I was out with a friend the other night and, to forestall other bad music from being played, I put 5 dollars into the juke box. One of the songs I played was “you shook me all night long” by AC/DC. My friend said that he didn’t like “mainstream rock.” AC/DC mainstream? What do you guys think?
pretty much now a days they are. just as ramones “i wanna be sedated” is mainstream rock.
if you had of put in rose tattoo and your friend called it mainstream i would be suspect
Yeah, AC/DC is pretty much the definition of mainstream rock, at least in my area. You Shook me…, Back in Black and Thunderstruck are well nigh inescapable if you want to go on a night on the town.
If it’s on the radio, it’s mainstream.
It’s definitely mainstream now IMO, because you hear it on “regular” radio stations. When AC/DC was first big in the seventies into the eighties, true heavy metal was hardly ever played on the radio, save for very-late-night shows such as Headbanger’s Ball. But as time and sensibilities changed, the group’s songs were played during the day, along with Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, and so on.
So it’s not so much that AC/DC is mainstream as the bulk of heavy metal is considered mainstream.
I didn’t think they were mainstream, but I suppose it depends how you define “mainstream”. I don’t hear them on the radio around these parts. Then again, we only got electricity here last month.
And what’s this “wheel” that I’ve been hearing about? Tch.
It’s mainstream in the sense that, well, who the hell doesn’t know who AC/DC is?
I wouldn’t sweat it if someone wants to call them mainstream.
Like dantheman said, mainstream came to them. They didn’t come to mainstream. There’s a HUGE difference. Someone that wasn’t listening to Metal in the early 80s wouldn’t really get it.
They’re not like a slapped together studio band. They were 4 guys that formed a band on their own, had their own style, wrote their own songs, and rocked the shit out of a lot of people for a lot of years.
I think that when you started seeing Nirvana and Metallica getting lots of radio play in the early 90’s, people were finally able to go back and listen to a band like AC/DC and it didn’t seem so heavy anymore.
They definitely got a lot of play in the 80’s on Rock stations, though.
Although I didn’t state it, this is the heart of what was running through my mind. The person in question said that they sounded like any of several different bands, and this is what made them “mainstream.” I totally disagree - to me they are unique.
I agree with Khadaji’s post above. AC/DC are unique. I don’t consider them mainstream, but on the other hand I certainly wouldn’t say they were “underground”. To me, they are just a great band who appear to be well respected and loved by their fans.
I certainly have no qualms with them. They rock my socks.
Well, a lot of bands that came later had AC/DC’s influence, so they might sound something like them. They get a lot of play on ‘classic rock’ stations, when they tour they play giant arenas, so I don’t think calling them mainstream is wrong. They’re a long-lived, popular band. It happens.
Aw c’mon, they’re not really “mainstream” until one of their songs gets used for a commercial. I haven’t heard one yet (unlike Led Zeppelin, The Who, Golden Earring, and most recently The Cure) but I suppose it’s only a matter of time…
It’s just a factor of time before anything and everything becomes mainstream (or forgotten)…
Actually, KGS, I believe that term would be “selling out.”
Actually, in Australia, “Thunderstruck” is used in a commercial for Holden cars. It is a cover version sung by Dave Gleason of the Screaming Jets though, I think.
Kids have also been singing “it’s a long way to the shop if you want a Chiko roll” since the song came out, if that counts for anything.
Actually, I’ve heard Back in black in sevreral songs, one of which was for Men in Black 2, another was Lilo and Stitch (Not positive, but I’m fairly certain) and a few other random commercials.