Uniquely Thunderstruck

I stumbled upon one of those Time/Life infomercial shows the other evening. I have watched it a few times before. It is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony compilation CD’s box set. I have so far begged without success to have my wife shell out the hundred bucks or so for the set as a present. It includes many great performances by the Hall of Famers themselves, but also tributes by others, and combined performances of their classics along with other artists.

The infomercial shows VERY short clips of many songs and artists, and there was a few seconds of AC/DC performing at the Hall Inductions. For whatever reason it got my mind rolling about AC/DC, who are not anywhere close to my favorite band, and although I like quite a bit of their work, they also operate in an area of hard rock I usually don’t appreciate at all. Wildly misogynistic lyrics, numerous firearms references, and glorification of overt hedonism are hardly my cup of tea, but in the hands of the iconic Australian band, somehow it all works.

But the major thought that resonates with me is that AC/DC might be the most unique rock band of the past fifty years, if only for the fact that if anyone else really tried what they do, it would be almost doomed to failure. Think of it, let’s run out a band with a lead singer who screams all the time while wearing a newsboy cap, a manic, sweat covered, spastic, and homely lead guitarist in a schoolboy outfit, with songs that veer awfully close to “Spinal Tap” in lyrical content, and see how that goes. Well, it goes.

On top of that, just as AC/DC exploded into prominence with their sixth album, 1979’s “Highway to Hell”, their lead singer Bon Scott died from alcohol poisoning. Scott was a pretty distinctive singer, a little less of a screamer than the man that AC/DC would turn to as his replacement, but still, pretty damn loud, and raw, and hard to emulate. Songs like “Highway to Hell”, “Girl’s Got Rhythm”, and “Touch Too Much” pretty much defined the sound of the band for all of the new listeners they had just obtained, and now they were going to have to try and find someone new who could do something similar.

Remarkably, they found Brian Johnson, who took that sound and turned it up a couple of notches. Think of how much was on the line for him and the band as they worked to produce a follow-up to an album which would go on to be regarded as a classic. But somehow they came up with one that would even trump the reception for “Highway to Hell”. That would be “Back in Black”, giving AC/DC back-to back thunderbolts that as a pair are pretty hard to beat.

The band is so hard to describe, and would be so easy to parody or ridicule. As I researched this, first off I was surprised to see how well received critically AC/DC generally was in this period. I also came upon this description of the band which is better than I could ever do, from the Rolling Record Guide’s assessment of them…

“Shamelessly sexist panderers or refreshingly frank entertainers? AC/DC fits both descriptions, but the truth is, none of it would matter if guitarist Angus Young wasn’t such a gargantuan riff monster equipped with a Godzilla-like rhythm section to boot. Learn to laugh with or at lead singer Brian Johnson’s shrieking depictions of those hormonal surges, and AC/DC’s thundering musical charge will sweep you up like a riptide.” Exactly.

“Back in Black” slowly starts with the ringing tones of a bell actually built for the song “Hell’s Bell’s” and slowly builds to a crescendo that never lets up. Each side of the record, when those things mattered, roars out with two fists, Side Two actually has the bigger hits in “Back in Black” and “You Shook Me All Night Long”, and Side One serves up “Hell’s Bell’s” and the wildly unappreciated “Shoot to Thrill”, in my mind one of the greatest rock songs ever cranked out, and at the very least, part of my own personal pitched battle showdown for “Song most likely to get me a speeding ticket if I listen while driving” with The Pretenders “Middle of the Road“.

Ten songs, no slowing down, hell “You Shook Me All Night Long” is the closest thing to a power ballad that AD/DC has trotted out, and obviously is not at all close, “Back in Black’ is sooooo AC/DC, and if it had been the only good work they had ever done, it would have been something to hang their hat on. Fifty million record buyers agreed. I knew it was popular, but I had to say I was surprised to learn that “Back in Black’ is the third highest selling album ever by any artist, and the highest selling by a band. I know it sure as hell has sold a bunch of t-shirts.

AC/DC has tossed in more than a few fine tunes since the powerhouse album duo, but you could have yourself a dandy concert anytime with just the twenty from “Highway to Hell” and “Back in Black”. In keeping with my conflicted relationship with the band, I have never seen them in concert, and only own those two records, but I like their template enough that even “Thunderstruck” works for me, and there are many groans about that one. Maybe I will see them now that it appears Brian Johnson’s severe hearing problems (shocker) that led him to be replaced by Axel Rose to complete a 2016 tour have reportedly abated and there is talk of an album and tour in 2020. Rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young has passed away, longtime bassist Cliff Williams has retired, but off and mostly on drummer Phil Rudd might also actually be back even after multiple criminal charges in 2016. That’s a amazing original core after almost fifty years, and if Johnson is shrieking and Angus is leaping and ripping off his short, on point, and tasty solos, it’s still AC/DC..

Everybody claims to be eclectic in their musical tastes, but AC/DC is the perfect act for anyone to have in their cabinet if they want to make the case. Outlandish, loud, and loutish for sure, but really in the end, just quality rock and rollers with hooks to burn, tight musicianship in their own way, and enough goofiness to somewhat paper over the more offensive aspects of what they do.

They are what they are, and that’s a very good thing.