End of An Era?

Rumours began circulating yesterday about the possible break-up of legendary Aussie blues rockers AC/DC because of an illness in the band. Guitarist Malcolm Young was the focus of the rumours, and it’s now being reported that the 61-year-old is suffering from dementia.

The band has subsequently squelched any talk of retirement and plans remain on track to record a new album in Vancouver in May and then embark on a 40th anniversary tour.

My introduction to the band came in 1980. I was at the music store in Southland Mall (A&A maybe?) and they were playing the band’s new release Back In Black on the in-store stereo. I heard a couple of tunes while I was wandering around, then I went over to the counter to see what they had playing and picked up a copy. Then I went over to a friend’s house where a group of us gave it a listen over a brew or three.

To close, here’s a tune from that LP as performed live by the band in Argentina in 2012:

 

Author: Gregory Beatty

Greg Beatty is a crime-fighting shapeshifter who hatched from a mutagenic egg many decades ago. He likes sunny days, puppies and antique shoes. His favourite colour is not visible to your inferior human eyes. He refuses to write a bio for this website and if that means Whitworth writes one for him, so be it.

4 thoughts on “End of An Era?”

  1. Thanks for this, Greg. Loved AC/DC back in the day, and still do, even though I’m much older (and somewhat wiser) now. Can’t recall the exact year my friends and I discovered them (maybe the early 80s, too, since it was Back in Black I remember best) but it seems similar to your experience — wearing down the LP as we rocked out to the music over a few (under-age)brews, many, many nights in a row. Sad to hear Malcolm Young is suffering from dementia but glad to know the band is continuing with plans to record a new album and, hopefully, to tour again. They’ll always be one of the classic rock-n-roll legends who can play the music AND put on a fantastic live show.

  3. I think you have to be somewhat of an idiot to keep doing this into your 60s, but whatev, more power to you if you’re treating it like an actual career with an age 65 retirement date. Even tho the most restlessness-inducing words on a classic rock band tour is: “And now we’re gonna play a little something from our new record…” 8 people out of 18,000 clap, 14,672 go to the bathroom, for a beer or a smoke, while the rest, who weren’t even born when Thunderstruck came out, check their Facebook: “I’m at AC/DC, BITCHES!!!”

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