Thirty years ago this week rock and roll received the massive kick in the arse it so desperately needed. It came from the steel toed boots of Brian Johnson and was called Back In Black.

Back In Business would have been more apt.

Never has one band been under so much pressure to deliver the album that proved there was life after death. In this case the death of Bon Scott.

But thanks to a cocksure Geordie, an up and coming producer and the wily old ways of the Young brothers there was never going to be any doubt that AC/DC would return as all-conquering heroes.

Through the mists of time the iconic Back In Black may well have morphed into an even better record than it really is.

And the word hype was made for an album which continues to be discussed in glowing terms by fans and critics alike.

But is there a bad song on the thing?

Four of the 10 are good, rather than great. Let Me Put My Love Into You is a Whitesnake song is disguise and Johnson’s shriek is no substitute for Coverdale’s crooning.

Then there’s Shake A Leg, Have A Drink On Me and What Do You Do For Money Honey. All three tracks are OK but alongside the tunes which populate the remainder of Back In Black they often sound distinctly average.

And that’s because the remaining six tunes on what might be the best rock and roll album ever are stone cold classics. Not simply AC/DC classics – classics of the genre.

Hells Bells and Shoot To Thrill are back-to-back killers and Given The Dog A Bone is Aussie rock songwriting at its simple and effective best.

But the best is yet to come as Side Two (we prefer to judge the original in all of its vinyl glory) kicks off with the globally recognised title track before letting rip with You Shook Me All Night Long.

And then there’s the ultimate set closer in the shape of the raucous Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution.

AC/DC have never managed to pack so many cast iron winners into one album since. And they never managed to be quite as prolific in the Bon Scott era. Three decades on and Back In Black deserves every plaudit it continues to receive – and more.

Like fine wines, good records get better with age. But is there an album you’ve heard lately which will be the Back In Black of its generation? We’d like to hear from you if there is such a fine body of work but we’ll reserve our judgement for now – and give one of the greatest albums of all time one more nostalgic twirl.