‘Bad Boy Boogie’: The AC/DC riff that exemplified Malcolm Young’s underrated genius
“Steven was always underrated in Guns N’ Roses because of the obvious,” said Slash when he was talking about the dynamic in his band, “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.”
Slash, whether he intends to or not, touches upon something very fitting here, which is the fact that while bands are made up of all its members and all are crucial factors when it comes to said band rising to fame, a lot of them are overlooked because of the in-your-face nature of specific people. In Guns N’ Roses, this was Axl Rose and Slash, who caught the eye (and ear) of everyone watching. Similarly, with AC/DC, it was Angus Young.
While both the lead singers AC/DC have had, Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, are pivotal parts of the band and very entertaining to watch, there is no denying that Angus Young has always been planted firmly in the limelight throughout the band’s history. He isn’t just the band’s lead singer but is the image that many people know them by, as he is front and centre on the album cover and has a look synonymous with AC/DC.
This notoriety is well deserved. Angus possesses the two important things that every musician should have: unbelievable talent and great stage presence. When he ran up and down the stage, playing face-melting solos and killing every riff that AC/DC had, it was hard for people not to look on in awe. However, while his guitar playing is special, it meant that a lot of the time, people overlooked one of the true geniuses of the band, his brother Malcolm.
Malcolm was much more reserved than Angus. When AC/DC performed live, Angus would run, duck walk and roll around on his back while playing. Meanwhile, Malcolm was happy to stand in the background, head-banging and letting his music do the talking. While he may not have taken centre stage, the band wouldn’t have been the same without him, as Malcolm came up with many of the riffs that the band became famous for.
He had a way with rhythm, and he wasn’t happy simply letting notes be played as they would normally be. Instead, he was insistent on adding his own impressions on them, giving a swing to AC/DC’s otherwise heavy riffs. It’s subtle, but it’s what has led to the band cementing itself as one of the biggest hard rock outfits on the planet.
When discussing the underrated brilliance of his brother, Angus specifically spoke about the track ‘Bad Boy Boogie’, saying it’s one of his favourites to play. “[It] has got a flavour because it’s got a little bit of a twist in it,” he said, “It sounds easy but Malcolm had a little twist that I don’t think many could do.”
Angus continued, “Even when I do it today, I’d still listen again to how clever was he. How clever was he to do that. I still play it just for the fact that he changed that little note around,” he said, “It just made all the difference. And that’s how he was too when you would work with him, doing things like guitar riffs. He was great!”
