AC/DC blamed for financial crisis

AC/DC blamed for financial crisis
By Stuart Fagg, ninemsn Money, October 28, 2008

As the global financial crisis continues to make headlines around the world, talk is inevitably turning to who is to blame.

The usual suspects have been wheeled out — greedy investment bankers, greedy investors, greedy politicians and so on — but it seems a group of Aussie legends could be inadvertantly to blame.

According the UK Guardian's music critic, Alexis Petridis, Aussie rockers AC/DC's ascension to the top of the UK charts amid the current crisis may be no coincidence. Every time the iconic rockers have topped the charts, financial catastrophe has shortly followed, particularly in the UK.

Shortly after the band formed in Sydney in 1973, the world was hit by the global oil crisis, which saw prices quadruple. In 1980, meanwhile, as the UK struggled with inflation at 20 percent and unemployment hit 2 million, AC/DC released Back in Black.

As Australia was gripped by "the recession we had to have" in 1990 and interest rates soared towards 20 percent, AC/DC scored a remarkable comeback with The Razor's Edge.

Fast forward to 2008 as the world is gripped by the biggest financial crisis since the great depression and guess who's comback album is number one in the UK? That's right, AC/DC's Black Ice.

As the Guardian's Petridis said, the world economy may be in tatters and uncertainty may be the watchword, but one thing remains constant.

"Western capitalism might collapse but at least [Angus] Young can be relied on to perform a song about either rock and roll or testicles while wearing shorts, blazer and cap," he wrote.