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AC/DC at 50
A beautifully produced, photo-packed celebration of the ultimate rock band, AC/DC at 50 examines the extraordinary history of the Australian rockers through the lens of 50 milestone events and an illustrated gatefold timeline .
Formed in Australia in 1973, AC/DC became one of the most popular and best-selling bands in rock history with their loud, heavy, sweat-drenched, blues-based rock. This richly illustrated book from prolific rock journalist Martin Popoff pays tribute to the band on the occasion of their 50th anniversary by curating and examining the 50 most significant milestones.
Popoff covers everything down through the
In examining 50 touchstones, Popoff provides a unique presentation of AC/DC’s career arc from Sydney pub band to international mega-platinum stadium fillers. Every page is illustrated with stunning concert and candid offstage photography , including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, ticket stubs, and more.
The result is an epic tribute to one of the most influential and admired bands in rock history—in a milestone year.
Formed in Australia in 1973, AC/DC became one of the most popular and best-selling bands in rock history with their loud, heavy, sweat-drenched, blues-based rock. This richly illustrated book from prolific rock journalist Martin Popoff pays tribute to the band on the occasion of their 50th anniversary by curating and examining the 50 most significant milestones.
Popoff covers everything down through the
In examining 50 touchstones, Popoff provides a unique presentation of AC/DC’s career arc from Sydney pub band to international mega-platinum stadium fillers. Every page is illustrated with stunning concert and candid offstage photography , including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, ticket stubs, and more.
The result is an epic tribute to one of the most influential and admired bands in rock history—in a milestone year.
- GenresNonfictionMusic
192 pages, Hardcover
Published March 28, 2023
16 people want to read
About the author
Martin Popoff
224 books249 followersAt approximately 7900 (with over 7000 appearing in his books), Martin has unofficially written more record reviews than anybody in the history of music writing across all genres. Additionally, Martin has penned approximately 85 books on hard rock, heavy metal, classic rock and record collecting. He was Editor-In-Chief of the now retired Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Canada’s foremost metal publication for 14 years, and has also contributed to Revolver, Guitar World, Goldmine, Record Collector, bravewords.com, lollipop.com and hardradio.com, with many record label band bios and liner notes to his credit as well. Additionally, Martin has been a regular contractor to Banger Films, having worked for two years as researcher on the award-winning documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, on the writing and research team for the 11-episode Metal Evolution and on the ten-episode Rock Icons, both for VH1 Classic. Additionally, Martin is the writer of the original metal genre chart used in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and throughout the Metal Evolution episodes. Martin currently resides in Toronto and can be reached through martinp@inforamp.net or www.martinpopoff.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 19, 2023
AC/DC at 50 is a photographic review of the legendary Australian rock band’s fifty year career, by experienced Canadian music journalist, and loyal fan, Martin Popoff. I found it browsing on NetGalley, and while I’ve loved their songs since I was sixteen, I didn’t actually know much about the history of the band. The ARC copy I received was only viewable on the NetGalley app, with formatting that made it difficult to read on an iPad because of the text size, but I assume this will be published as a hardback coffee-table type book that would make an excellent gift for the rock fan who has everything! It covers the band’s debut, rise to fame, lineup changes, all the albums and concert highlights, as well as the tragedies, scandals and bust-ups. I don’t think this is an “authorised” biography (else I presume it would say so) and there’s no input from the band members themselves, but I enjoyed looking at the old photos and reminiscing about the albums that featured heavily in the soundtrack of my youth.
I liked the way each of the 50 short chapters has a song for a title, and the way the photos complement the text. Unsurprisingly there are more pictures of their wild eyed mascot Angus than anyone else, but it was fun to see images of posters, buttons, ticket stubs and other memorabilia from across the decades. The advantage of reading this on an iPad was being able to bring up videos of songs I’d forgotten, and while nothing on the more recent albums matches up to the likes of Back in Black, it’s interesting to note what has changed through the years - and what hasn’t! While this is clearly a tribute by an author who admits AC/DC are one of his favourite bands, he isn’t afraid to criticise some of the albums’ songs and production. Obviously music is so personal that everyone has their own opinions, but Popoff clearly has the pedigree to get away with it. Recommended as a bonzer trip down musical memory lane!
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the ARC. AC/DC at 50 is published on March 23rd.
I liked the way each of the 50 short chapters has a song for a title, and the way the photos complement the text. Unsurprisingly there are more pictures of their wild eyed mascot Angus than anyone else, but it was fun to see images of posters, buttons, ticket stubs and other memorabilia from across the decades. The advantage of reading this on an iPad was being able to bring up videos of songs I’d forgotten, and while nothing on the more recent albums matches up to the likes of Back in Black, it’s interesting to note what has changed through the years - and what hasn’t! While this is clearly a tribute by an author who admits AC/DC are one of his favourite bands, he isn’t afraid to criticise some of the albums’ songs and production. Obviously music is so personal that everyone has their own opinions, but Popoff clearly has the pedigree to get away with it. Recommended as a bonzer trip down musical memory lane!
Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the ARC. AC/DC at 50 is published on March 23rd.
January 17, 2023
As a huge fan of AC/DC this was fascinating. I got to see never seen before pics and sorry but I'm geeking out now, but this was magical. Their music was an escape for me. They got me through some rough times. But to learn how they came to be was amazing. Some of the stories I had never heard before. I will definitely recommend this to fans of AC/DC
April 13, 2023
This book was reviewed as part of Amazon's Vine program which included a free copy of the book.
A Nice Gift to the AC/DC Faithfull …
A band still playing after 50 years is 1) VERY rare and 2) has likely amassed a huge fan base covering multiple generations. Music journalist Martin Popoff has added yet another volume to his list of books celebrating rock and heavy metal music. With “AC/DC at 50”, Popoff gives die hard fans a nicely packaged volume that celebrates the 50+ year journey of rock and roll icon AC/DC.
At slightly less than 200 pages, Popoff crams a lot of lore and photographic memorabilia into a tightly packaged coffee table book. The presentation is graphic-heavy and is offset with a solid dose of text that traces the band from its roots to current day in a positive/upbeat manner.
Organized chronologically, the book is broken down into four Parts (Bonfire, Geordie, Legacy and Malcom) that are centered around important phases in the band’s history. Each Part consists of sub-chapters (16 for Part 1, 14 for Part 2, 13 for Part 3 and 7 for Part 4) that provide insight to events that fall under each of the four Parts. Overall, the book appears to tap into a multitude of events that in some way marked important waypoints over the decades (including playing at CBGB, headlining Monsters of Rock, performing on SNL and putting out the first album after losing Malcom Young). While AC/DC is not “my band” (Led Zeppelin gets the nod), I still found the material presented in this book to be quite interesting and enjoyable to read. I love the balance of photos and memorabilia (ticket stubs, tour posters, pins, etc.) along with the concise manner of Popoffs storytelling, which manages to find balance while addressing some of the more sensitive issues in the bands history (death of Bon Scott, Malcom’s rehab, firing Phil Rudd, as well as Rudd’s serious legal issue). Topping off the book is the band’s discography.
Overall, a well-organized, nicely written adventure with tons of photographic support. It is important to know that this book is more of an open celebration, not a scatological tell-all. While the size and scope of the book should satisfy most fans, it may be too superficial for more serious fans. As a Zeppelin fan, I know how deep things can get in terms of “never enough information”, especially for those who want to deep dive into gear details, super-detailed touring data with complete set details, etc. Regardless, this book should prove to be a satisfying addition to any AC/DC fan’s bookshelf because surviving 50+ years as a headlining rock band is an accomplishment certainly worth celebrating.
A Nice Gift to the AC/DC Faithfull …
A band still playing after 50 years is 1) VERY rare and 2) has likely amassed a huge fan base covering multiple generations. Music journalist Martin Popoff has added yet another volume to his list of books celebrating rock and heavy metal music. With “AC/DC at 50”, Popoff gives die hard fans a nicely packaged volume that celebrates the 50+ year journey of rock and roll icon AC/DC.
At slightly less than 200 pages, Popoff crams a lot of lore and photographic memorabilia into a tightly packaged coffee table book. The presentation is graphic-heavy and is offset with a solid dose of text that traces the band from its roots to current day in a positive/upbeat manner.
Organized chronologically, the book is broken down into four Parts (Bonfire, Geordie, Legacy and Malcom) that are centered around important phases in the band’s history. Each Part consists of sub-chapters (16 for Part 1, 14 for Part 2, 13 for Part 3 and 7 for Part 4) that provide insight to events that fall under each of the four Parts. Overall, the book appears to tap into a multitude of events that in some way marked important waypoints over the decades (including playing at CBGB, headlining Monsters of Rock, performing on SNL and putting out the first album after losing Malcom Young). While AC/DC is not “my band” (Led Zeppelin gets the nod), I still found the material presented in this book to be quite interesting and enjoyable to read. I love the balance of photos and memorabilia (ticket stubs, tour posters, pins, etc.) along with the concise manner of Popoffs storytelling, which manages to find balance while addressing some of the more sensitive issues in the bands history (death of Bon Scott, Malcom’s rehab, firing Phil Rudd, as well as Rudd’s serious legal issue). Topping off the book is the band’s discography.
Overall, a well-organized, nicely written adventure with tons of photographic support. It is important to know that this book is more of an open celebration, not a scatological tell-all. While the size and scope of the book should satisfy most fans, it may be too superficial for more serious fans. As a Zeppelin fan, I know how deep things can get in terms of “never enough information”, especially for those who want to deep dive into gear details, super-detailed touring data with complete set details, etc. Regardless, this book should prove to be a satisfying addition to any AC/DC fan’s bookshelf because surviving 50+ years as a headlining rock band is an accomplishment certainly worth celebrating.
February 25, 2023
AC/DC at 50 by Martin Popoff is a wonderful trip down memory lane with a lot of nice photographs and a good overview of the band's history, both the highs and the lows.
There was a period of almost three decades when I lived in places where most tours hit, so I went to a lot of shows. AC/DC probably ranks among my most seen acts, I think I saw them 8 times. Not as much as the real big fans of theirs, but their shows were so high energy, whether with Scott or Johnson, I rarely missed an opportunity. This book brought back many of those memories, as well as some moments where their music served as a soundtrack for other events in my life. I mention this because I think anyone who is a fan of theirs will have moments that will come back to them while reading this book.
I've come to enjoy Popoff's books quite a bit, usually a nice mix of commentary, facts, and images. I am currently reading an older book of his as well, Satisfaction: 10 Albums That Changed My Life, and am enjoying it as well.
Like any book that touches on music, it is made ever so much better by listening to the music to both make some commentary more concrete as well as turn your nostalgia into full blown flashbacks (sorta).
Certainly AC/DC fans will love this book, I think anyone who likes rock/music history will enjoy it as well. Since at least a few of their songs are known to most people, there will likely be a-ha (not the band) moments, and those who know all of their music will see their lives flash before their eyes.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
There was a period of almost three decades when I lived in places where most tours hit, so I went to a lot of shows. AC/DC probably ranks among my most seen acts, I think I saw them 8 times. Not as much as the real big fans of theirs, but their shows were so high energy, whether with Scott or Johnson, I rarely missed an opportunity. This book brought back many of those memories, as well as some moments where their music served as a soundtrack for other events in my life. I mention this because I think anyone who is a fan of theirs will have moments that will come back to them while reading this book.
I've come to enjoy Popoff's books quite a bit, usually a nice mix of commentary, facts, and images. I am currently reading an older book of his as well, Satisfaction: 10 Albums That Changed My Life, and am enjoying it as well.
Like any book that touches on music, it is made ever so much better by listening to the music to both make some commentary more concrete as well as turn your nostalgia into full blown flashbacks (sorta).
Certainly AC/DC fans will love this book, I think anyone who likes rock/music history will enjoy it as well. Since at least a few of their songs are known to most people, there will likely be a-ha (not the band) moments, and those who know all of their music will see their lives flash before their eyes.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
March 10, 2023
Martin Popoff is one to read if you want to know about musical groups and in this book Popoff delivers his 50 career milestones on AC/DC.
The book covers the move of the Young brother from Scotland to Australia, meeting up with Bon Scott once the band had been established for a few years, their first albums, and the changes made to them for the international market. It covers Cliff Williams joining, tours, albums, Bon Scott's death, and the joining of Brian Johnson and comes up to date with the death of Malcolm, Axl Rose, and their latest album,
It provides plenty of photographs, posters, album covers, and much more to look at alongside the text. Plus at the rear, there is their discography, with studio albums, live performances, and compilations.
Overall, a fascinating book on 50 years of AC/DC.
I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
The book covers the move of the Young brother from Scotland to Australia, meeting up with Bon Scott once the band had been established for a few years, their first albums, and the changes made to them for the international market. It covers Cliff Williams joining, tours, albums, Bon Scott's death, and the joining of Brian Johnson and comes up to date with the death of Malcolm, Axl Rose, and their latest album,
It provides plenty of photographs, posters, album covers, and much more to look at alongside the text. Plus at the rear, there is their discography, with studio albums, live performances, and compilations.
Overall, a fascinating book on 50 years of AC/DC.
I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
March 8, 2023
I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book gives an in-depth review of the history of AC/DC. Like with Popoff's other band books, this is part biography, part review. There are plenty of photographs, posters, and album covers included throughout. This is a great book for anyone who is a fan of AC/DC.
This book gives an in-depth review of the history of AC/DC. Like with Popoff's other band books, this is part biography, part review. There are plenty of photographs, posters, and album covers included throughout. This is a great book for anyone who is a fan of AC/DC.
April 19, 2023
Martin Popoff continues to teeter between a well researched biography and coffee table book full to the brim of images and artefacts which enhance his narrative. As a result, AC/DC At 50 is a strong companion for truly understanding the legacy and cultural importance of AC/DC.
June 25, 2023
A light, well-meaning book that was nice to read for reconnecting me with the albums and feels more poignant than it probably really is, given we are left without a fully operational band to celebrate its milestone birthday.
February 2, 2023
As one of the premier rock bands, AC/DC has been an integral part of culture for the last 50 years. The photos and accompanying stories made me nostalgic.
October 2, 2024
I love this book!!
Read
February 20, 2023The history of AC/DC'S 50 years in rock is a must have for any rock fan. Informative and well written with lots of photos of the band.
I received this book from Quarto publishing group - Motobooks and Netgalley for a review.
I received this book from Quarto publishing group - Motobooks and Netgalley for a review.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews