The 2000 AC/DC song Brian Johnson thinks might be their best: “I don’t think I’ve heard anything like that played that well before”
Most AC/DC songs don’t need to have some strange chord sequence to wow an audience. Although they have been known as one of the greatest hard rock acts in history, they have always had the trappings of a bluesy rock and roll band that happens to be playing at deafeningly loud volumes.
While playing that much blues can get monotonous on the ears, Brian Johnson thought that this newer song was among one of his favourites to listen back to.
For a band so often associated with consistency, it’s notable when any member singles out a later-era track for special praise. By this stage, AC/DC had already cemented their legacy, making Johnson’s enthusiasm for the song stand out even more.
When Johnson first got the gig in the group, though, there was some doubt as to whether he could fill the shoes of Bon Scott. Even though Scott couldn’t have claimed to be the best singer in the world, the pure swagger in his voice and the brotherhood that he created with the Young brothers was practically irreplaceable when he was found dead of alcohol poisoning in 1980.
Any other band would have hung their hat up after a tragedy like that, but who would have thought there would be another guy brandishing the same screechy vocal delivery? Even though Johnson maintains that he always wanted to carry on the legacy of what Scott started, many of the best moments in AC/DC’s history are when they switched things up with him behind the mic.
Granted, they may have jammed a little more with Scott behind the mic, but For Those About to Rock is one of the best-orchestrated albums in their catalogue, and even when they started working their way into the 1990s, ‘Moneytalks’ and ‘Thunderstruck’ are still some of the best classic rock ever made. So, with all that in mind, how did it take them multiple decades before coming out with a pure blues affair?
Those songs proved that AC/DC were far more than a relic of the 1970s. Even as musical trends shifted around them, the band continued producing stadium-sized anthems capable of competing with a new generation of rock acts.
Compared to every other record in their canon, Stiff Upper Lip is among the bluesiest affairs they had ever made, especially with the downtempo sections of the title track. While every act with AC/DC’s tenure is dangerously close to becoming mellow dads at this stage of their career, Johnson still knew how to deliver the goods in the song ‘Can’t Stand Still’.
Being one of the more raucous tunes on the record, Johnson admitted to having that same excitement every time he heard it, saying, “That’s one of my favourites. I don’t think I’ve heard anything like that played that well before. It just gets me all goosebumpy every time I hear the flippin’ thing.”
And despite its reputation for being a blues album, Stiff Upper Lip comes alive the minute this track starts. Even though some sections seem pieced together from other classic AC/DC tracks, the result is like listening to the brainchild of their straight-head rockers while incorporating some of the jamming moments from the pre-Johnson years, like on Let There Be Rock or Powerage.
Regardless of how many times AC/DC spins the same three chords into a different song, ‘Can’t Stand Still’ is the perfect example that if it ain’t broke, why the hell fix it? Because while it’s not that hard to play, it’s impossible to capture the feeling the Australian rockers give their audience whenever they pump out those chords.
It is a reminder that great rock music is rarely about reinventing the wheel. Sometimes, the magic comes from knowing exactly who you are, trusting the formula, and delivering it with the conviction that only a band like AC/DC can muster.
