AC/DC

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AC/DC: New Single Now Online

AC/DC fans can now listen to 'Rock 'N' Roll Train', the first single from the forthcoming album Black Ice, on www.acdc.com, www.acdcrocks.com, and their official MySpace page.

The highly anticipated track has been unleashed to the world as of today, August 28th.

The video will premiere next month.

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Let There Be Rock: AC/DC Plan Big Comeback

This past spring, eight years after AC/DC released their last album, the five band members entered a recording studio with producer Brendan O'Brien — and banged out 15 new songs in just two months. "We just wanted something like, 'Hey, this is gonna be rock & roll,' " says guitarist and bandleader Angus Young — who emphasized the point by using the word "rock" in the titles of four different tracks. The resulting disc, Black Ice, is set to be released exclusively in Wal-Mart stores on October 20th, with more fanfare than any release from the band in decades. "AC/DC defines rock & roll," says Columbia Records co-chairman, Steve Barnett, who promises an "unprecedented worldwide marketing campaign."

AC/DC's last two albums, 2000's Stiff Upper Lip and 1995's Ballbreaker, leaned toward the bluesier side of the band, but O'Brien was determined to focus on another aspect of their sound. "I was hoping the songs would lend themselves to more of a — 'pop' is the wrong word, but hooky sort of treatment. Like, 'Back in Black' or 'Highway to Hell' and even 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,' " he says. "I was trying to just make people remember, 'This is the same band. I have missed this band. I love this band. Where have they been?' "

Even during its time off, the band managed to reach a new generation. "There's not a lot of bands out there anymore that have the legend of AC/DC," says Wal-Mart's head of music and movies, Jeff Maas. Over the past year, record buyers under 25 accounted for nearly a quarter of AC/DC sales, according to the research firm NPD Group — and five percent of their listeners were age 12 or younger. "People tell me a lot of the young ones like it," says Young. "As my brother Malcolm used to say, 'We get 'em in the beginning.' Me and Malcolm grew up with cartoons, and a lot of our stuff, we took from things like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. 'TNT' — we got that from the Road Runner: He was always getting blown up!"

The band's long break was partially due to a serious hand injury suffered by bassist Cliff Williams. But the group's songwriting team — Angus and Malcolm Young — spent much of the time off perfecting the new songs. The demos they made in that process are hardly recognizable as AC/DC: "If it's Angus' song, he's doing a guitar riff or the drum machine or a drum sort of thing, and he'll sing this very mumbly melody, very superlow, three octaves down," says O'Brien.

There's no denying that Black Ice re-creates the classic AC/DC sound, from Phil Rudd's fat, swinging backbeat to the Youngs' interlocking guitars. Hooks abound, including rich backing vocals on the single "Rock & Roll Train" and a "Big Balls"-style chant on "She Likes Rock & Roll." There are some surprises too: the slide guitar on "Stormy May Day," the twisting, Zep-like riff of "Money Made." Frontman Brian Johnson shines, singing the kind of banshee high notes some fans wondered if he could still hit — although his vocal style is so physically demanding that he could only manage about an hour a day of top-notch singing in the studio. "He's struggled making these records in the past," O'Brien says. "So we figured the right time of day where he was in his prime and had him superprepared every day."

The band is also planning a major world tour, beginning in the U.S. in October. And despite hitting 53 years old, Angus is ready to put that schoolboy suit back on. "At first, when I think about 'Hey, I haven't worn it in a while,' it takes me a little bit of psychology to get into it," he says. "But I promised myself I'm not gonna think — I'll just put it on."

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SIRIUS To Launch AC/DC-Only Radio Station For Limited Time

Starting September 15 at 6:00 p.m. Sirius Satellite Radio will launch a new AC/DC-only radio station for a limited time. AC/DC Radio will celebrate the band's awesome career and also preview the Australian hard rock legends' upcoming album "Black Ice", their first studio album in eight years. You'll hear AC/DC's music 24/7, plus band members Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson and Phil Rudd talking about their incredible career. Listeners will also have the chance to vote for their favorite AC/DC song. The votes will be tallied and played back during the "Ultimate AC/DC Countdown."

AC/DC's first new single in eight years, "Rock 'N Roll Train", hit the band's web site and radio stations on August 28. A video for the song was shot in London and will premiere later this month. "Rock 'N' Roll Train" is classic AC/DC from start to finish, with bluesy riffs, a rock-solid tempo and a scorching solo from Angus Young.

A limited-edition "deluxe edition" version of AC/DC's new "Black Ice" will include a blue AC/DC logo and will be packaged in a special hardcover package. It will also come with a 30-page expanded booklet with exclusive new illustrations, studio and live photographs of AC/DC.

ACDC.com has started a brand new feature called "AC/DC 101" which can be found here. This new feature will give you an in-depth look of AC/DC's history decade by decade, and also offers a cool new widget which will have "On This Day" AC/DC news of events that happened through the band's career.

"Black Ice", the band's first studio album in eight years, will arrive on October 20 and will sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and ACDC.com in the U.S. All three plan multiple promotional campaigns aimed at the group's millions of fans.

AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. The band has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, including 69 million in the U.S. alone.

"No Bull: The Director's Cut", a chronicle of the band's famed July 1996 concert at the Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain, is being released on DVD and Blu-ray September 9.

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AC/DC: North American Tour Dates Announced

AC/DC have announced their North American tour schedule in support of their new album, Black Ice. It is as follows:

October
28 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena
30 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena

November
3 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
5 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
7 - Toronto, ON - Rogers Centre
9 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
12 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
13 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
15 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
17 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
19 - East Rutherford, NJ - IZOD Center
21 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center
23 - Minneapolis, MN - Xcel Energy Center
25 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
28 - Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place
29 - Seattle, WA - KeyArena
30 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome

December
2 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
10 - Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Center
12 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
14 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
16 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
18 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena

According to Billboard.com, tickets will go on September 20th via Ticketmaster and www.ACDC.com.

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VH1 CLASSIC Presents 'AC/DC Day'
And Ultimate Fan Sweepstakes

One of the baddest bands in the land, AC/DC is returning after eight years. The group's new album, "Black Ice", hits stores October 21 and VH1 Classic is celebrating the new release with a 24-hour marathon on Sunday, October 19 beginning at 6 a.m. Sit back and relax with AC/DC as VH1 Classic takes you through archival footage of the group, BBC concerts and one of the group’s most seminal concerts, "Live at Donnington".

On Tuesday, September 16, VH1Classic.com kicked off "AC/DC Day" with its ultimate fan sweepstakes: "VH1 Classic Presents The AC/DC All Aboard The Rock & Roll Train." One lucky fan will get the chance to attend the last live AC/DC rehearsal at a secret location and party like a rock star as they hit the road from New York City in their own "party train." All entries must be received by October 20. Go to VH1Classic.com to enter to win and for official rules and guidelines.

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AC/DC: To Extend Black Ice World Tour Into 2009

AC/DC extend their trek across North America by adding sixteen more shows to their Black Ice World Tour. Newly added dates begin on December 20th, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and wrap up on January 31st, 2009 in Nashville, TN. The tour kicks off on October 28th, 2008 in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Tickets for the Houston, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, and Cleveland concerts go on sale October 4th at 10 AM. Tickets for the Toronto concert go on sale October 10th at 10 AM. Tickets for the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Omaha, Fargo, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, Tulsa, and Nashville concerts go on sale October 11th at 10 AM. Tickets for the Little Rock and Memphis concerts go on sale October 18th at 10 AM.

18 Black Ice World Tour concerts sold out in record time when tickets went on sale for the initial round of on-sales, with shows being added in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Oakland due to unprecedented fan demand.

Tickets to AC/DC's Black Ice World Tour are available through Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster charge-by-phone, Ticketmaster retail outlets, or at ACDC.com. Specific market on sale dates and times are listed at Ticketmaster.com's AC/DC page. Fans ordering tickets through Ticketmaster.com will have an exclusive opportunity to pre-order AC/DC's Black Ice album in connection with their ticket purchase.

The worldwide tour - the band's first since 2001 - promotes Black Ice, AC/DC's latest studio album. Black Ice will be released on October 20th and sold in the US exclusively at Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and www.acdc.com. The album is currently available for pre-order at www.walmart.com and www.acdc.com.

Additional appearances throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia, will be announced shortly.

Black Ice, AC/DC's first studio album in eight years, will be released on October 20th with three different collectible covers.

A Deluxe Edition of Black Ice will be available. This limited edition hardcover deluxe package features a 30-page expanded booklet with exclusive new illustrations, studio and live photographs of AC/DC.

Black Ice features 15 new tracks from brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson, Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd. The album was produced by Brendan O'Brien at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, BC,

The tracklisting is as follows: 'Rock 'N Roll Train', 'Skies On Fire', 'Big Jack', 'Anything Goes', 'War Machine', 'Smash 'N Grab', 'Spoilin' For A Fight', 'Wheels', 'Decibel', 'Stormy May Day', 'She Likes Rock 'N Roll', 'Money Made', 'Rock N Roll Dream', 'Rocking All The Way', 'Black Ice'.