In a new interview with Billboard, AC/DC guitar legend Angus Young admits that the band had “issues” with departed drummer Phil Rudd. "It was difficult for us to get him to record...to get him there. I don't want to rain on him; he's a very talented guy, and we go way, way back. But I think he's let himself go for a bit, and after (recording) the album we were kicking off to promote, doing videos and stuff. We had moved that around 'til everyone was coordinated so everyone would be there. We'd already juggled everything quite a few times, and he know that and he wasn't preparing to do anything. So we get to the point where, if we're gonna do something, he's got to be reliable. He's got to be there. We couldn't plan anything. It was just making it harder. I mean, either you want to be there or you don't."

Young also spoke about the tragic state of his brother Malcolm, who's suffering from dementia and is currently in a facility in Australia. “He wanted us to carry on,” says Angus. “He loved the band, loved the music. He didn't want it to stop." Angus says his brother has heard their new album, Rock Or Bust, and that "he was smiling, laughing. He always loved rock 'n' roll music."

Read more at Billboard.

AC/DC's new album, Rock Or Bust, is the band’s first studio album in six years and features 11 new tracks. It will be released by Columbia Records in North American on December 2nd. Rock Or Bust follows the immensely successful Black Ice album, which debuted at #1 in 31 countries upon its release in 2008 and has gone on to sell nearly 8 million copies worldwide. Rock Or Bust was recorded in spring 2014 at Bryan Adams' Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, BC and finds AC/DC once again working with producer Brendan O’Brien and mixer Mike Fraser.

 

 

Rock Or Bust tracklisting:

"Play Ball"
"Sign Of The Times"
"Ain't The Way"
"Rock Or Bust"
"Done Her Good"
"Steal My Meal"
"Watching Games"
"Cardhouse Blues"
"Bulletride"
"Rumble"
"Back In The Zone"

"Play Ball":

Rock Or Bust is the first AC/DC album in the band’s 41 year history without founding member Malcolm Young on the recordings, who is in a home suffering from dementia.

AC/DC will undertake a world tour in support of Rock Or Bust in 2015. Stevie Young, nephew of founding members Angus and Malcolm Young, plays rhythm guitar on Rock Or Bust and will accompany the band on tour. Long-time drummer Phil Rudd was recently ousted from the band and a replacement will be announced soon.