“We’re in sync”: Angus Young on the only person who could replace Malcolm in AC/DC
In 1988, AC/DC went through some major changes. During the tour for their 11th album, Blow Up Your Video, right as other members were beginning to start slipping away or being distracted by external factors like divorces or other bands, they took a major hit. Malcolm Young, one of the band’s founders, announced he needed a break. In need of a replacement to cover his parts, his brother Angus could only think of one person for the job.
Malcolm Young stepping away from AC/DC for a tour would be like Keith Richards not being at a Rolling Stones show or if Prince had passed over his guitar to someone else to play. Young’s guitar was the true foundation of the band. Not only did Malcolm and Angus start the group together, establishing their sound and building it from the ground up on their own interests and influences, but his rhythm guitar was really the backbone of their songs.
Similar to the way Keith Richards plays, Young’s guitar lines were always a unique mix of rhythm and lead guitar. In the same way that Richards always says, “Solos come and go, but riffs last forever,” Young prioritised hooky, catchy guitar licks that pushed the power of the entire song forward. He was dipping between parts, not just performing to the best of his own ability with his own talent but supporting the entire band to be at their best too. As Richards himself put it, “Malcolm was one of the great riff masters and one of the greatest rhythm guitar players of all time.”
That’s what made him so difficult to replace. But in 1988, while battling with alcoholism, the band knew he needed to step away in order to come back healthier. The issue was, who could possibly replace him?
By that point, they were one of the biggest bands in the world. Realistically, AC/DC could have called on anyone to fill his shoes and taken their pick from the best players around. However, they’d always had an underdog mentality that championed new names. When their original singer, Bon Scott, passed away, they called upon Brian Johnson, a nobody from the other side of the world, to fill his shoes. So when they picked out Young’s step-in, their choice was an unexpected one. But to Angus Young, it was the only one that made sense as the brothers kept it in the family by hiring Stevie Young, Malcolm’s nephew.
He was a guitarist who had learned directly from his uncle, naturally picking up on his tricks. Angus Young explained, “Stevie is a bit like… even when he was starting off with us, he picked up on what Malcolm did rhythm-wise. I mean, Stevie can do solos and stuff like that,t too, but he went the route a bit like Malcolm. It’s the rhythm that he enjoyed doing best, and that’s how he applied himself.”
Keeping the band family-oriented always felt like a way to maintain a level of control, as Angus knew that Stevie would not only be able to perform but would also be reliable, which is exactly what they needed during a rocky period for the band.
In 2017, after Malcolm Young sadly passed away, Stevie Young stepped into his role once again, this time permanently. No doubt, after the loss of his brother, having another family member close was deeply moving and supportive during their grief. Angus knew that Malcolm’s legacy could live on through his nephew. “I mean, nothing could ever replace Malcolm, because Malcolm is the founder and he set the whole style,” he said, “But Stevie certainly can do the role. He knows how it should be. So it’s just a case of the two of us sitting down and making sure we’re in sync.”
