2017 - November 20 - Ride On (for Malcolm Young)

I wouldn't call it unexpected. AC/DC's vastly underappreciated rhythm guitarist Malcom Young passed away Saturday after a long time's illness that already had him retiring from the band in 2014. My road to discovering him parallels what so many have talked about in his memorials and testimonials. It first was Bon Scott and Angus Young (even though I really only discovered them after  Brian Johnson had taken over the mic), the singer and the crazy schoolboy guitarist, who drew me in. Then, years later, I realized the minimalist genious of the rhythm section - a rhythm section that really  included the rhythm guitarist and riff factory Malcolm Young.

It was interesting watching him on stage. His stance is wider than Larry Craig's in the Minneapolis airport bathroom stall, always in the background, and never flashy. He always seemed content - but may even have been excited - to lay the foundation for brother Angus' antics and flashiness. Not to mention the two larger than life singers he backed up.

While I may have discovered the joy and excitement of being part of the musical backdrop because I never developed the skills to be a good lead guitarist and dropped to bass as a result, I am still greatly appreciative of all the unsung heroes in bands. John Paul Jones in Led Zeppelin, Bill Ward in Black Sabbath. And Malcolm Young in AC/DC. Ride On, Malcolm...

August 20 - Let There Be Rock

I love early AC/DC. I don't have anything against AC/DC with Brian Johnson as their singer, but I really love the music they created with Bon Scott. That being said, I think my first meeting with their music must have been in 1982 or 1983. In the early 80s, the Norwegian TV station NRK (the only tv station at that time) would air concerts on the night leading into May 1, supposedly because there had been a lot of unsavory gatherings of youth in the bigger urban areas that date in years before with vandalism and general drunk and disorderly conduct. The solution: Give them music on the tv so they would have to gather at homes instead (this was before too many people had VCRs). I stayed up to watch this show, and distinctly remember watching AC/DC playing Let's Get It Up - and I really liked that.

But that was before I heard them with Bon Scott. To me, the big breakthrough of liking AC/DC came when I heard the title track from their 1977 album, Let There Be Rock. It is sheer rock'n'roll brilliance. It makes me stomp my feet, bop my head, and bring out my air guitar. Why? Because Tchaikovsky had the news (a nod right back to Roll Over Beethoven). Ah - forget it. Just Let There Be Rock.