Angus McKinnon Young (born March 31, 1955) is a Scottish-born Australian musician and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the hard rock band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003. Known for wild, energetic performances, schoolboy-uniform stage outfits and the duck walk, Young is ranked 96th on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[1]
Biography
Angus Young, the youngest of eight children of William and Margaret Young, was born in Glasgow, Scotland and moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia in 1963 with his older brothers Malcolm, George, who also became musicians, and their older sister Margaret. Oldest brother Alex, also a musician, stayed in the UK. Angus first started playing on banjos, but re-strung them with six strings. Angus first started playing guitar on a cheap acoustic model purchased second hand by his mother.[2] Angus' first SG was bought second hand in 1970, from a music shop just down the street from his home.
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...I got out and got a Gibson SG that I played until it got wood rot because so much sweat and water got into it. The whole neck warped. I bought it second-hand, it was about a ’67. It had a real thin neck, really slim, like a Custom neck. It was dark brown.[3] |
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Formation of AC/DC
As a teenager Angus Young played in a band called 'Kantuckee'. He was 18 when he and his 20 year old brother Malcolm formed AC/DC in 1973 with Angus on lead guitar, Malcolm on rhythm guitar, Colin Burgess on drums, Larry Van Kriedt on bass guitar and Dave Evans on vocals. "Can I Sit Next To You Girl", their first single, was later re-recorded with Bon Scott as their vocalist. They got the name AC/DC after seeing the letters "AC/DC" on the back of a sewing machine owned by their sister, Margaret.
Angus tried a number of stage costumes, such as Spider-Man, Zorro, a gorilla, and a parody of Superman, named Super-Ang.[4] before settling on his signature schoolboy trademark. To match this image the press and public were told that Young was born in 1959, not 1955. The original uniform was from his secondary school, Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney. By 1973, Angus had long left school. His sister Margaret suggested he wear the uniform after Malcolm asked each band member to come up with their own gimmick, which was ironic as Angus very much disliked being at school. This was the era of glam rock, when costumes were common for pop and rock acts.
Recent events
Although Young prefers to keep his private life out of the media, it is known that he now lives in Sydney, Australia and also has a home in Aalten, Netherlands where his wife grew up. Young married his Dutch wife, Ellen, in 1980 shortly before Bon Scott died at the age of 33 after a night of heavy drinking in London.[5]
On 24 August 2006, Young received Kerrang! magazine's Legend Award from the editor, Paul Brannigan. Brannigan called AC/DC "one of the most important and influential rock bands in history".[6]
Equipment
Guitars
Angus Young has used Gibson SGs in various forms (his original, and the basis for his current signature model, was a 1968 SG) throughout his career. He also used a modified version of the SG called the Jaydee SG, which was made custom for Angus by Jaydee guitars.[7] The Jaydee SG featured signature lightning bolt inlays on the fretboard. Gibson made a custom SG for Angus with lightning bolt inlays to replace the Jaydee SG. He is rarely seen with another guitar, though he also owns Fender Telecasters, Gibson Firebirds and ES335s. When AC/DC played a jam of "Rock me Baby" with the Rolling Stones in 2003, he played a Gibson ES-335 borrowed from Keith Richards, perhaps one of the few times he was without an SG onstage. Young's 1968 SG has T Top pickups. Another 1964 SG that he used on the recording of Ballbreaker, has patent # pickups. All of these are high output Alnico II or V pickups with matched coils typically reading 7.5k ohm. All of his pickups "...are the original ones that came on the guitar(s)." Angus uses Ernie Ball RPS-9 Slinky Nickel Wound guitar strings (RPS-9 being gauges .009-.042).[8]
Angus Young Signature SG
Angus Young and Gibson Guitar Corporation have collaborated to make the Angus Young Signature SG, which is special in several ways.[9]
The model features a pickup designed by Young himself (the Angus Young Signature Humbucker) in the bridge position, and a '57 Classic Humbucker in the neck. The headstock features Young's famous "devil schoolboy" engraved picture, and the tremolo bar features Angus' name instead of the Gibson logo. The guitar has a rosewood fingerboard, trapezoid fret inlays, a signature black pickguard, 22 frets, antique cherry finish [10], and nickel hardware. The volume and tone knobs are bigger than those of a regular SG but it still features the standard 3-way selector switch. This signature model is unique in that Angus himself does not use his signature model either live or in the studio.
The second, recently released Angus Young SG, is different to the first. The Gibson Custom version is based on a 70's SG Standard, features lightning bolt inlays instead of the trapezoidal inlays. It has no Maestro Tremolo, and Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Humbuckers, it has 22 frets and an Aged Cherry finish. The Gibson USA example is based on a 1960's SG Reissue, feturing a smaller pickgaurd. It too has lightning bolt inlays, no tremolo and '57 Classic and Angus Young Signature Humbucker pickups. It is available only in Ebony.
Amplifiers
Young mainly uses the Marshall model 1959 100 watt Super Lead Plexi (reissued as the SLPX with the X denoting added, but bypassable features.) heads and model 1960 AX and BX 4x12 cabinets with Celestion G12M "Greenbacks".[11]
Angus tells Celestion speakers that:
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From High Voltage to Black Ice, it's been Celestion guitar speakers all the way. |
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[11]
Angus Young has used JMP 50 and JTM 45 heads in the studio. He used JMP 50 most notably on Back In Black. Ballbreaker was almost all recorded with JTM 45's. Angus does have a black flag JMP50 and there is an isolation box under the stage during live performances with either a JTM 45 or JMP 50 running through them mixed with the onstage amplifiers to get the mix through the PA.
Influence
Angus Young's energetic guitar style has been an influence on many young hard rock guitarists. His work with AC/DC has been an influence on bands ranging from Guns N' Roses, Slayer, The Cult, Jackyl, Metallica, and Def Leppard to newer artists like Disturbed, Jet, Alter Bridge, Buckcherry, Airbourne, The Darkness, Wolfmother, and You Am I.[citation needed] Young cites his own influences as Chuck Berry, Pete Townshend, Muddy Waters, Leslie West, Keith Richards, B.B. King, George Harrison, Buddy Guy, and other blues/rock and roll players.[12] When the Canadian band ANVIL were asked what it was like to tour with AC/DC, and not only did they have good things to say about the band but they also mentioned that Angus Young has a "big heart."
Style
Angus Young's playing style is very straight blues, playing in both the minor and major pentatonic blues scale. His style is spiced by additional non-blues tricks. In AC/DC's earlier recordings, power chords can be heard in songs such as "T.N.T." and "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)". He also utilises touches of Scottish folk in his playing, and pull-off arpeggios (pull-offs, played one-handed) are a popular trick, appearing in songs such as "Who Made Who", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Sin City" and "Let There Be Rock" (live). In 1976, the band recorded an instrumental arrangement of the Scottish traditional song "Loch Lomond", retitled "Fling Thing", which has appeared in their stage act over the years. The title refers to the Highland Fling.
He is especially noted for his vibrato, his intricate improvisation in live shows, and his stripped down approach to the guitar, with regard to amp-provided effects and guitar accessories.
He often receives criticism from the music press, many of his critics stating that AC/DC's songs sound too similar, focusing on the same handful of chords. However, as Young stated in an interview with the Atlanta Gazette in 1979:
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It's just rock and roll. A lot of times we get criticised for it. A lot of music papers come out with: 'When are they going to stop playing these three chords?' If you believe you shouldn't play just three chords it's pretty silly on their part. To us, the simpler a song is, the better, 'cause it's more in line with what the person on the street is. |
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Stage antics
Angus Young is famous for his wild onstage antics: intense jumps and running back and forth across the stage while playing his guitar. Young would clamber on to Bon Scott's shoulders during concerts and they would make their way through the audience with smoke streaming from a satchel on his back, while he played an extended guitar solo, usually during the song "Rocker".[13] At a concert in Donington[which?] [same concert as mentioned in the next paragraph?] he rode on Brian Johnson's shoulders[citation needed], and also in Portland, Oregon on the "We Salute You Tour" in 1982[citation needed]. When performing live he frequently uses a Chuck Berry move, the Duck Walk, which involves hopping on one leg while bringing the other one up and down[citation needed].
Also when live he performs his "spasm", during which he throws himself to the ground, kicking, shaking, and spinning in circles, while playing the guitar. Both moves can be seen on various videos, such as Live At Donington.[14] Young developed the "spasm" while he was playing live in a small club in Australia, after he accidentally tripped over a cable on stage while playing his solo[citation needed] [verify that this is the reason he developed the "spasm" into his act] He covered it up by having a seizure-like "spasm" on stage to make it seem like part of the act. It has been a trademark of his ever since. [ verify both previous sentences.] Angus Young also performs "the bob". In the bob, he headbangs while tapping his feet. He taps his right foot twice when headbanging up, and his left foot twice when headbanging down. This is his general rhythmic movement while performing.
Other gimmicks employed by Young include his strip act, which can be seen during "Bad Boy Boogie" on the most definitive live concert footage Let There Be Rock (1980). It is also viewable in during "Jailbreak" on the 1991 Live at Donington DVD, during "Boogie Man" on No Bull, during "Bad Boy Boogie" on Stiff Upper Lip Live and during "The Jack" on the Black Ice tour. And sometimes when he "strips" he will pull down his shorts, revealing his undergarments, often decorated with the flag of the country in which the concert takes place or with AC/DC on it as shown in the "Black ice" tour in 2008/2009, then pulls them up and moons the crowd. Sometimes he would use his fingers to perform his devil horns act—usually before playing "Highway to Hell" or "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be" - whether being on stage or having his picture taken by the press. AC/DC appeared in "Private Parts" a movie based on Howard Stern's book about his life and early career, they are frequent guests on his radio show. [this paragraphs needs additional inline citations for verifiability.]
References
- Guitar Legends magazine issue #78 - AC/DC: We Salute You!
External links
