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Back in late 1979, the fledgling Def Leppard famously supported AC/DC on Bon Scott’s final tour. For the young Joe Elliott it was a learning experience (“We watched them like hawks every night,” he told Classic Rock in 2021), but the following year’s Back In Black – which introduced Scott’s replacement Brian Johnson – left an equally big impression. Take it away, Joe…

“Brian [Johnson] was really pushed all the way by Mutt Lange [producer of Back In Black and later Def Leppard]. I’ve got to know Brian well over the years, and over a few whiskies he and I have swapped stories about working with Mutt. You know: ‘How was it for you, dear?’ And I’ve talked to Mutt about it, too. So I know how hard they worked on Back In Black. Not just Brian, the whole band. Mutt would push them all up to the limits of their ability. And that’s why it’s such a special album.

“Honestly, if Bon Scott hadn’t died after Highway To Hell, I’m not sure Mutt would have done Back In Black. He put AC/DC through the wringer on Highway To Hell, just as much as he put Leppard through the wringer later on. And then Bon died, so they had to go back to Mutt. They needed him to guide them through those murky waters. I’m not saying they were desperate, but how do you replace Bon Scott? Mutt was there for the auditions, the whole shebang. So it became a proper team, same as he was with us.”

Back In Black, AC/DC’s seventh studio album, was released in July 1980, and was their first to feature vocalist Brian Johnson, following the death of Bon Scott. The album, produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange, spawned the singles “You Shook Me All Night Long”, “Hells Bells”, “Back In Black”, and “Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”.

Back In Black album was certified 27x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association Of America on August 21, making it the third best-selling album in US history behind Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) (38x platinum) and Michael Jackson’s Thriller (34x platinum). Back In Black has now shipped 27 million copies in the US.