's commitment to the authentic 1970s sound, including hunting down rare Marshall valve amplifiers, plus a little something for almost everyone

Records

• Initial shipments outside Japan and Australia: 2.5 million copies
• Australia: topped the ARIA Charts and was certified gold on release day, with 35,000 units sold
• Reached the top 10 in many countries, including number 4 in the US and number 6 in the UK
• Topped the charts in Finland, Sweden and Switzerland
• United States: certified 2x platinum by the RIAA, for sales in excess of two million

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Hard as a Rock music video was directed by David Mallet and set at Bray Studios in Windsor, Berkshire, with a wrecking ball destroying a building as Angus Young plays his Gibson SG
• Burnin' Alive was written about the Waco, Texas cult followers who were burnt to death in 1993 during a raid by the authorities
• The single Hard as a Rock dated back to the Who Made Who sessions
• Marvel Comics contributed to the cover art
• Ballbreaker is referenced in Hirohiko Araki's work Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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