From Sydney, Australia’s lowliest dive bars to the biggest stadiums of the world, AC/DC have spent the past 35 years rocking harder than just about any other band out there. But how exactly did the group formed by guitarist Malcolm Young and his younger brother Angus come up with the sound that changed the way people think about power chords, full-tilt wails, and school-boy uniforms? We traced five major sources of inspiration via YouTube.
The Easybeats “Friday On My Mind” (1967)
Heavily influenced by the British Invasion, this seminal Australian rock band came up with a working class anthem celebrating the joys of cutting loose over the weekend. Malcolm and Angus’ older brother George was the band’s rhythm guitarist, and went on to produce several AC/DC albums.
Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man” (1968)
Bawdy lyrics? Check. Boogie-woogie riffs? Check. This vintage blues cut proved that simple things can be timeless and transcendent.
Led Zeppelin “Immigrant Song” (1972)
The primal wailing, the heavy riffs, the long hair. Led Zeppelin showed AC/DC how you could take rock and roll fundamentals and kick them into orbit. Swap the Norse love with sleazy tales of teenage groupies (“Little Lover”) and STDs (“The Jack”) and you’re good to go.
The Rascals “People Got to Be Free” (1968)
Although this clip doesn’t show it, the Rascals were the first to experiment with schoolboy uniforms on the rock and roll stage. They wore them when they appeared with the Beatles at Shea Stadium to disastrous results, an obvious downfall of being so far ahead of their time.
Big Joe Williams “Baby Please Don’t Go” (1965)
Covered by everyone from Bob Dylan to Aerosmith and Thin Lizzy to current American Idol contestant Amanda Overmeyer, this simple heartfelt blues classic was one of the rare tracks AC/DC deemed worthy of adding to their own live set.