Dave:
AC/DC is
such a foundational band that it’s easy to just write them off as a cliché from
a bygone era. If you listen to any form of aggressive rock music, you’ve heard sooo much AC/DC you could go without
hearing a single note from the band for a decade and still be able to rattle
off at least a chorus from one of their classics. Malcolm Young was the rhythm
guitarist in a band that defined the fundamentals of great rhythm guitar
playing for generations of rock musicians. If it wasn’t for AC/DC, my life
would have taken a completely different track. I have no idea who I would be.
So many rock musicians have died in the last decade, it seems there is a high
price to pay for reaching the heights of musical achievement. My heart goes out
to the Young family. Too many great musicians have left us seemingly before
their time, while too many politicians seem to stick around long after their
debt to the world is due.
SoDak:
Malcolm
Young was a riffmaster. As the rhythm guitar player in AC/DC he did not garner
as much attention as his brother Angus, but his stamp on the sound of the band
is unforgettable. He was the punch in the music, with the flick of his wrist.
He laid the foundation on which everything rocked. This is because he played
guitar in an economic and percussive style, allowing for space between notes,
which added to the power of each song. In the late 1970s, my neighbor who was
much older introduced me to AC/DC. We would listen to records such as High Voltage, Let There Be Rock, Powerage,
and Highway to Hell in his basement.
At the time, it seemed like I was hearing music that was forbidden, given the
dark and risqué elements in many of the songs. The music seemed dirty and
dangerous for a young kid. In the 1980s, I saw AC/DC in concert. The Gretsch
guitar that Malcolm played seemed huge compared to his slight stature.
Nevertheless, he threw down and played the hell out of it. After all of these
years, I remain a fan of the band, in large part due Malcolm’s big, meaty
riffs.
Null:
Others
will be able to praise Malcolm’s place in rock and his important role in the
band that put the RAWK in rock. I’ll just say that without skeletons, we would
be jellyfish. Malcolm was AC/DC’s skeletal system—unassuming but integral.
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