AC / DC: always your fingers in the socket [VIDEO]

AC / DC during his visit to Quebec in 2015.

Share November 12, 2020 12:17 pm Update at 1:08 pm Share AC / DC: still the fingers in the socket [VIDEO] Philippe Grelard Agence France-Presse PARIS – Deafness of the singer, new death of a pillar of the group, drummer worried by justice : we did not give expensive AC / DC, but here they are again with an album profiled for the stadiums, when the concerts resume.

We often talk in rock about the mythology of the club of 27, the age at which Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, etc. died. For AC / DC, it would almost be necessary to speak of a club of survivors of 72, since its members gravitate around the bar of 70 years. Guitar hero Angus Young is 65, singer Brian Johnson, 73.

How many groups could have withstood so many trials? The first singer, Bon Scott died in 1980, and Malcolm Young – guitarist and co-founder in 1973 of the gang with his brother Angus (of Scots living in Australia) – died in 2017.

“Among the big international groups, there are only the Rolling Stones who release records and tour as much after the loss of a key member, Brian Jones (multi-instrumentalist of genius, died in 1969, at the age of 27 ).

“Queen has never been able to find the equivalent of Freddie Mercury, whereas AC / DC immediately finds another singer as good as Bon Scott with Brian Johnson,” dissects Christian Eudeline, editor of the bimonthly Vinyl & Audio .

“Like on the Titanic”

In a video on the official AC / DC website (name in reference to alternating current, but also “sail and steam” in slang), Angus Young thus presents the new opus after the death of his brother: “The group , it was the baby, the life of “Mal” (Malcolm), it was him who always pushed us to continue. He always said, being a musician is like being on the Titanic, the band continues to play no matter what happens to the boat. “

And AC / DC has already proven himself to be the unsinkable type. The first record with Brian Johnson, Back in Black (1980) has sold over 50 million copies. There are standards like Hell's Bells , up to the seminal Highway to Hell (1979).

Besides Malcolm's death, the last few years have been marked by twists of fate. Brian Johnson had to leave the ship due to the onset of deafness, replaced for a time on stage by Guns N 'Roses frontman Axl Rose.

Johnson, with state-of-the-art hearing equipment, is back today, as is drummer Phil Rudd, who was plagued by addictions and then suspected of commissioning an assassination in New Zealand (where he resides), before to be cleared.

“For the fun”

So that's the hard core back together, for Pwr Up – or Power Up (coming out this Friday).

Shot In The Dark AC / DC

The result will not disappoint the fans. The opening track Realize has its chest with vocal gimmicks à la Thunderstruck – a classic of the group – while System Down hangs with its heavy riffs and a solo that will allow Angus to indulge himself in concert.

“They do the job and it is clear that they do not do it for the dough – after 200 million albums sold – but for the explosion, on stage, where they now attract three generations”, decrypts Christian Eudeline.

“In the United States, at the entrance to their concerts, you always find the virtue leagues with the signs 'This is the music of Satan, don't go there' and next to the people who buy the little horns of the plastic devil. “

Angus poses on the cover of Highway to Hell with imp horns, an inspired find still exploited 40 years later by the merchandising around the group.