AC/DC

"Living easy, living free 
Season ticket on a one-way ride 
Asking nothing, leave me be 
Taking everything in my stride"

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“C+”

Main Decade: 70's 

Main Ages: Hard Rock (1968-???)

Key Members:

Bon Scott: Singer

Angus Young: Lead Guitar

Malcolm Young: Rythm Guitar

Phil Rudd: Drums 

Cliff William: Bass

Brian Johnson: Singer

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Key Songs:

Hell Bells, Thunderstruck, It's a Long Way To the Top, Whole Lotta Rosie, Back In Black, T.N.T., Higway to Hell, The Jack, Jailbreak, High Voltage, Moneytalks, Whole Lotta Rosie, You Shook Me All Night Long, She’s Got Balls, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Let There Be Rock, Dog Eat Dog, If You Want Blood (You've Got It), The Razors’s Edge, Let Me Put My Love into You, Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round To Be A Millionnaire), Riff Raff, Bad Boy Boogie, Night Prowler, Baby Please Don't Go.

 

Who hasn't heard at least one of AC/DC's powerful riffs? Who hasn't felt like a badass, raising their right hand with the metal sign and shaking their head while listening to "T.N.T.," "High Voltage," "Back in Black," or "Highway to Hell"? Who hasn't truly believed that AC/DC is metal, that they're real meatheads with rebellious, serious lyrics, and that the band members will burn to death the moment they dare to approach a temple? Who hasn't believed that Angus Young's devilish horns are real and not a headband? I'm the first to raise my hand. I came to believe all this and more when I first heard them as a teenager. And I honestly believe I'm not the only one in the world.

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AC/DC is one of the weirdest bands on the planet. Their power, their rock style, the tremendous quality of Angus Young's riffs (possibly the fifth or sixth best riff maker in history), the fact that they were the best band on the planet during the difficult transition from the 70s to the 80s, despite the forced change of vocalist—all of that is beyond question. AC/DC is one of the heavyweights of rock, and for a reason. The problem is that many don't take them seriously because of what I mentioned in the first paragraph, considering them idiots who were lucky enough to find an exceptional guitarist, who have been re-recording their early albums for 35 years and have barely heard a handful of the band's greatest hits. They know they exist, and they know they're considered great, but they haven't bothered to find out why. And then we have the hardcore fans, who are hardcore fans and seriously think AC/DC is the best band in the universe… for exactly the same reasons described in the first paragraph!

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For a long time, I didn't pay much attention to them, except for a few songs. Then I heard "Hell Bells" and was blown away. I didn't become a hardcore fan, but that song made me look up their discography and I was pleasantly surprised to find that these guys aren't bores, but have real musical talent in their veins. AC/DC has a certain magnetism, a musical chemistry that makes them stand out from other bands. They have a raw, kick-ass sound, they create jovial and wild atmospheres, they're fun, rebellious, they have great riffs, great solos... but how many kick-ass bands pull these same tricks and don't come close to AC/DC? Why is this band considered a heavyweight in the history of rock?

 

The answer isn't obvious, but it's actually quite simple. Here it is: We shouldn't minimize AC/DC or take away their place among the great rock bands, but we shouldn't take them too seriously either. The band itself doesn't take itself too seriously. And I'm not referring to the music they make, but rather to the lyrics, the attitude, the personas they adopt to form the band. In itself, AC/DC began as a parody of other glam bands, of the punk attitude, the taboo metal attitude, the immorality (and vulgarity) of the 70s Stones, and they ended up being a self-parody, although it seems that not many understood this. They didn't really care. The band enjoyed and still enjoys making incisive rock, with sharp guitars, energy, rhythm, speed, raspy and high-pitched vocals, and a fair amount of self-confidence, but also quite a bit of intelligence. And intelligence is what differentiates this band from the many imitators who emerged, who, unable to achieve the same success with the same ingredients, substituted brain cells with heavy makeup, hairspray, and idiotic lyrics, and ended up becoming the 80s glam metal movement. Another difference is that all these bands ended up believing they were real bad guys, and so did their fans, taking AC/DC in their stride.

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In other words, the big difference between this band and others is that AC/DC are smart enough to create intentional humor, seasoned with excellent music, while the others create unintentional humor, which is never good for the author. The band presents itself in such a raw, vicious, and defiant way that it's impossible to take them seriously. And Young's talent is indisputable. The riffs are enormous, the solos aren't just machine-guns of crazy notes, but perfectly calculated, the energy is contagious, and in the end, you end up having a blast with this band. So they're not idiots, they're just playing that role, and ultimately, if you don't take it for what it is, a joke (the biggest in the history of rock), and enjoy it, you're the one who ends up looking like an idiot.

 

Of course, this won't please die-hard fans, but it's the truth. The band seems quite intelligent and fun in interviews and given the level of music they make, so neither Malcolm, nor Angus, nor Brian, nor anyone else really expects their fans to turn into violent, mindless, rebellious beasts, more like an anarchist zombie than a music lover. They're talented, funny, and absurd, and I think knowing this makes their music even more enjoyable than taking them seriously as Satanic degenerates, or as hollow clowns, because they're neither. They simply take rock to the limit and show how absurd rock can be, talking about the devil, excesses, perversions, and a whole bunch of things that, ultimately, are nothing more than a joke that's been going on for over 35 years.

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And that's why they have so many clones. AC/DC as a concept was absolutely necessary in the rock scene of the late 70s. If it hadn't been them, I would have appreciated another one with the same role. And for that same reason, in every country, a miniature AC/DC seems to have emerged, with the same attitude, the same balls, and the same kick-ass music: Cuca in Mexico, Leño and Extremoduro in Spain, in Argentina... I don't know, Pappo?

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Although the band is considered Australian, brothers Malcolm, Angus, and George Young were born in Scotland, but moved to Sydney with their entire family in the mid-60s. George Young, the eldest, was the first to take to the guitar and formed The Easybeats, a relatively successful band on the island during the 60s. Malcolm would later form his own band, and Angus would join it. Since the band was called The Velvet Underground, and evidently there was already a New York band with that name, they changed it, inspired by an idea from their older sister: AC/DC, which came as an abbreviation for "alternating current/direct current" from the current specifications of a sewing machine. The boys were delighted with the idea of the voltage and energy they wanted to give in their performances, and so it remained. Curiously, in the rest of the world they are known by the English spelling of the word, reading "eisidisi," but in Australia they are called "Acca Dacca." It's just a matter of life.

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In 1971, the band was signed by Albert Productions, an Australian subsidiary of EMI, but they had a huge turnover of bassists and drummers. Angus was already wearing his trademark school uniforms live and alternating them with other hilarious costumes to attract attention, which is another example of how seriously they took themselves. Another example of this was when they fired their vocalist Dave Evans because he really thought he was a glam rocker. That is, for being an idiot. So they fired him, and in late 1974 they recruited Ronald Befford “Bon” Scott, who was also born in Scotland. In early 1975, they went into the recording studio to create their debut, High Voltage, which was only released in Australia. Recording took only 10 days and consisted primarily of instrumental tracks composed by the Young brothers with lyrics written at breakneck speed by Bon. Rob Bailey played bass (and some tracks by brother George Young), and they had three different people on drums. The band was still in formation, and although there are already hints of AC/DC's signature sound, this is basically a rushed demo that doesn't fully reflect the band's qualities, and is perhaps the weakest album in their extensive discography.

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Even so, the album catapulted them to the biggest band in Australia, allowing them to sign with Atlantic Records, give more attention to their productions, which were much more consistent, and find a permanent bassist (Marc Evans) and drummer (Phil Rudd) for at least a couple of years. Almost without realizing it, they were already the most powerful band in the southern hemisphere and were opening Australian shows for bands like Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Kiss, and Blue Oyster Cult, even touring with them in Europe. In 1977, the label re-released High Voltage (but it was a compilation with cover art and a completely different track listing, just two songs from the original) and T.N.T., which made them a huge success, selling more than 3 million copies. The rest, as you know, is history, including Bon's dramatic death from aspiration after drinking who knows how many liters of alcohol on February 19, 1980, just after the mega-hit album Highway to Hell. Brian Johnson would step in on vocals, successfully replacing him, as he has a similar texture and range to Scott's, but I think with more musical training. The band would return to the scene with a new vocalist and the album Back in Black, referencing the mourning for Scott. This album would be an even bigger blow than Highway to Hell, being one of the very few cases of a band successfully overcoming the death or departure of its vocalist and frontman. Afterwards, the albums would begin to decline, and the same excesses began to take their toll on the band's creativity. After releasing a few consistent albums, they hit a slump, only to recover at the end of the decade and confirm it in the early 90s with Razor's Edge. Since then, they've continued to release more or less consistent material, with ups and downs, but still displaying the band's signature style.

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AC/DC is, therefore, a band that's both overrated and underrated. In my opinion, it's a band absolutely worth it. It's perfect for sitting back, turning up the speakers to full volume, and enjoying those bursts of energy they unleash with their power and sense of humor.

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All you have to do is turn up the volume, close your eyes, raise your closed fist with your pinky and thumb raised, and nod your head to some of the finest hard rock in history. For those who are into rock, we salute you. AC/DC!!!

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By Corvan   

Jul/27/2011

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