Frank Zappa once tried to sign AC/DC
Frank Zappa was one of the most iconic musicians of the 20th Century. His ability to improvise lengthy guitar jams and his steadfast notion of non-conformity made Zappa stand out amongst his contemporaries and influence the next wave of guitarists, including none other than AC/DC.
Zappa’s son Dweezil once noted in 2017 that, amazingly, his father had actually wanted to sign AC/DC before Atlantic Records got their hands on the band. He said: “He wanted them for his own label because he thought they were great. I think he saw what everybody saw. They could play, they had a ton of energy and they were authentic.”
Dweezil then explained that the attitude AC/DC had was one of the primary reasons that Zappa had wanted to sign them. “The thing about AC/DC is they’ve carved a massive career out of playing one style that’s changed very, very little. That’s what people love, that consistency. They’re rock-solid and they have a great sound. He loved rhythm and blues. AC/DC is essentially is a very heavy-duty, electrified rhythm and blues band.”
Then, last year, Dweezil again revered the mighty Australian band, claiming they were energy personified. Dweezil explained: “Angus and Malcolm have this thing that is unique. When I was first playing [guitar], I started getting into other music than my dad’s music. I was talking with him about AC/DC and he was saying that he actually knew those guys. He actually had one of their records.”
Zappa then played a cassette of either ‘Back in Black’ or ‘Highway To Hell’ for his son after he had picked it up in Australia. Dweezil continued: “He just thought they were great because they always had this Rock edge. But it was really just a high volume version of the Blues.”
Few guitarists are as iconic as the legendary Angus Young, and Dweezil feels that Young was a restrained player who didn’t necessarily use his high technical ability all the time. He added: “He played much more just in the pocket type of stuff and melodic classic guitar kinds of things. But when he did let loose it’s pretty impressive his sense of rhythm and his phrasing. Is what really sets him apart. Probably the most important thing about his playing is his vibrato. It’s so fast but it’s not wide. He bends it right up to pitch and then just shakes it there”.
In fact, both Malcolm and Angus Young contributed to a 65-minute-long piece entitled ‘What The Hell Was I Thinking’ back in 1993. Dweezil had written the piece in memory of his father, and it was all the more special as the Youngs had rarely (if ever) contributed to any music other than that of AC/DC.
