Malcolm Young...1953-2017 RIP...AC/DC guitarist/songwriter..the quiet force behind the riffs

Malcolm Mitchell Young (6 January 1953 – 18 November 2017) was a Scottish-Australian musician and songwriter, best known as a co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the hard rock band AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was with the band from its November 1973 beginning until retiring in 2014 for health reasons. Young and the other members of AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Influenced by 1950's rock and roll and blues-based rock guitarists of the 1960's and 1970's, Young was regarded as a leading rock exponent of rhythm guitar. He is the subject of a song (and album) title by Australian punk rock band Frenzal Rhomb: "Forever Malcolm Young".

Guitar Player magazine has stated that the secret to Young's guitar technique was playing open chords through a series of Marshalls set to low volume with little or no gain. This is contrary to a common belief of many rock guitarists that rhythm guitar should involve loud and over driven power chords through large amplifiers.


Dave Mustaine of Megadeth stated in a 2004 interview that he considered himself, Young, and James Hetfield of Metallica to be the best rhythm guitarists in the world.

Though his younger brother Angus was the more visible of the brothers, Malcolm was described as the driving force and the leader of the band. In 2014, he stated that despite his retirement from the band, AC/DC was determined to continue making music with his blessing. As the rhythm guitarist, he was responsible for the broad sweep of the band's sound, developing many of their guitar riffs and co-writing the band's material with Angus. He was married to Linda Young and had two children, Cara and Ross.

Young took a leave of absence from AC/DC in April 2014, to receive treatment for dementia. In September 2014, the band's management announced that he would be retiring permanently. He died on 18 November 2017.

Full story HERE

Greatest Hits

Backtracks

George Young ...1946-2017...former Easybeats guitarist and songwriter tribute post

Former Easybeats guitarist/songwriter and older brother of ACDC's Angus and Malcolm Young has died at the age of 70.

George Redburn Young (born 6 November 1946) was an Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. Born in Scotland, he moved to Australia with his family as a teenager, and became a naturalised citizen. He was a member of the 1960's Australian rock band the Easybeats, and with band mate Harry Vanda he was a co-writer of the international hits "Friday on My Mind" and "Love Is in the Air", the latter recorded by John Paul Young (no relation). Vanda & Young were also the producers of some work by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, formed by his younger brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Vanda & Young were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1988 and The Easybeats in 2005. 

George Young started his music career in Sydney, after attending Sefton High School as his secondary school. He formed a beat pop band, The Easybeats in late 1964, on rhythm guitar alongside Dick Diamonde (born Dingernam Vandersluys) on bass guitar, Gordon "Snowy" Fleet on drums (ex-Mojos), Harry Vanda (born Johannes Vandenberg) on lead guitar (ex-Starfighters, Starlighters) and Stevie Wright on lead vocals. Aside from performing and recording, Young co-wrote nearly all of their tracks. Early top 10 hits on the Australian singles chart for the Easybeats were co-written by Young with band mate Wright. The group had relocated to United Kingdom to record and perform; they disbanded in late 1969.

After the Easybeats dissolved Young formed a production and song writing duo with Vanda, as Vanda & Young in 1970, initially living in London.They provided pop and rock songs for other recording artists, and for themselves under various stage names: Paintbox, Tramp, Eddie Avana, Moondance, Haffy's Whiskey Sour and Band of Hope. The pair worked with Young's elder brother Alex in Grapefruit. Young and Vanda returned to Sydney in 1973 where they worked for Ted Albert, at his Albert Productions recording studio to become the in house producers.

One studio-based group Marcus Hook Roll Band, was joined in 1974 by Young's brothers, Malcolm and Angus. The brothers had already formed a hard rock group, AC/DC, in 1973. Young helped them with AC/DC, which went on to become a success internationally. Young briefly played as AC/DC's bass guitarist for a short stint, early in their career.

In mid-1976 Young formed Flash and the Pan, initially as a studio-based duo with himself on guitar, keyboards and vocals, and Vanda on guitar and keyboards. They had local top 10 hits with "Hey, St. Peter" (No. 5, September 1976) and "Down Among the Dead Men" (No. 4, July 1978).

Vanda & Young also co-produced Rose Tattoo, The Angels and John Paul Young (no relation).

After retiring from the music industry in the late 1990's, Young resided mainly in Portugal with his family. George Young died on 22 October 2017.

See also Easybeats post on this blog: http://theaussiemusicblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/the-easybeatsthe-definitive-anthology.html

Rose Tattoo...Aussie hard rockers self-titled debut album from 1978

Rose Tattoo, led by Angry Anderson, formed in Sydney in 1976 with Leigh Johnston on rhythm guitar, Tony Lake on lead vocals and were led by slide guitarist Peter Wells—who had just departed as bass guitarist of heavy metal band Buffalo. Drummer Michael Vandersluys completed the line-up and Ian Rilen from Band of Light joined on bass guitar. . Their sound is hard rock mixed with blues rock influences, with songs including "Bad Boy for Love", "Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw", "Nice Boys", "We Can't Be Beaten" and "Scarred for Life". Their first four albums were produced by Harry Vanda and George Young who also worked with AC/DC. They disbanded in 1987, subsequently reforming briefly in 1993 to support Guns N' Roses on an Australian tour. They reassembled again from 1998 and have since released two more studio albums.

According to Australian rock music historian Ian McFarlane, Rose Tattoo are "one of the most revered bands of all time. The Tatts played peerless, street-level heavy blues with the emphasis on slide guitar and strident lyric statements". Guns N' Roses, L.A. Guns, Keel, Nashville Pussy, Motosierra, Pud Spuke Helen Schneider, and the Uruguayan band The Knight's Night have covered Rose Tattoo songs. On 16 August 2006, they were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. Six former members have died in recent years including four of the original recording line-up, Dallas Royall (1991), Peter Wells (2006), Ian Rilen (2006), Mick Cocks (2009), and Lobby Loyde (2007), who was a member between October 1979 and September 1980, and Neil Smith (2013), who played bass temporarily prior to Loyde.

click here for more information

Visit my other music blogs here:

Soundtrack Heaven

The Aussie Music Blog

The Vintage Music Blog

The Jazz Music Blog

This Jukebox Rocks

The Blues and Roots Music Blog

Martin's Music Machine

Twitter @islandmanrocks

Buster Brown...Something to Say...1974...Working Class Heavy Rock

The roots of Rose Tattoo, AC/DC and everything else that's good about working class Australian rock, Buster Brown released only one album, Something to Say, in 1974. Featuring the likes of Angry Anderson and Phil Rudd, the band were very popular on the pub circuit and with the 'sharpie' crowd.

Their sound was hard rock mixed with blues rock influences. They formed in Melbourne in 1973 with Gary 'Angry' Anderson on lead vocals (ex-Peace Power and Purity), John Moon on guitar, Paul Grant on guitar, Phil Rudd on drums, Ian Ryan on bass guitar (ex-Ash, Chook) and Chris Wilson on keyboards.They enjoyed local notoriety and played at the 1974 Sunbury Festival in January. Later that year, Mushroom Records released a Various Artists live album, Highlights of Sunbury '74 Part 1, which included the group's tracks "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Buster Brown". Early in the year, Geordie Leach replaced Ryan on bass guitar. Along with Coloured Balls, Billy Thorpe, Madder Lake and Chain, they were supported by suburban-based sharpie gangs.

Their first album, Something to Say was produced by Lobby Loyde and released in 1974. Rudd left to join an early version of AC/DC while Anderson continued with new line-ups and eventually disbanded the group in November 1975. Anderson joined Rose Tattoo which later included former Buster Brown band mates, Geordie Leach on bass guitar and Dallas 'Digger' Royall on drums.

click here for more information

Stevie Wright..Hard Road...1974...blockbuster solo debut from legendary Easybeats singer

Stevie Wright's first taste of fame was with the now legendary 60's group, The Easybeats. Together with Harry Vanda and George Young, they created some of the most memorable and iconic music to come out of Australia in the 1960's. They rivaled The Beatles in their talent and success and scored an international hit with "Friday On My Mind".

After the breakup of The Easybeats, Stevie went solo and released his debut solo album, Hard Road, in 1974. Produced by none other than his former Easybeats partners, Harry Vanda and George Young, the album was a huge success in Australia, topping the charts everywhere.

Hard Road is without question Stevie's finest hour, and it remains one of the best Australian albums of the period. The classic Vanda-Young tracks -- the autobiographical "Hard Road", "Didn't I Take You Higher?" and the epic "Evie" were ably complemented by Stevie's own strong compositions "Movin' On Up", "Commando Line", "Life Gets Better" and "Dancing in the Limelight".

Stevie's groundbreaking debut solo single "Evie (Parts I, II and III)" is a genuine rock epic. It is arguably the perfect rock'n'roll song, encapsulating the three basic themes of all love songs -- (A) "Baby it'll be great once we're together, (B) "Baby, it's so great now that we're together" and (C) "Baby, it's so bad since you left me". Clocking in at a whopping eleven minutes in total, it seemed an unlikely chart contender, but the three parts were wisely split across the two sides of the single, and the head-on power rock of "Evie Part I" proved irresistible. Lyrically, it revisited the perennial "gonna have a good time tonight" theme of "Friday On My Mind" and "Good Times" and musically it is perhaps the ultimate distillation of the full-frontal hard rock Vanda & Young had previously essayed on V&Y classics like "Good Times", and showcased the no-frills hard-rocking sound which they would soon hone to perfection with AC/DC.

Released in May 1974, Evie shot to the top of charts, peaking at #2 nationally during July. It did especially well in Melbourne, where it stayed at #1 for seven weeks. The Hard Road album also peaked at #5 nationally and #1 in Melbourne. It was released on Atlantic in the USA and Polydor in the UK and made a strong impression overseas -- Suzi Quatro later covered "Evie", and Rod Stewart included a version of "Hard Road" on his Smiler album. "Evie" is now widely considered to be one of best Australian singles of Seventies.

To promote the records, Stevie hit the road with his aptly-named backing group, The All Stars. The band's lineup shifted several times during its existence but it featured many top-flight players including Warren "Pig" Morgan (piano; ex-Chain, Aztecs), Tim Gaze (lead guitar; ex-Tamam Shud, Kahvas Jute, Ariel) and Johnny Dick (drums; ex-Meteors, Doug Parkinson In Focus, Aztecs).

click here for more information

The Angels...first 2 albums self-titled 1977 and Face to Face 1978

click here for more information

As a tribute to the late Doc Neeson, here are the first 2 albums by The Angels with the now iconic and classic tracks "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", "Comin' Down", "Take A Long Line" and "After the Rain". 

The Angels originally formed in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1974. The band later relocated to Sydney and enjoyed huge local success, clocking up hit singles across four decades, including "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", "Take a Long Line", "Marseilles", "Shadow Boxer", "No Secrets", "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", "Let The Night Roll On", "Dogs Are Talking", and "Caught In The Night". The Angels were cited by Guns N' Roses and a number of Seattle grunge bands, including Pearl Jam and Nirvana, as having influenced their music.

In November 1970, brothers Rick and John Brewster formed The Moonshine Jug and String Band. In 1971, the band was joined by Belfast-born Bernard Neeson, an arts student and former Army sergeant and already a prominent figure on the Adelaide music scene. In 1974 they changed their name to The Keystone Angels, switched to electric instruments and began playing 1950s rock and roll on the pub circuit. In 1975, the band supported AC/DC during a South Australian tour, and later performed as the backing band for Chuck Berry.

In 1975, on the recommendation of Bon Scott and Malcolm Young from AC/DC, the band was offered a recording deal with the Albert label. They dropped "Keystone" from their name and became simply "The Angels". At this point the band had four members: Neeson on bass guitar, Charlie King (Peter Christopolous) on drums, Rick Brewster on lead guitars and John Brewster on lead vocals and rhythm guitar.

The Angels' first single, "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again", was released in April 1976. They made their TV debut appearance on Countdown. Later in the year, Charlie King, at the time AWL from the army, was replaced by Graham "Buzz Throckman" Bidstrup on the drums. This was the first of three different versions of the song the band released as singles throughout their career.

The band's second single, "You're A Lady Now", was released in July 1977, followed a month later by their self-titled debut LP, The Angels. By now Chris Bailey had joined the band on bass, allowing Neeson to concentrate on vocals. Bailey had been a member of Mount Lofty Rangers with Bon Scott in 1974. Neeson's move to specialist frontman allowed the band to develop an energetic and theatrical live presence. Neeson typically appeared on stage as a wild extrovert, dressed in a Dinner suit and shaking maracas. As a foil, Rick Brewster remained motionless and wore sunglasses for every performance. He has stated that Beethoven convinced him not to move on stage.

1978's Face to Face album reached No. 16 in November and stayed on the Australian charts for 79 weeks. Mark Opitz engineered, and along with The Angels, co-produced the album. Peter Ledger, who designed the cover, won Best Australian Album Cover Design Award. Face to Face contained the band's first hit single, "Take a Long Line", which has become one of the Angels' most-recognised songs. In November, the band supported David Bowie on his first Australian tour, resulting in The Tour EP 7" single.

click here for more information

The Valentines..Peculiar Hole In the Sky..1967-68...popular Perth band and beginnings for Bon Scott

Perth pop group The Valentines were, for a brief period, one of the most popular bands in the country. Although they started out as an energetic soul/R'n'B band, their best known image was associated with the so-called "bubblegum pop" phenomenon of 1968-70. But there was a wild side to the band which was evident in their live performances (and their off-stage carousing). These days, of course, they're best known by reference to the fact that one of the singers ended up in a little band called AC/DC.

The Valentines formed in Perth in mid-1966, bringing together members of three leading local beat groups: Scott and Milson were from The Spektors, Lovegrove, Ward and Cooksey from The Winztons, and Findlay from top WA band Ray Hoff & The Off Beats. Playing a mixture of soul, R&B and mod covers, by the start of 1967 they were already Perth's top group. A major draw card was the double-vocal attack of dynamic front men Bon Scott and Vince Lovegrove, and within a few weeks of their live debut they were packing in crowds at their shows at venues like Canterbury Court and the Swanbourne Surf Livesaving Club (known locally as the Swanbourne Stomp).

It wasn't long before their local popularity came to the attention of Martin Clarke, who operated Perth's only record label in the 1960's, Clarion. The Valentines signed to Clarion in March 1967 and released their first single in May. The single was a good indication of where their early influences lay - the A-side was a cover of Arthur Alexander's "Every Day I Have To Cry", and backed by a cover of "I Can't Dance With You", an early track by British mod icons The Small Faces. It was a strong beginning, selling well locally and peaking at #5 on the Perth charts.

The second single was a Beatlesque Vanda and Young composition, "She Said", released in August '67. It didn't do quite as well but still made the lower reaches of the Perth Top 40. The song came their way because The Valentines had become friends with The Easybeats, whom they supported when they toured Western Australia. Vanda and Young went on to write two more singles especially for them.

Bruce Abbott (drums) early 1968
Paddy Beach (drums) May 1969-Aug 1970
John Cooksey (bass) 1968
Warrick Findlay (drums) 1966-July 1968
Doug Lavery (drums) July 1968-69
John Lockery (bass) 1966-68
Vince Lovegrove (vocals)
Wyn Milson (lead guitar)
Bon Scott (vocals)
Ted Ward (Ted Junko) (rhythm guitar)

click here for more information

AC/DC..High Voltage..first album as released in Australia 1975

This is AC/DC's original first album as it was released in Australia. It shows that even from the beginning the band had that sheer energy that propelled them to the international success they are today.

AC/DC were formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who have remained constant members. Commonly referred to as a hard rock or blues rock band, they are also considered pioneers of heavy metal and are sometimes classified as such, though they have always dubbed their music as simply "rock and roll". To date they are one of the highest-grossing bands of all time.

Malcolm and Angus Young developed the idea for the band's name after their sister, Margaret Young, saw the initials "AC/DC" on a sewing machine. "AC/DC" is an abbreviation meaning "alternating current/direct current" electricity. The brothers felt that this name symbolised the band's raw energy, power-driven performances of their music. "AC/DC" is pronounced one letter at a time, though the band are colloquially known as "Acca Dacca" in Australia.

In November 1973 Malcolm and Angus Young formed AC/DC and recruited bassist Larry Van Kriedt, vocalist Dave Evans, and Colin Burgess, ex-Masters Apprentices drummer.Pushing hard for the band's success were Australia's legendary roadie Ray Arnold and his partner Alan Kissack. Gene Pierson booked the band to let the band play at Bondi Lifesaver on New Year's Eve, 1973.

By this time, Angus Young had adopted his characteristic school-uniform stage outfit. The idea was his sister Margaret's. Angus had tried other costumes: Spider-Man, Zorro, a gorilla, and a parody of Superman, named Super-Ang. In its early days, most members of the band dressed in some form of glam or satin outfit but this approach was abandoned seeing as Melbourne band Skyhooks had already adopted this approach to their stage presentation.

The Young brothers decided that Evans was not a suitable frontman for the group because they felt he was more of a glam rocker like Gary Glitter. On stage, Evans was occasionally replaced by the band's first manager, Dennis Laughlin, who was the original lead singer with Sherbet prior to Daryl Braithwaite joining the band. Evans did not get along with Laughlin, which also contributed to the band's ill feeling toward Evans.

In September 1974 Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott, an experienced vocalist and friend of George Young, replaced Dave Evans after friend Vince Lovegrove recommended him to George Young. Like the Young brothers, Scott had been born in Scotland before emigrating to Australia in his childhood.

By October 1974, the Australia-only album High Voltage had been recorded. It took only ten days and was based on instrumental songs written by the Young brothers, with lyrics added by Scott. Within a few months, the band's line-up had stabilised, featuring Scott, the Young brothers, bassist Mark Evans and drummer Phil Rudd. High Voltage was released on 17 February 1975.

click here for more information

                                      

This almost 12 minute version of "Baby Please Don't Go" is live from 1976

                              

Fraternity featuring Bon Scott ... Livestock 1971

Once over-hyped as potential superstars of Aussie progressive rock, early-'70s hippie collective Fraternity utterly failed to live up to expectations and might have been entirely forgotten to history had their singer not been one Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott -- future legendary front man for AC/DC. Formed in 1970 by bassist and de facto bandleader Bruce Howe, guitarist Mick Jurd, keyboardist John Bisset, and drummer Tony Buettel, all of the recently disbanded Levi Smith's Clefs, Fraternity were conceived to be Australia's answer to the Band, and, as such, they initially didn't even feel the need to draft a true lead singer for their first trip into the studio to record a single ("Why Did It Have to Be Me?") financed by local independent label Sweet Peach. But they soon changed their minds when Bon Scott became available following the demise of his popular bubblegum group, the Valentines, inviting him to join them at their communal house in Sydney, along with drummer John Freeman (another Levi Smith's Clefs alum), who replaced Buettel. 

Interestingly, although their lineup was just coalescing at home and on-stage, Fraternity were already seen as a hot commodity based solely on the reputation and experience of the band members, and as they shifted out of blues-rock into art rock, under the influence of groundbreaking foreign bands like King Crimson, the Moody Blues and Deep Purple, their shows drew rave reviews from the excitable Aussie press.

Their first album, Livestock, was released in 1971

1. The Race Part One (Non-Album Single) 2:57
2. Seasons of Change (Single Version) 3:37
3. Livestock 3:40
4. Summerville 4:22
5. Raglan's Folly 6:02
6. Cool Spot 4:54
7. Grand Canyon Suites 4:54
8. Jupiter's Landscape 2:47
9. You Have a God 2:26
10. It 8:23
11. The Race Part Two (B-Side of track 1) 4:13

Golden Miles..Australian Progressive Rock 1969 to 1974..a collection

Over 150 minutes of  "ASTOUNDING AURAL EXTRAVAGANZAS"

For all you "progressive rock" fans, this is one album you must have for your collection. 30 classic tracks from the cream of Aussie prog-rock of the late 60s and early 70s with a line-up including Carson, Lotus, Healing Force, Taman Shud, Tully, Spectrum, Company Caine, Blackfeather, Madder Lake, Fraternity (feat. Bon Scott), Daddy Cool, Colored Balls, Mackenzie Theory, Kahvas Jute, Galadriel, the Master’s Apprentices, Pirana, Bakery and many others.. From the ranks of these bands came musicians who would later emerge in AC/DC, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Rainbow, Be Bop Deluxe, Count Bishops and the Gary Moore Band

If you were around at the time these were originally released, then I am sure they will bring back a swag of memories. For those of you that were not, then it's time to discover some gems of Australian rock music. Many of the original albums that these tracks are from are now very hard to find while some have been re-released and are worth tracking down.

click here for more information

released through http://www.ravenrecords.com.au/