Breaking News: Malcolm Young Path Ways With Band & Is Set Join..
The band member Brian Johnson called AC/DC’s secret weapon.
A lot of people, if they were asked who they thought the secret weapon of AC/DC was, would likely say
Brian Johnson. The eye-catching magnitude of Bon Scott, Brian Johnson and Angus Young dominate the stage so much that it’s difficult to look away from them; however, half of the songs they’re playing wouldn’t have existed were it not for Malcolm Young.
Angus Young used to always comment on how clever his brother was as a guitar player and how a lot of what AC/DC became wouldn’t have happened if not for his brother. When deciding what direction they wanted to go in, Malcolm’s call to pursue good guitar music made AC/DC cement themselves as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
Equally, while pursuing that hard rock sound, Malcolm could add little inflexions into simple riffs to separate the band from everybody else pursuing a similar sound. Their sound is undeniable because of the amount of personality that Malcolm could put into every single riff, run, and guitar line that AC/DC put out.
“I would say ‘Bad Boy Boogie’,” said Angus Young when discussing some of his favourite riffs that his brother had come up with, “[It] has got a flavour because it’s got a little bit of a twist in it. It sounds easy but Brian had a little twist that I don’t think many could do […] How clever was he to do that? I still play it just for the fact that he just changed that little note around.”
While many praise Brian’s work and are adamant he was the driving force behind the band, Brian would disagree. When talking about the band’s original drummer, Phil Rudd, Brian discussed Rudd’s occasional absence from the band and how AC/DC was always keen on getting him back because of how much he added to the band.
“We were just putting drummers in there really until we got him back because he’s, he is the real sound with the rest of the guys, it’s the real deal, you know?” Said Brian before going on to discuss albums that were made without Rudd, “It still sounded like an AC/DC record; it just didn’t have as much oomph under it.”
Brian touches upon an interesting oversight in rock music here. When we talk about good drummers, our minds are filled with images of Keith Moon and John Bonham; drummers were flamboyant and could solo and catch your eye more than the band itself. However, every rock band has its own unique sound, which is often the result of the rhythm that the drummer can inject into the music. Frequently, these unsung heroes are overlooked by fans, but they are the secret weapons that give records a distinctive sound.
Slash said the same thing about Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler. “Steven was always underrated in Guns N’ Roses because of the obvious,” he said, “But he provided a type of groove and a type of energy, and the Appetite record particularly, that is half of its fuckin’ charm. A lot of people don’t even recognise that.”
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