Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

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John A Arkansawyer
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Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

The sooner we put those assholes in the grave&piss on the dirt above it, the better off we'll be

chuckrh
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by chuckrh »

RIP Malcom. the heart of ac/dc

Iowan
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by Iowan »

RIP to one of the greats. Malcolm’s riffs have been a massive part of my life

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pearlbeer
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by pearlbeer »

Dammit. Too many losses from the thrones of the Rock Gods.

I saw AC/DC about a decade back and embarrassed my wife by dressing in the full Angus. Thanks for the memories, Malcom.

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Love each other, Motherfuckers!

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scotto
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by scotto »

I remember an interview with Angus many years ago in which he was asked his favorite guitar player. He answered "Me brother, Malcolm."

Bon Scott's AC/DC
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by Bon Scott's AC/DC »

Malcolm Young was the rock solid rhythm guitarist and the driving force behind AC/DC. Of the Young brothers, it was Malcolm who called the shots. I love AC/DC’s recorded music, especially the 1970s up to Back in Black (and the three songs off For Those About to Rock – and sporadic tracks after that). In those 1970s years they achieve a hell of a lot and looked and sounded amazing live

Malcolm had a vision for this band, and he was never going to stray from that vision. In 1978 they released the classic Powerage album. But in some way it was an album out of its time, and it was received with an underwhelming response by their record company. I read in a biography of the band that after Powerage the record company wanted the band to fire Bon Scott, because his singing/wail was not in vogue – they wanted him to be replaced by a Robert Plant or a Paul Rodgers type singer. Its crazy looking back at it, as Bon Scott was a fantastic, charasmatic front man, and a great Rock N’ Roll lyricist. Malcolm said even though Powerage didn’t sell there was no way the band were going to fire Bon Scott. They then went on to Record the Highway to Hell album and finally achieve a higher level of success.

Apparently when the band were being formed Malcolm was a better guitarist than Angus and some proposed that he be the lead guitarist, but he said no, Angus had the stage presence and should be lead. For Malcolm there had to be full on, and every show had to be a great show It was always Malcolm’s vision for a full on, visceral show. on the rare occasion that AC/DC did a bad show the dressing room was apparently like a freezer because of Malcolm’s mood.

With Malcolm AC/DC remained an amazing live band until the very end of his work with them. I saw them three times on the Black Ice tour. And I remember wondering if they could still do it live and perform their classics with the visceral energy of before. I had the Rolling Stones in mind – I still have memories of the disappointment of hearing Jumping Jack Flash twice live (in 1995 and 2008) and how they just could not capture the dark menace and tension they had achieved in the studio version). But AC/DC blasted all apprehension away. They brought the whole show to you every time. A full rock n’ roll show with that ‘swing’ to their heavy rock n’ roll blues that was their hallmark. And yet at the same time they always left room for the fun aspect of music. A band co-fronted by a 60 year old man in a school boy uniform!!). Who duck walked and spun around on stage in a frenzy! I still have as my avatar a photo of Angus from AC/DC in 2009 at Punchestown racecourse in Ireland in front of 70,000 people. It was pouring rain, the stage extended out into the crowd, and Angus was out at the end of the extension, a platform raised up into the air, pouring rain, and doing his solos with the spotlight on him, in the darkening sky. Angus was silhouetted against the driving rain in the spotlight light - we were all wet, but Angus/AC/DC also got wet – all part of the sweaty, pounding rock n’ roll experience.

With AC/DC there is a nice connection for me with a Patterson Hood song. In the song The Sands of Iwo Jima, Patterson sings of going to his Grandfathers farm and watching a black and white TV. I also used to go to my Grandfathers farm about two miles from where we lived and watch my Grandparents black and white TV. One evening on BBC2 (in the Republic of Ireland we received the UK TV stations on a TV ariel if you lived within the broadcast range from Northern Ireland). One evening the BBC were showing a band they had recorded performing live at a university in England. It was 1978/79, and I was about 12 years old. On this black and white TV was a kick ass band whose guitarist was dressed up as a school boy with a schoolboy hat and satchel on his back. There was something mesmerising about this band aurally and visually, and I would soon enough after that become a fan. That band was AC/DC, and I think of that moment when I hear Patterson singing about his Grandfather’s black and white TV.

I also see a connection between DBT and those early AC/DC albums. George Young and Harry Vanda as producers allowed the vibe of music be more important than high end production techniques. Malcolm and Angus didn’t believe in spending months in a recording studio (until Mutt Lange finally made them). DBT also don’t spend huge amount of time in the studio, and like early AC/DC it’s about capturing the vibe. I was reading Bruce Springsteen’s biography recently and he said he didn’t think he was a great singer. Now, it never occurred to me that Bruce isn’t a great singer, because his delivery seems great to me. And when I think about it, most of the bands I like wouldn’t have what’s called great voices. I thought Bon Scott was a fantastic vocalist, as is Bruce, Dylan, Neil Young, and loads of Punk bands vocalists also. And in DBT, Hood and Cooley are great singers, but again not in the conventional sense. Now that I think about it, very few of the bands I like have what you would conventionally call ‘great singers’!! So again it’s down to Malcolm for choosing Bon Scott as the replacement for Dave Evans as the band’s singer and then to be involved in choosing Brian Johnson as Bon's replacement, as Brian was a great replacement.

Finally, as Patterson Hood says (who was lucky enough to see early AC/DC with Bon Scott as the singer) – “Let There Be Rock”!!! RIP Malcolm Young.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3nEAmt5AZ8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErXbMB9R5-0

chuckrh
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by chuckrh »

some nice words from Brian Johnson:

"For 32 years we stood side by side on stage. I am saddened by the passing of my friend Malcolm Young, I can’t believe he's gone.

We had such great times on the road. I was always aware that he was a genius on guitar, his riffs have become legend, as has he. I send out my love and sympathy to his wife Linda, his children Kara and Ross, and Angus, who will all be devastated, as we all are. He has left a legacy that I don’t think many can match.

He never liked the celebrity side of fame, he was too humble for that. He was the man who created AC/DC because he said there was no Rock & Roll out there.

I am proud to have known him and call him a friend, and I'm going to miss him so much. I salute you, Malcolm Young".

Brian Johnson

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Rocky
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by Rocky »

I feel you Bon Scott's AC/DC.

This one is hitting especially hard. On Saturday I was just absolutely crushed.

By Sunday I could say Thanks so much for all of those incredible songs. You'll never know just what they meant to me and my gang growing up. Thank you so much.
By the time you drop them I'll be gone
And you'll be right where they fall the rest of your life

211poundsofpork
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by 211poundsofpork »

Indeed quite a loss. :cry:

chuckrh
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Re: Malcolm Young, 1953-2017

Post by chuckrh »

you would have to look far to find a sadder picture

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcCFutlBAln/

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