“They bored the audience”: the two most overrated live bands, according to Angus Young
There is no one quite like AC/DC. They’re the band that put the swaggering fun back into rock ‘n’ roll when it had become a caricature of itself in the 1970s. They did so by being purists who harked back to the pulsating music of their youth for inspiration. It’s not The Beatles or the British invasion that they hold dear, but Chuck Berry, Little Richard and the other foremost pioneers of the form.
AC/DC were always sure of themselves. Emerging from the clubs of Australia, they knew what they wanted and were confident in their ability to deliver fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll that had a groove, no matter how quickly they played it in the heat of shows. They were there to have a good time and save rock from taking itself too seriously, in light of bands such as Yes, King Crimson and ELP bursting onto the scene and making it a technically brilliant but self-important outlet for chaste nerds.
Back in the days when AC/DC were still making their mark on the world with booze-loving frontman Bon Scott in his pomp, lead guitarist Angus Young at his rawest, and the whole party supplemented by the widely underrated precision of his brother and rhythm axeman, Malcolm, it was clear to everyone watching them in the small sweaty clubs that they had all the right ingredients to hit the big time.
However, I do wonder if anyone who witnessed them live during that era could have fathomed just how culturally triumphant they would go on to be. They have since played enormous stadiums for decades, with their songs being used to soundtrack an array of sports teams worldwide, not to mention cropping up regularly in film and TV.
Furthermore, the group have always been clear that their secret, apart from being the best at what they do, is that their brand of music is rock ‘n’ roll, not rock music. The late Malcolm Young once said there’s a clear distinction between the forms in the groove and rhythm departments, and he’s not wrong. The quintet knew that if the music compelled them to move, it would do so with the audience, too. That has been the case throughout their many chapters and lineups, with them continually crafting music to be freely danced to.
Given that AC/DC are so distinctive and, indeed, so self-assured, in 1977, when they were still making their name in Europe, with only two albums arriving on the continent in the form of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and Powerage, Angus Young was quick to assert what set them apart from the most prominent acts of the era. Speaking to Classic Rock that year, the duck walking guitar hero named who he thought were the two most overrated live bands in Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.
He said the first time he heard Led Zeppelin play “real” rock ‘n’ roll was on the track of the same name from 1971’s Led Zeppelin IV. However, he then took a potshot at their live show, saying their three-hour set “bored the audience” stiff and that they only played traditional rock ‘n’ roll tracks at the end, which he thought was some form of sick joke.
Young said: “I’ve seen that band live, and they were on for three hours. For two-and-a-half hours, they bored the audience and then at the end they pull out old rock’n’roll numbers to get the crowd movin’. That’s sick. They’re supposed to be the most excitin’ rock’n’roll band in the world, them and The Stones, and they’re not playin’ it.”
Bringing The Rolling Stones into the equation, who were fast fading into a strange parody of their former selves at the time, Young added: “The Rolling Stones get up and play soul music these days, and this is supposed to be rock’n’roll.” According to the musician, The Stones are only good when they stay in their lane, and any deviations from that are just painful to hear.
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