The AC/DC Story Continued

Highway To Stardom

'If You Want Blood You've Got It' closed the first stage of AC/DC's career. Atlantic suggested a change of producer. Eddie Kramer, who in the past had been associated with Jimi Hendrix, Kiss and Led Zeppelin, was the first choice to produce AC/DC's next album. But things just didn't work out. Eventually, Robert John 'Mutt' Lange was chosen to produce the album.

As well as changing producer, AC/DC also changed studios, moving into the Roundhouse Studios in Chalk Farm, London. Those changes were followed by a change in management, from Michael Browning to Peter Mensch of the powerful New York-based Leber and Krebs organization.

AC/DC had not previously recorded outside Australia and had never spent more than three weeks working on an album, spent six months in the Roundhouse Studios with 'Mutt' Lange working on the new record. Lange did an admirable job of refining and sharpening AC/DC's sound without losing the raw edge that was the source of the band's original appeal.

Released on July 27, 'Highway To Hell' quickly became the band's first UK Top Ten hit, peaking at No. 8, and their first US Top Twenty, reaching No. 17. It was even a hit in Australia, where it made it to No. 24, making it the first AC/DC album to chart there in nearly three years. 'Highway To Hell' received the most positive press of the band's career.

The band spent the remainder of 1979 touring in the United States and Britain, though still not in Australia, where the album was not released until November. In the States, AC/DC played a handful of headlining shows while opening other concerts for the likes of Cheap Trick, UFO and Ted Nugent. But not all headliners regarded the idea of sharing the stage with AC/DC with enthusiasm. In attempting to book the US Highway To Hell Tour, AC/DC was turned down by Foreigner, Van Halen and Sammy Hagar.

The British leg of the Highway To Hell tour took in dates in Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Stafford and London's Hammersmith Odeon, with Def Leppard as support act. It began on October 26 at the Mayfair in Newcastle and ended on November 9 at Leicester's De Monfort Hall.

On August 18, AC/DC played the biggest show of their career thus far in the UK. It was at Wembley Stadium in London, opening for The Who. Despite sound problems, AC/DC's set won excellent notice and was undoubtedly helpful in expanding the group's audience. The Wembley gig did a lot for AC/DC's credibility and confidence, and led to more outdoor dates with The Who in Europe.

Before the by-now-traditional Christmas break in Australia, the band made an extensive tour of Europe. AC/DC ended the year by playing a date in Paris which was filmed for a long-form video issued in 1980 and titled 'Let There Be Rock'.

In January 1980, the band flew to France for the annual Midem music-industry convention, at which they were presented with an armload of gold and silver discs for sales in France and Canada. They also played some dates in Newcastle and Southampton for shows cancelled on the last British tour and taped an appearance on British TV's 'Top of the Pops' to promote the current UK single 'Touch Too Much'.

On January 27, 1980, Bon Scott appeared for the last time onstage with the band...

Touch Too Much

On Tuesday, February 19, Bon Scott went to tour manager Ian Jeffrey's house for dinner, leaving at about 6.30 pm to go to the Music Machine in London. When the club closed up its bar at 3 am, Bon left with an old friend, Alisdair Kinnear. Kinnear drove Bon back to his flat at Ashley Court but upon arrival, he couldn't move Bon. He was then left with the one alternative of driving Bon back to his own pad in Dulwich. On arriving home, however, he still couldn't wake Bon. He tried to lift him out of the car, but was unable to. He eventually decided to leave him in the car for the night and went to bed.

Kinnear awoke early in the evening on the 20th, checked on Bon, and found him unconscious in the car. He rushed him to King's College Hospital, but by then it was too late to save Bon's life. Bon was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

The autopsy was held on Friday, February 22. The verdict was 'Death by Misadventure - Acute Alcoholic Poisoning'. The coroner reported that Bon's stomach had been found to contain the equivalent of half a bottle of whiskey at the moment of death. Sometime during the night Bon, who had been lying in an awkward position with his neck twisted, had vomited and choked to death.

After the autopsy, Bon's body was flown out to Australia to be cremated by his family. Bon was cremated in Fremantle, on Friday, February 29, his ashes buried the following day in the Fremantle Cemetery's Memorial Garden.

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