The Razors Edge is the twelfth studio album by Australian rock band AC/DC. Released on 24 September 1990, through Albert Productions/CBS Records International in Australasia and Atlantic Records in Europe, it was recorded in 1990 in Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, Canada, and was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser and produced by Bruce Fairbairn. It was a major comeback for the band, featuring the hits "Thunderstruck", "Are You Ready" and "Moneytalks". This is the only studio album to feature Welsh drummer Chris Slade, who was the drummer for AC/DC from 1989 to his dismissal in 1994.
Critical commentary for the album was generally mixed, with Alex Henderson of AllMusic complimenting Brian Johnson and Angus Young, while John Mendelsohn from Rolling Stone criticises its similarity to the band's past works. The album reached number 2 on the US Billboard 200 and number 4 on the UK Albums Chart, a smash commercial success that returned the band to a peak equivalent to that of their late 1970s and early 1980s popularity. The album earned multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland and the US. To support The Razors Edge, the band undertook the Razors Edge World Tour, starting in November 1990.
Background
In 1987, the band had recorded Blow Up Your Video (1988) with their original producers, Harry Vanda and George Young. It was a commercial success – the album reached number 2 in the UK, and Australia. The Blow Up Your Video World Tour began in February 1988 in Perth, Australia. Following live appearances across Europe, rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young announced that he was taking time off 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. In 1989, drummer Simon Wright left the group to work on American heavy metal band Dio's fifth studio album Lock Up the Wolves (1990); he was replaced by Welsh drummer Chris Slade. and mastered by George Marino, at Sterling Sound in New York City. He expanded in greater detail in the liner notes of the 2003 re-release of The Razors Edge:
"Moneytalks" is also one of AC/DC's biggest hits, peaking at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 36 on the UK Singles Chart, It is still the band's highest-charting single in the United States, at number 23. A music video of the song, directed by David Mallet, was also released, featuring a live performance during the tour.
Author Murray Engleheart states in his band memoir AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll: "On songs like 'Mistress for Christmas' and 'Moneytalks', Malcolm and Angus showed their working-class roots, despite multi-millionaire selling albums, by taking aim at the high flyers in the business world". In a February 1991 interview with Guitar World, Angus Young stated that the funniest song from the album was "Mistress for Christmas", and then said that the song was about Donald Trump. In the same interview, he declared that his best guitar solo on the album was on the title track, which also features a rare foray into finger picking.
Release and reception
Released on 24 September 1990, through Albert Productions/CBS Records in Australasia and Atlantic Records in Europe, The Razors Edge received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. Alex Henderson of AllMusic complimented both the vocal performance by Brian Johnson and the guitar playing of Angus Young, and said that the album was "arguably [the band's] strongest album in over half a decade". which reached number 5 and number 16 respectively on Billboards Mainstream Rock chart, and "Moneytalks" (12 November 1990),
To further promote The Razors Edge, the band undertook a world tour starting on 2 November 1990 and ending on 16 November 1991. Several shows on the Razors Edge World Tour were recorded for the 1992 live album titled AC/DC Live. The album was produced by Fairbairn, and is considered one of the best live albums of the 1990s, according to Berry Weber of AllMusic. The album was reissued on 25 March 2003 as part of the AC/DC Remasters series.