by Dave Anthony
Host, Garage to Stadiums podcast
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Access the episode transcript
Who doesn’t appreciate AC/DC? Put on one of their hard rockin’ anthems like Back in Black, or You Shook Me All Night Long at a gathering, and everyone from grandma to little kids will be tapping their toes or playing air guitar.
In our Garage to Stadiums AC/DC episode, author and music reviewer Martin Popoff, author of AC/DC at 50, gave us many insights into the AC/DC story. Formed in 1973 in Australia, this band has an incredible story. It started as a glam-era Sydney pub band and moved to a stadium to shake hard rockers. As discussed in the episode, their sales of 200+ million albums worldwide would be equivalent to 2 out of every 3 Americans owning an AC/DC album!
The band everyone loves and covers
Just as the age range of fans of this band is limitless, so are its types of fans. Rock, punk, alternative, pop and even country music lovers appreciate the band for its straightforward “get to the point” songs with globally recognized riffs. This is further evidenced by the diverse set of bands who have sampled covered AC/DC’s music. Samplers include The Beastie Boys, while Guns N Roses, The Offspring, Joan Jett, Living Colour, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, and even Shakira have all covered an AC/DC song. The country group Big & Rich even covered the band’s tune Shook Me All Night Long.
You can quiz your friends' musical knowledge as we’ve also included the here with here with the surprising list of bands that have covered AC/DC songs over the years from rock to country artists.
The band has not been without tragedy, but before we go there, let’s salute the family behind the band’s conception. Founding brothers and guitarists Malcolm and Angus were mere lads of twenty-one and eighteen when they decided to start the band. Older brother George acted as producer, and older sister Margaret gave the band their AC/DC name by telling the boys about the AC-DC electric switch on her sewing machine! Not only were Angus and Malcolm young but they were wee lads of only 5 feet 3 inches and 5 foot 2 inches, respectively. But don’t ever take their sleight height for how they rocked. These brothers loomed large over the creation of the AC/DC sound.
The birth of AC/DC: a glam rock band?
When Malcolm and Angus Young were old enough to begin a band, they first flirted with the early 70s rage of glam rock popularized by colorful satin clothes and makeup of the “it” bands of the day: Alice Cooper, David Bowie, T. Rex and Roxy Music. With little success to show, the brothers returned to their passion. Martin even discussed how Australia entered the glam era later than the rest of the world, which influenced the Young boys to start with that style.
The AC/DC style switch turned to hard rock
This involved a major change in personnel. The boys recruited a new lead singer in Bon Scott. Also originally from Scotland but now an Australian, Bon was in previous groups vastly different from AC/DC. If you don’t
believe me, check out this early televised performance in the 1960s by his boy band The Valentines. Not exactly the rough and tumble Bon Scott from AC/DC in the 70s asking if he could do your dirty deeds for dirt cheap.
With Bon and his gravelly voice in tow, Malcolm and Angus now had the license to turn up the volume and speed up the pace on the early Chuck Berry sounds to produce a heavy-punching brand of rock perfect for the mid-70s hard rock era.
The band began its ascent with the triumvirate of Malcolm, Angus and Bon Scott forming a song writing nucleus to produce albums with hits such as Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, TNT and Highway to Hell, here featured in a raucous concert in The Netherlands.
Challenge #1: Tragedy and challenges follow the band throughout its career
Just as the band reached its creative pinnacle with the global smash hit album Highway to Hell, their lead singer was found dead at age 30. After a day and night of partying in London, an intoxicated Bon Scott was found frozen to death in a car in London, after falling asleep in the middle of the night.
The band began its search for a replacement. It recruited a former lead singer now out of the business named Brian Johnson. Brian now ran a small auto parts company but was convinced to join the band and so began another incredible turning point. Here is an early 1980s interview with the newly minted singer.
Imagine being the new unknown singer of a band at its apex. As guest Martin Popoff pointed out on the episode, Johnson too had a raunchy voice, the personality of a leader, and the same short stature as the boys and so fit in perfectly to the band mix. Far from being intimidated by the opportunity, Johnson joined the distraught Young boys at the writing table and began penning the songs of an album, Back in Black, that would go on to become one of the top 5 selling businesses of all time
Challenge #2 : Malcolm’s alcoholism and dementia,
A major blow happened in 2014 as the band was still filling stadiums. Malcolm was diagnosed with dementia in 2014 and had to be replaced. Steve Young, a guitarist cousin, was asked to step in after previously replacing Malcolm in 1988 after Malcolm’s sabbatical at that time to deal with alcoholism.
Challenge #3 : Brian’s deafness ends live touring of the band
Brian had to deal with increasing hearing loss in 2016 and was effectively retiring from touring. His inability to hear properly caused significant challenges in hitting notes on stage. Axl Rose, lead singer of Guns N Roses bravely and competently stepped in for Johnson in an AC/DC tour that year. However, Johnson was not finished. Incredibly, he was contacted by a doctor who was an AC/DC fan and the doctor’s technology solution allowed Brian to make a miraculous comeback.
Some closing notes and must-see clips
On the AC//DC episode we discussed the phenomenal sales of Back in Black. Worldwide it has sold 50+ million albums and still sells at enormous rates today. We have clips of their induction into the Australian band’s 2003 Hall of Fame induction ceremony and their performance that night with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performing You Shook Me All Night Long.
If you like that song, check out this unlikely duo; Brian Johnson of AC/DC and Billy Joel of all people, performing the song at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Brian Johnson is also a car aficionado with an incredible collection of luxury cars. Brian’s show is called Cars That Rock with special music industry guests like Nick Mason of Pink Floyd showing off their own car collections.
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