AC/DC: Classic or Dud

otm

Last year on the 40th anniversary of Highway to Hell, I was commissioned to do a special piece about bit for Invisible Oranges to commemorate the occasion. This is the direction I took it

I was only ten years old when Highway to Hell came out. Though this still puts me several decades older than most Invisible Oranges readership (and, um, editors), it means we all shared discovery of the album and the original AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott long after its release 40 years ago.

My 17-year-old son Matthew is among the latest to get into AC/DC. He heard the band initially through pop culture -- their songs are still trotted out for Hollywood blockbuster soundtracks, the radio plays a dozen or so songs on the regular, Jack Black emulated Angus Young’s riffs and schoolboy fashion sense in School of Rock, and women still gyrate to the band for fun and profit. (Not that Matthew knows anything about that! Though he did say “Girls Got Rhythm” was his jam which I think shows pretty good parenting, even more so than not showing him that video.)

Between asking him to do his chores, I asked him how it was that he was enjoying Highway to Hell at the same age when I was doing so when kids are supposed to hate their parents’ music and vice-versa.

“No matter what a lot of people say, I think of AC/DC as the definition of rock-'n'-roll,” he said as prideful tears welled up in his dad’s eyes. “They may on paper sound generic, but try finding a band that sounds anything like them. It’s just rock in its essence. This is some of the most faithful stuff I’ve seen. Truthfully it hasn’t aged. It won’t die, it doesn’t really change, and it fits with every generation.”

We're also posers.

http://townsquare.media/site/846/files/2019/07/brian-acdc-e1564134231486.jpg?w=630&h=840&q=75

http://townsquare.media/site/846/files/2019/07/highway-to-hell-2.jpg?w=630&h=472&q=75

I don't think I read that piece at the time, but it's good, and you're absolutely right that they do a lot of different things on H2H; "Touch Too Much" and "Get It Hot" are very much pointing the way toward the New Wave AOR of the early 80s, "Beating Around the Bush" is pretty much exactly what Ted Nugent was doing on his late 70s/early 80s albums like Weekend Warriors and Scream Dream, and "Night Prowler" is maybe the slowest blues they ever recorded; it's almost biker doom. AC/DC always had more ideas than they were given credit for, and most of them were good ones.

Heard the new song. It’s sorta nuts that Brian sounds exactly the same as ever. I thought his voice was shot and that’s why he’d retired?

His *ears* were shot. Maybe literally, by canons every night.

Late-period AC/DC - S&D btw

really enjoying power up so far

Thank you for the reminder, now I know what I'm listening to when I make dinner tonight.

i had no idea this was out!

and lol the entire departed band came back (other than the obvious one that can't)?

He's not on it, but all of the songs are Angus/Malcolm co-writes, so he's there in spirit.

it's cool that they have stevie young to take malcolm's place, doesn't feel like an artificial thing

Late-period AC/DC - S&D btw

Very fun record! More consistent than Rock or Bust, more concise than (the otherwise great) Black Ice. It's all about Rudd's grooves for me.

PWR UP is hot! i will always be a bon girl, but brian's voice has aged so well... he sounds better here than on back in black to me.

the first song is dope but it reminds me of that awful Christian praise song we used to sing "ROMANS! 16! 19! SAYS!"

Brian's voice still has quite a bit of bite to it

Did you guys pay for this album or what

ripped it out of Angus Young's hands

lmao

the only good thing I saw on the Internet today pic.twitter.com/fBFJACKWAj

— Russy KGB (@RussellHFilm) November 23, 2020

*applauds*

hahaha so good

New album is brilliant

Angus ranks their best songs, riffs, and school uniforms: https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/interview-angus-young-acdc-new-album-power-up.html

This is like the best thing ever for a dozen different reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nULs4JW3tPI

1) They could be playing live *and* to a track
2) Angus and his SG appear to be the same size
3) They look like the sort of band that give each other tattoos
4) The dancing girls
5) They look like they know they're the best band ever *and* that they're getting away with something
6) Electric bagpipe
7) The almost deliriously motorik denouement
8) Bon never losing sight of that camera
9) The triple split screen that still features a double Malcolm in one frame
10) Bon's funny bagpipe dance
11) Angus is almost never on camera!
12) Bon is wearing a shirt

Duckwalking the bagpipe!

Playing to a track but Bon's mic is live imo

Angus ranks their best songs, riffs, and school uniforms: https://www.vulture.com/2020/12/interview-angus-young-acdc-new-album-power-up.html

It's rather sweet that Angus admits that even he finds "Thunderstruck" tricky to play.

Often when the whole band is miming you can tell with the drums, but Phil seems pretty on the bullseye. I'll have to watch again.

love the sharpies dancing behind Bon - and he is definitely miming those pipes to look like a blowjob

that video is fucking great

11/10

Power Up really is v enjoyable! i am def surprised by this turn of events

Mists of Time fave so far

Are you sure you’re not listening to Powerage

y

I'm pretty surprised by how good Brian sounds

I'm pretty surprised by how good Brian sounds

Even the second time?

I was surprised, too. Then again, I was surprised at how well Axl did as a sub, all things considered.

By the way, most underrated aspect of Angus iconography? The way he gulps like a goldfish when he plays.

Late-period AC/DC - S&D btw

Late-period AC/DC - S&D: Classic or Dud

guys?

it's a long way to the top

if you want to rock and roll

Fuckin' tell me about it

gettin old
gettin grey
gettin ripped off
under-paid
gettin sold
second hand
that's how it goes -
playin in a band

*postin on Ilx

workin on a ban

long way to the shop
if you want a chiko roll

YESSSS

it's a long way to buy pot
if you wanna smoke a bowl

primary school playground vs high school playground

lmao