- The Razors Edge (album)
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This article is about the AC/DC album. For the Dave Holland album, see The Razor's Edge (album). For other uses, see The Razor's Edge (disambiguation).
The Razors Edge 
Studio album by AC/DC Released 24 September 1990 Recorded 1989–1990 Genre Hard rock, heavy metal Length 46:32 Label Atco Records Producer Bruce Fairbairn AC/DC chronology Blow Up Your Video
(1988)The Razors Edge
(1990)Ballbreaker
(1995)Singles from The Razors Edge - "Thunderstruck"
Released: 10 September 1990 - "Moneytalks"
Released: 20 November 1990 - "Are You Ready"
Released: 28 March 1991
The Razors Edge is the 12th Australian and 11th international studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 24 September 1990 on Atco Records. It is the only studio album to feature drummer Chris Slade, and includes "Thunderstruck" and "Moneytalks," which are among AC/DC's most well-known tracks. The album reached No. 2 on the United States Billboard 200 and No. 4 in the United Kingdom, a smash commercial success that returned the band to the popularity of its glory years between the mid-1970s and early 1980s. The album has been certified quintuple platinum (5 million copies sold) in the US,[1] and was re-released in 2003 as part of AC/DC's remasters series. The album was produced by Bruce Fairbairn. Malcolm Young, having completed his rehabilitation for alcoholism, once again played rhythm guitar and co-wrote (with his brother Angus) all the songs on the album.
Contents
Background
The band had recorded Blow Up Your Video (1988) with their original producers, Harry Vanda and George Young.[2] It was a commercial success and sold more copies than the previous two studio releases combined. The Blow Up Your Video World Tour began in February 1988, in Perth, Australia. That April, following live appearances across Europe, Malcolm Young announced that he was taking time off from touring, principally to begin recovery from his alcoholism. Another member of the Young family, their nephew, Stevie Young, temporarily took Malcolm's place on rhythm guitar.
Following the tour, drummer Simon Wright left the group to work on the upcoming Dio album Lock Up the Wolves, and was replaced by session veteran Chris Slade. Lead singer Brian Johnson was unavailable for several months while finalising his divorce,[3] so the Young brothers wrote all the songs for the next album, a practice they continued for all subsequent releases through Black Ice in 2008.
The new album, The Razors Edge, was recorded in Vancouver, Canada, and was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser and produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who had previously worked with Aerosmith and Bon Jovi. It is AC/DC's only studio album to feature Slade on drums, and was a major comeback for the band, featuring the hits "Thunderstruck" and "Are You Ready", which reached No. 5 and No. 16 respectively on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart, and "Moneytalks", which peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] The album went multi-platinum (5 million copies sold) and reached the US top ten.
Several shows on the Razors Edge Tour were recorded for the 1992 live album, titled Live. Live was produced by Fairbairn, and is considered one of the best live albums of the 1990s.[5] It was during this tour that AC/DC headlined the Monsters of Rock show, which was released on DVD as Live at Donington.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Angus Young and Malcolm Young.
No. Title Length 1. "Thunderstruck" 4:52 2. "Fire Your Guns" 2:53 3. "Moneytalks" 3:45 4. "The Razors Edge" 4:22 5. "Mistress for Christmas" 3:59 6. "Rock Your Heart Out" 4:06 7. "Are You Ready" 4:10 8. "Got You by the Balls" 4:30 9. "Shot of Love" 3:56 10. "Let's Make It" 3:32 11. "Goodbye & Good Riddance to Bad Luck" 3:13 12. "If You Dare" 3:08 Personnel
- Brian Johnson – lead vocals
- Angus Young – lead guitar
- Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Cliff Williams – bass, backing vocals
- Chris Slade – drums, percussion
Tour
- See main article at Razors Edge world tour
With the release of The Razors Edge, AC/DC undertook a world tour, possibly the most publicised tour they had ever done. The success of the tour was fueled by the crowd-pleasing songs, such as "Thunderstruck", "Moneytalks", "Fire Your Guns", "The Razors Edge", and "Are You Ready", which were also included on the AC/DC Live Collector's Edition album.
During the Australian leg of the tour, the band was supported by the controversial Sydney band Candy Harlots. Members of AC/DC were extremely impressed with the band's performance, despite the fact that it was only their fifteenth show since the then new singer Aiz Lynch had joined.[citation needed]
Reception
Sales
The album peaked No. 2 on the Billboard 200 charts and stayed there for 77 consecutive weeks. The album also reached No. 4 on the UK charts. The album gave AC/DC its popularity back. Currently, the album has sold 5 million in the U.S., certifying it at 5x Platinum. The album has sold approximately 10 to 12 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth highest selling AC/DC album (after Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Highway to Hell and Back in Black and ahead of Who Made Who).
Critical reception
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
[6]Blender [7]Entertainment Weekly (A-)[8] Rolling Stone [9]Charts
Album
Year Chart Position 1990 Billboard 200 2 1990 UK Top 75 4 1990 Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart 3 Singles
Year Single Chart Position 1990 "Thunderstruck" Mainstream Rock 5 1991 "Moneytalks" Billboard Hot 100 23 1991 "Are You Ready" Mainstream Rock 16 Certification
Country Sales Certification United States[10] 5,000,000 5x Platinum Canada 500,000 5x Platinum United Kingdom 1,000,000 2x Platinum Finland[11] 63,926 Platinum France[12] 100,000 Gold References
- ^ Blabbermouth.Net – AC/DC: Classic Albums Reach New Sales Heights
- ^ Prato, Greg. "AC/DC—Blow Up your Video". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r90. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ "AC/DC History". AC/DC—Bedlam in Belgium. http://www.ac-dc.cc. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ "EveryHit". http://www.everyhit.com. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ Weber, Barry. "AC/DC—AC/DC Live". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r53486. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ Allmusic.com review
- ^ Blender review
- ^ Entertainment Weekly review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ Gold and platinum RIAA
- ^ Kulta- ja platinalevyt IFPI.fi
- ^ infodisc.fr
External links
Categories:- 1990 albums
- AC/DC albums
- Atlantic Records albums
- Albums produced by Bruce Fairbairn
- Albums certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
- Albums certified quintuple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
- Albums certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
- Albums certified platinum by Musiikkituottajat
- Albums certified gold by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
- "Thunderstruck"
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