Since then AC/DC has lost its way (Fly on the Wall, 1985) and recaptured its old energy (Razors Edge, 1990). But its catalog kept selling. “High school kids were discovering this band while they weren’t even doing anything,” Barnett said.
In 2003, after the rights to AC/DC’s previous albums reverted to the band, Barnett acquired those rights for Sony. In 2006 he renewed that deal and acquired the rights to the album left on the group’s recording contract with Warner Music. Under his direction Sony reissued the old albums in nicer packaging, negotiated to put the band’s music in movies like School of Rock and Iron Man and released several DVDs and DVD box sets. The most popular of these, AC/DC Live at Donnington, has sold more than 800,000 copies, making it the label’s best-selling DVD; it will provide the basis for an AC/DC edition of the video game Rock Band.
These days the band’s members don’t spend much time together between albums. The Young brothers split their time between London and Australia; the drummer Phil Rudd lives in New Zealand; and the bassist Cliff Williams and Johnson live about a half-hour apart in southwestern Florida. Johnson enjoys driving sports cars and recently came in third in an event at the Sebring International Raceway in central Florida.
Over the last several years Angus and Malcolm would come up with riffs and ideas on their own, then meet to work them into songs. When they had enough material for an album, they called Barnett, who recommended that they work with the producer Brendan O’Brien, who has also made albums with Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine.
“The AC/DC music that I remember most is Highway to Hell and Back in Black, which I view as pop songs done in a very heavy ferocious way,” O’Brien said. “Angus and Malcolm were writing songs that had a lot of hooks and my only job was to make a record that made people say, ‘I’ve missed AC/DC, and I’m glad they’re back.’”
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