The composition of the rock band ac dc. Category Archives: Group composition

"AC/DC" is one of the most famous groups (vocal and instrumental ensembles) in the history of rock music. It started back in 1973 in Australia, later moved to England, then to the USA, so it’s no longer clear what nationality this group is. Almost all the musicians, except for drummer Phil Rudd, were born in the UK, so in principle this band can be considered English-Scottish.

The group continues to exist today, however, with a very changed composition, at least the musicians still give concerts, where you can see the American Axl Rose from " Guns N' Roses", former drummer" Manfred Mann's Earth Band" Chris Slade, who worked with AC/DC in the early 90s, and the Young brothers' nephew Stevie Young on rhythm guitar. However, many fans believe that the group still has no future, since it is supposedly completely exhausted her creative potential.

In conclusion, it should be said that AC/DC have officially sold more than 200 million copies of their albums in almost half a century of their existence and have received many awards for their musical achievements. Streets were named and monuments were erected in honor of the group and some of its musicians.

Those who have not yet decided on the true style of the group - this is the usual rhythm and blues, only extremely toughened by the iron sound of twin guitars, thunderous drums and the grinding vocals of its two famous vocalists - Bon Scott and Brian Johnson.

Biography of the group "AC/DC"

Australian group AC/DC was collected by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. The team's first vocalist, Dave Evans, quickly gave way to the future world-class star, Bon Scott. In 1975, a permanent composition was formed AC/DC, which included Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd. The young team regularly appeared on television, which ensured its rapid rise to popularity in its homeland. First major success AC/DC became a song "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock "n" Roll)". The group managed to attract the attention of many record companies, and soon AC/DC signed an international contract with Atlantic Records. Tours of the UK and Europe followed. At that time AC/DC had the honor of sharing the stage with Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Kiss, The Who and many other famous musicians.

Extravagant behavior on stage and off, daring and rude lyrics and, finally, bright and strong concert performances became the components of success. AC/DC among rock fans in Britain. However, not everyone liked the image of musicians who acted on the brink of a foul, so in some places they were prohibited from performing. AC/DC reached the peak of world fame with the release of the album "Highway To Hell" in 1979. The material on this record is included in the golden fund of rock music of all times and peoples. But the group nearly folded after Bon Scott died in an accident in 1980. After much deliberation, the remaining members of the group decided to continue their musical activities. The name of the new vocalist Brian Johnson, the former frontman of a rock band that briefly thundered across Europe " Geordie", one of the loyal fans suggested to them. As a result of a short audition, Brian was accepted into the group. The first album, which AC/DC recorded with a new singer, became the magnificent "Back in Black", released in 1980. It turned out to be the best-selling album in the group's discography. The best song from this record is considered by many to be the composition dedicated to the memory of Bon Scott, “You Shook Me All Night Long,” one of the greatest works of hard rock.

On the wave of this success AC/DC continued to record successful albums - "For Those About to Rock We Salute You"(1981) and "Flick of the Switch" (1983). After this, Phil Rudd left the group. He was replaced by Simon Wright. In 1985 AC/DC released the disc "Fly on the Wall", which was noticeably inferior to its predecessors. However, a year later the team began to regain its lost positions. First, the group released a compilation album "Who Made Who", which included old hits and the song of the same name, which is the soundtrack to the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive. In February 1986 AC/DC were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame. 1988 saw the release of Blow Up Your Video, a strong album featuring the UK Top 20 hit "Heatseeker". It was followed by another successful release - "The Razor's Edge" (1990).

In 1994, Phil Rudd returned to the group. The albums "Ballbreaker" (1995) and "Stiff Upper Lip" (2000) were recorded with him. In March 2003 the group AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York. After a long pause, in 2008, AC/DC pleased their fans with a new studio work called "Black Ice", and in 2009 a collector's edition "Backtracks" was released, which presented both the best songs of the band and rare recordings. Many compositions are presented on the disc for the first time. This band influenced the work of a huge number of groups playing in a variety of styles of rock music. A Melbourne street is named after AC/DC, undoubtedly Australia's best band and one of the giants of world rock. In 2010, a powerful record was released, called "Iron Man 2". It presents some of the most driving compositions of the legendary group: “Shoot To Thrill”, “Back In Black” and many others. The appearance of this record, of course, is connected with the release of the film of the same name, and it is worth noting that they complement each other perfectly.

Australian group AC/DC was collected by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. The team's first vocalist, Dave Evans, quickly gave way to future world-class star Bon Scott. In 1975, a permanent composition was formed AC/DC, which included Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd. The young team regularly appeared on television, which ensured its rapid rise to popularity in its homeland. First major success AC/DC became a song It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock "n" Roll). The group managed to attract the attention of many record companies, and soon AC/DC signed an international contract with Atlantic Records. Tours of the UK and Europe followed. At that time AC/DC had the honor of sharing the stage with Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Kiss, The Who and many other famous musicians.

Extravagant behavior on stage and off, daring and rude lyrics and, finally, bright and strong concert performances became the components of success. AC/DC among rock fans in Britain. However, not everyone liked the image of musicians who acted on the brink of a foul, so in some places they were prohibited from performing. AC/DC reached the peak of world fame with the release of the album in 1979 Highway To Hell. The material on this record is included in the golden fund of rock music of all times and peoples. But the group nearly folded after Bon Scott died in an accident in 1980. After much deliberation, the remaining members of the group decided to continue their musical activities. The name of the new vocalist Brian Johnson was suggested to them by one of their loyal fans. As a result of a short audition, Brian was accepted into the group. The first album that AC/DC recorded with a new singer, he became great Back in Black k, released in 1980. It turned out to be the best-selling album in the group's discography. Many consider the best song from this record to be a composition dedicated to the memory of Bon Scott, You Shook Me All Night Long, one of the greatest works of hard rock.

On the wave of this success AC/DC continued to record successful albums - For Those About to Rock We Salute You(1981) and Flick of the Switch(1983). After this, Phil Rudd left the group. He was replaced by Simon Wright. In 1985 AC/DC released a disc Fly on the Wall, which was noticeably inferior to its predecessors. However, a year later the team began to regain its lost positions. First, the group released a compilation album Who Made Who, which includes old hits and the song of the same name, which is the soundtrack to the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive. In February 1986 AC/DC were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame. In 1988 he was born Blow Up Your Video, a strong album with the song Heatseeker reaching the UK Top 20. It was followed by another successful release - The Razor's Edge(1990). In 1994, Phil Rudd returned to the group. Albums were recorded with him Ballbreaker(1995) and Stiff Upper Lip(2000). In March 2003 the group AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York. After a long pause, in 2008, AC/DC pleased their fans with a new studio work called Black Ice, and in 2009 a collector's edition was released Backtracks, which presents both the band’s best songs and rare recordings. Many compositions are presented on the disc for the first time. This band influenced the work of a huge number of groups playing in a variety of styles of rock music. A Melbourne street is named after AC/DC, undoubtedly Australia's best band and one of the giants of world rock. In 2010, a powerful album was released, called Iron Man 2. It presents some of the most driving compositions of the legendary group: Shoot To Thrill, Back In Black and many others. The appearance of this record, of course, is connected with the release of the film of the same name, and it is worth noting that they complement each other perfectly.

234 rebounds, 2 of them this month

Biography

AC/DC(abbreviated from the English alternating current/direct current alternating/direct current) Australian rock band formed in Sydney (Australia) in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.

Together with bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple AC/DC often considered as pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal. The musicians themselves classified their music as rock and roll, since it is based on rhythm and blues with a highly distorted sound of rhythmic and solo guitars.

The band went through several line-up changes before the band's first album, High Voltage, was released in 1975. The band's line-up remained unchanged until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977. On February 19, 1980, lead singer and songwriter Bon Scott (Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott) died after choking on his own vomit as a result of extreme alcohol intoxication. The group had every chance of breaking up, but soon a replacement for Scott was found in the person of former Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson. A year later, the group released their best-selling album, Back in Black.

The team has sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 68 million albums in the United States. The most successful album, Back in Black, sold more than 22 million in the United States and more than 42 million abroad. Generally, AC/DC is the most successful and famous rock band from Australia. AC/DC They are ranked number four on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and number seven on MTV's "Greatest Heavy Metal Band Of All Time" list.

Name

Malcolm and Angus Young came up with the name for their band after seeing the acronym "AC/DC" on the back of their sister Margaret's sewing machine. "AC/DC" is an abbreviation for "alternating current/direct current", which indicates that the device can use the specified types of energy. The brothers felt the name symbolized the band's raw energy and live performance energy, and the name stuck.

In some cultures, "AC/DC" is slang for bisexuals; The musicians claimed that they were unaware of the existence of this meaning until a taxi driver drew attention to this fact early in their career. Some religious leaders argue that the group's name should be understood as "Anti-Christ/Devil's Child", "Anti-Christ/Death to Christ" ) or “After Christ/Devil Comes”.

"AC/DC" is spelled, but the band is also known as "Acca Dacca" in Australia. The name led to the emergence of tribute groups using similar names: BC/DC from the province of British Columbia (Canada); AC/DSHE, a women's group from San Francisco; Swedish AB/CD and some others.

It is known that the group performed several times for the Freeride Entertainment team in films about Mountain Bike, from the Disorder series (in parts 4 and 5, currently there are 9 of them)

Story

Brothers Angus (born March 31, 1955; at the request of Atlantic Records, Angus's official birth year was incorrectly stated as 1959), Malcolm (born January 6, 1953) and George Young (George Young) were born in Glasgow (Scotland) and as children along with their family went to Sydney. George started playing guitar first and became a member of the most successful Australian band of the 60s, The Easybeats. They were the first local rock band to have an international hit with "Friday on My Mind" in 1966. Malcolm soon followed in his brother's footsteps, becoming the guitarist for the Newcastle band The Velvet Underground (not to be confused with the New York band The Velvet Underground).

Early years

After gaining their first musical experience, Malcolm and Angus formed AC/DC, inviting vocalist Dave Evans, bass guitarist Larry Van Kniedt and drummer Colin Burgess into the group. The group debuted on December 31, 1973 at Sydney's Checkers bar.

The original line-up changed frequently; the band went through several drummers and bassists throughout 1974. In September 1974, AC/DC replaced Dave Evans with the charismatic Bon Scott (born July 9, 1946 in Kirrimer, Scotland), lead singer of The Spectors in 1966. The real success of the group began with this event. With Evans, AC/DC recorded a single consisting of three songs: "Rockin" in the Parlour", "Show Business" and "Can I Sit Next to You Girl". The latter two were also recorded with Scott.

Angus Young's sister encouraged him to wear the school uniform he wore at Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney to concerts. He later wore this uniform at all the band's concerts.

With regular appearances on the Australian popular music television show Countdown, between 1974 and 1978 the band became one of the country's best known and most popular bands. AC/DC During these years they released a number of successful albums and singles, including the timeless rock 'n' roll anthem "Its a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock "n" Roll)." -roll]).

World famous

The group signed an international contract with Atlantic Records and began to actively tour the UK and Europe, achieving fame and gaining experience performing in the wings of famous rock bands of the time, such as Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, KISS, Cheap Trick, Nazareth, Foreigner, Thin Lizzy and The Who. AC/DC's third Australian album, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, was released in 1976.

The invasion and wave of popularity of punk rock in 7678. The group survived well due to their crude and provocative lyrics and, in part, due to the fact that in the British music press of the time they were classified as punk bands. They achieved success on the British rock scene thanks to their powerful and controversial live shows, and Angus Young quickly became famous due to his provocative behavior on stage, which, among other things, led to the group being banned from performing at several British concert venues .

Produced by Mutt Lange, the 1979 album Highway to Hell catapulted the band to the top of the world's rock music charts of all time. The album undoubtedly became the most popular of the group's discography at the time of its release. Many of the album's songs are still frequently heard on the radio, and the title track has become one of the most famous songs in the history of rock music.

Death of Bon Scott

Bon Scott died on February 19, 1980. He left another party and stayed overnight in the car of his friend Allistair Kinnear. He found Bon dead the next day. The official cause of death was hypothermia, although the most common version to this day is that Bon Scott choked on his own vomit. These rumors are supported by many contradictions in the official story of his death, which also gives rise to many theories about conspiracy, the musician's murder and a heroin overdose.

The group members initially planned to stop their musical activities as part of AC/DC, but later decided that Bon Scott would like the group to continue. The musicians tried several candidates for the vocalist position, and in the end there were two candidates left: Terry Slesser and Brian Johnson. Johnson during this period tried to restore his group Geordie, but performing two songs in public AC/DC and Tina Turner ("Whole Lotta Rosie" (Let There Be Rock) and "Nutbush City Limits", respectively) impressed the participants AC/DC and a few days later they informed Johnson that he was the new singer of the group.

"Back in Black"

Together with Brian Johnson, the group completed the songs unfinished due to Bon's death, and recorded the album Back in Black, also produced by Lang. Back in Black, released in 1980, became the band's best-selling album and one of the most significant in hard rock history. Among all the hits on the album, the song of the same name, written in memory of Bon Scott, and "You Shook Me All Night Long", are considered by many to be the quintessence of music AC/DC and even hard rock in general.

The next album, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), released in 1981, also sold very well and was well received by critics. The composition of the same name on the album, ending with the thunder of firing guns, became the culmination and final number of most subsequent concerts. AC/DC.

The band produced 1983's Flick of the Switch without Lang. Drummer Phil Rudd left the band due to personal differences with the rest of the band, reportedly caused by problems with alcohol. In his place, after an anonymous audition, they took Simon Wright, a former member of the group Tytan. In 1985, with a new lineup, the group recorded the less successful album Fly on the Wall, produced by the Young brothers. Along with this album, the band released a series of music videos of the band performing five of the album's ten songs in a bar, using various special effects, including an animated fly.

In 1986, AC/DC returned to the charts with the title track of Who Made Who, the soundtrack to the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive. The album also contained two new instrumentals and hits from previous albums. In February 1986, the group was inducted into the Australian Record Industry Association Hall of Fame. The band released their 1988 album Blow Up Your Video with original producers Harry Vanda and George Young. This album sold better than the previous one and entered the UK top twenty singles chart with the song "Heatseeker".

After the release of Blow Up Your Video, Wright left the band and was replaced by session musician Chris Slade. Johnson was unable to participate in the band's work for several months, so the Young brothers wrote the songs for the next album themselves, as they did for all subsequent ones. In 1990, the album The Razor's Edge was released. It became very successful for the group and contained the hits "Thunderstruck" and "Money Talks". The album became multi-platinum, entered the top ten of the US charts (2nd place) and twenty singles in Great Britain.

In 1994, Phil Rudd returned to the group. Chris Slade's departure, in this regard, was amicable and was mainly due to the band members' strong desire to have Rudd back. According to Angus Young, Slade was the best musician in AC/DC, but the desire to see Phil in the group was stronger. As a member of 1980-1983, the group recorded the album Ballbreaker in 1995 with hip-hop and heavy metal producer Rick Rubin and Stiff Upper Lip in 2000.

After the release of these albums, the group signed a long-term contract for several albums with Sony BMG, which began to be released under the Epic Records label.

Recent years and recognition

In March 2003, AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City and performed their hits "Highway to Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" with Aerosmith's Steve Tyler. In May 2003, Malcolm Young was awarded the Ted Albert Award for his "outstanding contribution to Australian music". That same year, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) updated its album sales estimates from 46.5 million to 63 million, making AC/DC fifth group in US history to sell the most albums after The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Eagles. In addition, Back in Black was certified double diamond (20,000,000 copies sold), making it the sixth best-selling album in US history. In 2005, the album sold 21 million copies, which brought it to fifth position.

In July 2003, the band performed together with The Rolling Stones at Sarsfest, a concert dedicated to the fight against the SARS epidemic in Toronto, Canada.

On 1 October 2004, Corporation Lane in Melbourne was officially renamed ACDC Lane in honor of the group (street names in Melbourne cannot contain the "/" character). The street is next to Swanston Street, where the band recorded their video for the 1975 hit "Its a Long Way to the Top" in the back of a truck. There is also another street in the world named after the group AC/DC, in Spain, in the city of Legan (LeganГ©s), near Madrid “Calle de AC/DC”, not far from the streets named after the rock groups Iron Maiden and Rosendo (Spanish rock band).

In March 2005, a two-DVD set, "Family Jewels", was released, containing a music video and concert clips. The first disc was from the Bon Scott era (with concert footage filmed ten days before Scott's death), the second contained footage from the Brian Johnson era.

On August 28, 2008, the single "RocknRoll Train" was released. On October 20, 2008, AC/DC released their new album Black Ice, which a week after its release topped the charts in 29 countries. The band sold 5 million copies of the album worldwide in its first week. There were 6 albums in the Australian Top 50 at the beginning of November AC/DC. Among those who spoke enthusiastically about the new album was Australian poet and writer John Kinsella, who noted the album's "smart, sharp, in its own way brilliant" lyrics.

At the end of October, the band went on a North American tour, inviting The Answer as support acts.

Influence on rock music

AC/DC is mentioned by many contemporaries and later musicians and bands of rock and metal music as an influence on their work. Among them: Anthrax, Bon Jovi, The Darkness, Def Leppard, Dio, Dokken, Dream Theater, Faster Pussycat, Iron Maiden, Great White, Guns N" Roses, Hanoi Rocks, Journey, Megadeth, Metallica, Nirvana, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison, Ratt, Rhino Bucket, Saxon, Scorpions, Skid Row, Supagroup, Tool, Twisted Sister, UFO, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Wolfmother, Y&T.

Many punk rock, hardcore punk, grunge, garage rock and alternative rock artists and groups have also celebrated AC/DC how it influenced them. Although the group was initially criticized by British punk rockers of the late 70s, many musicians from this movement paid tribute to AC/DC for the high energy of the music, a thorough and anti-commercial (although many may argue with this) approach to rock music.

Influence AC/DC it's hard to overestimate Australian music. Relatively speaking, every Australian rock band that appeared in the mid-70s and later was influenced by AC/DC. To Australian bands who have cited influences on them AC/DC, include, for example, Airbourne, Blood Duster, Frenzal Rhomb, INXS, Jet, The Living End, Midnight Oil, Powderfinger, Silverchair, You Am I.

“Today, it is with great pain in our hearts that AC/DC must announce the death of Malcolm Young,” the post reads. "As a brother, it's hard to put into words what he meant to me, our bond was unique and special," the message said in the words of Malcolm's brother and AC/DC co-founder Angus.

Malcolm Young was born in 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland, to William and Margaret Young. Ten years later, the Youngs moved to Sydney, Australia, where three of their five children were caught up in the rock 'n' roll boom. At first, he was the most successful of the brothers - his group The Easybeats enjoyed local popularity. Malcolm and Angus debuted in much less successful lineups and eventually decided to join forces, forming AC/DC in November 1973. Angus took over the duties of lead guitarist, and Malcolm mastered the rhythm guitar (which he played until 2014, when he was forced to leave the group due to progressive dementia). What follows are the golden pages of the history of rock music, in which there is a place for tragedy (the death of the first vocalist Bon Scott), and the victory of the human spirit, and most importantly - songs, many of which have become instant classics. Gazeta.Ru selected the most striking numbers from the musician’s extensive heritage.

"T.N.T." (1975)

One of the group's first hits, included on the album "High Voltage". When AC/DC moved to the UK in 1976, it was a line from "T.N.T." The band's first UK tour was titled "Lock Up You Daughters".

"Whole Lotta Rosie" (1977)

The frivolous lyrics of this song were written by Bon Scott based on real events - a night spent in a Melbourne hotel in the company of a blonde of outstanding size. In addition, it was this song that became decisive in Brian’s approval during the auditions for the place of the band’s vocalist after Scott’s death. It's no wonder that "Whole Lotta Rosie" is performed at every concert, with a huge inflatable heroine always appearing on stage.

"Touch To Much" (1979)

The desperate number became one of the highlights of the album “Highway to Hell” - the last recording with Scott on vocals. Despite the love of fans, the song was not performed at concerts until 2016, when Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses temporarily took over as vocalist, replacing Johnson, who suffered from hearing problems.

"Highway To Hell" (1979)

The title number from the latest album with Scott is the band's constant calling card. It seems that never before has a song about the road to hell been filled with such rollicking optimism, making one believe that the Australians really are the devil himself.

"Rock"n"Roll Damnation" (1979)

The last song AC/DC recorded for the Powerage album. It was composed at the request of the record label, which demanded a single from the Australians for radio. As a result, the composition became the group's first chart success in the UK.

"Back in Black" (1980)

After the death of Bon Scott and the admission of Brian Johnson to the group, the musicians completely remade the already conceived album. The result was the album “Back in Black,” which today ranks third among the best-selling albums in history. The title issue is a kind of epitaph for Scott.

"Hells Bells" (1980)

The opening number “Back In Black” is one of the key numbers at the band’s concerts. During the song, Brian Johnson usually rings a giant bell.

"You Shook Me All Night Long" (1980)

Another song recorded for Back In Black, but eventually released on the 1986 Who Made Who album. Regularly takes first place in various charts of the best guitar songs in history.

"Shoot To Thrill" (1980)

An absolute classic is another single from “Back In Black”. It is curious that the song found a rebirth several years ago - when it was included in the soundtrack of the second part of “Iron Man” with Robert Downey Jr.

"Thunderstruck" (1990)

According to legend, this song was written after the plane on which he was flying was struck by lightning. However, the musician himself said that the song was born from a guitar jam, and the name simply goes well with the high-voltage name of the group.

"Black Ice" (2008)

The latest album, recorded with the participation of Malcolm Young, entitled “Black Ice”, is a kind of tour de force for the group and convincing proof that veterans should not be written off.

The first alarm bell, which sounded even before AC/DC began recording the album “Rock Or Bust” in the late spring of 2014, was a change in the behavior of the band’s drummer Phil Rudd. He managed to be ten days late for the start of the sessions.

First he told us that he was already on his way, then that he was not coming. Then again, he was already on the road,” recalls lead guitarist Angus Young. - But we’re not all particularly patient.

According to Angus, at some point, producer Brendan O'Brien decided that Rudd had one last chance to appear.

Brendan gave his verdict: “If Phil doesn't show up for us on Friday, we'll look for another drummer.

And Rudd still came and even did his job. But,” Young notes, “I saw him in times when he was in much better shape. This was not the same Phil we were used to. He changed dramatically after the last tour. He sank.

In October, Phil Rudd missed an AC/DC photo and video shoot in London. And on November 6 he was arrested in New Zealand. He was charged with ordering the murder. This charge was then dropped due to a clear lack of evidence. However, Rudd was still charged with drug possession (methamphetamine and marijuana) and threatening to kill.

In press releases, the remaining members of AC/DC stated that they were ready to tour without him:

Phil's problems will not affect the release of "Rock Or Bust" or the planned tour in support of it.

First loss - Malcolm Young left AC/DC due to illness

Our real difficulties began even before this whole Rudd story. But even then we only thought that we needed to keep moving forward.

Angus is referring to a more significant loss for AC/DC: Malcolm Young, his older brother and the band's long-time rhythm guitarist, was forced to continue his life in an Australian mental hospital due to dementia taking over him.

For this reason Malcolm Young, 61, has left AC/DC. He was unable to participate in the recording of "Rock Or Bust" and in the later life of the group, which he founded with his brother Angus back in 1973 in Sydney, Australia.

This began to manifest itself quite a long time ago,” Angus Young recalls reluctantly. – At first it was memory lapses. Then obvious problems with concentration began. This happened before we started working on the previous album" ["Black Ice" 2008]. But Malcolm was still confident that he knew what he wanted to do.

I then told him: “Are you sure you want to continue making this music with us?” And he replied: “Damn it, of course!”

Malcolm, notes Angus, always finished what he started.

Angus admitted that Malcolm Young had previously undergone treatment. This happened during the last tour with AC/DC, in 2008-2010.

He got good help back then; he had the best doctors who knew their stuff,” he says. “But Malcolm had to practically relearn a lot of things. Including most of the riffs that he himself composed at one time for the main hits of AC/DC. This was a real test for him. But he was always confident in himself, and we managed to help him and make sure everything worked out.

To say that Malcolm Young is completely absent from "Rock Or Bust" is not entirely true.. All 11 songs on the album are credited as "Young and Young": they were primarily created by Angus using guitar riffs from the piggy bank that he and Malcolm filled during the writing of all previous albums.

Angus did not let his brother listen to the parts he had modified.

“He has slightly lost the ability to perceive such music,” Young Jr. admits.

Angus was faced with the task of deciding what would happen to AC/DC next, without one of its key members, who was also its founder.

He and Malcolm had to solve a similar problem once before.. In 1980, immediately after the death of AC/DC singer Bon Scott, they invited Brian Johnson, an energetic Brit with an impossibly raspy voice. With him they recorded “Back In Black,” which eventually became AC/DC’s most popular album. After this, it was decided to leave him as the permanent vocalist of the group.

This time, at the very end of 2013, Angus decided to turn to Stevie Young, his and Malcolm’s nephew. He had previous experience replacing Malcolm - on the 1988 tour, when Young had to take time off to deal with his drinking problems.

It was both unusual and wonderful at the same time,” Johnson recalls about recording the album “Rock Or Bust.” - Angus probably felt very strange playing all these things without his brother.

One evening, Brian Johnson stopped by Stevie's hotel room to see how he was doing. And everything was just fine with him. Stevie Young was excitedly learning the riffs. He worked hard to be sure that he would perform at the level.

One of the most important aspects of AC/DC music is the carefully crafted interplay between the guitars., says O'Brien. - Stevie understood this. So he took the same guitars and the same amps that we played with before him. In the end, he was able to get the sound he wanted.

Cliff Williams believes that Stevie Young's achievements were not at all surprising. After all, he's Young too:

It runs in his blood. And this becomes obvious at first glance.

After Malcolm Young left AC/DC, all important decisions regarding the future of the group could only be made by Angus.

By the way, Malcolm was never allowed to listen to the finished album “Rock Or Bust”.

However, Angus is fully confident that what they did, and even the possible (at that time) tour without Phil Rudd, was all completely consistent with the will of his brother, which he would certainly have shown if he had been able to.

Loss No. 2 – Phil Rudd leaves AC/DC due to legal problems

Rudd's arrest is a big blow for us, admits Angus. – However, as we said about this situation earlier, this could not affect the tour in support of the “Rock Or Bust” album.

In the spring of 2015, Rudd admitted that he was indeed guilty of the crime. which he was charged with - threat to kill. Some time later, information was confirmed that his replacement on the tour and the new permanent member of the group would be Chris Slade.

On July 9 of the same year, Rudd was sentenced to 8 months under house arrest. And this finally confirmed that Phil Rudd had left AC/DC.

Next to leave AC/DC is Brian Johnson

AC/DC's world tour was interrupted in March 2016 due to health problems with lead singer Brian Johnson. Doctors stunned Johnson with a diagnosis that required him to immediately stop participating in the band's performances to prevent complete hearing loss.

The doctors' verdict led to the postponement of a large number of concerts in Europe and America.

After spending some time pondering the possibility of Brian Johnson's continued involvement with AC/DC, it was decided to invite Axl Rose to the role of vocalist to continue the tour- frontman. This was officially announced on April 17.

Three days later (04/20/16), Brian Johnson left AC/DC, making an official statement about it.

The last loss of the group to date - Cliff Williams left AC/DC in solidarity with his comrades

July 2016 was marked by the announcement of AC/DC bass player Cliff Williams that he intended to leave the group immediately after the end of the tour in support of the Rock Or Bust album.

According to official sources, this decision is due to the fact that the group in which he liked to play was practically gone after the previous three key members left.

Is there a future for AC/DC?

At the moment, only one person remains in the group, who stood at its origins - 61-year-old guitarist Angus Young.

Now 61-year-old Angus, who still manages to run around the stage and jump around in his short pants, will have to single-handedly manage the collaboration of vocalist Axl Rose, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young and drummer Chris Slade, who have seemingly established themselves as permanent members of AC/ DC.

Mel [Malcolm Young] always wanted to keep the music going,” Angus says. “And I’m not ready to say no to him.”

Besides, Axl Rose announced that he is ready to sing inAC/DCas much as needed.

So AC/DC may well still have a future.

What will it be like in the current situation? Is there a chance of new albums appearing and the band continuing its concert activities?

Who knows... We'll wait and see!

As of 10/22/2017 the group has another, indirect loss: the death of George Young (brother of Malcolm and Angus), former bassist, producer and inspirer of AC/DC. He died at the age of 70, just a couple of weeks short of his birthday (he would have turned 71 on November 6).

Malcolm Young also passed away. He passed away at the age of 64 on Saturday November 18, 2017.

Now Angus not only the last current member of AC/DC from the old line-up of the group, but also last surviving Young brother.

Last updated: November 21st, 2017 by Rockstar