The Costs Of Tattoos

The Costs Of Tattoos

Once you have made the decision to get a tattoo, you’ll find yourself facing a very important task – the budget. Tattoos have long been known to be very expensive, with the bigger ones costing up in the thousands. Although you may be able to find some designs and studios that are within your budget, you’ll still face some very important decisions.

The cost of a tattoo is the most common question people ponder before they get a tattoo. Although they can be very expensive, they are still within your reach. Most people who know they are getting a tattoo will save their money up. Even though you may have an average job and don’t make a lot of money, a tattoo can still be well within your reach if you save your money up for a few months. This way, you’ll have more than enough to spare when you finally get the tattoo you have been saving up for.

In the world of tattoos, you get what you pay for. If you’ve got your own design that you want tattooed, tattoo artists will normally charge you anywhere from $30 – 250 dollars an hour. In my area, the average is about $100 an hour. If you want the tattoo artist to design a tattoo for you, you’ll probably end up paying more. Depending on the size and location of the tattoo, you can easily spend thousands. Tattoos that cover the entire back for example, can cost you as much as fifteen thousand dollars!

The best thing to do is to find a studio and design that you like, and then look into how much it will cost you. You should always look for the cleanest and most sanitary studio first. Once you have found a sanitary tattoo studio, you should meet the tattoo artists and talk to them a bit to see how friendly they are. When you look at the prices of the tattoos, you should never sacrifice quality for price. Even though a studio may cost you more, the quality will normally be better than other tattoo studios in the area.

Although you may be able to find a tattoo studio that will do their work for a cheap price, you should never rush into getting a tattoo strictly for the price. Even though a cheap price may sound good, the quality of the work could be lacking. Tattoo studios that charge expensive prices normally do so because they have the best artists and the best quality work.

Once you have chosen a studio and had your tattoo done, you should always make sure to tip your artist. If he does exceptional work, you should make it well worth his time and give him a nice tip. Tattoo artists who do high quality work love to get tips, and they will always appreciate your business if you treat them as good as they treat you.

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Tim Watson is a tax preparer during the tax season who also runs an Search Engine Optimization directory and an Video iPod directory, plus has 8 tattoos. You may use this article as is provided the resource box stays intact.

The Meanings Of Flower Tattoos

Your guide to flower tattoos.

These days, more and more women are getting tattoos. As more women decide to get tattoos, flower designs continue to loom in popularity. The best thing about flower tattoos is the fact that there are many different colors and types of flowers – providing many different meanings as well. The flowers can mean a few different things, although specific types of flowers such as the rose and the Lilly may have a more specific meaning.

In general, flower tattoos have a connection with nature, bringing growing thoughts and images of life and vitality. Anytime we look at a flower, we see the duration of life, simply flowers connect with us in the type that we both grow. Flowers emerge from the earth and continue to grow on a daily preface. Then, the flowers fascination, knowing that they cede later dry up and start to wilt away.
Having a tattoo with a flower brings back the entire process known as life. Keep in mind however, that different colors and flowers on tattoos will symbolize other things as well. White flower tattoos symbolize purity, while red flower tattoos can symbolize passion. There are numerous colors and designs available, giving plenty of meaning to those desiring flower tattoos.

Roses are the most common flower design for tattoos, symbolizing affection. During the turn of the 16th century, roses were tattooed on those who were sentenced to death. If they were to escape from the gallows, the rose tattoo would serve as a symbol to easily recognize them. These days, roses symbolize both relish and passion. Roses have long been known as a romantic flower, popular for special occasions with the ones we love.
In the western regions, rose tattoos are a symbol of love and purity.

In the Eastern regions however, love and purity are symbolized by a lotus flower. Tattoos that feature lotus flowers also bring a little more meaning to the table. Lotus tattoos are also known to symbolize fortune, peace, beauty, and integrity. Even though roses are the most popular tattoos in North America, Lotus flower tattoos are more frequent in unrelated regions.

Other examples include the acacia flower tattoo which is the symbol for love and friendship. There are some people with Irish heritage who choose to get tattoos with the flower known as the Bells of Ireland. This flower is well known throughout Ireland, with the tattoo symbolizing good luck. Irish who have this tattoo are known to be lucky, or own an insane trend with luck.

Those who think of themselves as being the perfect lover may want to get a tulip tattooed on their arm. Tattoos with tulips represent passionate love and fame for being a great lover. If you happen to be shy and timid, you may want to go veil a violet flower tattoo instead. Violets are common tattoos for those who are shy and timid. Those wanting to symbolize wisdom and virtue on the other hand, would be well to get an Iris. Magnolias are also common with flower tattoos, because they serve an individual’s love for nature.

Flower tattoos are very common and popular designs these days, giving plenty of meaning behind their beauty. The flowers can be large or small and as bold through you wish them to be. No matter which flower you have decided to use stifle your tattoo, you can ensure that the flower says the meaning you are looking for.

Free Tattoo Designs

Free Tattoo Designs

Each and every one of us is always on the lookout for great deals and any way to save money that we can find. With the Internet being so popular these days, many people often turn to the Internet for free tattoo designs. For most of us, free is always the way to go. When you stop and think about evident, a free tattoo design sounds a lot better than paying as much as $150.00 for one at a tattoo studio. The fact about it is simple - someone could just as easily draw their tattoo design themselves and pay the tattoo artist to put the tattoo on them.

If you give it some thought, you may begin to wonder if free tattoo designs are actually worth it in the end. The fact of them being free is always great, although you may wonder if the design is something you would like to blaze permanently on your body. When you show your new tattoo to friends, they may think negative thoughts when you tell them that you got the design free off the Internet. Each and every time you presentation your tattoo people will want to know about the message and the design, which you’ll probably need to think about.

All of us are familiar with the old saying “you get what you pay for”, and it’s truly no different in this scenario. Although there are hundreds and hundreds of websites on the Internet that provide free tattoo designs, few of them are really worth the interest. Most of the free designs out there on the Internet are very poor quality. Thus, it would be in your best interest to wait and have a professional tattoo artist make the design for you.

Those who choose to use free tattoo designs will tell you that tattoos are very expensive and they can’t afford to have a professional tattoo artist draw up the design.

Some people, when dealing with custom tattoo designs, will say that their tattoo artist doesn’t do custom designs or that he just don’t want to do theirs. Although most of this may be true to an extent, there truly is no better way to stir a tattoo than using a design made by a professional tattoo artist.

As you may already know, free tattoo designs are normally made by those who know next to nothing about tattoo designs. In most cases, these designs are made by someone who is looking to manufacture a quick profit instead of a true professional tattoo artist. You can easily tell that they aren’t there excellence simply by looking at them. Most free designs have poor quality, poor lines, and often times the work appears to be made on a personal computer. You certainly wouldn’t want to use something like this with your tattoo – tidily because you will be showing sincere the rest of your life.

If you spend a lot of time searching on the Internet for free tattoo designs, you may be able to find a few with good quality. There are some good quality designs out there, although you’ll probably have to search quite a bit to find them. It’s best to have an idea in mind about the tattoo you want then look for it that way. Although it may take you some time, you could very well find it. If you do pop in across it as a free tattoo design – you should always triple check the quality before you decide to have it done.

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Tim Watson is a tax preparer during the season who also runs an Search Engine Optimization directory and an Video iPod directory. You may use this article as is provided the resource box stays intact.

Minimizing The Pain Of Tattoos

Minimizing The Pain Of Tattoos

No matter what you may hear, there really is no way to predict the amount of pain that you’ll experience when getting a tattoo. If you arrive with determination and the right frame of mind, it may not hurt you as much as you thought. On the other hand, if you arrive at the studio scared half to death, it will more than likely hurt you more than you thought possible.

Tattoos involve piercing into skin, which almost always involves pain. No matter how big or how small the tattoo may be or where it is located, you can expect to feel some pain. The overall amount of pain you experience though, all depends on your tolerance. If you have a high pain tolerance, you may feel next to nothing during the entire process.

When you get a tattoo, the needles will puncture your skin at very fast rates and variable depths. The outline of the tattoo is easily the most painful, as the needles will be used to create a black line that will stand out on the tattoo. This part need to be inserted fairly deeply and carefully to ensure that it’s done correctly. The shading of the tattoo normally isn’t painful, although it depends on the penetration depth and effect that you desire.

Normally, the pain you feel is a slight burn or scratching feeling. If the tattoo is going to be on an area where there is less bone and tissue such as the wrist or chest, the pain will be a bit more intense. Areas like the arms and legs however, normally aren’t that painful. Areas such as these have more tissue and muscle, which will lessen the amount of pain you feel.

Even though some pain is to be expected, there are ways that you can minimize the pain. Below are some tips that will help you deal with the pain.

1. Never show up to a get a tattoo on drugs or drunk. This will thin out your blood, causing you to bleed more. Also, most artists will not give you a tattoo.

2. Always choose a tattoo artist that you are comfortable around. If you have confidence in your artist you can minimize the pain a great deal.

3. Show up at the studio with sheer determination. You should accept the fact that the tattoo will take time. Quality work is an art and should never be rushed.

4. If the pain becomes too much to bear, you should let your tattoo artist know immediately. The artist will allow you to take a break, or stop and come back later. You can always break up your sessions, as tattoos don’t need to be finished immediately.

5. To ease your mind, listen to music. This way, you can take your mind to a different place and focus on something other than the tattoo.

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Tim Watson is a tattoo collector who also runs an Search Engine Optimization directory and an Video iPod directory. You may use this article as is, provided the resource box stays intact.

The Basics About Tattoos

Things To Know About Tattoos

Tattoos are created by injecting ink through into the skin. Tattoo artists accomplish this by using an electric powered tattoo gun that almost sounds like the drill a dentist uses. The tattoo gun has a needle that moves up and down, putting the ink into the skin around 2,000 times a minute. The needle in the gun punctures the skin and deposits a small drop of ink with each puncture.

The tattoo machines of today have several basic components. The sterilized needle, tube system, electric motor, and foot pedal are all fine examples. The foot pedal is extremely important to the tattoo gun, as it controls the vertical movement that the needle will make. It resembles a pedal used with a sewing machine, except for the fact that it determines how the needle will work.

One of the biggest concerns regarding tattoos has always been safety. Tattoo machines work by puncturing the skin and injecting ink into the tattoo site. Whenever you are dealing with puncture wounds, there is always a risk of infection and disease. Because of these risks, tattoo applications are always focused on safety. Tattoo artists always use sterile equipment, disposable materials, and proper sanitation to ensure protection for themselves and their customers.

To help prevent the risk of contamination, almost all tattoo materials such as ink, ink cups, needles, and gloves are for single use only. Getting a tattoo is considered minor surgery. Needles should never be used a second time, as they can almost always lead to infection. Most of the single use products will arrive at the tattoo studio in sterile packaging where the artist can open it up in front of you before they start their work.

Before they start the tattoo, tattoo artists will always wash their hands with soap and water and check themselves for abrasions and cuts. After doing so, they will clean and disinfect their work area with the appropriate disinfectants. As they do this, they will normally explain to you what they are doing and how the sterilization process works. Once they have cleaned the area, they will then start to open their equipment from the sterile boxes. After the artist has opened everything, the artist will shave the area for the tattoo and disinfect it with water and soap.

Once the artist starts the tattoo, the pain will all depend on your tolerance. Some people say that it feels like being pinched, while others describe it as a slight poking with needles. Your overall pain tolerance, the location and size of the tattoo and the experience of the tattoo artist will all be contributing factors to how much pain you will feel. The location is extremely important. If you are getting a tattoo in a sensitive area, it will probably hurt a bit more.

The tattoo artist will clean the tattoo throughout the process, and again once he has finished. Once he or she has finished, the artist will put some ointment on the tattoo and cover it. He or she will also explain how you should take care of it and what you can and can’t do. Most tattoo artists will give you a sheet to take home that contains detailed instructions on caring for your new tattoo. If you have any questions, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask when he is going over your care instructions. I use Tattoo Goo to help heal my tattoos. If the tattoo shop does not carry it, you can order it online Here. Be very careful on what you use, as there are ingredients in lotions that can lift the ink out of your tattoo and leave it polka-dotted.

When you get home, you should always follow those instructions. Taking care of your new tattoo is very important and may very well determine your risk of infection. Tattoos can be a great thing to have, providing you take care of them. Keep in mind that the tattoo may be sore for a while – although it will heal in a week or two. A new tattoo is fully healed after about a month. After your tattoo is healed, you will want to use sunblock on your tattoo to prevent fading when being in the sun for any length of time. Tattoos that have been faded by the sun are very ugly. Use at least 30 SPF sunblock. I use a 45 SPF sunblock on my tattoos

Here is a picture of my newest tattoo, done at Atomic Tattoos in Largo, Florida.



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Tim Watson is a tax preparer during the season who also runs an Search Engine Optimization directory and an Video iPod directory. You may use this article as is provided the resource box stays intact.

All About Holiday Cards

You may foresee of holiday cards as being Christmas or Seasons Greetings cards, but really competent are many more holiday cards than this one holiday. There are holiday cards for Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter ( or Resurrection Shift ), Thanksgiving, Halloween, Columbus Day, President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Independence Juncture, New Years, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparents Day, and Administrative Assistants Day. As you can see, there are many holidays we celebrate, again each of them have their own holiday cards.

Holiday cards were not always so popular. Only in the last distinct years have holiday cards been created for all of the holidays we celebrate as Americans. I was surprised to find Halloween and Thanksgiving holiday cards when I went Christmas card shopping last year. I later discovered that holiday cards are becoming more and more popular, as people send holiday cards all year round to their friends and family. It is becoming increasingly popular to send holiday cards to all of you friends further family at every connection, just to sublet them know you care.

Holiday cards come in all shapes again sizes. You can choose holiday cards that are uniform and simple, and send one to everyone on your list. Or, you can choose individual holiday cards suitable for each person based on personality and what holiday they celebrate. For example, if you know people who are Christian and people who are Jewish, you may choose to send a uniform card that says simply " Season's Greetings. " On the other hand, you can choose to send your Christian friends Christmas holiday cards, and your Jewish friends Hanukkah holiday cards. This way everyone feels special, and knows that you are thinking of them specifically.

Holiday cards can come with fancy pictures or cartoons, sentimental poetry or funny phrases, or even music or pop maturity figures. You can get holiday cards specifically for each member of your family. There are holiday cards for children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, husbands, wives, and friends. There are romantic holiday cards, funny holiday cards, sexy holiday cards, and sentimental holiday cards.

You can find holiday cards at allotment general store, retail outlet, discount meat, or holiday store. You can also find holiday cards at wholesale outlets, dollar stores, and specialty shops. The funniest and most sexy holiday cards can be found at novelty stores such as Spencer's, found in most shopping malls.

Alternatively, you constraint make your own holiday cards with a little bit of glue, construction paper, a pair of scissors, and a lot of creativity. Children rather enjoy forging holiday cards for their friends and family. Buying a holiday card is not partly so much fun as making one yourself. Also, the home - made holiday card from your favorite child means much more than a uniform holiday card purchased in a store.

Regardless of who you are sending a holiday card to, you are sure to find the perfect holiday card to suit that person's interests and hobbies. From Harley Davidson to Disney, holiday cards are an absolute must in every season.

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Another Florida Sunset

These pictures are from yesterday. My girlfriend and I walked to the beach in Indian Shores, about a 40 minute walk. It is good exercise. Stupid me though, I neglected to put fresh batteries in the camera, so I could only get a few picures. This was not one of the best sunsets, but it was still pretty cool. These are unedited, I just uploaded them as is. One of these days I'll learn how to take pictures.

The AC/DC Story Continued

Mad In Madrid

During the 1996 Ballbreaker European tour, AC/DC did not only play concerts. They indeed took part in three different projects, namely a long-form video tape, a television broadcast and an American movie.

In the beginning of July AC/DC played two nights at the Palau San Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. The day after the second show the band took the plane and flew to London for a single day. They were asked by the British commercial television channel VH-1 to record some songs live in the studio for a special TV broadcast.

For the occasion the band listened to old material they hadn't played for a very long time. As Brian had never sung some of the songs originally recorded with Bon Scott, he had to read the lyrics while he was singing. But they also recorded other songs during the breaks just for fun.

In total 14 songs were recorded during the session. In addition to the songs played on stage during the Ballbreaker tour, the band recorded two songs they hadn't played since 1978, namely 'Riff Raff' and 'Gone Shootin', a song they never played on stage neither with Bon Scott nor with Brian Johnson, 'Go Down', and two cover songs, namely 'Mary Superstitious' from Stevie Wonder and 'I Feel Good' from James Brown.

The first 30 minute broadcast, 'Take It To The Bridge', took place on August 4, 1996 in an 'AC/DC Special' program. The set included four songs, namely 'Riff Raff', 'Down Payment Blues', 'Gone Shootin' and 'Go Down' and some short interviews with Malcolm and Angus Young.

On September 21 & 22, VH-1 broadcasted the "AC/DC Uncut" show. The set list of the show was made of 'Riff Raff', 'Go Down', 'You Shook Me All Night Long', 'Shoot To Thrill', 'Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution', 'Down Payment Blues', 'The Jack' and 'Whole Lotta Rosie'. The show ended with the 'For Those About To Rock' video clip.

After the recording at VH-1 Studios, AC/DC flew back to Portugal in order to perform in Lisbon on July 6. The next shows were to take place in Madrid, Spain. When the tickets were first put on sale, only one show was planed on July 4. Only two weeks after, no tickets were to be found on the market; this first Madrid show was then postponed to July 9 and a second show was added on July 10. Some weeks later tickets for a third show were put on sale.

Being in the same town for three concerts, AC/DC decided to record the second show at the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid for a long-form video tape. During the first concert on July 9, recorded by a Manor Mobile studio, director David Mallet came to see the show and to make lightning checks. The video was shot the day after using 14 cameras.

The video tape, entitled 'No Bull', was released through Warner Home Video on November 18, 1996. It features the 20 songs played during the concert. A limited edition single CD was joined to the first copies of the video tape including three songs recorded on July 9, namely 'Hard As A Rock', 'Hail Caesar' and 'Dog Eat Dog'.

After the end of the European leg of the Ballbreaker tour, AC/DC went to New York to meet Howard Stern. On July 27, AC/DC filmed three songs onstage for the movie, 'You Shook Me All Night Long', 'Highway To Hell' and 'The Jack'. The shooting took place in Bryant Park in New York in front of thousands of Stern fans.

The movie is based on Stern's first book, called "Private Parts", which describes how Howard Stern became a radio personality and worked for many different stations before he made it big. It follows his whole career from meeting his wife to finding his radio partner, Robin Quivers.

On July 29, Brian Johnson came on Howard Stern's radio show. He said that the whole band had a lot of fun there on the movie set. The movie was released in the United States in 1997. AC/DC only appears very quickly at the end of the movie playing 'You Shook Me All Night Long' on stage.

Bonfire

Around the middle of the 1996 Ballbreaker World Tour, rumours started circulating about a new AC/DC box set. In fact, the band owed the record company a box set as part of their record deal, but nobody knew what was to be included in it. The rumours told about a re-release of all of the singles B-sides, previously unreleased studio tracks and live concerts with Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, re-recordings of old material, radio and TV shows, etc...

When the Ballbreaker tour ended in New Zealand in November 1996, the band took some holidays. In March 1997, the band began to think seriously about the making of the box set. Initially, the record company planned to release a 4 CD box set with the best songs taken from the band's whole career. However, during the last tour many fans asked the band to officially release some of the old live tapes recorded with Bon Scott. The idea seduced the band and they eventually decided to make a tribute to Bon Scott through this long awaited box set.

While work began on the content of the box set, the band didn't have any unreleased songs with Bon Scott, only demos recorded in the studio before the final take. The making of the box set was mainly a research project in order to find the master tapes of old studio recordings and live shows. Malcolm and Angus Young spent a lot of time in the studio listening to the tapes and selecting the songs where Bon was at the top of his condition. They were helped in this by their older brother George who participated in the production of the band's first albums with Harry Vanda in the seventies.

Finished in September 1997, the box set, entitled 'Bonfire', was released on November 14, 1997 in Europe and four days later in the United States. 'Bonfire' was a title that Bon Scott used to joke about when he dreamt of being famous one day and make a solo album. The box set is made of 5 CD's including a live radio show recorded in 1977, one of last live performances with Bon Scott in 1979 on a double CD, a collection of unreleased demos and live songs with Bon Scott from 1977 to 1979 and the mutli platinum album, Back In Black.

'Live From The Atlantic Studios' was recorded at the end of the 1977 American tour in New York. At that time their record company - Atlantic Records - used to organise live radio performances for the bands signed on their label in their famous recording studios in New York. The concert was released in 1978 as a very limited edition promotional record in order to be broadcasted by a few associate American radio stations. But this show was also to be released as the first AC/DC bootleg record entitled '110/220' and later on various other bootleg vinyl records and CD's. The sound quality of the original tapes was enhanced thanks to a new production made by George Young from the master tapes.

'Let There Be Rock - The Movie - Live In Paris' is the full soundtrack from the film 'Let There Be Rock' released in 1980. This recording includes the complete concert recorded in Paris on December 9, 1979. It features the full version of the song 'Walk All Over You' and the missing track 'T.N.T.' that was dropped from the movie. The record even includes the movie introduction solo recorded by Angus Young during a soundcheck in Metz on December 6, 1979.

'Volts' presents 5 studio songs with Bon Scott that nobody had ever heard before. These songs, taken from the original studio tapes and produced by George Young, are in fact the first demo versions of songs published later on the 'Let There Be Rock' and 'Highway To Hell' albums. 'Volts' also includes rare live recordings and ends with songs released on the first three AC/DC Australian albums.

'Back In Black' is the last record of the Bonfire box set, depending on the country where it is released (not all countries have this last CD included). As the band declared during the promotional interviews they gave all around the world, 'Back In Black' was included in the box set because it was made as the band's tribute to Bon Scott at the time of its release. Released in a double carton embossed sleeve with all the original components of the vinyl release, this edition of 'Back In Black' is exclusive to Bonfire.

Bonfire also includes a 48-page booklet, a two sided-poster, AC/DC sticker, removable tattoo, guitar pick and a key chain/bottle opener. The booklet includes rare black & white and color photos of the band, a brief AC/DC history by Australian journalist Murray Engleheart, various quotes from AC/DC band members and Bon Scott hand written lyrics.

As Malcolm and Angus Young declared during the promotional interviews following the release of Bonfire, a new album should see the light during the second half of 1998. The next World Tour should begin at the dawn of 1999.

Stiff Upper Lip

Early 2000, and after the band have been rocking for over 26 years (!!!) they release the Stiff Upper Lip album. Produced by Young brother George, it again features a trademark stripped down bluesy sound ala "Powerage". Demand for the band hasn't waned, MTV had the band into the studio to talk to fans and perform a few select tracks live, the band made their first ever in store appearances to meet fans and in Spain they named a street in Madrid "AC/DC Street". This doesn't sound like a band on the way out or getting tired does it?

Sure as eggs is eggs, the band launched into a massive World Tour with the kind of gusto and vigor one might have expected 20 years earlier. Rave reviews, memorable performances and tens of thousands of happy fans are the norm for AC/DC and the schedule never seems to stop. No sooner have the band finished the USA tour and start the European leg, they announce dates in Australia and Japan. Japan is very significant as the band haven't been there for nearly 20 years!

One other new "phenomenon" for AC/DC is the Internet. From the mid 90's the band's activities have been followed, tracked, talked about and written about all over the Internet. For the first time on this album and tour has there been so much information available without having to rely on the radio or MTV. Let's face it, the band confess to not being media types so the Net is the perfect vehicle for them. Well....your reading this aren't you? Even though there is no official AC/DC website there are official WebPages hosted by the bands various record labels, East West, Alberts, EMI, etc..

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The AC/DC Story Continued

Live


During The Razors Edge world tour, the band had recorded several shows. Among the shows recorded was the historic date in Moscow. And Donington was filmed by director David Mallet using no less than 22 cameras.


The release date for the first live album featuring Brian Johnson was set for October 29. It was simply titled 'Live'. The production was handled by Bruce Fairbairn. The album was released in various formats, a fourteen song single CD, a fourteen song single cassette, a specially packaged twenty-three song double CD and a specially packaged twenty-three song double cassette.


The album was preceded by a single, 'Highway To Hell (Live), on October 5. And in addition, the live video shot at Donington, titled 'AC/DC Live At Donington', came out at the end of the year. The video, shot on high-quality 35-millimeter film, did a good job of capturing the atmosphere of the AC/DC live experience, in a manner considerably more advanced than its predecessor 'Let There Be Rock'.

During the Summer of 1993, AC/DC recorded a new song, 'Big Gun', for the soundtrack of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie 'Last Action Hero'. The hugely expensive film proved to be a monumental flop, but its soundtrack album (also featuring tracks by Alice In Chains, Queensryche, Anthrax, Def Leppard, Megadeth, Tesla, Fishbone and Cypress Hill) was considerably more successful. 'Big Gun' was produced by Rick Rubin. It was released as a single by ATCO on June 28. The video for 'Big Gun' actually featured Schwarzenegger himself wearing a schoolboy uniform similar to that worn by Angus.


In addition, a long-form video titled 'For Those About To Rock We Salute You' was put out. It was an 84 minute documentation of the historic Moscow show, featuring footage from all the bands on the bill: AC/DC, Metallica, the Black Crowes, Pantera and E.S.T.


Breaking Balls


At the dawn of 1995, rumours spread that Phil Rudd was back in the band. At the end of The Razors Edge tour in 1991, Phil attended an AC/DC concert in Auckland, New Zealand and spent several hours backstage with the band after the show. It was the first time he saw the band since his departure from AC/DC in 1983.

In 1994, AC/DC began rehearsals for the new album in England. Around May, Malcolm gave Phil a call asking him to sit down on the drums for the recording of the new record and the world tour that would follow. Phil had to think about it seriously with his wife but eventually decided that his place was in AC/DC.


AC/DC began recording the new album in New York, but, unhappy with the sound they were getting, decided to move to Los Angeles in Ocean Way Studios where they found the kind of sound they were looking for. After the success of 'Big Gun', the band chose Rick Rubin to produce the new album.


In the first days of September 1995, the first single from the new album was released, called 'Hard As A Rock'. The album itself, 'Ballbreaker', was released on September 22. To accompany Ballbreaker's first single, the band shot another video, their seventh collaboration with director David Mallet. For the occasion, four hundred London-area AC/DC fans were driven by bus to a soundstage at Bray Studios in Windsor. Angus spent much of the shoot hanging in mid air on a giant demolition ball, on which he eventually came crashing through a window amidst a hail of candy-glass shrapnel and exploding fireworks.


The rehearsals for the world tour took place in London from November 20 to December 20, 1995 and in St. Petersburg from January 4 to January 10, 1996. The Ballbreaker tour began in the United States on January 12 in Greensboro, North Carolina, in front of 14,000 fans with The Poor as support act. Beginning with 'Back In Black', the set list was completely renewed including songs originally recorded with Bon Scott like 'Shot Down In Flames', 'Girls Got Rhythm', 'Dog Eat Dog', 'Down Payment Blues' as well as new songs from the Ballbreaker album. At each venue the band spent more than two hours on stage.


Only two weeks after the beginning of the American tour, the band was forced to cancel four dates, because of the death of Brian Johnson's father. Brian left the tour in San Antonio on January 28 and immediately flew home to Britain to attend funeral services. Brian's father had been sick for quite a long time, so it did not come as a shock that he passed away. After a few days with his family, Brian flew back to the United States in time for the Oakland show on February 3. The American part of the Ballbreaker tour ended in Dallas on April 4 after fourty-nine concerts around the United States, Canada and Mexico.


On April 20, the European tour began in Oslo with the British band The Wildhearts opening for them. In July, the band played three nights in the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain. The second show was filmed for a video project. Three days before the first concert in Madrid the band used the big inflatable Rosie in Lisbon, Portugal, for the first time on stage since 1991. It was to be used on the remaining open air European gigs in Spain and France. The European part of the Ballbreaker tour ended after almost three months and 46 concerts on July 13 in Bordeaux, France, with a small open air festival with the French band Silmarils, The Wildhearts and Brazilian trashers Sepultura.


Two weeks after the end of the European leg of the Ballbreaker tour, AC/DC was back in the United States to perform some songs on stage for a Howard Stern movie project called 'Private Parts'.


The second leg of the American Ballbreaker tour started in Wantagh, NY on August 1, 1996 for 30 dates across the North American continent. In October, AC/DC played two concerts in a Brazilian football stadium in Curitiba and Sao Paulo in front of 65,000 fans and left the South American continent after three more dates in Argentina and Chile.


As a tradition established during most of their latest world tours, the Ballbreaker tour was to end in Australia. The band played 13 concerts around Australia supported by a huge promotion. The last concerts of the tour took place in New Zealand at the end of November where they played two open air shows in Auckland and Christchurch.

After the Ballbreaker tour, all the members of AC/DC were exhausted. European promoters asked the band to come back to Europe to play in major Summer festivals but they had to decline the offer. So they took some holidays before beginning to work on a long awaited tribute box set project.

----

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---

The AC/DC Story Continued

There’s a fly on the wall


It wasn't until the Spring of 1985 that AC/DC regrouped to work on their new album at Mountain Studios near Montreux, in Switzerland. Happy with the raw sound they'd achieved with 'Flick Of The Switch', Malcolm and Angus decided again to produce by themselves.


'Fly On The Wall' was released on June 28. Despite the general critical thumbs-down, the album did reach No. 7 in the UK charts. The first single taken from the album, 'Danger', only made No. 48.


In addition to the album, there was a 28-minute long-form video titled 'Fly On The Wall', which featured five songs from the album. The concept was based around the band playing a gig in a small New York club full of shady characters.

The Fly On The Wall world tour began with another visit to the States. In January 1986, AC/DC played 6 shows in the UK and 18 more in Europe until mid-February.

On February 16, the band returned to London to start work on a video for their next single. During January, 'Shake Your Foundations' had become their most successful single since 'For Those About To Rock' when it reached No. 24 in the UK charts.


Who Made Who


During the 1985 American tour, AC/DC were approached by horror-writer Stephen King, a huge AC/DC fan, who'd asked whether he could use some old material for the soundtrack of his forthcoming movie 'Maximum Overdrive'. He also suggested the band record some new tracks exclusively for the film.


Recording took place at Compass Point Studios in Nassau when the US Tour had been completed. For the first time since 'If You Want Blood You've Got It', the new material was produced by Harry Vanda and George Young. In just two weeks they recorded three new songs: 'Who Made Who', 'D.T.' and 'Chase The Ace'. The video was filmed at the Brixton Academy in South London at the end of February.

On May 3, 'Who Made Who' was issued, becoming the band's biggest hit in years as it soared to No. 16 in the UK charts. A month later, the album reached No. 11 in Britain. In America, the album only reached No. 33.


On the back of the film's appearance in the US, AC/DC again took the road in July. Originally planned to finish in September, the demand for extra dates prolonged the US tour until November.


At the end of the tour, the band took a two-month break before beginning the recording sessions for their next album.


Someone Blew Up My Video


After an extensive search for the right location, the studio chosen for recording the next album was Miraval in the South of France. Recording officially began in August. Harry Vanda and George Young came back to act as producers on a full album for the first time since 1978. No less than 19 songs were recorded for the new album, but when the tapes were shipped across to New York to be mixed during the autumn, only the strongest ten survived.


The first single from the album, entitled 'Heatseeker', was released on January 4, 1988. It quickly rose to No. 12 in the UK charts. The album itself, 'Blow Up Your Video', was released at the end of January and reached No. 2 in the UK charts, the best position since 'Back In Black'. Meanwhile, in the US it reached No. 12.


After three days of rehearsals at the Entertainment Center in Perth, Australia, the tour finally began on February 1. It was the first show AC/DC had done anywhere in over a year and the first show in Australia since 1981. And to make the occasion even more special, Isa and Chick Scott, Bon's parents, were present in the audience. The show was dominated by Bon Scott songs because in Australia, Bon Scott IS AC/DC.


After two nights in Perth, four at the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne, three at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, one at the Globe Derby in Adelaide and two at the Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, AC/DC had played to over 130,000 fans in three weeks.


After their successful return to Australia, the band headed to the UK. But they only played in two cities in the British Isles, Birmingham and London. After the run at Wembley Arena in London, the band headed out to Europe, before coming back to the UK to finish off this leg of the tour with a final date on April 13 at Wembley Arena.


But Malcolm Young would not be joining the band for the forthcoming US tour. Malcolm felt in desperate need of a rest from touring, principally to kick a drinking habit, which escalated during long tours. The official reason at the time of his departure was 'exhaustion'.


AC/DC called up another member of the Young family, nephew Stevie Young, and continued as if nothing had happened. Not only did Stevie know all of the AC/DC songs by heart, but he was Malcolm's double physically as well. Stevie's first show with the band was at the Cumberland Civic Center in Portland, Maine, on May 3.

The US tour proved to be an enormous success for AC/DC. The band sold out more or less everywhere they played. Within a matter of weeks 'Blow Up Your Video' had become AC/DC's biggest selling album since 'For Those About To Rock'. The tour ended at the end of the year.


Cutting Edge


Meanwhile back in Sydney, Malcolm was slowly recovering from his problems. In the first few months of 1989, he and Angus spent some time in London (at Malcolm's house) and in Holland (at Angus' house) working on basic riffs and melody lines for the next album.


When work began on the material for the next allbum, rumours spread that Brian Johnson had left the band. Brian hadn't in fact left, he was simply tied up in the States finalising his divorce and straightening out various legal problems. This was the reason why he was unable to get involved in the writing of the lyrics of the new songs. So Malcolm and Angus wrote the words for the first time without the band's singer.


But there was a line-up change on the horizon. Whilst Malcolm and Angus were busy working on material, Simon was approached by Ronnie James Dio to play on the next Dio album 'Lock Up The Wolves'. This was meant to be merely a session situation for Simon, to fill in time before AC/DC went back into the studio. But a few months later it was announced that Simon had been inducted as a full member of Dio's band.


Now without a drummer, AC/DC started rehearsals for the new album in a barn close to Brighton. In November 1989, they brought in Chris Slade on a purely temporary basis, at the suggestion of their management. But as work on the album progressed Chris was asked to join.


After rehearsals in Brighton, the band headed for Windmill Road Studios in Ireland to start work on the album proper. This time the band elected to work with Canadian producer Bruce Fairbairn. The album was completed within six weeks at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver, Canada.


First release from the album was the single 'Thunderstruck', which reached No. 13 in the UK charts. The album, entitled 'The Razors Edge', was released through the band's new label Atco in September. The album proved to be a huge seller, reaching No. 4 in the UK charts and getting up to No. 2 in the US. 'The Razors Edge' took AC/DC's global album sales past 60 million copies. In addition, they also breached the Top 40 singles chart in Britain with 'Moneytalks' and 'Are You Ready".


Two long-form video collections were also released during this period, namely 'Who Made Who', featuring footage covering the years between 1980-1986, and 'Clipped', which included all of the promotional videos from 'Blow Up Your Video' and 'The Razors Edge'.


With a whole new stage-show, The Razors Edge world tour began in America. By March 20 AC/DC was starting their European tour in Helsinki. The British leg of the tour began at Wembley Arena on April 15. After Europe, AC/DC returned to the States in May for the third leg of the world tour.

In August, the band was back to Europe for Donington and a series of 20 Monsters Of Rock festivals across the continent in 18 cities. This included one free show at the Tushino Airfield in Moscow on September 29 that attracted an estimated 500,000 fans.


The Moscow concert was presented as a "celebration of democracy and freedom" staged as a gift to the Russian youth for their resistance against the recent failed military coup. The show was televised in Russia, filmed for a documentary by music-video director Wayne Isham and recorded for a projected live album. The Russian concert was particularly significant in light of the fact that most Western rock music was outlawed in the USSR until the rise of glasnost. Although AC/DC had long been popular among Soviet youth, the band's recordings could only be obtained on the black market.


----

The AC/DC Story Continued

Back in black

During the first weeks after Bon's death, the members of AC/DC didn't know what to do: whether to continue without Bon or split up. Of course, AC/DC could never be the same without Bon; when he died, something of AC/DC died with him. But Malcolm and Angus decided Bon would have wanted AC/DC to continue. So they pulled themselves together, and got down to the task of finding a new singer.

By the beginning of March, the media had lined up a number of likely candidates: former Easybeats vocalist Stevie Wright, an Australian called Alan Fryer (who was found too similar to Bon), and Londoner Gary Holton. Eventually a shortlist of two was drawn up: Terry Schlesher and Brian Johnson.

At the time, Brian Johnson was busy trying to get Geordie back together. But he took time out to audition, running through just two numbers with the band, namely 'Whole Lotta Rosie' and the Ike and Tina Turner 'Nutbush City Limits'. The following Saturday night, Malcolm called him and told him he had the job.

The recording sessions of AC/DC's eighth album took place at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, under the production guidance of Robert John 'Mutt' Lange. It was recorded during April and throughout May, over a period of six weeks. The album was completed by the end of May. On July 1, Brian Johnson made his debut appearance onstage with AC/DC at Namur in Belgium.

'Back In Black' was released on July 31. Within a couple of weeks, it was top of the UK charts and it stayed No. 1 for two weeks. In November, it reached No. 4 in the US charts and lingered in the top ten for over five months. In Australia, it went to No. 2. By now, Back In Black has sold over ten million copies worldwide, making it the biggest selling 'Heavy Metal' album of all times.

AC/DC hit the road for the first time with Brian Johnson in August. They toured in America for two months, then Britain through into November, and then in December finally returned to Australia. They toured in their home country for the first time since 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'. The year 1981 began with some more dates in Japan and Australia.

Demand for AC/DC grew to such a point in America that Atlantic finally released the initially rejected 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' album in May 1981. It went No. 3 in the US charts where it sat for four weeks (from May 23 to June 20) and even topped 'Back In Black'.

In June 1981, in the very first issue of Kerrang!, AC/DC were officially credited as having recorded the greatest Metal song of all times, when 'Whole Lotta Rosie' was voted top Heavy Metal song.

On August 22, 1981, AC/DC received the final confirmation that they were now one of the very biggest rock bands in the world. They were offered the chance to headline the second annual Castle Donington Monsters Of Rock festival.

For those about to rock

The recording of AC/DC's next album took place in Paris with 'Mutt' Lange. The task wasn't proving easy. The main cause of concern was the fact that Lange was apparently finding it very difficult to get the right kind of sound for the record. Lange solved the sound problems by hiring a mobile recording unit from England.

The album, titled 'For Those About To Rock We Salute You' was released in November 1981 and was immediately a worldwide commercial success. It climbed to No. 3 in the UK charts. Just prior to the release of their new album, no less than seven AC/DC albums appeared in Kerrang!'s All-Time Top 100 Heavy Metal Albums chart. In February 1982, 'Let's Get It Up' became the band's biggest hit single to date, making No. 13. Later in July, the title track itself made No. 15 in the UK charts.

In America, AC/DC were still increasing in fame. 'For Those About To Rock' became their first chart-topping album in the US. A huge tour of the States proved that they were attracting bigger audiences than ever.

The 'Cannon and Bell' tour reached the UK during late September. This time the band moved out of the halls and into the arenas, playing the likes of the Birmingham NEC and Wembley Arena in London.

By the end of 1982, AC/DC's position as the top rock band around was cemented when Kerrang! published the results of its readers' poll. AC/DC were voted 'Top Band', Angus was 'Top Guitarist', Cliff was 'Top Bassist', the band were voted as having produced the 'Best Live Gig' and 'For Those About To Rock' was the 'Best Single'. Brian was third top male vocalist, Phil was second best drummer, 'Let's Get It Up' finished sixth best single and Angus was amazingly second as 'Male Pin-Up'.

Flick

After touring most of 1982, the band took a long break. It was several months before AC/DC started working on their next album. The recording sessions took place at Compass Point Studios in Nassau.

Midway through the recording sessions, Phil Rudd was fired. At the time, no reasons were given for his sudden departure. But years later, with Phil's drug problems no longer a secret, the truth emerged. On the 'Cannon and Bell' tour, he was hallucinating about finding strangers in his room. To make matters worse, there were personal difficulties between Malcolm and Phil. Their relationship progressively deteriorated, to the point where a physical confrontation eventually took place. Two hours later Phil was flying home; he was out.

The new record was engineered and mixed by Tony Platt and produced by the band themselves. Released in August 1983, 'Flick Of The Switch' eventually reached No. 4 in the UK charts. But 'Flick Of The Switch' was a relative commercial slip. It only reached No. 15 in the US charts. In the 1984 Kerrang!'s readers' poll, AC/DC won no category, ending up as fifth top band and were also considered eighth biggest disappointment of the year.

Returning to London, the band desperately sought a replacement for Phil Rudd. Eventually an anonymous ad was placed in the music press: 'Heavy Rock drummer wanted. If you don't hit hard, don't apply'. After a number of trial runs, 20-year-old Simon Wright was given the job. By October 1983, Simon had made his live debut in Vancouver, Canada.

During the Winter, AC/DC toured through the States and Canada. On August 19, 1984 AC/DC became the first band to return as headliners at the fourth Monsters Of Rock festival at Castle Donington. After Donington, the band undertook a series of dates in Europe, which included more 'Monsters Of Rock' festivals. However the biggest festival of all came in January when AC/DC joined in the very first Rock In Rio in Brazil. The band did two nights at the festival.

After Rio, the band took another lenghty break...