Consistency be thy name!

In a radio interview with the legendary rock band AC/DC one listener called in just to say, “You guys have put out 12 albums and they all sound the same!”

The band’s lead guitarist, Angus Young, replied with, “Actually, we’ve put out 13.”

When you’ve sold over 200 million albums worldwide it’s easy to answer questions that way. The band doesn’t care if you think they’re a one-trick pony: they set out to write the music they wanted to, never changed their style, and it worked better than most bands could ever dream of.

Then again, AC/DC were far from being an overnight success anywhere outside of their home country, Australia. Their first international album flopped when it came out. So did their second album, which the label didn’t even bother releasing in the USA (until 1981 – five years later). With their third album they cracked the top-40 in a few European countries. When AC/DC released Highway to Hell they had their first hit album across Europe and in the USA.

International success came with their fifth album, 5 years after their first single in Australia which (I bet you can guess it…) failed to chart.

Their sixth album? It’s the second best-selling album in the world. You might have heard of it: Back in Black. They released their fifteenth album last year, 34 years after that first single, and it debuted at #1 in pretty much every country around the globe. I’m happy to say it sounds just like the previous 14 albums.

You may have one of the best ideas out there. As long as it’s just an idea, it’s, well, just an idea. Take a cue from AC/DC. They spent their lives dedicated to their vision of what a rock album should sound like.

What vision are you dedicating your life’s work to?