The sad part is that Evans still boasts about being the original lead singer of AC/DC (in fact that's been his grift for the past 40 years) and gets pretty salty when people on social media tell him to pack it in. Probably not a full-blown lolcow, but he definitely has cow-like tendencies.
Their best stuff was with Bon, but Back in Black, Fly On The Wall and Flick of the Switch were still decent albums. They only started going really downhill in the late 80s, from Thundestruck onwards.
Those were okay. Back in Black is the only Johnson-era album that I'll listen to on purpose. The Bon Scott stuff was genuine. The dude was a wild man. This is corobborated by anyone who ever met him, and of course, he fucking partied himself to death. Songs about living a wild life coming out of Brian Johnson just don't have the same weight. When Bon Scott sang "Well if you're looking for trouble, I'm the man to see..." That's not just a song lyric, it was a statement of fact.
I don't mind them, but I feel like I've listened to their entire discography just by sheer exposure levels to them, and I don't even own any of their records.
Also, the segment covering "Bleed" has no business sounding as cool as it does, which adds to their creativity.
It's pretty nostalgic for me, as my younger brother and his friends would play their songs when they'd get together. My two favorites are Thunderstruck and TNT. I've never really gotten into the individual members of the band and their history so therefore I have no further opinion at this point.
I love 'em. Their music is built around being fun and every record is pretty consistent, although there are a few duds in their discography. And yeah, Bon Scott (RIP) was a much better vocalist than Brian Johnson, although both have their respective charm.
Strongest albums: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Highway to Hell, Let There Be Rock, If You Want Blood You Got It, Back in Black, The Razors Edge, AC/DC Live (1992)
Favorite songs: "TNT", "Dirty Deeds", "Rocker", "Big Balls", "Let There Be Rock", "Whole Lotta Rosie", "Problem Child", "Highway to Hell", "If You Want Blood, You Got It", "Who Made Who", "Hells Bells", "Back in Black", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Have a Drink on Me", "Thunderstruck", "Are You Ready"
They are fucking horrible, just like any other daddy rock band.
I swear to god, I think these guys were born already old. The boomer feelings their shitty band gives are astounding.
I don't understand how people consider them so energetic and lively. The arrangement in their songs is atrocious, sometimes just drums (with the exact same pattern in all the hundreds of songs these motherfuckers have released) and that faggot screaming unintelligible gibberish. Give some time and then the guitars kick in with the bass just doubling the main riff. Serious, can someone be lazier than that? If you think that's how vigorous music can get, you're probably 80, which by no coincidence is the average age of their fanbase.
And I'm not even going to talk about the complete lack of talent by that retarded guitarist who dresses like a school kid (serious man, you are an adult, stop embarrassing yourself), anyone here can mention a single memorable guitar solo by those hacks? It simply doesn't exist. Imagine a rock band without any decent guitar solo!
I absolutely despise boomer rock, even rap is better.
Antichrist Demoncore is their best record, but even that sounds like a load of Insect Warfare covers played by lads who don't have the chops to go that fast.
They're pretty damn good, with the Bon Scott years definitely being the better quality of songs, but I can go without ever hearing Thunderstruck or any song from Back In Black again. Not that Thunderstruck is a bad song or that Back In Black is a bad album. Far the fuck from it, especially for Thunderstruck as The Razor's Edge is my favourite Brian Johnson album. They're just overplayed to death.
Really like their music. Guess a lot of it is because I associate it all with good memories of me and my old man tail gating out in the parking lot outside the football stadium before we watch the Raiders... lose again.
The Scott era is fantastic stuff; if I were to just go album by album (International versions, sorry):
High Voltage
Has as many hits that rival Back in Black, except with the benefit of being Bon Scott era AC/DC and not the inferior Brian Johnson stuff. TNT, It's a Long Way to the Top, High Voltage are all radio rock classics right there, and that's already a third of the LP. Songs like Can I Sit Next to You Girl let me lick your ear ah ha~, The Jack, She's Got Balls; all fantastic, fun hormonal-fuelled heavy pub blues rock.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap
If you can't recite the phone number in the immortal title track you're not a real Aussie. Should be on the citizenship test. Rocker is fast enough to be proto-punk, Problem Child is so good the Amerimutts had to put it on a second album down the track, Squealer gets louder and more confident as it goes on and HOLY SHIT A BALLAD in Ride On, which Scott nails because he's had experience actually being soft with his old band Fraternity.
Let There Be Rock
The B-Side is better honestly, I mean Go Down and Dog Eat Dog are good but Overdose, Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be and Whole Lotta Fuckin' Rosie utterly outclass them in energy and pure >>>riffs<<<. The title track again though is immortal, with Scott's charming delivery ("IN THE BEGINNING! ...back in 1955..."). Go and listen to a Johnson-era performance of this song, he just can't capture the same charisma as Scott oozed.
Powerage
Holy shit, riffs! Riffs! Riffs! They even named one of the standouts "Riff Raff", that's how many riffs are on this thing. Gone Shooting? Kicked in the Teeth? Up to My Neck in You? Possibly the strongest set of songs AC/DC would ever press on a single LP; I mean on any other album Rock n' Roll Damnation would be a highlight but here it's just "okay here's the obligatory great pop song, you like it? Great, now that's out of the way here's forty minutes of skull-splitting RIFFS" BEST ACCA DACCA ALBUM OF ALL TIME
Highway to Hell
Enter Mutt Lange! And enter the stricly verse-chorus formula that AC/DC would become entwined with from here on out. But unlike future albums, they still had the mischievous lech of Bon Scott giving every song a sense of fun and character. I love the backing vocals on Love Hungry Man especially when they come together with Bon "Cause I'm a Love (love) Love LOVE HUNGRY MAN" god damn it, give me one moment on Back in Black as awesome as that. Richard Ramirez approves!
Plus the Jailbreak EP, with that stellar bridge ("he made it out... with a bullet in his back!!!") and the rest of the Aussie-only tracks assembled on the Backtracks comp, like Carry Me Home or Crabsody in Blue. That getting-progressively-more-drunk rant ending to Carry Me Home epitomises Bon Scott's charm and is the most stark example of why Johnson can't even dream to fill his shoes.
They're fine. I don't love them. I don't hate them.
They were good back when I was a little kid and I had to make do with grandpa rock on the radio; nowadays I don't listen to them at all, but I have no regrets about the time my ears spent hearing them.
I don't mind them, but I feel like I've listened to their entire discography just by sheer exposure levels to them, and I don't even own any of their records.
It also helps that Bon was a fan of Brian, and that Brian is such a class act. He refuses to sing It's a Long Way to the Top out of respect for Bon, as it was Bon's signature song. I don't think it's necessarily a case of Bon vs Brian. They're both AC/DC legends.
He refuses to sing It's a Long Way to the Top out of respect for Bon, as it was Bon's signature song.
Didn't know that. Dropped that song here before when I was wankered on the farms. Seems apt to drop it again.
[WARNING - WARNING - Bon plays the fucking bag pipes in this song - it only makes you love him more - no homo!]
Ridin' down the highway
Goin' to a show
Stop in all the byways
Playin' rock 'n' roll
Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken-boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you, folks
It's harder than it looks
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you think it's easy doin' one night stands
Try playin' in a rock roll band
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
Hotel, motel
Make you wanna cry
Ladies do the hard sell
Know the reason why
Gettin' old
Gettin' grey
Gettin' ripped off
Underpaid
Gettin' sold
Second hand
That's how it goes
Playin' in a band
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you wanna be a star of stage and screen
Look out, it's rough and mean
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
Well it's a long way
Well it's a long way, you should've told me
It's a long way
Such a long way
Women wanted to fuck him.
Men wanted to be his friend.
He couldn't hold down a fight.
But he could have turned up on any Oil Rig in Norwegian Waters, and he wouldn't have had to buy a drink, let's just leave it at that.
Hotel, motel
Make you wanna cry
Ladies do the hard sell
Know the reason why
Gettin' old
Gettin' grey
Gettin' ripped off
Underpaid
Gettin' sold
Second hand
That's how it goes
Playin' in a band
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
My BPD ex who happened to be Ozzie loved Bon. Made her knickers very wet at age of 14. So she said.
Malcolm was an exceptional Rhythm Guitarist. His brother Malcolm was an even more exceptional individual with the lead guitar. His elder brothers already had form and had hits. The whole history of the AccaDacca family is exceptional. Parallels the BeeGees a bit.
Malcolm was the leader. He was the Band Leader. The Task Master. Angus subbed to him, even though he was technically better. But that's one thing that most people don't realise. Malcolm was every bit the counterpart of Angus.
No one wanted to piss Malcolm off. He was a very very hard individual. He made AC/DC what it was. He died early from dementia. Must have cut them to pieces.
Angus is up there with the Top 5 of guitarists of all time. Iommi. Blackmore. Page. Fill in your blank here.
Malcolm liked Bon immediately. They hit it off. Most people liked Bon. Most people were too scared to dislike Malcolm. Very intimidating character. He ruled that band with an iron fist. He was respected. All wanted his approval.
Much more to be said.
It's fun to go down the rabbit hole.
Yeah, Back in Black. Whatever. What will be.. What never was...
The early works are great and anyone wanting to learn Pentatonic Scale and Rock Guitar could do worse than to listen to Powerage et al.
What a time to be alive...
Gettin' old
Gettin' grey
Gettin' ripped off
Underpaid
Gettin' sold
Second hand
That's how it goes
Playin' in a band
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
===============
And so as not to be a dirty little Debbie Double Poster (what could be worse) - this is the song my Ex from Newcastle (NSW) told me she liked:
Saw you in the front row
Moving to the beat
Just movin' and groovin'
Killed me when I saw
The wet patch on your seat
Was it Coca Cola?
Oh baby I hope you liked the show
When the band said goodnight
I had to say hello
Little lover, I can't get you off my mind, no
Little lover, I've been trying hard to find
Someone like you
Oh baby you sure looked sweet
Cruisin'
A leg either side
Of my motorcycle seat
Just oozin'
Could have been a nightmare
Could have been a dream
But on my way home, baby
I thought I heard you scream
Little lover, I can't get you off my mind
Little lover, oh I tried so hard to find
Someone to give me the things that I need, ah
Little lover, I can't get you off my mind, no
Little lover, oh I tried so hard to find
Someone like you
You had my picture on your bedroom wall
Next to Gary Glitter, yeah
I was standing on the stage playing rock 'n' roll
I was a guitar picker, yeah
Never had a record
Never had a hit
Ooh baby, you didn't mind a bit
Little lover, I can't get you off my mind
Little lover, you know I tried so hard to find
Someone like you, you, you
Baby I know you're a
Little lover, ooh
Killed me when I saw
The wet patch on your seat
Quite.
Wouldn't get away with that shit today.
Not even that ambiguous.
You had my picture on your bedroom wall
Next to Gary Glitter, yeah
I was standing on the stage playing rock 'n' roll
I think that's probably as far as anyone wants to go down this road.
That getting-progressively-more-drunk rant ending to Carry Me Home epitomises Bon Scott's charm and is the most stark example of why Johnson can't even dream to fill his shoes.
Brian knows that he can't even dream to fill Bon's shoes, which is why I have a great deal of respect for him. That said, if Brian's vocals are good enough for the Young brothers, then they're good enough for me (even if I miss Bon just as much as any self-respecting Acca Dacca fan does).
Don't be too hard on Brian. He filled a role. Well, that's unfair, he more than filled a role.
Back in Black is a fucking masterpiece whichever way you look at it. He more than filled the boots.
He kind of had that uncanny knack of sounding a bit like Bon as well with that high pitched croon.
Just like Phil Collins had that unfunny knack of sounding like Peter Gabriel. Actually, not so uncanny, they made a whole fucking career out of it. Don't just look at it, lick it!
When you got two Alpha Males in a group, it's hard to fill the third role when you need to be an Alpha male too. Malcolm, Angus. Bon or Brian. And then you got Phil who is another Alpha Male. The bass player is also an Alpha male. AC/DC is a band full of Alpha Males. That is gonna present problems.
Fucking Phil. Crack heads and contracts.
Phil is a great drummer by the way. He can hold down a beat like no other.
He's the reason why AC/DC were so great. Malcolm could hold it down too.
It sounds basic, and it is, but not many can do it.
I guess Phil Rudd? I don't know his name; the only members of AC/DC I know by name are Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, and Brian I only know because he was on Top Gear.
Usually when musicians call other musicians "competent", it's not really a compliment. This is especially true when the musician plays the same instrument; it's like your boss saying your work performance "was passable", or grading a student's paper at C-. Competent means you're doing your job, but that's about it.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have any issues with AC/DC's drummer; I think he's fine. But I'm also not a drumfag, so I my opinion doesn't really count for much! And if you watch the video, you can see Youtube Drummer Guy's kinda taking the piss out of AC/DC; it's an incredibly simple beat, the sort of thing that beginning drummers will learn, and it's sandwiched in between a Mike Portnoy parody (he's a legendary drumfag; any long haired drummer will know who Mike is) and the wicked double bass of Lamb of God.
