AC/DC’s ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’ album celebrates its 40th anniversary today

Forty years ago today, AC/DC released its seventh internationally available studio album, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), a follow-up to the Australian rockers’ massively successful Back in Black.

While its popularity and impact paled in comparison to Back in Black — which, with 25 million copies sold, has become the fourth best-selling album ever in the U.S. — For Those About to Rock was AC/DC’s first album to reach #1 on the Billboard 200.

The album also was AC/DC’s second with singer Brian Johnson, who joined the band before the recording of Back in Black following the death of longtime frontman Bon Scott. Additionally, it was the third of three consecutive AC/DC records produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange.

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, spanning the last week of 1981 and the first two weeks of 1982. Two singles were released from the album: the title track and “Let’s Get It Up,” which reached #4 and #9, respectively, on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. “Let’s Get It Up” also peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100.

AC/DC toured extensively in 1981 and ’82 in support of the album, which has gone on to sell over four million copies in the U.S.

Here’s the For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) track list:

“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
“I Put the Finger on You”
“Let’s Get It Up”
“Inject the Venom”
“Snowballed”
“Evil Walks”
“C.O.D.”
“Breaking the Rules”
“Night of the Long Knives”
“Spellbound”