AC/DC: Classic or Dud

I got to figure why AC/DC is filling out these dates is that it would cost them a few million dollars if they didn't in cancellation fees.

ugh Axl's gonna be such a weird fit. I mean his range will be fine to sing the songs but his brand of sleaze is a little too straight-faced for AC/DC. plus his falsetto is gonna sound odd on AC/DC songs.

his falsetto basically sounds like Mickey Mouse now but i dunno what songs he'd even use it on, i imagine he knows just what to do with an AC/DC song and will do it instead of bending it into a GNR style vocal

shoulda gotten what's his name from cinderella, he was always trying for some AC/DC thing.

he's gonna have to use it on Back in Black, for one

probably not the Bon songs

I predict he'll sound like shit on the Bon songs. Could someone notarize this post please?

Witnessed.

Well, I got that completely wrong on the likelihood of Axl fronting AC/DC.

"His Future Ventures" is a good band name.

As many AC/DC fans know, the remaining shows for the 2016 AC/DC Rock or Bust World Tour, including 10 postponed U.S. shows, are being rescheduled with a guest singer. I want personally to explain the reason because I don't believe the earlier press releases sufficiently set out what I wanted to say to our fans or the way in which I thought it should be presented.

On March 7th, after a series of examinations by leading physicians in the field of hearing loss, I was advised that if I continue to perform at large venues, I risked total deafness. While I was horrified at the reality of the news that day, I had for a time become aware that my partial hearing loss was beginning to interfere with my performance on stage. I was having difficulty hearing the guitars on stage and because I was not able to hear the other musicians clearly, I feared the quality of my performance could be compromised. In all honesty this was something I could not in good conscience allow. Our fans deserve my performance to be at the highest level, and if for any reason I can't deliver that level of performance I will not disappoint our fans or embarrass the other members of AC/DC. I am not a quitter and I like to finish what I start, nevertheless, the doctors made it clear to me and my bandmates that I had no choice but to stop performing on stage for the remaining shows and possibly beyond. That was the darkest day of my professional life.

Since that day, I have had several consultations with my doctors and it appears that, for the near future, I will be unable to perform on stage at arena and stadium size venues where the sound levels are beyond my current tolerance, without the risk of substantial hearing loss and possibly total deafness. Until that time, I tried as best as I could to continue despite the pain and hearing loss but it all became too much to bear and too much to risk.

I am personally crushed by this development more than anyone could ever imagine. The emotional experience I feel now is worse than anything I have ever in my life felt before. Being part of AC/DC, making records and performing for the millions of devoted fans this past 36 years has been my life's work. I cannot imagine going forward without being part of that, but for now I have no choice. The one thing for certain is that I will always be with AC/DC at every show in spirit, if not in person.

Most importantly, I feel terrible having to disappoint the fans who bought tickets for the canceled shows and who have steadfastly supported me and AC/DC these many years. Words cannot express my deep gratitude and heartfelt thanks not just for the recent outpouring to me personally of kind words and good wishes, but also for the years of loyal support of AC/DC. My thanks also go to Angus and Cliff for their support.

Finally, I wish to assure our fans that I am not retiring. My doctors have told me that I can continue to record in studios and I intend to do that. For the moment, my entire focus is to continue medical treatment to improve my hearing. I am hoping that in time my hearing will improve and allow me to return to live concert performances. While the outcome is uncertain, my attitude is optimistic. Only time will tell.

Once again, my sincere best wishes and thanks to everyone for their support and understanding.

Love,
Brian

I was having difficulty hearing the guitars on stage

Ha ha, that is never gonna happen. AC/DC are a highly disciplined organization; there's no way they're gonna put up with Axl's antics. AC/DC have never taken the stage 90 seconds late, never mind two hours because the singer's just not feeling it. This is one of the most implausible slabs of bullshit I've ever read.

― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Wednesday, March 23, 2016 4:36 PM (3 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Sorry, 誤訳侮辱, but it's a classic.

Hey, fair enough. I also thought Trump was gonna drop out of the US presidential race when he had to declare his financials. Apparently, I have a much lower threshold for crazy, idiotic ideas than lots of other people.

TBF, Axl is literally strapped to a chair for the moment, so his antics are somewhat limited. I wouldn't be surprised if Angus breaks his other foot, just to be safe.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ7RO70Xg9qJQ1IzyFY-gMO3LhNtrOMkoFpmX6ZllrzNPNxb5ayhNZPrw

It's kinda weird to think that one of the rowdiest rock and roll bands in AC/DC is hanging on life support because of real estate rental out clauses all over the world.

Consider that a band like AC DC makes this big plan to play a world tour, you got to work with bookers to arrange sports stadiums and arenas around the world. Basically hold the date, which booking agency has to put up some money. If AC DC totally cancels, I would imagine they have to pay back to the booking agency for cancel fees.

When you get to be artist playing a bunch dates in big rooms, that can add up to a whole lot of money. I'm pretty damn sure that's why the Who probably in the wake of Entwistle's death retooled and were back on it in a very short time. I don't doubt this AC DC situation is the same deal.

Mal's health put him out of action, Phil's in jail and Brian's gone deaf - what a rough run.

Bands are insured to cover these issues and massive tours have been cancelled in the past, so I guess there's also this bloody minded determination to go ahead despite everything. Also that's a hell of a lot of money.

'm pretty damn sure that's why the Who probably in the wake of Entwistle's death retooled and were back on it in a very short time.

According to Townshend, the Who were insured (and, in fact, made sure to insure themselves given Entwistle's unhealthy appearance during their tour rehearsals). The main reason they didn't cancel the tour was the vast numbers of employees who would've been out of work for x number of months. That said, I believe Townshend was on the same band-tour-treadmill train of thought that also wouldn't allow for the cancellation of their 1979 tour post-Cincinnati.

So.... Against all odds, this crazy thing seems like a home run, I don't think Axl's sounded this good in years and by all accounts was super respectful and professional.

Is it the difference between Axl running the show and Axl being, in effect, an employee who has to do a proper job?

Yeah probably, and I suppose even for Axl Rose there some element of wow this is what 13 year old me dreamed about. Also as chachi mentioned elsewhere he actually asked way more together and rational in interviews lately maybe he's in a good place?

Yeah, those clips sounds pretty good! He's more Bon Scott than Brian Johnson, surprisingly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf2Vk3MdVis

I think it could be that time also also mellowed out Axl. I think for most 54 year old guys, you aren't the same lunatic you were in your 20s and 30s. Axl was a like a rapper, he had beefs with all sorts of people going on for years.

Wait is Tommy Hamilton in the band now too?

I guess the lesson here is that people shouldn't be so hasty to assume Donald Trump will be a bad president

At the least I am sure the Oval Office would finally get a throne.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7431095/acdc-bassist-cliff-williams-to-retire-after-current-tour

Man, what a shitty way for this band to grind to an end (Cliff's fine, but as aware as the rest of us that AC/DC isn't what it once was).

, if Williams does indeed retire it would leave guitarist Angus Young as the only original member of the group

literally one paragraph earlier you said he joined in 1978

AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975; Malcolm and Angus were the only original members left in the band

See, The brothers Young started off different bands. George was in The Easybeats, Malcolm the Velvet Underground, and Angus Grapefruit.

literally one paragraph earlier you said he joined in 1978

― Shakey δσς (sic), Monday, July 11, 2016 10:33 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hah, yeah. technically Phil wasn't an original member either. Obviously Phil and Cliff were in the band for 99.8% of its existence but I do find it funny that a lot of the rockist fanbase who has been loudly whining about the departure of "original members" hurting the authenticity are forgetting that the Australian version High Voltage was recorded with Bon, Angus, Malcolm, and a handful of no-names on bass/drums.

Ah man, sad news: George Young has passed:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/george-young-easybeats-guitarist-and-acdc-producer-dead-at-70-w509890

You scared me by bumping this one and the Easybeats at the same time.

A legit scare in this case.

I was annoyed today that not many people were acknowledging George's death, especially with regards to his influence on AC/DC. He was greatly responsible for the raw sound of the band's pre-Highway to Hell output, and Let There Be Rock has one of the gnarliest, aggressive guitar tones ever recorded. Here's a great story about the recording that album via wiki:

In a 1991 interview with Guitar World, Angus recalled, "The song "Let There Be Rock" was unusual for me. I remember my brother, George, saying in the studio, 'C'mon Ang, let's get something different here'...I had great deal of fun on that whole album. On the last track, I remember the amp blowing up at the end. I said, 'Hey, the speakers are going!' You could see it in the studio, there was all this smoke and sparks, and the valves were glowing. He kept yelling at me, 'Keep playing, keep playing!'"

I didn't know Vanda and Young were Flash and the Pan until the day George passed. It's funny because I've had the song "Down Among the Dead Men" going through my head, it's a great little 60s "death ditty" pop tune disguised as new wave.

Flash and The Pan are completely classic for "walking in the rain" and "California"

RIP Malcolm Young

aw fuck rip

what a shitty couple of weeks for angus

I was about to say, how miserable to lose two brothers like that.

But man...Malcolm's rhythm work, you almost just want to stare and point at it in awe. It's that good.

There used to be a YouTube video of Malcolm's isolated guitar track from "Let There Be Rock" - it was breathtaking in its metronomic precision and force. Made Michael Rother sound like some kind of jam-band hippie by comparison.

Yeah, krautrock comparisons really are the ones to make. Anything that values utter focus.

RIP.

Still amazes me just how spectacularly the wheels came off AC/DC after all those years, and so quickly.

RIP. Never heard a rhythm guitarist that could match him. And lest we forget, within the band, he was known as "The Riffmaker", being the point of origin of so many of their greatest songs.

unperson and Ned OTM, a huge part of what converted me to AC/DC was the precise energy and leanness of the rhythm section. RIP.

Wow. There are ample interviews with Angus describing Malcolm as the better of the guitarists. It's also Malcolm who imposed (in the best way) the band's open chord minimalism. I love his rhythm playing on "Thunderstruck" so much. RIP.

\m/ RIP \m/

good interview with Angus re Malcolm from a year or so ago

https://www.guitarworld.com/.amp/artists/let-there-be-rock-acdcs-angus-young-rhythm-playing-malcolm-young

so sad to lose Malcolm

shaping that sound so precisely, right out of the gate and then making it so unassailable for so long <3

absolute legend