They’re the best bar band ever.
They’re pretty much the essence of hard rock.
So, yeah, they’re a great band. Just not a serious one.
I remember seeing Angus on TV one time saying something like, “You know, I hear people saying all the time that we have twenty-five albums that sound exactly the same. But they’re wrong. We have twenty-SIX albums that sound exactly the same.”
There are a few AC/DC songs that are ‘different’.
For instance on Blow Up Your Video, there is “Meanstreak”, a really bass heavy, funk rock song. They have one or two showcases for their bassist (usually Cliff Williams) on each record. “Love Hungry Man” and “Fire Your Guns” are others.
Also the title track of The Razor’s Edge. And some slow blues like “Ride On” and “Night Prowler”.
I was curious about how they rated musically though…a lot of people say its all power chord and basic blues rock, but a lot of those songs are more complex than that. A lot of other bands have the volume and the attitude down, but none manage to get quite that sound.
As far as lyrics and vocals, both of them (especially Bon) are underrated. I love hearing “Girls Got Rhythm” where Bon screams “She’ll love you till your legless, achin’ and sore…enough to stop a freight train, or start the Third World War”. It ain’t Simon and Garfunkel, but Mick Jagger would kill for lyrics like those.
I will concede to El_Kabong that Brian Johnson’s voice has taken a beating over the years.
For fun, I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame site and checked out others. I figure being inducted there is a pretty reasonable definition of being “great”. FYI, you can see the list of all inductees here.
There are far too many for me to analyse quickly, but I’d estimate that better than 50% are “one trick ponys”. For example in the first year (1986), there were 10 performer and 3 early influences inductees, of which almost every one is a one-trick pony.
Performers: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard.
Early Influences: Robert Johnson, Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmy Yancey.
Of all of them, I’d say only Ray Charles and Elvis Presley wouldn’t be classified as one-trick ponys.
And personally, I agree with their assessment that each of them are “greats.”
IMO, they have the best rock album of all time:
Back In Black
If Bon Scott hadn’t died, there would be no Back In Black. It’s certainly one of my top ten albums of all time.
Out of that tragedy spawned one of the greatest albums of the 80s. And some people believe, ever.
Chuck Berry is not a one-trick pony. Havana Moon is damn near proto-reggae.
E-Sabbath wrote
Uh, ok. Have you seen the (very good) Hail Hail Rock and Roll? He even talks about his singularity of purpose (so to speak) in there. As does Keith Richards. I’m a big fan, but of everyone I listed above from the 1986 Hall of Fame induction, my humble opinion is that he’s the most one-tricked of the list.
- Everything begins with a quick very signature lick
- Everything is the same straight forward I IV V chords
- Everything has the same rythm
- Lyrical meter and form all the same
- Very signature guitar style with dual string melodies, etc.
Eh? Twenty-six? Where did he come up with that figure? I only count 18 albums in their discography (which includes the two Australia-only releases, but NOT the box set) so methinks Angus is a little off here…
And I was just about to mention Chuck Berry as a so-called “one trick pony” – although he certainly was (is?) a very good guitarist, don’t all his songs kinda sound the same? Like AC/DC, in fact…
AC/DC was pretty much the official band of my high school, and we were practically issued a copy of “Back in Black” at freshman orientation. (This was true even when I was there in 1990-1994.)
Yes, AC/DC has recorded the same song a few hundred times. Fortunately, it’s a great fuckin’ song.
Dr. J
All right, most of his songs sound the same, but seriously, that one’s different… and very good.
3 Chords+5 short hell raisers=the greatest live band in the world
NUFF SAID!
…And I’ll arm wrestle anyone who disagrees