Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
In this episode, Robert John Hadfield and Gary Casella take a nostalgic deep dive into AC/DC’s For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)—an album that landed right in the heart of Christmas 1981 and ended up in a lot of stockings. The conversation naturally circles around the impossible comparison: how do you follow an album as massive and untouchable as Back in Black?
They break down why For Those About to Rock is both a killer record and a victim of timing, riding the coattails of one of the greatest rock albums ever made. From stadium-sized anthems and Brian Johnson’s all-time vocal performance to the iconic copper cannon album cover, this episode explores why the album succeeds, where it falls short, and why it still holds a special place in AC/DC history—especially if you first heard it blasting from the radio during the holidays.
As always, the guys open it up to you: What was it like the first time you heard this album? Did it live up to Back in Black for you—or was that an impossible standard from the start?
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – AC/DC, Christmas, and stocking stuffers
00:47 – Released just in time for Christmas 1981
01:03 – Comparing For Those About to Rock to Back in Black
01:35 – Why Back in Black set an impossible standard
02:03 – “Mid-tempo” criticism and coattail riding
03:07 – Is Back in Black the greatest rock album ever?
04:18 – Brian Johnson’s once-in-a-lifetime performance
04:55 – That opening guitar tone moment
05:30 – How the album boosted AC/DC’s entire catalog
06:09 – The copper cannon album cover breakdown
07:23 – Great album… just not that album
08:26 – AC/DC’s run of all-time rock anthems
09:24 – Reading a December 1981 vintage review
10:32 – “Back in Black, Mark II?”
11:18 – Why the cover design mattered in record stores
12:27 – Christmas 1981 nostalgia
12:46 – Opening it up to the audience
13:09 – First-time listening memories & cannon fire sign-off
In this episode, Robert John Hadfield and Gary Casella take a nostalgic deep dive into AC/DC’s For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)—an album that landed right in the heart of Christmas 1981 and ended up in a lot of stockings. The conversation naturally circles around the impossible comparison: how do you follow an album as massive and untouchable as Back in Black?
They break down why For Those About to Rock is both a killer record and a victim of timing, riding the coattails of one of the greatest rock albums ever made. From stadium-sized anthems and Brian Johnson’s all-time vocal performance to the iconic copper cannon album cover, this episode explores why the album succeeds, where it falls short, and why it still holds a special place in AC/DC history—especially if you first heard it blasting from the radio during the holidays.
As always, the guys open it up to you: What was it like the first time you heard this album? Did it live up to Back in Black for you—or was that an impossible standard from the start?
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – AC/DC, Christmas, and stocking stuffers
00:47 – Released just in time for Christmas 1981
01:03 – Comparing For Those About to Rock to Back in Black
01:35 – Why Back in Black set an impossible standard
02:03 – “Mid-tempo” criticism and coattail riding
03:07 – Is Back in Black the greatest rock album ever?
04:18 – Brian Johnson’s once-in-a-lifetime performance
04:55 – That opening guitar tone moment
05:30 – How the album boosted AC/DC’s entire catalog
06:09 – The copper cannon album cover breakdown
07:23 – Great album… just not that album
08:26 – AC/DC’s run of all-time rock anthems
09:24 – Reading a December 1981 vintage review
10:32 – “Back in Black, Mark II?”
11:18 – Why the cover design mattered in record stores
12:27 – Christmas 1981 nostalgia
12:46 – Opening it up to the audience
13:09 – First-time listening memories & cannon fire sign-off
