 While producer Robert John " Mutt " Lange expressed an interest in working again with AC / DC , his schedule did not allow this . When the Young brothers called Columbia Records ' president Steve Barnett to announce the making of a new album , Barnett recommended producer Brendan O 'Brien . Angus said the band had considered talking to O 'Brien since the 1990s , as " he seemed to us a very competent professional " and because he and the band would benefit from working with a producer they had not worked with before . 
