ELEKTRA'S AC/DC INDUCTED INTO ROCK N' ROLL HALL OF FAME!!

New York, NY -- The Elektra Entertainment Group is honored to announce that one of the greatest rock bands of all time, AC/DC, has been inducted into the 2003 class of the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame. The legendary Australian band currently reigns as the fifth highest certified band in music history, (representing actual units in excess of 85 million albums sold in the United States).

But for their millions of fans, the most memorable AC/DC moments have come from the band's riotous, ear splitting performances, which in the past 30 years have seen legendary guitarist/frontman Angus Young, and the hardest rocking band in history, shred up concert halls all over the world. Their rock masterpieces include "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Highway To Hell," "Back In Black," and more recently "Stiff Upper Lip." As one critic so aptly put it: "One of life's truths: AC/DC rocks."

Said Sylvia Rhone, Chairman/CEO of Elektra: "This has been a long overdue honor for a band that is so important to the history of rock and the legacy of Elektra. AC/DC is rock n' roll."

With more than 20 releases in their historic career, and boasting one of the best selling catalogues in music history, AC/DC has recently seen more than 15 titles awarded gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certification by the RIAA. The band has also received the rare and prestigious RIAA Diamond Award for sales of 10 million copies of "Back In Black."

AC/DC will be inducted on March 10 at New York City's Waldorf Astoria, to be aired at a later date on VH1.

AC/DC, THE CLASH, , ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS and THE POLICE have been nominated to join the ROCK 'N' ROLL HALL OF FAME in 2003.

The ceremony to induct them takes place in New York on March 10 next year, with all the inductees being invited to perform.

In a statement, Hall of Fame director Suzan Evans said: "These inductees represent many influential genres of rock, including 60s soul, heavy metal and 1970s English punk."

Also being inducted will be 60s stars The Righteous Brothers.

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first single. Among those who were on the shortlist who failed to be voted into the Hall this year are Abba, Steve Winwood and Chic.

November 12th, 2002

The rockers from down under, AC/DC, are riding high on the announcement of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the excitement just might carry over into the band’s writing.

Source www.rockrage.com

Despite previously being quoted alongside Bon Scott and the current members of AC/DC as one of the inductees for the 2003 Rock Hall of Fame. Mark Evans has now been snubbed by the organisers and he is no longer included in the list of inductees.

This u-turn by the Hall of Fame is despite the fact that Mark Evans was involved with the recording of the albums "High Voltage (worldwide version)" , "Dirty Deeds done dirt cheap" , "Let there be Rock" as well as the Australian versions of the albums "TNT" and "High Voltage".
For the record in the USA alone "Dirty Deeds" went Platinium in 1981 , "High Voltage" went Multi Platinum in 1993 and "Let there be Rock" went Multi Platinium in 1997.
Figures for the USA from the RIAA web site

A press statement from the management of Mark Evans can be read by Clicking here

see also www.rockhall.com

Mark Evans the Class Rock Revisited Interview.

CRR) Congratulations for your band AC/DC making it to the Hall Of Fame! You helped sell over 30 million records so this alone must be an honor!

Mark )Yes, it's great for the band to be recognized, it's well deserved.

CRR) How did you hear the news that the band was elected?

Mark) A good friend of mine, Murray Englehart (an excellent rock journalist, by the way) called me to alert me to the press release published on a web site regarding the induction. I think Murray was more pleased even than I was to see that Bon and myself had been included in the nomination along with all the current members.

CRR) We have since heard that it was announced that you were going to be elected along with the current band and Bon Scott then it was decided you were not going to be elected. Is that true?

Mark) Yes, unfortunately 6 weeks after the initial announcement, the Hall of Fame withdrew my nomination. Suzan Evans of the H of F stated to my manager, Roland McAdam, that my original nomination had been "an error" and apparently I now do not meet their criteria. This has got me to wondering why they felt the need to review the situation anyway. I would have thought their initial research would have been thorough.

CRR) What is the reason that this happened?

Mark) I have no idea and I'm bewildered how this could happen.

CRR) What are your thoughts about this situation?

Mark) While I'm thrilled for the band I am extremely disappointed about the back flip by the H of F.

CRR) Have you been contacted by anyone in the band to explain this?

Mark) No.

CRR) Do you feel you deserve entrance?

Mark) Rock historians and AC/DC fans have been telling me that I do. On a purely personal note, yes I do.

CRR) What has the fan reaction been like?

Mark) Generally, the reaction has been super supportive, I didn't realize how seriously the fans that have contacted me take this situation. It's really pleasing.

CRR) Would you go to the inauguration if they do decide to let you in?

Mark) Of course.

CRR) What can people reading this interview do to help you get in?

Mark) Induction into the H of F is based on historical contribution to the band and the music and I believe is judged by a panel of learned music industry people, which is why I was so pleased to be nominated. I have always had great respect for the H of F and I was proud that they had seen my contribution worthy of inclusion. So to answer your question, I'm not trying to "get in", I am trying to discover why I am now out! I guess it wouldn't hurt if people were to lobby the H of F office and website seeking an answer to that.

Mark Evans, bass player for AC/DC has been dealt a dirty deed by the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame but is excited that his former band is being inducted.

"I am absolutely thrilled for the band to finally make it into the Hall of Fame" Mark tells Undercover News. "It is something the band really deserves. I was really quite chuffed when I heard".

When he first heard the band was to be inducted Evans didn't think he'd be included but then his name was announced. "I knew it was happening for a while" he says. "I knew from about mid last year that this was coming and I was assuming that it would be the current line-up and Bon (Scott). Then word started coming back to me that I was going to be nominated also. I thought that was good and I'd wait and see how it all comes out".

His reaction to the news was what you would expect. "I was just blown out" he says. "I was really, really happy about the whole thing. To having that turn around has become a bigger surprise than making it in. I was very disappointed about it. I went through a situation where people would come up to me and congratulate me and I had to bite my tongue because at that stage I knew the whole thing had been retracted. As much as I am fairly immune to embarrassment I have been put in a very uncomfortable situation".

Evans is a great believer in the music coming before the business in the term music business. "I don't take the music business all that seriously" he says. "I take it seriously when I need be but the music business to me is about gigging and performing, entertaining and enjoying yourself. I stay out of the business as much as humanly possible. Unfortunately I've been dragged into it a bit by this situation which is something I would prefer not to be".

To evaluate Mark's contribution to the success of AC/DC you only have to look at their setlist. On their most recent tour, 8 of the 21 songs they performed were from the 3 albums Mark appeared on. He says the Hall of Fame decision to nominate him and then retract the nomination is unacceptable. "When you consider the last 20 years, what immediately comes to mind "Thunderstruck" maybe? "Who Made Who"?" he says "At the end of the day had they come around and said the current line-up of the band as well of Bon would be inducted, I would have just gone "oh well, missed out". I would have taken it on the chin. That's just part of life. But to be mentioned you are inducted and have it splashed all over the world and then have it retracted, that to me is unacceptable".

People in the street stop him to ask what is going on. "I've had to make a bit of a comedy routine about it saying "I'm very proud to be the first person ever to be thrown out of the Hall of Fame without actually getting in there". It has been a bit of a blow. All things like this when you get thrown a hurdle you have to have a relatively good sense of humour, especially in the music business. It is built on monstrous highs and disastrous lows. That is the nature of the business".

So what does Mark regret about not being in AC/DC anymore? "I don't have any real regrets. What I am now with my family and what I am doing musically since I left the band, I have had a very good and full life" he says. "I think if I was one of those unfortunate beings who didn't want to get on with things and kept on looking back I think I'd have a problem. With my lifestyle and what I am doing I am very, very satisfied with what I am doing and what I am. My regrets are probably not being able to play with the band. I loved playing with that band and I do regret losing a couple of friendships out of it. Bon is exclusive of this because that was out of anyone's control. I had a very good friendship with both Phil (Rudd) and Malcolm (Young) and unfortunately those friendships have gone by the board now. We had a lot of great times, did some great things but I had a couple of great friendships there. My one regret is losing those friendships".

AC/DC will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame on March 10.

By Paul Cashmere

In 1974, AC/DC released their debut single 'Can I Sit Next To You Girl'. It did okay in Sydney getting a good rotation at the time on local pop station 2SM and made it to #50 on the Sydney chart.

AC/DC sacked the singer Dave Evans after that song and replaced him with roadie Bon Scott. With Scott out front they recorded the debut album High Voltage. It got as high at #15 in Australia and generated another Top 40 hit 'Baby Please Don't Go'.

Later that year the line-up changed again. In came Melbourne born bass player Mark Evans and so started a chain reaction that created the trilogy of albums that bred the AC/DC legend.

During this period the band recorded 'TNT', 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' and 'Let There Be Rock'. The albums featured what are now more than half a dozen AC/DC signature tunes. 'It's A Long Way To The Top', 'TNT', 'Jailbreak', 'Dirty Deeds', 'Let There Be Rock' and 'Whole Lotta Rosie' ALL came from this period. On the last AC/DC tour, 8 of the 21 songs that made up the Stiff Upper Lip setlist came from those three albums.

Rightly so AC/DC are to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They deserve it for those three albums alone. However, one man is missing from the induction line-up - Mark Evans. The Hall of Fame announced his induction and then withdrew it six weeks later despite Mark's frontline position in the band's most important period. Without those albums, there would be no induction at all. So why is he out?

Undercover's Paul Cashmere spoke to Mark to get the story behind AC/DC's formative years.

Paul Cashmere: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have the most inconsistent set of induction rules I have ever come by.

Mark Evans: I think I am about the first person to ever get thrown out of the Hall of Fame.

PC: But do you get a plaque for that?

ME: I certainly hope so. I've actually now been thrown out of an exclusive club that Keith Richards hasn't been thrown out of. That's a good one.

PC: It's embarrassing stuff though. It must have damaged your reputation.

ME: It has been a bit odd. Generally, I am a great one for not taking the music business all that seriously. I take it seriously when it needs be. The music business is to me about gigging and performing and basically about entertaining and enjoying yourself. I stay out of the business side of it as much as humanly possible but unfortunately I've been dragged into it in this situation. It is something I would prefer not to be. It has been unusual. In essence I am absolutely thrilled for the band to finally make it into the Hall of Fame. It is something that the band richly deserves. I was really quite chuffed. I knew it was happening for a while. I knew from mid last year that this was coming up. I was assuming that it would be the current line-up, of course, and Bon (Scott). Then it started filtering back to me that I was going to be nominated also and I thought "oh well, that's good". Low and behold it all comes out and a journalist in Sydney contacted me and told me I was nominated into the Hall of Fame and I was really, really happy. Then to have it turn around has been a bigger surprise than making it in. I was very, very disappointed about it. I went through a situation where people would be coming up and congratulating me and telling me it was a fantastic thing and I had to bite my tongue. At that stage I knew the whole thing had been retracted. As much as I'm fairly immune to embarrassment I have been put into a very uncomfortable situation.

PC: Let's go through the albums that you were on but first tell us about how you came to join AC/DC.

ME: I joined them in March 1975. By that stage 'High Voltage' the album had already been recorded. Also 'High Voltage' the single had already been recorded but as you know 'High Voltage' the single wasn't on 'High Voltage' the album. I started recording with them from 'T.N.T.' onwards. I did the 'T.N.T.' album, 'Dirty Deeds' and 'Let There Be Rock'.

(Mark appears on the US version of High Voltage which was a compilation of the first two Australian albums).

PC: How did you get the gig?

ME: There was sort of an audition. A good friend of mine mentioned to me that they were looking for a bass player and I had sort of heard of them. I hadn't seen them play. I had a slight knowledge of them. I found out their address and went around and met them and they gave me a copy of the album. I went home, learned it overnight and went back the next day and that was pretty much it.

PC: Who was the band member who was most into Mark Evans joining AC/DC?

ME: It certainly wasn't Bon because I didn't meet Bon until I did the first gig with them. He wasn't around. I got on very, very well with Malcolm (Young) and Phil (Rudd) from the start and always did. Angus (Young) can be a little distant, I think. That is probably a good way of putting it.

PC: There's an incredible number of songs that are now classics that you must have been performing live at your first gig.

ME: We were doing a lot of gigs but there was a lot of other cover material we were doing too. We were doing Elvis Presley songs and Rolling Stones songs. We didn't start doing any of the 'T.N.T.' songs until we recorded them because all the songs were written in the studio. They didn't exist until we went into the studio.

PC: AC/DC doing Elvis is total news to me. What songs did you do?

ME: On occasion we did many. We did Chuck Berry songs too. We did 'Jailhouse Rock' a few times and 'That's Alright Mama'. Over the years I know there have been some old desk tapes getting around from that period. On one there was 'Roll Over Beethoven' and there might have also been 'Heartbreak Hotel' in there as well.

PC: I'm glad it is 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Jailhouse Rock' and 'That's Alright Mama'. You would have shattered my AC/DC illusions if you told me you were doing 'Don't Cry Daddy'.

ME: Or 'Hunka, Hunka Burning Love'. It was all the good rock and roll, Chuck Berry, Stones things. That's very much where the roots of the band lie.

PC: Let's talk about 'T.N.T.'. Tell us how the songs were first presented and how it came together.

ME: Back in those days it was all very quick. There wasn't a lot of time to do things. It was all thrown together in a couple of weeks.

PC: The amazing thing about the first four AC/DC albums was that they all came together in a 2 year period.

ME: Being a fan back in those days, I was a fan of Free and Deep Purple and to a lesser extent Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep. You would generally find with bands like that they were doing an album every six months. It wasn't as dramatic as what The Beatles were doing. I remember reading about The Beatles and how they had a single out every 12 weeks. That's a long way now from a band like Metallica who have a huge album out and then tour it and then they wouldn't record again for another 5 years. The business has changed.

PC: Recall the first time you ever heard "It's A Long Way To The Top".

ME: With that album it was the first time the band had recorded together as that unit. Before Phil and myself and Bon joined there had been some massive line-up changes along the way. I had received an email from one of the fan websites the other day and it was a letter of protest regarding this Hall of Fame thing. This guy had researched and had listed 18 different line-ups of AC/DC. There was a few very early on before Phil, Bon and myself joined but people tell me they regard this as the classic line-up.

PC: 'Can I Sit Next ToYou Girl' was the first single and that was before Bon joined.

ME: It was Dave Evans. There was a different line-up then. Before Phil and myself there were two or three drummers and bass players through the band at that point. There have been three singers. Since the band became successful though the line-up changes have been minimal. One was compulsory which was me leaving and the other one was Bon.

PC: Fans can't ignore the initial albums such as 'T.N.T.' followed by 'Dirty Deeds' followed by 'Let There Be Rock'. They were the break through years. Those three albums created the basis for the success to this day.

ME: From my perspective I feel a lot of the spade work was done at that point. I love those albums but as far as my favourite albums go my two favourite albums are 'Powerage' and 'Highway To Hell'. They were the ones after me. I listen to them maybe because I can step away from them and not be so subjective.

PC: Was 'T.N.T.' a quick album to record?

ME: Yes now, but for the time it was recorded it was pretty much normal. In those days it was normal to do something in a couple of week. I was watching a documentary a couple of days ago about Elton John. He was talking about 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' and he was saying the same thing. They would record two or three tracks each day. That was how things were done.

PC: Does a song like 'It's A Long Way To The Top' feel like a classic when you are recording it or does it feel like another days work?

ME: It feels completely normal. You can go back and listen back to some songs when they are all finished and done, particularly after you hear them on the radio and you'll go 'yeah that's good'. You will know at the time when you are recording what basic songs will make the album and what songs will maybe fall by the wayside. You will have a bit of a feeling but you will always be surprised how things will come out. If you recorded 'Jumping Jack Flash' or whatever. It is not until later that it will take on the full stature.

PC: Let's move on to 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'. There is a marvellous bass line in 'Ride On'. A really bluesy rock based track. That is obviously total Mark Evans influence right there.

ME: That's pretty sort of straight down the line. That was how the whole band worked. It was always plain and simple. Strangely enough there are a lot of tracks off that album that we never played live and that being one of them. However, I have seen a DVD with Brian Johnson doing it but as far as my knowledge goes I don't think Bon ever did it onstage. I certainly never played it live and if there is any evidence that on ever did it live I'd be certainly interested to hear it.

PC: That was probably the bluesiest of the AC/DC albums. 'Ain't No Fun Waiting Round To Be A Millionaire' was another great example.

ME: Yeah that's another one and another song I don't think was ever done live. Certainly not in my time with the band it wasn't. I think the whole thing with doing tracks from albums was geared towards what worked on stage. At that period we were doing a lot of support gigs and concentrating on Britain and Europe at that stage. You would only get 30 minutes on stage. Because we were finishing off at that stage with 'Baby Please Don't Go' which went for a good part of 10 minutes, once you started off with whatever you chose to start off with that night there wasn't a whole lot of room left. I don't think it became open to the band to do a lot of material until 'Let There Be Rock' when we ended up doing our own shows.

PC: How soon after 'T.N.T.' did you regroup in the studio for 'Dirty Deeds'?

ME: Good question. You would have to ask some of the fans that one. My guess would have been that that would have been recorded late '75. Maybe October '75. Not all that long after the recording on 'T.N.T.'. They were pretty close. I'm pretty lousy for dates but it would around that period.

PC: From 'Dirty Deeds' the classic was 'Jailbreak'. I'll pose the same question I asked for 'Long Way To The Top'. How did it feel recording it? Did it feel like a classic?

ME: Not at all. My only answer to that question is that it feels unbelievably normal. That's true. I think if you asked the Rolling Stones (and AC/DC are probably approaching that sort of level now) when you are inside something like that it feels completely normal. That's what you do and that is what your life is. Once you are cocooned inside that band situation things go on around you. Someone's got to be booking the gigs, someone's got to be making sure the car is at the airport to pick you up, someone has got to be booking the plane tickets. It seems to happen like magic. You get cocooned and insulated a lot from the outside world which was a constant source of annoyance to me.

PC: 'Let There Be Rock' is next. To me, that was to me when AC/DC started to evolve.

ME: I think to me 'Let There Be Rock' is really the first AC/DC album. That was when the band started sounding like the band. It then developed on to 'Powerage' and then 'Highway To Hell'.

PC: That was the international break through wasn't it?

ME: It was. We had Britain and Europe taking notice of us but that was the one where it really started to work.

PC: It contained the epic title track 'Let There Be Rock'.

ME: Great song. To me, Phil makes that song work. He did a fantastic job of it and still does. I had seen the band on a few occasions when Phil wasn't playing with them and the band really suffered without Phil, there is no question about that. I don't think people realise how important Phil Rudd is to the band. With all respect to the other guys who played when Phil wasn't there, but you just look at when Phil wasn't in the band and how many albums they recorded. To me there was a real flat spot happening there. Nothing happened without Phil. Phil joined them again. For that AC/DC style of playing he is an absolutely amazing drummer.

PC: He bought them back to bad boys boogying mode.

ME: He is just great. Phil Rudd was born to play drums in AC/DC. He is one of those very fortunate people, along with people like Keith Richards, that was able to identify and lucky enough to get the opportunity to do exactly what he was meant to do. When he was playing with the band it swings. I saw many shows in Europe when Phil wasn't with them and it just wasn't the same band.

PC: Is a song like 'Whole Lotta Rosie' a song you put up there as one of the great AC/DC songs?

ME: I think so. My recollection is that we had a couple of stabs at doing that. It is one of those songs that evolved. We recorded it once and something in the back of my head tells me it may have had a different title at one stage. It evolved. We re-recorded and got it going in a slightly different form. That would have been George Young fine tuning things. George is an absolute genius. I have never met a more astute person in the studio than George.

PC: Here we are 25 years down the track. 'Whole Lotta Rosie' is still in the setlist, 'Let There Be Rock' comes up in the setlist.

ME: I'd be interested to see what they did recently and how many of those songs Bon and myself were involved with make up the setlist.

PC: It's around 40% going by the setlist for the 'Stiff Upper Lip' tour.

ME: If you look at the last 20 years what song would immediately come to mind? Maybe 'Thunderstruck'! 'Who Made Who' was very visible and 'Back In Black'. 'Back In Black' was that 20 years ago?

PC: 1980, so yeah 23 years.

ME: Yeah, I'm making a case for myself right here.

PC: Certainly based on their recent setlists and the importance of the songs you played on.

ME: I would like to think so. At the end of the day had it come around and it was going to be the current line-up and Bon inducted I'd say "shit missed out but what the hell". I would have taken it on the chin. That's part of life. But to be mentioned as being inducted and having it splashed all over the world and then have it retracted, that to me is just unacceptable.

PC: Well you were involved in the three most important albums of their formative years.

ME: Yeah, in their formative years. The amount of support I have had from people from all walks of life has been astounding. I went to see The Stones the other night. Generally when I go out to a gig a couple of people will come over and say 'hi' and ask me to sign a t-shirt or whatever but that night I must have been stopped by literally hundreds of people asking 'what's this going on'. I have had to make a comedy routine out of it saying 'I'm very proud to be the first guy to be thrown out of the Hall of Fame without actually getting in there'. It has been a bit of a blow, I have to be honest with you. Think with all things when you are thrown a hurdle in life you have to have a relatively good sense of humour, particularly in the music business. It is built on monstrous highs and horrendous lows. That's the nature of the business.

PC: What about your departure from AC/DC. What are your regrets with that now?

ME: I don't have any real regrets. What I am now with my family and what I am doing musically since I left the band, I have had a very good and full life. I think if I was one of those unfortunate beings who didn't want to get on with things and kept on looking back I think I'd have a problem. With my lifestyle and what I am doing I am very, very satisfied with what I am doing and what I am. My regrets are probably not being able to play with the band. I loved playing with that band and I do regret losing a couple of friendships out of it. Bon is exclusive of this because that was out of anyone's control. I had a very good friendship with both Phil (Rudd) and Malcolm (Young) and unfortunately those friendships have gone by the board now. We had a lot of great times, did some great things but I had a couple of great friendships there. My one regret is losing those friendships.

PC: Was your departure amicable?

ME: Yes. There were no problems whatsoever. That's a thing that the band always plays close to their chest and they don't let a lot of information out. I'm prepared to talk about the recording and if you approached Malcolm and Angus the same way you approached me they would speak about it too. There was no great problem. The split was very much above board.

PC: People would assume on the basis those albums you played on have now sold around 30 million copies around the world that you'd be a very rich man.

ME: Yeah, I'm just looking over my 10 acre estate at Balmain and I notice there's about 20,000 head of cattle out there that need to be milked. I don't have any problems with that. As far our business goes all of that situation has been very happily resolved.

PC: Business aside, I'm sure the hardest thing you ever had to deal with in AC/DC was Bon's death.

ME: Strangely enough, this catches me by surprise every time, you know. I don't normally go looking at AC/DC sites but people occasional tell me to look at various sites because they are saying this about this or that or about that or whatever. I've only just found in the last few days what was the actual date he died on. It was February 19. I just pretty much blotted it out. I knew it was sometime in the early 80's that he went but it knocked everyone around. I would have to say if I had to point at one moment that changed my relationship with the guys in AC/DC that would have been it. Not because of what happened with on, that was fate. I don't think anyone could have stopped it. But from that point on, my relationship with Angus, Malcolm and Phil had definitely changed. I don't think it was because of that but that was a watershed for it. It hasn't been the same since then.

PC: Finally, give us a wrap-up of where Mark Evans is at today.

ME: I do a lot of work. I'm still out there gigging with a guy called Dave Tice from Buffalo. When we worked electrically it is called The Porch Monkeys. We use the drummer Paul DeMarco from Rose Tattoo and sometimes also Pete Wells from Rose Tattoo on guitar. We also do a lot of acoustic work and it is just called Dave Tice and Mark Evans. We are working on a studio album at the moment. We do a lot of gigs around Sydney. We have a residency at the Bridge Hotel in Roselle, it's not exactly Madison Square Garden but not bad.

PC: It's a start to Madison Square Garden.

ME: No, don't do that to me. (laughs) I don't want to do that again. I'm very happy working here in Australia. We are actually off to Europe mid year to do a 4-6 week tour over there.