AC DC is the most underrated major band ever

Yes ACZDC rule

welcome to our planet

we call it earth

Yes ACZDC rule

welcome to our planet

we call it earth

Smell the coffee wrote:

Why do you say they're underrated?

fair question -

I always think of AC DC as a rung below a 'serious' rock band like the rolling stones or G n R or Van Halen or the line. AC DC seems superficially like a joke - all gimicky with Angus in the schoolboy outfit, the devils horns, the throaty vocals, etc. Would Keith Richards wear schoolboy shorts on stage and do a striptease? Not bloody likely. Then the novelty nature of some of their songs - hard to take it seriously.

And they seemed too close to metal to be taken seriously - most people - myself included - think metal is all pose and sound rather than songwriting or musicianship. Metal is the embarassing mentally deficient cousin you try to ignore.

And Angus is so goofy looking - he doesn't look like a classic guitar god - if he looked the part more he'd be considered one of the immortals.

Am I wrong on this? Are they considered top tier?

This list, for example has them #40 of 50. Below Whitesnake and the scorpions. says AC DC is just good time silliness.

list: http://rateyourmusic.com/list/ryanfze/top_50_rock_bands_of_all_time/1/

^This.

get ready to ROCK!

Smell the coffee wrote:

Ok, so it is YOU who have underrated them, not the majority of knowledgeable music fans.

well, I'm asking.

Rolling Stone has them a lowly #72/100 of the greatest rock artists. behind the Allman brothers, the byrds, Van morrison and other I gotta say second tier bands.

one of the best wrote:

Smell the coffee wrote:

Ok, so it is YOU who have underrated them, not the majority of knowledgeable music fans.

well, I'm asking.

Rolling Stone has them a lowly #72/100 of the greatest rock artists. behind the Allman brothers, the byrds, Van morrison and other I gotta say second tier bands.

but keep in mind that I now do consider them top tier rock and roll. Great in every way. I'm just trying to explain why I think they have been dismissed as not serious.

I's sure they should be higher, but you should have used 3 other examples. Those aren't second tier bands.

That you even mentioned them, tells me you have never understood, or even listened to the Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East.

afras wrote:

I's sure they should be higher, but you should have used 3 other examples. Those aren't second tier bands.

That you even mentioned them, tells me you have never understood, or even listened to the Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East.

true - I will listen to it right now - I hope to love it.

Isn't back in black the best selling album ever? How are they underrated?

one of the best wrote:

afras wrote:

I's sure they should be higher, but you should have used 3 other examples. Those aren't second tier bands.

That you even mentioned them, tells me you have never understood, or even listened to the Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East.

true - I will listen to it right now - I hope to love it.

No, don't listen to it, go see it live. Allman Brothers are playing through Fillmore East at Lockn music festival in September.

They may be, but they are the Allmans in name only.

The only place you can hear Duane and Dickie Betts is on Live at the Fillmore.

afras wrote:

I's sure they should be higher, but you should have used 3 other examples. Those aren't second tier bands.

That you even mentioned them, tells me you have never understood, or even listened to the Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East.

ok, I am listening to the fillmore album

Dude, this is niche music. Southern blue eyed blues?

You can't say this is first tier rock and roll - it is blues. You don't call Muddy Waters a first tier rock artist, you wouldn;t call the Allmans either.

And frankly it ain't in the same ballfield as the great black blues musicians. Not even close.

Well this is pointless. Flame away.

Disc 2 is not blues .. blues tunes aren't written in 11/8 and play off diminished arpeggios over a latin groove.

It's a classic album .. I love the ABB, but today's lineup isn't 1971 … though Oteil on bass is as good as they come.

AC/DC are one of the greatest rock bands ever … Back In Black is the kind of album that everybody would love to have made.

GNR? please .. they're a solid rock band, but they're not in the same realm as AC/DC.

I think you must be thinking of Kiss. AC/DC are not under-rated, I don't think. Hardly anybody would say they aren't extremely good at what they do, which is play different versions of the same basic song structure over and over. They aren't intellectuals and they make no pretensions about being "serious" or introspective. But they have always been highly respected as far as I can tell. Even Keith Richards calls himself a fan, and the Stones have had Angus and Malcolm as special guests in concert (you can find it on YouTube). Just yesterday I read a little blurb in Rolling Stone magazine with Billy Joel talking about how AC/DC is maybe the best band he's ever seen. These guys are definitely not lacking big-name fans or credibility.

As far as lists go, there are millions of lists. Who cares. Rolling Stone magazine should rate them higher than 72, but then, they tend to have more of a '60s vibe in their musical tastes.

And your list of "serious" rock 'n' roll bands seems a little off to me. Rolling Stones, yes. But G 'n' R and Van Halen are not taken very seriously by the more snobbish rock critics any more than AC/DC.

You have a good point in that AC/DC is definitely not Heavy Metal. Its unfortunate that they got lumped in with that genre. It probably cost them a lot of fans over the years. Really, they are very unique. I would say they are most similar to the WHO musically except no Keith Moon and very different kinds of songs. But like the WHO they play real rock and roll but they play it hard. Which is to say they are in the Blues and R&B tradition. It says a lot that Keith Richards invited Angus Young to perform with the Rolling Stones in one of their concerts. Its not like Metal which at best is like second rate classical/electronic music played with guitars and drums. Nothing wrong with that. Its just that Heavy Metal is not rock and roll.

one of the best wrote:

So I am a child of arena rock and roll - went to high school in 1983-1986, gorged on Journey, Foreigner and the like.

I never took AC DC seriously until yesterday when I listened to a full length live show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwwRtXqM5IE

these guys are the real thing - true rock and roll, not stupid metal (yeah I have biases)

I always associated them with dirty deeds and other sort of novelty songs. But they are close to Rolling Stones quality live- and great, great songwriting and riffs.

Love to see the argentinians go absolutely nuts too - looks like a great place to see a show.

800 analyzer wrote:

Isn't back in black the best selling album ever? How are they underrated?

It's best-selling because they're overrated.

It maxed out at #4 in 1980, only one brief top 40 single, not much airplay until the classic rock format started.

Classic rock is a rose-tinted lens that makes certain bands whose tracks they play over and over again seem great while you forget everyone else from their era, in addition to all their non-greatest-hit garbage. Rolling Stones, for example, have recorded and sold stacks of worthless plastic.

Do you play an instrument?