Many people don't know that AC/DC had two singers throughout their career. And I'm not talkin' about the kind of singer who was only in the band for like a year and then forever claims thereafter that he was the frontman of XYZ band. No. This was legit. AC/DC had/has a huge career, and they are massively popular. Bon Scott was the lead singer of AC/DC from 1974-1980, and then Brian Johnson took over lead vocals from 1980-present. They are similar, but, of course, they have distinctive styles.
First, I wouldn't describe Bon Scott's voice as smooth, but it was certainly smoother than Brian Johnson's voice. Helping the band take off in the mid-1970's, Bon Scott's vocals pushed AC/DC into the hard rock category, really redefining the genre. They were heavier than most bands were at the time -- although they were never really heavy metal (which is perfectly fine, this is just an observation).
I mean, the world wasn't yet ready for the thrashier music to come in the 1980's. One could say that the 1970's were just a big hangover from the 60's, where the music world was tired of the freggin' hippies and their gentle acoustic crap. They wanted some edge, but they still wanted some love. So you have bands like Uriah Heep getting popular, and other Prog. Rock bands like RUSH (and King Crimson, I suppose, although they are/were of limited popularity).
However, at the same time, you had some kids growing their hair out long and wearing tight-ass jeans (see picture below). These kids were the hard rock kids who heard Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, and pretty much had an orgasm... But then what happened? Sabbath put out some mediocre albums, and so did Deep Purple (then they both broke up, leading all to think that heavy metal was dead). These kids were looking for more, and AC/DC filled their aching voids.
Bon Scott was the perfect singer for AC/DC in the 1970's. He bridged the gap between the 1960's and the 1980's. He was hard rock when the kids needed edge. His porridge was "just right," and they ate that sh%t up. AC/DC put out two very popular albums during Scott's tenure: High Voltage (1975) and Highway to Hell (1979). Naturally, with their success in the 1970's, the next question is: So what happened to Bon Scott? Well, unfortunately he died from alcohol poisoning (and/or pulmonary aspiration of vomit) in 1980 after a long night out with friends. He was a great singer, now lost to the long procession of humanity.
Act II.
Enter Brian Johnson.
AC/DC briefly considered disbanding after Scott's death, but for whatever reason they pressed on. They picked up Brian Johnson out of whatever dingy club he was singing in, and released their most successful album to date, Back in Black (1980). The album was a tribute to Bon Scott -- specifically the songs "Hells Bells" and "Back in Black." Back in Black currently stands as the second highest selling album of all time behind Michael Jackson's Thriller -- believe it or not -- and the highest selling hard rock/heavy metal album of all time. It is that good.
Brian Johnson gave AC/DC the additional edge they needed to stay popular in the 1980's. Going into the 80's the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" had inspired a new species of hard rock/heavy metal that was faster, more aggressive, and meaner. Bands like Iron Maiden, UFO, and Diamond Head inspired a new generation of musicians, including Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, etc. (while also being badass in their own right). AC/DC had to get an extra set of balls to keep up with this, so they picked up Brian Johnson -- the 5' 5" (1.65 meters, ish) half-British, half-Italian, raspy-voiced, stupid-hat wearin' dude.
* AC/DC's first singer was actually Dave Evans, but he was only in the band for a short time, and sounded like a little girl, so I will ignore him. It's like... technically the Vikings discovered America, but f#ck them.
Bon Scott, AC/DC's first singer*
First, I wouldn't describe Bon Scott's voice as smooth, but it was certainly smoother than Brian Johnson's voice. Helping the band take off in the mid-1970's, Bon Scott's vocals pushed AC/DC into the hard rock category, really redefining the genre. They were heavier than most bands were at the time -- although they were never really heavy metal (which is perfectly fine, this is just an observation).
I mean, the world wasn't yet ready for the thrashier music to come in the 1980's. One could say that the 1970's were just a big hangover from the 60's, where the music world was tired of the freggin' hippies and their gentle acoustic crap. They wanted some edge, but they still wanted some love. So you have bands like Uriah Heep getting popular, and other Prog. Rock bands like RUSH (and King Crimson, I suppose, although they are/were of limited popularity).
Bon Scott with AC/DC in 1979.
"Don't need reason, don't need rhyme."
However, at the same time, you had some kids growing their hair out long and wearing tight-ass jeans (see picture below). These kids were the hard rock kids who heard Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, and pretty much had an orgasm... But then what happened? Sabbath put out some mediocre albums, and so did Deep Purple (then they both broke up, leading all to think that heavy metal was dead). These kids were looking for more, and AC/DC filled their aching voids.
Bon Scott was the perfect singer for AC/DC in the 1970's. He bridged the gap between the 1960's and the 1980's. He was hard rock when the kids needed edge. His porridge was "just right," and they ate that sh%t up. AC/DC put out two very popular albums during Scott's tenure: High Voltage (1975) and Highway to Hell (1979). Naturally, with their success in the 1970's, the next question is: So what happened to Bon Scott? Well, unfortunately he died from alcohol poisoning (and/or pulmonary aspiration of vomit) in 1980 after a long night out with friends. He was a great singer, now lost to the long procession of humanity.
R.I.P. 1946-1980.
Act II.
Enter Brian Johnson.
Aside: How dumb do I look?
AC/DC briefly considered disbanding after Scott's death, but for whatever reason they pressed on. They picked up Brian Johnson out of whatever dingy club he was singing in, and released their most successful album to date, Back in Black (1980). The album was a tribute to Bon Scott -- specifically the songs "Hells Bells" and "Back in Black." Back in Black currently stands as the second highest selling album of all time behind Michael Jackson's Thriller -- believe it or not -- and the highest selling hard rock/heavy metal album of all time. It is that good.
Simple album cover.
Brian Johnson gave AC/DC the additional edge they needed to stay popular in the 1980's. Going into the 80's the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" had inspired a new species of hard rock/heavy metal that was faster, more aggressive, and meaner. Bands like Iron Maiden, UFO, and Diamond Head inspired a new generation of musicians, including Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, etc. (while also being badass in their own right). AC/DC had to get an extra set of balls to keep up with this, so they picked up Brian Johnson -- the 5' 5" (1.65 meters, ish) half-British, half-Italian, raspy-voiced, stupid-hat wearin' dude.
Enter Brian Johnson, aka Raspy McGee
He has a much more raspy voice than Bon Scott did. Indeed, it is rumored that he smokes (or used to smoke) almost an entire pack of cigarettes before a recording or live show. Well, either way, he has a crazy vocal box machine. He took AC/DC from the 70's, and jettisoned them into the 80's (and rock 'n' roll history).
AC/DC was never able to match the sheer majesty of Back in Black, but they had some good albums in the 1980's, such as For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981), and Who Made Who (1986).
As for the ultimate question, which singer was better? ... I'll let you decide, with this little nudge in the right direction...
AC/DC was never able to match the sheer majesty of Back in Black, but they had some good albums in the 1980's, such as For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981), and Who Made Who (1986).
As for the ultimate question, which singer was better? ... I'll let you decide, with this little nudge in the right direction...
* AC/DC's first singer was actually Dave Evans, but he was only in the band for a short time, and sounded like a little girl, so I will ignore him. It's like... technically the Vikings discovered America, but f#ck them.
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