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Jesse Fink
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The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC Hardcover – August 5, 2014

by Jesse Fink (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 535 ratings
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#1 MUSIC BOOK OF 2014 - AllMusicBooks.com (USA)BEST BOOKS OF 2014 - PRI Public Radio International (USA)"Fink's ability to overcome the Youngs' code of Scottish-Australian omertà is impressive... a cut above other AC/DC tomes, and Fink knows it."- Classic Rock (UK) 9/10 review"An entertaining book... fans of the band will want to get their hands on this. Pronto."- Booklist (American Library Association)"A fascinating, insightful look at the brothers who changed the face of rock 'n' roll and the politics and business that goes hand in hand with the music we all know and love."
- Jimmy Stafford, guitarist of Train"It's extraordinarily well written and presents a fascinating view of the band and the people that helped make it happen... a great piece of research and magnificently presented."
- Phil Carson, former vice-president of Atlantic Records who signed AC/DC "A largely untold, more controversial story... anything but a hagiography. A fresh, incisive take on the band." - MOJO (UK) ★ ★ ★ ★ (four-star review)"An essential read for fans of the band... a full portrait of just how significant a role George Young, Malcolm and Angus's older brother, played in AC/DC's development."- The New Yorker  "Until a band member puts pen to paper in a proper tell-all exposé - they won't - Jesse Fink's work here is the number one go-to book on the subject, warts 'n' all."
- Uber Rock (UK)
"Fink's look at the band addresses the question that he believes most mainstream rock critics have never been able to answer about AC/DC: 'Why have they endured and resonated with hundreds of millions of people and inculcated such fierce loyalty and outright fanaticism?' The answer is the unrelenting tenacity of the Young brothers... fascinating."
- Publishers Weekly  "This thought-provoking book definitely breaks some new ground. Arrangement by chapters dedicated to specific songs is a satisfying way of telling the AC/DC story while providing music criticism. Scholarly fans will appreciate the bibliography. This one's a must-read for fans."
- Library Journal 
"A great narrative... it has one very simple, very powerful message for those who would like to dismiss AC/DC as childish hacks: 'Stop being so bloody pretentious!'"
- Clark Boyd, PRI's The World 
"A fantastic new AC/DC book... Fink did a great job. Essential for an AC/DC fan to read."
- Carter Alan, 100.7 WZLX, Massachusetts
"The latest, greatest 'rock read'... an awesome book."
- Buck McWilliams, Gater 98.7 FM, Florida
"An astounding - astounding - book."
- Bill Meyer, KMED, Oregon
"An excellent read."
- Ryan Gatenby, WBIG, Illinois
"The best book on AC/DC ever written."
- Dan Rivers, WKBN, Ohio
"I loved this book."
- Arroe Collins, WRFX, North Carolina
"Outstanding."
- Mark Mayfield, KSLX, Arizona
With sales of over 200 million albums, AC/DC is not just the biggest rock band in the world. It’'s a family business built by three brothers: George, Malcolm and Angus Young. And, as with any business, some people prospered while others got hurt along the way. The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC is unlike any AC/DC book you've read before. Less a biography, more a critical appreciation, it tells the story of the trio through 11 classic songs and reveals some of the secrets that went into their making. Important figures from AC/DC's long way to the top open up for the very first time, while unsung heroes behind the band’s success are given the credit they are due. Accepted accounts of events are challenged while sensational details emerge to cast a whole new light on the band’s history, especially their early years with Atlantic Records. Former AC/DC members and musicians from bands such as Guns N'’ Roses, Dropkick Murphys, Airbourne and Rose Tattoo also give their take on the Youngs’' brand of magic. Their music has never pulled its punches. Neither does The Youngs. After 40 years, AC/DC might just have got the serious book it deserves.
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Press
  4. Publication date
    August 5, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1250053838
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1250053831
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best book I've ever read about AC/DC."
- Mark Evans (AC/DC, 1975-'77)

"A savvy new book... Fink, quite properly, can't stand the kind of music critic who feels pleasing a crowd is a suspect achievement, somehow antithetical to the spirit of rock. In the end, [he] seems to be in two minds about AC/DC. That seems the right number of minds for an adult to be in about them, especially an adult who encountered their best albums during the sweet spot of his youth."
- The Australian

"Recent books [about AC/DC]... didn't offer much to change our perception of the band. Jesse Fink's study of the Young brothers takes a different approach... giving us a different version of many stories, especially when it comes to the wheeling and dealing behind the rock. Fink is clearly in love with AC/DC, but he knows the old bird has some warts under her make-up, and doesn't shy away from revelations that cast the Youngs in a less than flattering light."
- Rolling Stone ★ ★ ★ ★ (four-star review)

"I loved it." - Jerry Greenberg (president of Atlantic Records, 1974-'80)

"A great job." - Back In Black and Highway To Hell engineer Tony Platt

About the Author

Jesse Fink was born in London in 1973 and raised and educated in Australia. His first book, the sports biography 15 DAYS IN JUNE, was released in 2007. LAID BARE, a memoir of divorce, followed in 2012. His third book, the international bestseller THE YOUNGS: THE BROTHERS WHO BUILT AC/DC, was published in 2013. It was released in over 20 countries and translated into ten languages. Lithuanian and Japanese editions are being published in 2017.
LAID BARE is being released in a new edition in 2017 while Fink's fourth book, BON: THE LAST HIGHWAY, a biography of legendary AC/DC singer Bon Scott, will be released in November 2017 in several countries. He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and daughter.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press; First Edition (August 5, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250053838
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250053831
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 535 ratings

About the author

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Jesse Fink

Jesse Fink

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Jesse Fink was born in London in 1973. He is the author of six books including THE EAGLE IN THE MIRROR, PURE NARCO, BON: THE LAST HIGHWAY and THE YOUNGS: THE BROTHERS WHO BUILT AC/DC. Visit his official website at jessefinkbooks.com

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
535 global ratings
Found this book during the C19 times
5 Stars
Found this book during the C19 times
A really nice book about the band, the times, and the workings of industry. I keep it on my nightstand and often just pick it up and read it again. Jesse Fink did a great job of making you feel you were there. Does any band work this hard anymore. It is really amazing how bad they wanted "it" It was a long way for them. Enjoy this book!
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Top reviews from the United States

Trevor Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
I'm a big fan of ACDC's music but I learned a lot about the inner workings of the band through this book. Jesse Fink obviously dug deep and did a lot of painstaking research to get his info. The band is notoriously private and that really complicates attempts at getting their history down on paper.
The thing I liked most is Jesse's attempts to bring to the forefront all of the people who helped ACDC get where they are today and who didn't get the credit they deserved. The Young brothers are great musicians who have ruled ACDC with an iron fist, and they've stepped on, and over, people to get to the top. Doesn't make them bad people. They're very driven, like most successful people. But it is legit to ask why certain people didn't get recognized, and to question band decisions. Doesn't make Fink, or any of us, bad fans for asking. We love the band, warts and all--and we just want to know ALL details. And Fink does great, considering how hard this band is to cover.
Learning about the very beginnings of the band and the influence of George Young's experience in The Easybeats was great for me as well.
In the end Jesse Fink has done a great job at trying to nail down a very private band. He's made me look at them from a different angle. Most importantly, his book made me want to get out the old ACDC vinyl and start cranking!
Is it the best ACDC book? I don't know, I haven't read them all. But, it's very good. Fans of the band should read it! Highly recommended!
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Victor Sadini
5.0 out of 5 stars An AC/DC book for everyone -- even those who don't like AC/DC
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2014
Verified Purchase
A cool friend introduced me to AC/DC back in the 70s via an import album. I found that Bon Scott's witty phrases and the band's basic beat stayed (and played) in my mind for years, but then the times and my tastes changed and I stopped listening to rock and roll completely. One day I found myself humming a tune. It was "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". I suddenly began listening to rock music again and finally got my own Acca Dacca albums. And though I am no AC/DC aficionado, I thoroughly enjoyed Jesse Fink's book as it was a fascinating account of how music and musicians were marketed, managed, treated, and tossed in music's heyday from the 60s through 80s. The account of how AC/DC got airplay reminded how great rock radio used to be, and I particularly enjoyed the section of the book dealing with a phone call regarding producers -- an occurrence with a truly Rashomon twist. I think this book would appeal to anyone interested in how the music biz was conducted before it all went digital and downloaded.
9 people found this helpful
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Edward J. mccarthy Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars VERY GOOD READ, NICE TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE THAT WHERE THERE FROM THE START....................
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
good read, i bought this becouse i had heard a lot about this book being so honest and all the inside stories and what not regarding the youngs seem very credible from sources that worked very close with them especially way back in the 1970s ( esp the bon years) and into the mid 80s when things where kind of on the down swing with records like fly on the wall & who made who, one problem i had with this read is the author doing an amazing job going all the way back to 1974/75 and throwing a host of names i to have heard over the last near 40 years of being an ac/dc fan on who really was the drummer & wich one played on what during 74/ early 75 until phil rudd was brought in for good, NO MENTION OF PHILS 1983 REPLACEMENT SIMON WRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! who would remain w/ acdc and do almost three ( but not the best ones) records with the band from 1985 through 1988!!!!!!!!! it seems most every member who was ever in ac/dc gets mentioned here even chris slade, anyway i thought the flick of the switch record in 1983 turned out great due to its rawness and the tour was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! simon had big shoes to fill at only 20 years old in 1983 and i thought he did really good. anyway the rest is still a bit of hear say as there is not much proof of anything that comes out of this book but as i said i think some of those big names the author got to interview for this book is about as close as you will get to what the real goings on are behind the ac/dc machine, anyway i pass no judgement but the youngs are not fan friendly at all but after almost 45 years of rocking the world they are very private wich i can respect HOWEVER during the 1993 black hawk down story and regarding how the elite us team member survived being locked up in somalia and surviving especially as hells bells where being blasted at where he was captured and the guy still swears that song got him through the ordeal only to come home safe and be the only survivor and asking the youngs for permission to use hells bells and not get an answer and then be told by there legal team NO as is usually the answer was cold i felt BUT brian johnson came to the rescue on that one and in true johnson fashion like the fan friendly class act he is & got the guy what he wanted wich was great. anyway i think the youngs will always remain a mystery unless well ANGUS writes a tell all or whatever after ac/dc is finally done wich i sadly hope they are becouse axel/ dc does not work for me, anyway great read, it was hard to put down once i got started.....................................also yes i am one who strongly feels 1978s powerage is about the best ac/dc record but im in a tie w/ let there be rock as both are just flawless pre mutt lange ac/dc sound, highway to hell was the best mutt lange produced ac/dc record i felt..................
2 people found this helpful
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Clint
3.0 out of 5 stars Good book, just not great.
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2015
Verified Purchase
I love AC/DC and I did enjoy this book for the most part. Fink does a decent job at examining why AC/DC has had so much success and what makes them appealing to a large audience. Unfortunately when it comes down to telling who the Youngs really are his sources are people who have been wronged by them or disagreed with them. Of course someone who was wronged by someone else is going to claim that they were less than wonderful people. I enjoyed learning about the youngs potentially less than friendly side but Fink's sources were obviously biased. Granted it is hard to have an unbiased book when no one who currently works with AC/DC will talk to you. I would recommend this book to any AC/DC fan, but just take all the testimonies with a grain of salt.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Schubi
5.0 out of 5 stars Umtausch.
Reviewed in Germany on October 19, 2019
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Die Umtauschaktion hat super geklappt! Bin beeindruckt!
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pwright
5.0 out of 5 stars Very captivating read and the best serious book about AC/DC
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
I opened The Youngs (UK edition; I have read original Australian one, but bought the book again because of the updates) the other day and again, I was blown away by the quality and magnetism of the book. It is such a great read for AC/DC and Australian rock buffs like me. Very, very thorough research has been done by the author and interviews with many interesting folks.

There are some quality books on AC/DC out there which I really like, but as has been said before, The Youngs is the best serious book about the band, no doubt about it.
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Andy
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2023
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Tells a great story behind the young brothers
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Sir Steven
3.0 out of 5 stars Not the same rehash but...
Reviewed in Canada on May 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
I think the difference between this book and others is the approach to the subject. While the author doesn't exactly rehash the history of the band itself, his focus is on characters who played different roles in the band's rise to fame; Radio personalities, record executives, tour managers, etc. While it is a different insight, I found the author dragged out certain stories in an attempt to connect individuals to the band. Too much time was spent on things like who began playing the band on the radio first and who championed the band at the record company etc. It's good to include such things but it was annoying having it dredged up more than once. Overall the book is ok but it definitely has a feel of an outsider looking in and not really sure what they are seeing, filing in the blanks with stories from others and drawing conclusions based on the same.
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T&T
2.0 out of 5 stars full of slander and opinion
Reviewed in Germany on September 11, 2014
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The book is nothing but third hand observation, talking heads, conspiracy theories and endless barbs at the perceived ruthlessness of Malcolm and Angus. The author claims to be a fan but spends half the book disparaging them. Avoid.
One person found this helpful
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