Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
AC/DC
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==Legacy== [[File:ACDC Pinball Machine With 'Helen' Adaptation - Seattle.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|alt=Pinball machine in the style of AC/DC. The artwork shows the AC/DC logo in between the words "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be" with the logo's high voltage symbol at the beginning and end of the words, and a hand-drawn woman with black hair, devil horns and a black bikini, standing in lava with fire in the background.|AC/DC themed pinball machine, pictured in [[Seattle]] in 2024]] Several musicians have credited AC/DC for reasserting hard rock's popularity after it had ceded mainstream attention to other musical genres in the late 1970s.<ref name="AutoJ4-51">{{cite news |last=Alexander |first=Phil |date=22 July 2020 |title=How AC/DC's ''Back in Black'' Changed Rock Music Forever |url=https://www.kerrang.com/how-ac-dcs-back-in-black-changed-rock-music-forever |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710132811/https://www.kerrang.com/how-ac-dcs-back-in-black-changed-rock-music-forever |archive-date=10 July 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |work=[[Kerrang!]]}}</ref><ref name="Elliott">{{cite news |last=Elliott |first=Paul |date=22 July 2020 |title=The Inside Story of AC/DC's ''Back in Black'', the Biggest-Selling Rock Album of all Time |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-inside-story-of-acdcs-back-in-black |work=[[Guitar World]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904104055/https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-inside-story-of-acdcs-back-in-black |archive-date=4 September 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=10 July 2023}}</ref> [[Tom Morello]] of [[Rage Against the Machine]] and [[Audioslave]] noted of ''Back in Black''{{'}}s release: "Disco was huge and punk and new wave were ascendant, and along came this AC/DC record which just destroyed everybody. It put hard rock music back on the throne, where it belongs!"<ref name="Elliott" /> AC/DC's music was a formative influence on the [[new wave of British heavy metal]] bands that emerged in the late 1970s, such as [[Saxon (band)|Saxon]] and [[Def Leppard]], in part as a reaction to the decline of traditional early 1970s hard rock bands. In 2007, critics noted that AC/DC, along with [[Thin Lizzy]], UFO, [[Scorpions (band)|Scorpions]] and [[Judas Priest]], were among "the second generation of rising stars ready to step into the breach as the old guard waned."<ref name="ZiNzy">{{Cite magazine |last=Elliott |first=Paul |date=February 2007 |title=Never Mind the Bollocks |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]}}</ref> Over the years, many prominent rock musicians have cited AC/DC as an influence, including [[Dave Mustaine]] of Megadeth,<ref name="AutoJ4-52">{{cite news |last=Mustaine |first=Dave |date=14 January 2014 |title=The Record that Changed My Life: Dave Mustaine Discusses AC/DC's ''Let There Be Rock'' |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/gw-archive/album-changed-my-life-dave-mustaine-discusses-acdcs-let-there-be-rock |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710163925/https://www.guitarworld.com/gw-archive/album-changed-my-life-dave-mustaine-discusses-acdcs-let-there-be-rock |archive-date=10 July 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |work=[[Guitar World]]}}</ref> [[Josh Homme]] of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss,<ref name="AutoJ4-53">{{cite news |last=Trendell |first=Andrew |date=21 November 2017 |title=Josh Homme on How AC/DC's Malcolm Young Inspired the Start of Queens of the Stone Age |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/josh-homme-acdcs-malcolm-young-inspired-start-queens-stone-age-2161987 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710022656/https://www.nme.com/news/music/josh-homme-acdcs-malcolm-young-inspired-start-queens-stone-age-2161987 |archive-date=10 July 2023 |access-date=9 July 2023 |work=[[NME]]}}</ref> [[Dave Grohl]] of Nirvana and Foo Fighters,<ref name="AutoJ4-54">{{cite news |last=Young |first=Alex |date=18 November 2017 |title=Dave Grohl Pays Tribute to AC/DC's Malcolm Young, Who Inspired Him to Start a Band |url=https://consequence.net/2017/11/dave-grohl-pays-tribute-to-ac-dcs-malcolm-young-who-inspired-him-to-start-a-band/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710022656/https://consequence.net/2017/11/dave-grohl-pays-tribute-to-ac-dcs-malcolm-young-who-inspired-him-to-start-a-band/ |archive-date=10 July 2023 |access-date=9 July 2023 |work=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence of Sound]]}}</ref> [[Scott Ian]] of Anthrax,<ref name="AutoJ4-55">{{cite news |date=23 July 2020 |title=Anthrax's Scott Ian: AC/DC's ''Back in Black'' 'Fucking Blew My Mind' |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/anthraxs-scott-ian-acdcs-back-black-fucking-blew-my-mind |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904104630/https://www.revolvermag.com/music/anthraxs-scott-ian-acdcs-back-black-fucking-blew-my-mind |archive-date=4 September 2023 |access-date=9 July 2023 |work=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]}}</ref> [[Eric Peterson (musician)|Eric Peterson]] of Testament,<ref name="AutoJ4-56">{{cite news |date=14 October 2013 |title=Interview: Testament's Eric Peterson |url=https://spotlightreport.net/on-the-spot-2/interview-testaments-eric-peterson |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904104520/https://spotlightreport.net/on-the-spot-2/interview-testaments-eric-peterson |archive-date=4 September 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |work=Spotlight Report}}</ref> [[Dexter Holland]] of the Offspring;<ref name="AutoJ4-57">{{cite news |date=8 March 2014 |title=Celebrating the Offspring's Enduring Impact |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2014/03/08/celebrating-the-offsprings-enduring-impact/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904104519/https://www.ocregister.com/2014/03/08/celebrating-the-offsprings-enduring-impact/ |archive-date=4 September 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |work=[[The Orange County Register]]}}</ref> [[Brian Baker (musician)|Brian Baker]] of Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Dag Nasty and Junkyard,<ref name="AutoJ4-58">{{cite news |last=Mullins |first=Dave |date=7 March 2023 |title=Brian Baker - Fake Names Interview |url=https://wallofsoundau.com/2023/03/07/brian-baker-one-of-the-missions-of-fake-names-is-to-have-the-entire-world-understand-how-important-michael-hampton-is/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904104521/https://wallofsoundau.com/2023/03/07/brian-baker-one-of-the-missions-of-fake-names-is-to-have-the-entire-world-understand-how-important-michael-hampton-is/ |archive-date=4 September 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |work=Wall of Sound}}</ref> and bands such as [[Airbourne (band)|Airbourne]],<ref name="Standard">{{cite web |title=Brothers Airborne |url=http://www.swtafe.edu.au/lrc/music/okeefair.htm |website=The Standard |publisher=[[South West Institute of TAFE]] |location=[[Warrnambool|Warrnambool, VIC]] |date=13 March 2003 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030730003850/http://www.swtafe.vic.edu.au/lrc/music/okeefair.htm |archive-date=30 July 2003 |url-status=dead |access-date=16 July 2024 |via=[[National Library of Australia]]}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} '''n.b.''' Band name is known as "Airborne".</ref> [[Metallica]],<ref name="AutoJ4-59">{{cite news |last=Kennelty |first=Greg |date=10 November 2020 |title=AC/DC's ''Back in Black'' Inspired Metallica's ''Black Album'' Not Just in Color |url=https://loudwire.com/metallica-black-album-acdc-back-in-black-inspiration/ |website=[[Loudwire]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827102650/https://loudwire.com/metallica-black-album-acdc-back-in-black-inspiration/ |archive-date=27 August 2021 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref> [[Slayer]],<ref name="Slayer">{{cite web |author=Full Metal Jackie |date=26 May 2015 |title=Kerry King Talk New Slayer Album, Fans + More |url=https://loudwire.com/kerry-king-talks-new-slayer-album-fans-more/ |website=[[Loudwire]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405011951/https://loudwire.com/kerry-king-talks-new-slayer-album-fans-more/ |archive-date=5 April 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref> [[Exodus (band)|Exodus]],<ref name="AutoJ4-60">{{cite news |last=Stefanis |first=Josh |year=2004 |title=Get Ready to Rock! Interview with Tom Hunting and Gary Holt of Thrash Metal Rock Band |url=https://www.getreadytorock.com/pure_metal/exodus.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904104518/https://www.getreadytorock.com/pure_metal/exodus.htm |archive-date=4 September 2023 |access-date=9 July 2023 |work=Get Ready to Rock}}</ref> [[the Cult]],<ref name="thecult">{{Cite web |last=Rivadavia |first=Eduardo |date=6 April 2017 |title=How the Cult Reinvented Themselves on ''Electric'' |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-cult-electric/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112192347/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/the-cult-electric/ |archive-date=12 January 2024 |access-date=27 December 2023 |website=[[Townsquare Media|Ultimate Classic Rock]]}}</ref> and [[the Living End]].<ref name="AutoJ4-61">{{cite news |date=14 September 2021 |title=Australian Guitar x Bluesfest 2022: The Living End |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/australian-guitar-x-bluesfest-2021-the-living-end |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810115901/https://www.guitarworld.com/features/australian-guitar-x-bluesfest-2021-the-living-end |archive-date=10 August 2022 |access-date=27 December 2023 |work=[[Guitar World]]}}</ref> Australian acts formed in AC/DC's footsteps are [[Rose Tattoo]] and [[the Angels (Australian band)|the Angels]].<ref name="LWttT 4" /> [[Chrissy Amphlett]] of Australian rockers [[Divinyls]] acknowledged Angus' schoolboy outfit as the inspiration for her performing in a schoolgirl's uniform.<ref name="Laffan">{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/listen/doublej/music-reads/lists/a-history-of-australian-music-in-6-objects/10343512 |title=A History of Australian Music in 6 Objects |first=Carolyn |last=Laffan |author-link=Carolyn Laffan |publisher=[[Double J (radio station)|Double J]] ([[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] (ABC)) |date=19 December 2017 |access-date=14 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109194454/https://www.abc.net.au/listen/doublej/music-reads/lists/a-history-of-australian-music-in-6-objects/10343512 |archive-date=9 November 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Gene Simmons]] of hard rock contemporaries Kiss remarked, "a lot of people look the same and act the same and do the same thing. Every once in a while you see a band like AC/DC. Nobody's like them. We'd like to think we're unique in that way too."<ref name="AutoJ4-62">{{cite news |last=Monroe |first=Scott |date=9 November 2018 |title=Gene Simmons: There's Nobody Like AC/DC |url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/gene-simmons-theres-nobody-like-acdc |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904105021/https://www.loudersound.com/news/gene-simmons-theres-nobody-like-acdc |archive-date=4 September 2023 |access-date=9 July 2023 |work=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Louder Sound]]}}</ref> [[Slash (musician)|Slash]] of Guns N' Roses called them "with the exception of the [Rolling] Stones, the greatest rock 'n' roll band ever."<ref name="AutoJ4-63">{{cite news |last=Aubrey |first=Elizabeth |date=20 April 2019 |title='Where Do I Start?' Guns N' Roses' Slash Responds to Reports of a New AC/DC Album |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/start-guns-n-roses-slash-responds-reports-ac-dc-reunion-2479035 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904105028/https://www.nme.com/news/music/start-guns-n-roses-slash-responds-reports-ac-dc-reunion-2479035 |archive-date=4 September 2023 |access-date=10 July 2023 |work=[[NME]]}}</ref> "I always liked them," said Australian compatriot and singer-songwriter [[Nick Cave]]. "We had this TV show called ''Countdown'' and they were often on and they were always a riot and absolutely unique. They were a heavy rock band, but Bon Scott would go on ''Countdown'' dressed as a schoolgirl and stuff like that. They were always very anarchic and never took the thing too seriously."<ref name="AutoJ4-64">{{cite podcast |host=[[Marc Maron]] |title=Episode 403 - Nick Cave |url=http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_403_-_nick_cave |date=4 July 2013 |access-date=9 July 2023 |website=[[WTF with Marc Maron]] |time=15:10}}</ref> AC/DC and other artists (see [[Parents Music Resource Center#Filthy Fifteen|Filthy Fifteen]]) ran afoul of the [[Satanic panic]] of the 1980s. This general fear of modern hard rock and heavy metal was greatly increased in the band's case when serial killer [[Richard Ramirez]] was arrested. Ramirez, nicknamed the "Night Stalker" by the press, told police that "[[Night Prowler (song)|Night Prowler]]" from ''Highway to Hell'' had driven him to commit murder.<ref name="AutoJ4-69">{{Cite web |last=Snyder |first=Russell |date=31 August 1985 |title=Police Saturday Arrested the Aalleged Night Stalker, Accused of... |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/08/31/Police-Saturday-arrested-the-alleged-Night-Stalker-accused-of/5705494308800/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029232411/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/08/31/Police-Saturday-arrested-the-alleged-Night-Stalker-accused-of/5705494308800/ |archive-date=29 October 2018 |access-date=29 October 2018 |publisher=[[United Press International]] (UPI)}}</ref> Police also claimed that Ramirez was wearing an AC/DC shirt and left an AC/DC hat at one of the crime scenes.<ref name="AutoJ4-70">{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Bob |date=2 September 1985 |title=Other Serial Slayings Tinged by Satanism: Elements of Devil Worship in Stalker Case May Not Be Factors in Motivation, Experts Caution |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-09-02-mn-22957-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124175840/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-09-02/news/mn-22957_1_satanic-ritual |archive-date=24 November 2018 |access-date=29 October 2018 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> Accusations that AC/DC were devil worshippers were made, the lyrics of "Night Prowler" were analysed and some newspapers attempted to link Ramirez's Satanism with AC/DC's name,<ref name="Can Times Prowler">{{cite news |date=3 September 1985 |title=Suspected Killer 'Obsessed by Devil' |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128253062 |access-date=29 December 2023 |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |page=5 |via=[[National Library of Australia]] |volume=60 |issue=18,235 |agency=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> concluding that AC/DC stood for Anti-Christ/Devil's Child or Devil's Children.<ref name="AutoJ4-72">{{Cite web |last=Hilburn |first=Robert |date=8 September 1985 |title=The Devil, You Say? No Way: AC/DC's Message: Rebellion, Not Satan Worship |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-09-08-ca-2746-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003065213/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-09-08/entertainment/ca-2746_1_heavy-metal |archive-date=3 October 2018 |access-date=29 October 2018 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> ===Lyrics assessment=== Throughout the band's career, their songs have been criticised as simplistic,<ref name="Donoughue">{{Cite web |first=Paul |last=Donoughue |date=22 November 2017 |title=What Learning 70 AC/DC Riffs Taught Lindsay McDougall About Malcolm Young |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-20/malcolm-young-lindsay-mcdougall-guitar-riffs-legacy/9167796 |publisher=[[Double J (radio station)|Double J]] ([[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] (ABC)) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325040049/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-20/malcolm-young-lindsay-mcdougall-guitar-riffs-legacy/9167796 |archive-date=25 March 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=27 January 2024}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> monotonous,<ref name="Diepstraten">{{Cite magazine |last=Mitchell |first=Matt |date=2 March 2024 |title=Time Capsule: AC/DC: Highway to Hell |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/ac-dc/time-capsule-ac-dc-highway-to-hell |magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323172936/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/ac-dc/time-capsule-ac-dc-highway-to-hell |archive-date=23 March 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref> deliberately lowbrow and sexist.<ref name="McCabe">{{Cite web |first=Kathy |last=McCabe |date=12 November 2014 |title=New AC/DC Music Video for 'Play Ball' Is Big on Sports and Sexist Shots. And Minus Phil Rudd |url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/new-acdc-music-video-for-play-ball-is-big-on-sports-and-sexist-shots-and-minus-phil-rudd/news-story/90a1351915fc582c46df631552119317 |publisher=[[news.com.au]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127085004/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/new-acdc-music-video-for-play-ball-is-big-on-sports-and-sexist-shots-and-minus-phil-rudd/news-story/90a1351915fc582c46df631552119317 |archive-date=27 January 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=27 January 2024}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> David Marchese from ''Vulture'' wrote that "regardless of the lyricist, whether it was Scott (who was capable of real wit and colour), Johnson, or the Young brothers, there's a deep strain of [[misogyny]] in the band's output that veers from feeling terribly dated to straight-up reprehensible."<ref name="Marchese" /> According to Christgau in 1988, "the brutal truth is that sexism has never kept a great rock-and-roller down—from [[Muddy Waters|Muddy]] to [[Lemmy]], lots of dynamite music has objectified women in objectionable ways. But rotely is not among those ways", in regards to AC/DC.{{sfn|Christgau|1990}} Fans of the band have defended their music by highlighting its "bawdy humour",<ref name="Sturges">{{cite news|last=Sturges|first=Fiona|date=2 October 2017|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/oct/02/songs-that-hate-women-and-the-women-who-love-them-why-im-still-a-fan-of-acdc|title=Songs that Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them: Why I'm Still a Fan of AC/DC|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=10 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810210457/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/oct/02/songs-that-hate-women-and-the-women-who-love-them-why-im-still-a-fan-of-acdc|archive-date=10 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> while members of the group have generally been dismissive of claims that their songs are sexist, arguing that they are meant to be in jest.<ref name="Marchese" /> In an interview with [[Sylvie Simmons]] for ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'', Angus called the band "pranksters more than anything else," while Malcolm said, "We're not like some macho band. We take the music far more seriously than we take the lyrics, which are just throwaway lines."<ref name="Sturges" /> Marchese regarded the musical aspect of the Youngs' songs as "strong enough to render the words a functional afterthought" as well as "deceptively plain, devastatingly effective, and extremely lucrative."<ref name="Marchese" /> For the book ''Under My Thumb: Songs That Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them'', ''The Guardian'' arts critic Fiona Sturges contributed an essay evaluating her love for AC/DC. While acknowledging she is a feminist and that the band's music is problematic for her, she believed it would be "daft as opposed to damaging" for female listeners if they could understand the band to be "a bunch of archly sex-obsessed idiots with sharp tunes and some seriously killer riffs". Despite the "unpleasant sneering quality" of "Carry Me Home"{{'}}s claims about a woman who "ain't no lady", the "rape fantasy" of "Let Me Put My Love into You" and the generally one-dimensional portrayals of women, Sturges said songs such as "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" demonstrated that the female characters "are also having a good time and are, more often than not, in the driving seat in sexual terms. [...] [I]t's the men who come over as passive and hopeless, awestruck in the presence of sexual partners more experienced and adept than them."<ref name="Sturges" />
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)