"Frick. I was mixin up me Youngs this whole time like a fricken dink. How embarrassing. Way to play the long game Uwe."(Enter Uwe, carefully strutting and taking his time to relish every moment, then in his most gracious, mock-jovial and glib tone ...) Oh, I wondered about that only once ("Is dear Jake confused again?"), but then discarded the thought. On the other hand weren't you the sweetheart who thought the lead singer of the Sex Pistols was Dave Vanian, dearest?
Actually, if Angus position was debatable in AC/DC, I'd be with you, can't see them going on without him on stage. Malcolm - though the key songwriter, band leader and nothing gets done within the AC/DC organisation against his say - is more a Keith Richards type figure with AC/DC, the Stones without Keith Richard could still fill stadiums (though it would be a severe loss to the image), but not without Mick Jagger. Having Malcolm's position in mind, I made the comment that he could be a Brian Wilson (a man who used to play with the Beach Boys, Jake, they were early proto-punk) type figure, stay at home, write songs, play in the studio and keep the AC/DC heart beating.
Also puts your comment about the 1988 vid into perspective, you insulted Angus right there and you know it.
"it does seem like he's not playing it right ... [checking album version] yep - timing, dynamics and feel is all wrong or at least different; he's only playing one note (duotone) for the first few bars and then it sounds like a few flubs in there when he tries to bring the rest in (or at least sloppy playing - no matter how hot/sweaty/tired Malcom was he was never that sloppy -"The wrath of the AC/DC community will be on you (I'd change addresses while you still can!) and you will realize how hell ain't a bad place to be.
A written apology to Stevie Young seems to be in order too, young man!!! Because he did not move like Malcolm Young in that vid, Malcolm moves like a hobbit/munchkin, if at all!!!
I'm not over-awed by Angus' lead playing (but he does what he does well), it sure hasn't developed much over the decades. He's a harsh player (like Rory Gallagher or Johnny Winter), which is not a bad thing, and he uses no effects (like the ones named before and like incidentally Ritchie Blackmore too), which is commendable, but I prefer how someone like Rory Gallagher sometimes took off with the pentatonic blues stuff into another realm.
(Look Dave, absolutely no Led Zeppelin content!)
Live Angus is a pro, but he's not obsessed with accuracy, certainly not in his solos, how could he be when he's putting on an athletic show, it's his brother Malcolm's playing I would attribute with the term "rock-solid".
Rumor had it that on at least the early AC/DC albums Malcolm did all the rhythm parts for groove reasons and his perfection at what he does. That wouldn't surprise me and it is not wholly unusual in bands with a dominant rhythm player. Similar things have been said about the Scorpions (Rudolf Schenker), Kiss (Paul Stanley) and Metallica (Hetfield).
But thank's for 'fessing up, Jake. Now if you'd also correct that historic inaccuracy about Germany having attacked Poland in 1939 when we all know that it was a classic defense measure after largely unprovoked border incidents ...
