Is Back in Black good?

Riffiter listeners rate Back in Black 4.2/5 from 301 ratings.

What is the highest-rated track on Back in Black?

Hells Bells, rated 4.5/5 by 72 listeners on Riffiter.

When was Back in Black released?

Back in Black was released in 1980 on Columbia.

How many tracks are on Back in Black?

Back in Black has 10 tracks, with a runtime of 42 minutes.

What genre is Back in Black?

Back in Black is catalogued under Hard Rock, Metal.

What BPM is Back in Black?

Back in Black runs at a median tempo of 125 BPM across its tracks, most often in A major, measured from audio analysis.

What albums are similar to Back in Black?

Listeners of Back in Black also rate Machine Head by Deep Purple, Use Your Illusion I by Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin.

Who produced Back in Black?

Back in Black was produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange and Robert John Lange. Robert John “Mutt” Lange produced all of them.

Who wrote the songs on Back in Black?

Back in Black was written by Angus Young, Brian Johnson and Malcolm Young. Angus Young wrote 8 of them.

Album · 1980

Back in Black

by AC/DC

Back in Black is a 1980 hard rock album by AC/DC. It runs 10 tracks across 42 minutes on Columbia. Riffiter listeners rate it 4.2/5 from 301 ratings.

prod.

Robert John “Mutt” LangeRobert John Lange30connections

Hard Rock · Metal

Best albums of 1980→

#5 in Best albums of 1980 · #11 in Best hard rock albums

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4.2 /5
301 ratings: 92 /100
9 critics: 10
Tracks: 42 min
Runtime: 125 bpm
Tempo: A major
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Ratings

301 ratings · avg 4.2

0.5★5★

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Reviews

1 review

4.5
Riffiter Jun 7, 2026
The greatest comeback in rock history, full stop: Bon Scott dead six months, Brian Johnson hired, and AC/DC respond with the tightest set of riffs ever pressed. The title track, "Hells Bells," "You Shook Me All Night Long" — Mutt Lange's production makes simplicity sound monumental. Fifty million people own this for a reason.
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Critics

9 publications

The Rolling Stone Album Guide5/5
Blender5/5
MusicHound Rock5/5
Rolling Stone5/5
AllMusic5/5
Pitchfork8.8/10
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music4/5
The Great Rock Discography8/10

Scores collected from the English Wikipedia ratings box (CC BY-SA). Ratings belong to the publications; follow a link to read the review.

Cover art

2 credits

Photography: Robert Ellis
Art direction: Bob Defrin

From the screen

Written by Riffiter in the voice of a fictional character. These are notes, not ratings, and they never count toward a score.

Dewey Finn · The School of Rock (2003)
Every kid I have handed this to has turned up the next week holding a guitar completely wrong. That is the correct response.

Film & TV data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Tracklist

10 tracks · 42 min

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1 vs 1

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Videos

4 videos

Ranked by listeners

top 5 · 10 rated tracks

According to Riffiter listeners, the best track on Back in Black is Hells Bells — rated 4.5/5 by 72 listeners.

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About

Back in Black is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the album was released on 25 July 1980 by Albert Productions and Atlantic Records. By the late 1970s, AC/DC began to achieve significant popularity outside their native Australia, with high-energy live performances and a string of successful albums. In 1979, they paired with producer Lange and recorded their international breakthrough, Highway to Hell. Shortly before the recording of their follow-up, lead vocalist Bon Scott died after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group continued on with ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson.

Back in Black was recorded over seven weeks in the Bahamas in spring 1980. The area was hit by tropical storms at the time, making the sessions difficult at times. Johnson penned the album's lyrics and melodies, while guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young composed the music. Its musical content consists of hard rock-styled numbers with lyrics relating to sex, alcohol, partying and rock and roll. Lange demanded perfection in the band's recordings, particularly on Johnson's vocals. Following its completion, the group mixed Back in Black at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The album's all-black cover was designed as a "sign of mourning" for Scott. Their sixth international release, Back in Black was an unprecedented success: it has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide. Its enormous sales figures have made it the second-highest-selling album in history. The band supported the album with a yearlong world tour, cementing them among the most popular music acts of the early 1980s. Back in Black received positive critical reception at the time of its release, and it has since been included on numerous lists of "greatest" albums. Since its initial release, the album has been reissued and remastered multiple times, most recently for digital distribution.

In brief

Is Back in Black good?: Riffiter listeners rate Back in Black 4.2/5 from 301 ratings.
What is the highest-rated track on Back in Black?: Hells Bells, rated 4.5/5 by 72 listeners on Riffiter.
When was Back in Black released?: Back in Black was released in 1980 on Columbia.
How many tracks are on Back in Black?: Back in Black has 10 tracks, with a runtime of 42 minutes.
What genre is Back in Black?: Back in Black is catalogued under Hard Rock, Metal.
What BPM is Back in Black?: Back in Black runs at a median tempo of 125 BPM across its tracks, most often in A major, measured from audio analysis.
What albums are similar to Back in Black?: Listeners of Back in Black also rate Machine Head by Deep Purple, Use Your Illusion I by Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin.
Who produced Back in Black?: Back in Black was produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange and Robert John Lange. Robert John “Mutt” Lange produced all of them.
Who wrote the songs on Back in Black?: Back in Black was written by Angus Young, Brian Johnson and Malcolm Young. Angus Young wrote 8 of them.