I’ve seen plenty of bands of all genres in my day, but I can’t think of any that was more fun to go see than AC/DC.
One of the most dependable rock n roll / hard rock whatever you want to call ‘em groups, AC/DC’s a hell of a live band, and they’ve always stuck to their guns no matter what.
Many musical trends have come and gone while the band stuck to their straight ahead rock that was always their trademark.
As guitarist Angus Young recalled to Guitar Player, in the late ‘70’s the label wanted a disco tune, and they gave them Highway to Hell instead. Van Halen’s anthem Panama was also inspired by AC/DC when the bands played together in Europe. (Eddie Van Halen told Guitar World that AC/DC only does one song, but it’s a hell of a song).
The band also survived losing singer Bon Scott, one of the best vocalists and front men in rock, and came back with the biggest album of their careers, Back in Black, which is also one of the biggest selling albums in history. (49 million copies worldwide.)
It’s a good thing that Atlantic Records didn’t drop the band, which they almost did in 1977, because the Highway to Hell and Back in Black albums were just around the corner.
As Phil Carson of Atlantic Records told Classic Rock magazine, the band turned in the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap album in 1976, the label didn’t like it, and wouldn’t put it out. (Dirty Deeds didn’t come out in the States until the early eighties). Carson also had to convince the label it would be “a very big mistake” if they dumped the band, because they paid only $25,000 for their first album, High Voltage, and it sold okay. So the label agreed to keep them on, and the rest is history.
AC/DC also recently made news for their first single going for big bucks on EBay. According to Blabbermouth, the band’s first single, “Can I Set Next To You Girl,” just went for $1,200 on EBay. It went to #19 on the Australian charts, and the song also is on the band’s album TNT.
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lthough no band can go forever, several years ago AC/DC went back on the road again, and did what they always did best, kick some serious ass. God bless ‘em, and if you go see ‘em live, you’ll have the time of your life too.
