Maps of Music

Blow Up Your Video (1988)

Where the lyrics of Blow Up Your Video take you, and where it was really made.

Recorded during a period when Malcolm Young's drinking was becoming a serious problem, the album was the last to credit Brian Johnson as a lyricist.

Key places

Studio Miraval, Le Val (1988)

Recording site Studio Miraval — The band convened at Studio Miraval in Le Val, Provence, in August and September with producers Harry Vanda and George Young. The sessions were held in the south of France. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Blow Up Your Video: eleventh studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC
• Released 1 February 1988
• Re-released in 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series
• Last studio album to feature drummer Simon Wright
• Last album to feature Brian Johnson as a lyricist and songwriter
• Later albums were written entirely by the Young brothers
• Band's biggest-selling album of new material since For Those About to Rock We Salute You

Background

• Writing sessions took place at London's Nomis Studio in July 1987
• Band convened at Studio Miraval in Le Val, Provence, in the south of France, in August and September
• Producers Harry Vanda and George Young were the team behind the band's early albums
• Title taken from a line in the song That's The Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll
• Angus Young told MTV Australia in 1988 that the band was best seen live
• Previous few albums had underperformed commercially
• The tour that followed brought the band back into the spotlight, and the next album, The Razors Edge, sold better

Recording

• Sixteen tracks recorded during the sessions
• Unreleased songs Let It Loose and Alright Tonight were among them
• Demo tracks for Let It Loose and Alright Tonight were stolen and bootlegged, so they were left off the final album
• Other songs recorded but not on the album: Snake Eye and Borrowed Time
• Down on the Borderline was recorded but released only in 1990 as a B-side
• Snake Eye, Borrowed Time and Down on the Borderline were later included on Backtracks in 2009
• George Young realised during the sessions that Malcolm Young was in the grip of alcoholism
• Musicians and production credits: Tom Swift engineered; George Marino mastered at Sterling Sound, New York

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's Jim Farber found the riffs the band's catchiest work since Back in Black, making the tunnel vision justifiable
• AllMusic's Greg Prato called the album unfocused and glutted with throwaways such as Nick of Time
• Canadian journalist Martin Popoff found the album frustrating, with the band looking too deeply for a new enigmatic direction

Reappraisal

• Author Paul Stenning described the album as the sound of a group remaining current while still defining rock on its own terms
• Modern reviews are less enthusiastic and lean negative
• Classic Rock magazine said that apart from two songs the album is largely a slog through pedestrian deep cuts
• Ultimate Classic Rock agreed, saying the album has a couple of good singles but little else

Records

• Reached No. 2 in the UK
• Reached No. 12 in the US
• Certified Platinum in the US
• Biggest-selling album of new material since For Those About to Rock We Salute You
• Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental in 1989

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The band played four tracks from the album live on the tour: Heatseeker, That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll, Nick of Time and Go Zone.
• Malcolm Young missed part of the North American leg because his drinking had reached a point where it affected performances.
• Malcolm's nephew Stevie Young filled in for him, and Malcolm was still present on the rest of the tour and in the promotional videos.
• Stevie Young also stepped in for Malcolm in 2014, when the guitarist's dementia was disclosed.
• The album title comes from a line in That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll, and Angus Young linked it to the band's strength on stage.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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