AC/DC: Classic or Dud

lol

now hearing Bon Scot singing "The judge said I couldn't play rock 'n' roll / locked me in my home"

Making the rounds:

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/acdc-song-end/

I could totally imagine some hip band sounding like this.

Oh also Phil Rudd got arrested again. For some reason I always thought of that dude as their respectable anchor. Maybe it was all just the glasses. Why did he take that long hiatus the first time?

I depped in an DC covers band last year for a couple of months and had to learn 24 songs in short order, 20 of which were in A and at least 5 started exactly the same, the hardest part by miles ( let's face it, the basslines weren't very taxing) was remembering what the hell song you were playing.

For some reason I always thought of that dude as their respectable anchor. Maybe it was all just the glasses. Why did he take that long hiatus the first time?

...because he was fired for being an unreasonable, drunken, violent dickhole?

Is that it? I had no idea.

Takes a lot to be fired from AC/DC for that! Like Adler getting canned from gnr.

If yr drummer is too smacked out to keep a beat, it makes sense to not employ them

(nb GnR have been 100% terrible since firing Adler)

Never heard of any other members of the Dacca assaulting Malcolm, but tbh I was too young to be aware of any gossip back then

Takes a lot to be fired from AC/DC for that! Like Adler getting canned from gnr.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, July 22, 2015 8:41 AM (30 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Bob Stinson getting axed for being too drunk for the Replacements

Lemmy getting sacked from Hawkwind for taking too much speed.

The rest of the Who wanting to kick Keith Moon out for drinking too much (in 1978, when he/they barely made it through Who Are You).

Bob Mould ousting Grant Hart because Mould cleaned up first.

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/photos_of_ac_dc_live_at_cbgbs_in_1977

!!!

When the band played CBGB’s on August 27, 1977, they were a late addition to the bill that included The Dead Boys and the Talking Heads.

There's a Rolling Stone interview with AC/DC from around that time (possibly right after the show) by Ira Kaplan.

They were interviewed in PUNK as well...

http://www.punkmagazine.com/images/vault_images/punk_14/punk14acdc.gif

https://soundcloud.com/100-7-kslx/acdcend

I came here to post that exact same thing. It's obviously one of the greatest things ever made on the Internet.

The name of the link says it all but cannot do it justice. This must be heard to be believed:

http://www.lazerhorse.org/2016/01/16/the-last-second-of-every-acdc-song-ever-recorded/

Gotta get Yamatsuka Eye in on that.

One guy in my city was at that CBGB show:

http://www.thefeedbacksociety.com/music/acdc-live-at-cbgb-in-1977/

AC/DC TO RESCHEDULE UPCOMING U.S. TOUR DATES

SINGER BRIAN JOHNSON ADVISED BY DOCTORS
TO DISCONTINUE TOURING

(New York, NY; March 7, 2016) - AC/DC are forced to reschedule the 10 upcoming dates on the U.S. leg of their "Rock or Bust" World Tour. AC/DC's lead singer, Brian Johnson, has been advised by doctors to stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss.

Tomorrow's show in Atlanta through Madison Square Garden in New York, NY in early April will be made up later in the year, likely with a guest vocalist. More information regarding these rescheduled shows to come. Current ticket holders can hold on to their tickets for the rescheduled dates or receive a refund at point of purchase.

Barnesy staring at the phone so hard that sweat beads on his forehead.

The AC/DC Experience featuring Angus Young has arrived.

Indeed. Has there ever been a more perfect time to knock it on the head?

Yeah, I mean, that's pretty much it, isn't it? "OK, we've reached the point where our singer can't hear anymore. Bye!"

And I know it's not quite as loud onstage as in the audience, but the loudest sound I've ever been exposed to was the cannons in "For Those About To Rock." And I was wearing earplugs. I can't even imagine hearing those multiple times a week for months on end.

It's really insane, isn't it? Has there ever been another band that lost so many members in such quick, unrelated succession, and not by death, firing or quitting? Phil Rudd in legal limbo, Malcolm committed, and now Brian told to stop? It's just crazy. If I were Cliff or Angus I'd sleep with one eye open.

Coming soon: AC/DC III with GARY CHERONE!

AC/D3

"For those about to rock, get the funk out!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGiJ1Vkpdsc

They should get Udo

There are a hundred different ways to make fun of this, but the fact of the matter is it is actually really hard to sing AC/DC songs.

Have to be willing to run your cords through a cheese grater for one

I might be willing to go see "AC/DC" if the guest vocalist was Angry Anderson (ex-Rose Tattoo) or Dan McCafferty (ex-Nazareth). Beyond that, I don't know.

I would actually rather see AC/DC with Rudd and without Johnson than the other way around.

But what is (or was, I guess) Johnson's range these days? Can he even get anywhere near the high notes in "Back In Black"? A younger singer might be able to deliver where Johnson couldn't.

Perfect tribute would be to tour the hits with no vocalist and ask the crowd to sing everything.

McCafferty is retired. Nazareth started touting without him a year or two ago.
I wonder if Marc Storage is busy.

Storace.

dafuq - who the hell would wanna see Nazareth without that dude

did they have Steven Wright in his place speaking the lyrics

"now you're messin with....a son...of a bitch, man"

But what is (or was, I guess) Johnson's range these days? Can he even get anywhere near the high notes in "Back In Black"? A younger singer might be able to deliver where Johnson couldn't.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Monday, March 7, 2016 8:38 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

that's the thing, Johnson has sounded like garbage for several decades, really. live versions of Back in Black have sounded terrible since I was in Elementary school

Eh, the two times I saw them on the "Stiff Upper Lip" (or maybe "Ballbreaker?" Or both?) tour they and he sounded fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1u_lyJWGeM

this doesn't really "sound fine" to me - i mean, he's mostly hitting the right notes, but there's not a lot of power behind them, he's slurring his words a lot too compared to how he sounded in his prime. esp when compared with this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQywr-PBR_o

and 15 years ago. from his last tour, he sounds godawful - and it's in a lower key now too. he has no power anymore

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBApAURdgns

Checking out the earlier two I fell in love again with the flat slam of Mal's rhythm playing. But really, with Brian, Phil and most importantly Mal gone, it's time to hang it up.

Oh, I agree there's no power to his vox. But it's not like he's hitting bum shrieks or whatever. And I know I was listening critically back in 2001 or whenever, just don't think it mattered. Haven't seen them since, though, and yeah, it's been a while. I don't know what singer gets better as he reaches his 70s. Springsteen is about as good as they get in terms of powerhouse vocals in old age, and he's singing in different registers/keys, too, with less power, etc. And you know he's been taking better care of himself.

How is the Highway to Hell 33 1/3 book?

Eh, the two times I saw them on the "Stiff Upper Lip" (or maybe "Ballbreaker?" Or both?) tour they and he sounded fine.

I saw them on the Ballbreaker tour, and he did sound fine, but also changed some melodies around slightly to avoid the highest notes ("Back in Black" most obviously). He wasn't super powerful, but he was by no means tired or struggling.

I saw them in 2008 (twice!) and he sounded as good as I expected the singer for AC/DC, whose voice sounds like sheets of plate glass being fed into a tree shredder at the best of times, to sound.

I'm honestly trying to think of a way that AC/DC could feasibly carry on in this situation, and I really can't think of one. What else could Angus possibly do, though? Solo work or moonlighting on other peoples records? Guesting on other classic rock acts live performances? Joining the fucking Foo Fighters?