can it really be that long.
February 19th 1980, was the date Bon Scott spent that fateful night in the back of his mates car in East Dulwich, South London. Thirty years, it’s been thirty bloody years.
Now as much as I like the Brian Johnson AC/DC years, I’ve got all the albums and there’s one absolutely stellar classic in that bunch, I have to say I’m more of a Bon era fan. I can still see the look of amazement on a friends face when I took a little more than a millisecond to say my favourite ‘DC record. It turned to complete shock as she was pointing to her black t-shirt and I said it’s probably “High Voltage” or “Highway To Hell”.
Yes I love “Back In Black” it’s a great album, I can listen to over and over again, but those two were my first and you always remember your first with some affection. “Highway” was the first ‘DC recording I heard, when a mate lent me his. “Voltage” was the first of their albums I bought, second hand, decent nick and to be played by me many a time.
There’s just something about those lyrics, sung in that Bon Scott way, look up sleazy in the dictionary and there’s a pic of Ronald leering back at you.
Favourite Bon story, not one of wine, women and song but one of bagpipes as told to Guitar Buyer magazine by original AC/DC bassist Mark Evans about the recording for “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” – video is in the bunch above.
The bagpipes were put on as an afterthought, George Young came up with the idea to put the pipes on it and Bon said: “Oh yeah? Well, I used to play in a pipe band!” So we went down and paid about 500 bucks for a set of these bagpipes, which was an outrageous amount of money then. But then the fucker didn’t even know how to put them together and we said “I thought you said you played in a pipe band? and he said “Well yeah, I used to… but I was the drummer!” Mark Evans
Rock ‘n’ Roll Singer
My Daddy was workin’ nine to five
When my Momma was havin’ me
By the time I was half alive
They knew what I was gonna be
I left school and grew my hair
They didn’t understand
They wanted me to be respected as
A doctor or a lawyer man
(But I had other plans)
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll singer
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll star
Well I worked real hard and bought myself
A rock ‘n’ roll guitar
I gotta be on top some day
I wanna be a star
I can see my name in lights
And I can see the queue
I got the devil in my blood
Tellin’ me what to do
(And I’m all ears)
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll singer
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll star
(I hear it pays well)
You can stick your nine to five livin’
And your collar and your tie
And stick your moral standards
‘Cause it’s all a dirty lie
You can stick your golden handshake
And you can stick your silly rules
And all the other shit
That they teach to kids in school
(‘Cause I ain’t no fool)
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll singer
Gonna be a rock ‘n’ roll star
Yes I are!
Just have to forget about the bubblegum era…