'Why AC/DC Matters' Book Due In October

AC/DC is the second-best-selling popular music act of all time, bested only by THE BEATLES. They've sold 200 million albums worldwide. "Back in Black" is the second best-selling album in the world behind MICHAEL JACKSON's "Thriller" at 49 million copies sold. In 2008, thirty-five years after AC/DC first took to the stage, their sixteenth studio album, "Black Ice", debuted at #1 in 29 countries around the world, despite the fact that it was only available in Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and via the band's web site.

So with credentials like these, why is a book titled "Why AC/DC Matters" (William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; Hardcover; October 13, 2009) necessary? Because, from the start, AC/DC was at best ignored — and at worst ridiculed — by the mainstream music press. In AC/DC's thirty-five-year history, the band has graced the cover of Rolling Stone exactly twice — there was no Bon Scott memorial issue, no exclusive "in-the-studio" pieces, and no fitting recognition in any of the magazine's endless "greatest" lists. The mainstream media's critical subtext has always been that AC/DC is unworthy of serious consideration, an inexplicably popular band for the tasteless masses, selling the obvious to an unseen, uncultured majority.

Now Anthony Bozza sets the record straight. In addition to helming Rolling Stone's "Random Notes" column for two years, he penned a wide array of cover stories and features on artists ranging from Trent Reznor to Jennifer Lopez to Ozzy Osbourne and Bo Didley. Bozza also has several mega-selling books to his credit: he wrote "Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem", and co-wrote comedian Artie Lange's "Too Fat to Fish" which debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, "Tommyland", the autobiography of MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee, and Slash, the autobiography of GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER's legendary guitarist. In "Why AC/DC Matters" Bozza throws down the gauntlet when he states, "AC/DC is the greatest living rock band, end of story." Coming from him, this means something.

Bozza's perspective in "Why AC/DC Matters" is unique, combining the keen analytical eye of a pop culture critic with the zeal of a true music lover. His writing career has provided him with keen insight into what makes rock bands tick, and incredible access to its top-rung talent. In these pages we hear from rockers Tommy Lee and Slash, multiple Grammy Award-wining producer Rick Rubin, and professors of voice and guitar at the prestigious Berklee School of Music. Bozza examines AC/DC's rise and every aspect of what makes them so appealing, influential, and culturally important — the bonds of brotherhood (familial and otherwise) within the band, their instantly recognizable sound, their remarkable consistency, and their army of devoted fans who span generations. This is not a definitive biography of the band. There is no deep examination of the childhood and rise of each band member or travelogue of tour bus and backstage antics. Instead, Bozza treats us to the ultimate critical appreciation of a supremely beloved and phenomenally successful rock band. "Why AC/DC Matters" is the sum total of the long-overdue serious consideration that has been so incredibly and conspicuously absent — until now.

So, to AC/DC and their legions of fans: consider yourselves snubbed no more. "Why AC/DC Matters" validates what fans have known all along — AC/DC is the greatest rock and roll band of all time!