Posted on 08/18/2008 9:23:04 AM PDT by WesternCulture
- Angus & Co., WE SALUTE YOU!!!
I'm not sure regarding the exact date, but at least I know Ac/Dc formed in Sydney back in 1973 (- does anyone here on the greatest Conservative site on the Internet happen to know the exact date?)
AC/DC is one of my favorite rock bands and all of Australia indeed ought to be very, very proud of them.
AC/DC are admirable out of many reasons. Three of them stands out from my point of view:
1. Their conservatism; while most bands that have been around for some time, sooner or later, tend to surrender to the idea of experimentation and playing in styles they haven't "explored" before - while they simultaneously seem to lose vigor, hunger, adrenaline, guts and spirit (for instance, I personally was disappointed with Metallica already by their second album - the only track I really enjoyed upon hearing it for the first time was Trapped Under Ice) - Ac/Dc remains Ac/Dc.
- The way they came back after the tragic death of lead vocalist Bon Scott. R.I.P. Bon and regards to his family! Life goes on. Just like Ac/Dc.
- The way in which Ac/Dc always have managed to gain appreciation by all sorts of people without being "mainstream". I recall hanging out at a bar here in Gothenburg, Sweden where 70-80% of the guests were yuppies sometime around 1990 and watching most of those Gecko wannabees (remember the 1987 film Wall Street? "- Lunch is for wimps!":D) starting to sing along and cheer.
The only thing one really could object against when it comes to Ac/Dc, is their flirtation with Satanism. However, I suspect it to be very much a matter of marketing strategy and I'm not sure the band itself is the main drive behind this part of their image (which seems to have been more or less abandoned by today). I don't believe them to be real devil worshipers.
In any case, they're not a bunch of Feminists.
But what if they actually were?
A legendary Ac/Dc song like T.N.T. might have appeared something like this:
Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi
See me foaming at the mouth On your color TV screen Out for all that I can get If you know what I mean Women to the left of me And women to the right Ain't got no man Ain't got no life But don't you start no fight
CHORUS: 'Cause I've got P.M.S, I'm dynamite P.M.S. - and I'll win the fight P.M.S., I'm a power load P.M.S., watch me explode
I'm dirty, mean and mighty unclean I'm a ranting dyke Public enemy number one Understand So lock up your daughter Lock up your wife Lock up your back door And run for your life The bitch is back in town I don't shave my legs
CHORUS P.M.S. Oi, oi, oi P.M.S. Oi, oi, oi P.M.S. Oi, oi, oi P.M.S. Oi, oi, oi P.M.S. Oi I'm dynamite (oi, oi) P.M.S. Oi, And I'll win the fight, P.M.S. I'm power mad P.M.S. Watch me explode
---
By they way:
Q: - What's the differece between a gang of fanatical terrorists and a bunch of feminists suffering from P.M.S.?
A:- You can negotiate with the terrorists.
“1. Their conservatism; while most bands that have been around for some time, sooner or later, tend to surrender to the idea of experimentation and playing in styles they haven’t “explored” before”
Angus Young once said, “I’m tired of people saying that we’ve made twelve albums that all sound the same. We’ve made THIRTEEN albums that all sound the same.”...Funny guy.
Live Wire Bump!
- Guess you have a point there. But to me, AC/DC will always be true rebels just like Lincoln, Washington and Churchill were.
A good example of a false rock’n’roll rebel, someone only POSING as a rebel is Malcolm McLaren, the man behind Sex Pistols. (Lead singer) Johnny Rotten was, at least to some extent, a true punk rocker, but Malcolm McLaren was nothing but a cold hearted cynic who probably never will care much about the death of neither Sid Vicious or Nancy Spungen (whether or not Sid actually killed Nancy).
Personally, I don't share the political views of Johnny Rotten, but at least he is a sincere person who has displayed an capacity for human emotions.
I think the same thing goes for legends like Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix (who, in fact, was less of a hippie than one might think - among other things he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and as far as I know, he remained loyal to the U.S. Army in heart, even if he wasn't regarded as very much of a soldier by his army comrades and officers) and this could also be said about the members of AC/DC.
I’m a much bigger fan of Bon Scott AC/DC than the Brian Johnson years (with “Back in Black” the obvious exception). With Bon up front, they really had an awesome blues-rock streak...”Ride On” is one of my favorites. Not a lot of heavy metal bands and singers could make that song sound that good.
Sadly, Brian’s killed his voice. “Thunderstruck” sounds more like “Thundersquawk”.
}:-)4
I love that they never took themselves too series. They never did the glam hair thing ‘cause their mates back home woulda pummeled them for being ridiculous. Plus, they put some good ol’ funny stuff into rock—I mean lines like “She had the body of Venus, with arms” still makes me laugh.
Freegards, rock on
- Today, I enjoy most of their music, but at that time I was very much “in need of speed”, I guess.
On the other hand, I haven't changed that much. Take my relation to the work of Mozart, one of the most gifted composers of all time. I sure can appreciate and admire his adagios, but what really gets me going is his allegro pieces. Believe me, walking around in Vienna listening to music like this is heavenly. After having done so at a particular occasion, I went straight to Salzburg and saluted him (well, the Mozart statue found in one the squares of this wonderful city) cheering “HOCH LEBE!” (meaning more or less “long live” in German) holding a bottle of Austrian beer, Stiegl, in my right hand.
Do you have their address? I’d like to send them a 4th chord to play for their birthday.
I agree, but at least Brian Johnson has the right attitude and as far as I’ve understood things, Brian Johnson was a singer that Bon Scott appreciated a lot at the time when Johnson was the lead singer of Geordie.
bump
I love Angus’s fret only intro to that song on youtube.
- Good one:D
Any other group communicating something like “gonna be a rock’n’roll singer, gonna be a rock’n’roll star, yes I are” (from the song Rock’n’Roll Singer) would've sounded goofy and ridiculous. But in the case of AC/DC it goes hand in hand with their appealing attitude and sincere devotion to the true spirit of rock’n’roll.
AC/DC is four years older than me, but I don’t care. They still kick a** and I can’t wait to hear their new album! (and hope to see them in concert one day soon)
- :D, I reckon the idea of a song including 4 chords is sacrilegious to them. The same goes for Status Quo I guess (a band which my former fiancee in fact forbid me to listen to and even talk of - at that time I only listen to them while I spent time with the boys and when I was alone in my SAAB:D)
Correction:
Above, I wrote “..I only listen to them while I spent..”. I know it ought to be “listened” in this case.
Sorry.
Years ago, an interviewer asked Angus to respond to the criticism that the band had made ten albums that all sound alike, he said, “that’s ridiculous, we’ve made *twelve* albums that all sound alike.”
It takes a lot to last that long. And really, of rock bands, very few have made it longer with much of the same lineup — Rolling Stones, and Jethro Tull (founder, plus Martin has been in the band since the second album) — without breaking up. Due to the ravages of time (and/or dope and booze), pretty much all bands have lost a member.
What I don’t want to see is Tull or the Stones shilling for PBS. I’m sure that won’t happen with AC/DC.
But anyway, they’re one of my favorite bands. “TNT” isn’t a favorite of mine though. :’) Do you have “Family Jewels”, that double DVD set of their videos? Bon is disk one, Brian is disk two. LOTS of fun. As Bon sings still, “take a chance while you still have the choice.”
My best friend from high school had the pleasure of meeting Angus down in Florida a few years back. He was wearing a golf shirt and khaki shorts!
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