{ "schemaVersion": "v1", "slug": "the-most-successful-rock-album-of-all-time-back-in-black-the-history-of-rock-music-part-10", "title": "The Most Successful Rock Album of All Time: Back in Black - The History of Rock Music (Part 10)", "kind": "solo", "listenUrl": "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/The-Most-Successful-Rock-Album-of-All-Time-Back-in-Black---The-History-of-Rock-Music-Part-10-e35455l", "contentStartSec": 61.55, "publishedAt": "2026-10-14", "source": { "provider": "whisper", "model": "faster-whisper:base", "normalizedSchema": "v1", "transcribedAt": "2026-06-09T10:31:26.839Z" }, "paragraphs": [ { "startSec": 61.55, "endSec": 87.71, "text": "What's good, everybody?Scoobert Doobert here.Welcome back to love music more.We're going to love music more today by learning more about it and about its history.This is the history of rock and roll.Maybe I should do that in a more radio announcer voice.This is the history of rock and roll.How's that?The album that I want to cover today is back in black." }, { "startSec": 87.71, "endSec": 110.19, "text": "And you might be asking, hey, Scoob, this entire time you've been focusing on genres andsub-genres and musical scenes and political circumstances, why focus on one album and ofall albums, why back in black by AC/DCIt's because it's the number one most successful rock album of all time, bar none." }, { "startSec": 110.19, "endSec": 132.2055223880597, "text": "It is the number two most successful album of all time, only behind Michael Jackson'sthriller.Also, interesting note, that's how important the 80s were and also the musical penetrationof the 80s, the two biggest albums of all time, both 80s records.I think that by viewing AC/DC" }, { "startSec": 132.2055223880597, "endSec": 153.57, "text": "through this lens, everything else that comes after it also makes more sense, like hair metal, listen to back in black and you go, oh, I seehow it got to hair metal.I see why people wanted to do that.This album was so successful and I think it's easy to forget how successful it was becauseit's just kind of in the air.And it's also kind of silly, you know, I see these as kind of silly music." }, { "startSec": 153.57, "endSec": 180.85, "text": "But I don't think at the time it was viewed as silly, maybe, maybe I wasn't there.This is 1980 and it sold twice as much as Abbey Road.This record, 50 million copies, was a defining point for rock.And I think that you hear everything that came before it filtered, collected, cleaned upand packaged." }, { "startSec": 180.85, "endSec": 205.73, "text": "There's like a reason why this record was so approachable is that I think that it feltdangerous without it being like punk, without it being sloppy or chaotic or raw.This is pretty polished music, but it has just the right amount, like almost it's createdin a lab, just the dash of enough chaos for you to take it seriously, but not too much" }, { "startSec": 205.73, "endSec": 232.04, "text": "chaos for it to turn off almost anybody, even with the crazy vocals, which is kind of impressive.And as a producer coming to this now and mixed engineer coming to this now, it's reallyfun to relisten, especially through this lens, because it is a record that's very connectedwith like middle school or early high school for me." }, { "startSec": 232.04, "endSec": 253.16, "text": "That's when I was learning how to play guitar and how to take guitar solos and my guitarteacher back then was like, you gotta learn some AC/DC and I understand why.And I do the same thing whenever I teach, I haven't taught for a while, but whenever I havetaught.I'd always teach some AC/DC because it combines simple rhythms, well executed rhythms," }, { "startSec": 253.16, "endSec": 280.72, "text": "simple solos and licks that reference all of blues rock history while being approachable,not too difficult, not too like shreddy in the way that like hair metal and virtuoso stuffgot, it's still very approachable, you know, 13 year old fingers can keep up.But it's really hard to nail.And I think that's what the hat trick of this record is, is like, if you know any amount" }, { "startSec": 280.72, "endSec": 306.24, "text": "of guitar, try and play the title track back in black, it's gonna sound wrong.Because you have to be so, you have to be so good at guitar in order to play somethingso simple, so effectively with the right amount of swagger and time and articulation.Articulation is the hard part, is like, you can read on tabs or in sheet music, whoare we kidding?Read on tabs." }, { "startSec": 306.24, "endSec": 329.24, "text": "And you see pull-offs, which is where you have a note threaded on the guitar, and insteadof striking the guitar with your right hand, you pull off the note with your left hand,and that creates a different sort of articulation rather than picking, you're basically creatingthe note by removing your left hand rather than striking with your right hand." }, { "startSec": 329.24, "endSec": 354.88, "text": "The right blend of hammer-ons and pull-offs, where you're deciding how much am I picking,how much am I not, and then also the right amount of bends.This is something my guitar teacher taught me using AC/DC, of targeting notes.So on a guitar, one of the coolest things about guitar, is it's a string, and just likewith any string, by cutting it in half, you know, you're having the pitch, by moving" }, { "startSec": 354.96, "endSec": 380.16, "text": "your finger around, you're able to slide up and down the pitch in the same way that yourvocal cords can go, you know, you have that variable pitch center, and you're also ableto bend.So in the same way, like you think like a harmonica, love me do, it's like pitch bend.You can do the same thing on guitar, and that's like the heart of what makes a guitar sound" }, { "startSec": 380.16, "endSec": 397.56, "text": "like a guitar is the way that it bends, and the articulation deciding whether or not you'reletting those hammer-ons and pull-offs on your left hand, make the notes, or whetherout you're striking with your right hand, and how you're striking with your right hand.All of those things play into the decisions that go behind making a nuanced and really" }, { "startSec": 397.56, "endSec": 423.52, "text": "enjoyable guitar solo, and Angus Young, the guitarist for AC/DC, is super good at that, makingthose decisions, and doing the right one, he's like a little super computer, a little Australiansuper computer.He has taken everything that's come before him in Blues Rock, processed it all, clearlylearned it all, clearly obsessed with the history of rock." }, { "startSec": 423.52, "endSec": 451.08, "text": "And he turned around, and figured out how to make the right choices for the right placein the right song, add the right amount of chaos, but play it cleanly when he's supposedto, know how to interact with his gear and his amp so that it has that authentic nature,to pick the right articulation, and it rips, and it gets rewarded by having a yacht.So there's a reason why you learn your history, kids." }, { "startSec": 451.08, "endSec": 472.96, "text": "This is a great showpiece for, it's like a capstone for Blues Rock.The other thing that I think is really fascinating to zooming out on this record is how straightit is.And by that I mean, you can swing music, which I have an episode on, but just to make" }, { "startSec": 472.96, "endSec": 506, "text": "it clearer, you, instead of having straight notes, you make it lilt and swing and dancea little bit.That's a hallmark, those tied triplets, that's a hallmark of Blues and jazz, and it'spretty much nowhere to be found on this record, which I think is one of the cool, interestinginnovations.It straightens everything out, so it's almost like a drum machine." }, { "startSec": 506, "endSec": 526.36, "text": "And that works, obviously, for the 80s, because drum machines just go super hard in the 80s,and that's Phil Rudd, not Paul Rudd, playing on those drums.As you listen to this record, you'll hear it's pretty much the same, like the drumbeat does not change that much.It's also a great record if you're learning drums, but it's really hard to nail." }, { "startSec": 526.36, "endSec": 552.56, "text": "Like I hear so many early musicians trying to cover AC/DC songs, just like, yes, it's simple,but it's not simple.Like there aren't a lot of notes or things going on, or there's not a bunch of tappingor crazy Eddie Van Halen stuff going on the guitars, but it almost always sounds wrong.And that's credit to these guys, is like, I think that they did an interesting thing" }, { "startSec": 552.56, "endSec": 576.68, "text": "that a lot of musicians don't do, where you get better than what you play.It's almost like the ways that athletes train, is they'll train to do something absolutelyabsurd, so that'll make everything below that level of skill seem easier, like a StephCurry or something like that.Like you watch his warm-ups, he's doing absolutely bonkers, crazy things.So then when he just has a normal spot up three, it's automatic." }, { "startSec": 576.68, "endSec": 602.2, "text": "It's not even a big deal because he's perfected that to the point of just knocking things out.In my sub-stack post, which you can find at lovemusicmore.substack.com, that's gotto track by track, break it down.I lavish a lot of praise on Angus Young and Malcolm Young because I think that it's reallyhard to make something that is so straight, sound so funky, which is credit to Malcolm." }, { "startSec": 602.2, "endSec": 629.6, "text": "It's really hard to do things that are, quote-unquote, derivative, but in a new way and simpleby Angus.And on the other hand, Cliff Williams, the bassist, he does a really good job of being glue andbeing transparent.Those are two very hard things for me to do on bass guitar and it's admirable." }, { "startSec": 629.6, "endSec": 653.92, "text": "He's a great skill to have of he is not in the spotlight, decidedly so, but he's keepingthe groove going and he's providing the backbone on which all of these other big personalitiescan step out.It's almost like picturing a stage where there's only one spotlight and I think that that's" }, { "startSec": 653.92, "endSec": 675.52, "text": "held very well constant throughout the entire record of how do you get 50 million peopleto buy a record with huge personalities?You don't really have them screaming over each other very often.This is a pretty restrained record for what it is for being such a rock record." }, { "startSec": 675.52, "endSec": 699.96, "text": "It is respecting that the audience can only really listen to so much at the same time.It's also respecting that Angus and Brian Wilson could you imagine Brian Wilson on thisrecord?Brian Johnson that they both have these huge personalities so they shouldn't be steppingout each other too much." }, { "startSec": 699.96, "endSec": 732.04, "text": "They should be dancing with each other and dancing over the top of a really steady groovewith just enough funk from Malcolm.This record also is a tribute to their late lead singer, Bon Scott.It's kind of wild that this band had two careers, basically.There are quite a few bands that have this, which is kind of, I don't know, that's wortha post on its own." }, { "startSec": 732.04, "endSec": 755.12, "text": "After he passed, they wanted this record to be a celebration of life.Brian Johnson said, I remember back in black was particularly difficult because the boyswere saying, listen, we want this song in memory of Bon, but we don't want it to be sador moblin.We want it to be a good thing, positive song.And I think that whole energy kind of like presses through the entire record." }, { "startSec": 755.12, "endSec": 783.4, "text": "It also makes the whole record feel very Australian.I can picture this equally in somebody's backyard with some ice-gold beers singing out intothe night in the outback or something or in a stadium.And I think that's what's really fun about this album is it's equally like pub songsand bar songs as stadium songs." }, { "startSec": 783.4, "endSec": 811.12, "text": "And you can feel that energy of celebration, of youth, of danger, but it's cleaned up ina way that I think is the secret sauce.I also think it was like timing, you know, 1980.It has the energy of all that great 70s rock, but it's again that capstone, it's thatlike recap, recap, recapitulation." }, { "startSec": 811.12, "endSec": 833.57, "text": "It's the synthesis and pulling it all together in a package in a way that makes you go, oh,this is rock.One other thing I want to highlight, I'm not going to go through every song, you canread the sub-stack post for that.But rock and roll ain't noise pollution, such a great end song." }, { "startSec": 833.57, "endSec": 855.61, "text": "I think that end of record songs is like a lost art one that I'm trying to do with mymusic because I think it's so such an important position to reward the listener for like stickingwith you the entire time.It's like, hey, thank you for giving me 40 minutes of your life.I hope it was enjoyable.Here's a banger.And it's kind of scary to do because a lot of people don't make it to the end." }, { "startSec": 855.61, "endSec": 871.17, "text": "So why would you want to put such a good song at the end?Usually like nowadays people put their words song at the end, just like, eh, let's putit down on the record, do.We spent money in recording that or we spent time, like, we'll throw that on rather thanthinking of that as the last moment, the thing that people are going to reflect on when" }, { "startSec": 871.17, "endSec": 893.73, "text": "they're deciding, did I like that record or do I want to listen to that record or do I wantto buy it on vinyl, you know, the final song's got to pay that off.It's got to give you that reason.For this one, it's rock and roll ain't noise pollution.And rock and roll ain't noise pollution uses hybrid picking.So I was talking about the differences between hammer-ons and pull-offs and bends and allthis kind of stuff." }, { "startSec": 893.73, "endSec": 914.69, "text": "And so you're thinking about, how am I articulating?How many times am I striking with the pick?But there's another way to do it.Obviously, there's finger-style or instead of using a pick, you're just using your fingers.You can do something called hybrid that's in between where you can have a pick pinchedin between your thumb and your pointer and then be able to use the other three fingersas half finger-style." }, { "startSec": 914.69, "endSec": 938.77, "text": "This is a really cool way to do it where you don't have to let the pick drop because sometimeswhen you do only finger-style, you have a limit of the intensity and the type of articulation.And at least in my case, there's some people that can play super fast with their fingers.I'm a lot more articulate and clean and able to play fast and virtuosically if I have apick in my hands." }, { "startSec": 938.77, "endSec": 963.85, "text": "So I like hybrid a lot more than finger-style because I'm able to control the dynamicswithout losing my ceiling or my upper echelon stuff.I can still reach the heights that I want to.This is a great thing for life because I don't necessarily want to pick up the pick inthe middle of my soul.I want to have it ready to go.Rock and roll, ain't noise pollution.You can hear the fingers." }, { "startSec": 963.85, "endSec": 985.57, "text": "And having your fingers, not just the pick, you can control how much distortion is comingfrom the amp because there are two ways to look at volume.There's the actual output volume, but then there's also the input volume or gain.And you can control the gain through the gain knob or your knob on your guitar, but youcan also control it with how much dynamic you're playing with your fingers." }, { "startSec": 985.57, "endSec": 1009.05, "text": "And if you have a lot of distortion on your amplifier, the amount of gain that you'regiving through your fingers, through your articulation, is going to affect the amount of distortionthat's happening from the amp.So it's a really great way, especially because distortion is like a compressive effect.So it can make even the more nuanced quiet things sound loud enough like a compressordoes." }, { "startSec": 1009.05, "endSec": 1032.37, "text": "You know, vague strokes like really compressors just compress down the loudest things.So it creates the perceptual thing that quieter things will louder when really just louderthings are quieter.I digress, the perceptual experience is that the quieter things sound more intimatebecause all things turned up.And from that, you can get all of these little human nuances." }, { "startSec": 1032.37, "endSec": 1063.53, "text": "And that's what I really like about that last song, is it feels the most human on theentire record.Like I was saying, a lot of it felt like pretty clean and pretty drum machini rock and rollain't noise pollution is it's like sentimental.It's almost too slow.It's got this swagger to it and it has a launch pad because it's able to switch from thatfinger style guitar to the pick through the use of hybrid picking." }, { "startSec": 1063.53, "endSec": 1090.65, "text": "And again, like that's my, I don't know, that's my main thing that I want to take away asa producer and as a guitarist is the incredible work on the guitar that is done to createemotional arc and interest without having to use a whole bunch of chords or a whole bunchof effects.This is a distorted guitarist through like a Marshall amp.It is as simple and traditional as it comes.So you have to use your skill to speak." }, { "startSec": 1090.65, "endSec": 1118.09, "text": "You're not relying on anything else.Not to hate on that.But it's like a good example of the opposite end would be like the edge for you to use awhole bunch of effects to be able to create his perceptual reality, which is so cool.I like both.But there's just something nice about a rock record that is a rock record singing aboutrock and roll and you're using your hands and the way that you strike the guitar to make" }, { "startSec": 1118.09, "endSec": 1155.61, "text": "the message rather than an effect or a studio trick.It is honest, it is raw and it's rock.And as a producer, I can't let this episode go by without talking about Robert John Mutt Lange, quite a name, but the producer for this record.Truly incredible work at being transparent, but certainly a guiding hand.Everything sounds awesome.The tones are great.The recording quality is great.The mixing is great." }, { "startSec": 1155.61, "endSec": 1184.44, "text": "So much so that you forget it's even there.And that's classic production in the old school sense.Got to love it.And I think that's what makes this recap for me so fun is I'm able to come back to somethingthat I loved so dearly as a earlier version of myself, as a later version of myself thatcan actually hear everything now.That's pretty cool." }, { "startSec": 1184.44, "endSec": 1212.08, "text": "I hope you enjoyed this episode more to come on the history of rock and roll.We got to get through the 80s and I guess I want to talk about all rock and the stuffthat I do.If you enjoyed this episode, invite you to five star it, share it with your friends andsubscribe or like it if you're on YouTube.And you can hear my music at www.scoobertdoobert.pizza and I'll see you next week." } ], "correctionsApplied": [ { "id": "acdc", "count": 4, "note": "Band name punctuation" }, { "id": "scooberdubert-url", "count": 1, "note": "Outro URL ASR typo" } ] }