Rock Music Trivia
Motley Crue’s Most Controversial Album
The band had gone through three rock ‘n’ roll lifetimes in just a few years. But then, they were back, with many fans divided.
Sam
June 9, 2025
It’s 1985. The hair is big, the jeans are tight, and MTV is God. AC/DC had been through hell and back: Bon Scott’s tragic death, a comeback for the ages with Back in Black, a handful of solid releases… and now, the world’s loudest rock band decides to get… weird.
Enter: Fly on the Wall.
This album doesn’t get a whole lotta love. Critics were meh. Even some fans gave it the cold shoulder. But here’s the thing: Fly on the Wall might just be the grimiest, greasiest, most bar-brawlin’, no-frills rock album AC/DC ever made — and that deserves a second listen.
Forty years ago today, AC/DC released their 10th studio album, Fly on the Wall. By 1985, the Crue were glamming it up, Van Halen had gone synth, and even the Scorpions were softening their sting. But AC/DC stayed loud, dirty, and defiantly unfashionable. Even after Flick of the Switch flopped in ’83, the boys came storming back with no apologies and even less polish. They were still the biggest hard rock band in the world…and they didn’t give a damn what the critics thought.
Fly on the Wall wasn’t the AC/DC everyone expected—isn’t trying to impress anyone. It doesn’t care about radio play, chart positions, or slick production. This is AC/DC stripped to the bone — no power ballads, no synths, no compromise. The production was rough around the edges, and Brian Johnson’s vocals were buried so deep in the mix you almost had to lean into the speaker to catch every whiskey-soaked lyric. That’s because this was the first time Angus and Malcolm Young produced the record themselves. It wasn’t polished, wasn’t flashy—just five guys in a studio, letting the amps bleed and the drums thunder. This album snarls like a junkyard dog with a hangover.
The Young brothers produced it themselves, which meant no outside polish, no MTV-flavored sweetener. Just thick guitar riffs, pounding drums, and Brian Johnson sounding like he gargled whiskey and gravel before every take.
Critics hated it. Some fans called it their worst album. Well, if this is AC/DC’s “worst,” it still runs laps around some bands’ best. It’s a little messy. But it’s AC/DC messy — the kind that makes you feel like you’re in a smoky dive bar, three shots deep, yelling lyrics into a ceiling fan. And I’m ok with that.
Check out the tracklist:
Here’s a look at the tracks that make Fly on the Wall a cult favorite:
It didn’t top the charts like Back in Black or For Those About to Rock, but not every album needs to. Fly on the Wall was a line in the sand…either you were still with ’em, or you were off to chase some glittery pop-metal elsewhere. And AC/DC didn’t blink.
Remember when Fly on the Wall had an actual VHS mini-movie to go with it? Yeah, AC/DC went full weird and created a barroom cartoon of themselves performing to a crowd of misfits, sleazeballs, and one very annoyed bouncer.
It was awkward. It was amazing. And it’s now a YouTube rabbit hole of pure 1980s ridiculousness. Go watch it. Trust me. In fact I put it below 👇
Watch the movie to throw you back to 1985.
Looking back, ACDC’s Fly on the Wall is the dirty little album that could. It’s got attitude, bite, and a middle finger aimed squarely at the trends of the time. It might not be AC/DC’s most celebrated record, but it’s one hell of a time capsule. It’s for fans who like their rock extra greasy and unapologetic, this is AC/DC at their dirtiest. It’s the soundtrack for rebuilding your engine in the driveway while drinking a warm beer — and loving every minute of it.
It’s raw, it’s rough, it’s loud as hell. And if you’re the kind of fan who prefers AC/DC with a little more attitude than polish, this one deserves to be in your rotation. So yeah — maybe it’s time we stop sleeping on Fly on the Wall. Because sometimes the best rock records don’t need to be perfect. If it’s been collecting dust in your old cassette rack, maybe it’s time to give it another spin. Let the dust fly.
Rock on, buzz off (I had to) 🪰
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