Happy Monday. Another treat, as our friend HIM has penned today's post.
I know, I know. Starting out an article on AC/DC with a barely funny reference to I Love You, Man (2009), which was itself a reference predicated on nerding-out about Geddy Lee, is a bit disjointed. Then again, you don’t pay me for my prose and I don’t solicit your advice when it comes to my creative writing.
But the reference makes sense if you consider one specific question seemingly left out of recent conversations about Angus, Inc.: who will replace Cliff Williams? A fixture in the band from 1976 until just two years ago, Williams is the latest member of the classic lineup to decamp after Johnson (issues with his driving), Rudd (business issues), and Mal (now, sadly, departed after his battle with dementia).
The move from Johnson to Axl was a financially successful one, even if it can be debated on other, less monetary, terms. Swapping Rudd for Slade (himself already a former member) also makes sense. Replacing Mal with his and Angus’s nephew Stevie is also understandable, given his familial and working history with the band.
In an age when many old bands are held together with glue and replacement parts/players, not much about what has gone on in AC/DC merits scrutiny. You either like it or don’t; accept it or move on. Still, though, who should replace Williams?
The question might seem like a toss-off. After all, no one yelled “Cliff” during bass solos (and, if they did, it was likely a very particular sort of fan). So my point is this: he was the last little bit of old school AC/DC left that gave Angus a bit of a pass. A pass for what? Beginning to look like a soulless nostalgia robot marching across the touring landscape. And some of you might challenge me on that point too. You would be wrong to do so though, as no one I know has ever said, “Hmm, it is sad Cliff is in the band. They need to get back to what really made them special and rehire Mark Evans or Larry Van Kriedt.” No one.
I increasingly think that AC/DC is/was an illusion of good times predicated on the machinery that Mal created, Angus enforced, and the other assembled parts/players perpetuated. A nice bit of stage magic that made the good times roll and the money roll in. Williams certainly benefited from that arrangement. He also paid homage to it, shifting his reason for departure from calling the band a “changed animal” to simply saying it was his time to go. Keep it respectful, right? You were all blokes, right?
Thing is, we also benefited from these machinations over the course of time and in hindsight. We rocked the blues away, so to speak, with AC/DC providing a soundtrack to the moments that count(ed). So who would we want to see on stage where Williams once stood? Even if that person just fills a role, it would be nice to think that they were suited to the part. Thoughts?
[Sidebar: the topic has been discussed on other sites. But the laziness with which sites like Loudwire dealt with it are indicative of no context, little thought. Slapping together a list of living metal/rock bass players without rhyme or reason is actually dismissive of the overall question I just posed. No disrespect Brian Ives. Just dig a bit deeper. I certainly know the readers of this site can do that.]
Monday, March 5, 2018 at 12:01AM
Reader Comments (4)
I vote Duff McKagan with Nikki Sixx or Michael Anthony as runner-ups.
There was also NO, zero, nada slowing down Angus! This was also the first time he@/ been able to re-tune his guitars back up to the levels of the Bon Scott era.
I look forward (AND am praying to the Metal Godz!) to seeing them get into the studio and start recording that album they keep threatening to make together! Like I said before,
Saw it on video & thought it was cringe-worthy.
As for recording with a charade w/ only 1 original member.
I see no need for a "Australian Democracy" CD. the GNR branded one was enough..