North American syndicated rock radio show and website, InTheStudio With Redbeard: The Stories Behind History’s Greatest Rock Bands, celebrates the 40th anniversary of AC/DC's Highway To Hell album.

Says host Redbeard: "There are two notorious hangovers still mucking about in the conventional wisdom among certain rock writers who should know better, both myths centred around death and its connection to the music found on two late 70s breakthrough albums, The Pretender by Jackson Browne and Highway To Hell from AC/DC.

"For decades some well-regarded rock critics implied that Browne wrote much of The Pretender in reaction to his first wife’s suicide, when a simple check of the recording session dates clearly establish that her tragic death occurred after the album was completed. In the case of AC/DC’s Highway To Hell, marking its 40th anniversary this summer, it seems that even some of the best music writers still struggle to evaluate the album on its merits alone, instead sucked into the absurd notion that lead singer/ lyricist Bon Scott’s accidental death in February 1980 somehow was predicted in Highway To Hell’s songs written and recorded a year prior! But in each case, some hacks won’t let the facts get in the way of a sensational story. Before he too passed away in November 2017, AC/DC’s Malcolm Young plus my guest Angus Young set the record straight with me here In The Studio in no uncertain terms about the circumstances on the night of Bon Scott’s death.

"A decade before Guns N' Roses MTV videos made tattoos into a fashion statement, I met AC/DC singer/ lyricist Bon Scott at my Memphis radio station ROCK 103 in late September 1979. Bon’s generous body art and ear studs, plus his affable demeanour, made Scott appear less like a rock singer and more like a character out of Herman Melville‘s Moby Dick. “Before Bon became a rock’n’roller I think he was a cray fisherman,” says AC/DC lead guitarist Angus Young. “He was even talking about getting a whale bone piercing through his nose at one point! And he was always barefoot on stage, and I think he got all of that from working on a boat.”

"In August 1979 a lot of North American rock music fans had no idea that Highway To Hell was the Australian-based quintet’s fifth album; that Malcolm Young and Angus Young’s older brother George Young had produced the previous four; and that their long-suffering US record label was getting frustrated by the band’s lack of sales, enough to insist on replacing George Young (George, who as a member of The Easybeats had written the garage rock classic “Friday On My Mind“, just died in October at age 70). And to be fair, on paper the label’s choice for the producer role was notable in veteran Jimi Hendrix/ Led Zeppelin/KISS recording engineer Eddie Kramer, but the band just didn’t click with that combination and instead secured a young but promising South African producer named “Mutt” Lange. His approach emphasized bringing Phil Rudd‘s powerful bass drum up in the mix to lock with Malcolm Young’s unique rhythm guitar style into an infectious groove, while leaving space around the instruments for Angus’ blazing guitar solos and Bon Scott’s bullhorn vocals, equal parts Noddy Holder and Steve Marriott. The result of such songs as “Girl’s Got Rhythm”, ”Shot Down in Flames”, ”Touch Too Much”, ”If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”, and the hit title song was over seven million sales just in the US, with Rolling Stone magazine ranking Highway To Hell as one of the top 200 albums ever. Really saddened to report that band co-founder Malcolm Young has died from dementia. Malcolm had the best rhythm guitar right hand in rock."

Tune in here.

AC/DC are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their sixth studio album, Highway To Hell, released on July 27, 1979. It was the last album featuring lead singer Bon Scott, who died early the following year.

As promised, the band have released another video from their performance on July 13, 1979, on the Dutch TV show Countdown. Watch the band perform "The Jack", from their 1975 Australia-only sophomore album T.N.T., below. "The Jack" was later featured on AC/DC's internationally released album, High Voltage (1976).

Last week, AC/DC released a performance video for "Highway To Hell" from the Countdown program (watch below). These clips were previously released on the group’s 2007 Plug Me In DVD box set, but it’s their first time appearing online.

Another video from the show, "Whole Lotta Rosie", will be released on July 31.

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Highway To Hell with limited merch and exclusive bundles. Items available include:

- AC/DC Highway To Hell LP
- AC/DC Highway To Hell CD
- AC/DC Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary T-shirt
- AC/DC Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Longsleeve T-shirt
- Highway To Hell CD & 40th Anniversary T-Shirt Bundle
- Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Phone Case
- Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Glass Print
- Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Square Magnet
- Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Coozie
- Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Rectangular Magnet
- Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Coaster Set
- Highway To Hell LP & 40th Anniversary T-Shirt Bundle
- AC/DC Highway To Hell LP & 40th Anniversary Glass Print
- Highway To Hell CD & 40th Anniversary Longsleeve T-Shirt Bundle
- Highway To Hell LP & 40th Anniversary Longsleeve T-Shirt Bundle
- Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Wood Panel
- AC/DC Highway To Hell CD & 40th Anniversary Glass Print
- Highway To Hell 40th Anniversary Photo Slate
- AC/DC Highway To Hell CD & 40th Anniversary Wood Panel
- AC/DC Highway To Hell CD & 40th Anniversary Photo Slate
- AC/DC Highway To Hell LP & 40th Anniversary Wood Panel
- AC/DC Highway To Hell LP & 40th Anniversary Photo Slate

Further details and ordering information here.

In related news, Noise11 are reporting that a first official release of a live version of the title track, "Highway To Hell", is on the way. Stay tuned for further details.