Brothers At Arms – Angus and Malcolm Young

Today’s installment of this series goes back to Max at Power Pop (that’s me!). We are stopping here but haven’t closed the door on revisiting more famous brother acts. Randy’s original post on mostlymusiccovers.com is here. Randy and I want to thank all of you who have followed along! At the bottom, I have the complete series labeled. 

 

Angus and Malcolm Young were the co-founders of the legendary rock band AC/DC. They had a unique and dynamic relationship that was marked by both collaboration and rivalry. The band was formed in 1973 by Malcolm, with Angus joining a little later. They were called AC/DC. The band’s name is inspired by the abbreviation for “alternating current/direct current” (AC/DC), signifying power and energy. They were influenced most by Chuck Berry, and you can hear it in their music. Malcolm would play rhythm guitar with Angus taking up the lead guitar for decades to come. They also had a brother named George who would help his younger brothers immensely in music. His contributions cannot be overstated.

Malcolm was born on January 6, 1953, and Angus on March 31, 1955, in Glasgow Scotland. In 1963 the family moved to Sydney Australia. George Young was born in 1946 and started a band called The Easybeats in 1964 playing rhythm guitar and either writing or co-writing many of their songs. They had 7 top 10 hits in Australia, two number one hits, and altogether 15 top 40 hits there! They did have one international hit which was “Friday On My Mind” which peaked at #1 in Australia, #2 in New Zealand, #6 in the UK, #13 in Canada, and #16 on the Billboard 100. It’s still played on classic rock radio today.

He encouraged his younger brothers to form a band, recognizing their talent and potential. George, along with his Easybeats bandmate Harry Vanda, mentored Malcolm and Angus. His experience in the music industry provided insights into songwriting, recording, and navigating the business. George would end up co-producing (with Vanda) six AC/DC albums. He would also produce some songs for future albums. The band underwent several lineup changes before settling with Bon Scott as the lead vocalist. They release their debut album, “High Voltage” exclusively in Australia in 1974. Angus and Malcolm would collaborate closely with songwriting.

Malcolm was a perfectionist in the studio while Angus was more of a free spirit. That caused some clashes but none to the degree of other brothers in rock.

Angus’s schoolboy-uniformed antics on stage were a stark contrast to Malcolm’s more reserved presence. This was important to the band’s success. They went through tough times with Bon Scott dying and starting again with a new singer Brian Johnson, but they only got more popular. It was a sad ending for Malcolm though. In 2014 Malcolm could no longer remember lyrics to songs. He was diagnosed with alcohol-related dementia and passed away in 2017. These brothers used their rivalries as a positive thing and pushed each other to greatness.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

32 thoughts on “Brothers At Arms – Angus and Malcolm Young”

    1. I did also Randy….I got a couple from you as well. I’m glad it’s helped you and if you think of something we can work on again…lets do it!

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  2. Hm, I thought I had commented on this post when it first appeared on Randy’s blog, but it appears I didn’t

    To me, Angus and Malcolm Young aren’t the first brothers at arms who come to mind. I’m not saying you guys were wrong to include them in this series. I simply don’t recall reading anything significant about their conflict. That said, I never extensively read up about them in the first place!

    On the other hand, I do remember Angus discussing Malcolm in warm terms, especially after his forced retirement from AC/DC and his untimely death. One thing that stuck with me in particular was that Angus credited Malcolm for AC/DC’s less-is-more approach. Apparently, Malcolm was a big believer in this concept and frequently showed Angus how to simplify guitar parts.

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    1. From what I read Christian…they kept their bickering (there was some) quiet and out of the press unlike the others. They were different…Malcolm the perfectionist and Angus was not…

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      1. I could see how their different attitudes – one perfectionist, the other one more laid back – could lead to conflict. Kudos to them for keeping it to themselves and, it appears, not to allow it to destroy their relationship – unlike John Fogerty and Tom Fogerty, for example. I just find it very sad they never reconciled. Now Tom is dead and it’s too late!

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      2. I remember where I was when I heard about Tom Fogerty…selfishly the first thing that came to mind was they will never get back together. Thats called being a very selfish music fan…and not a good human.
        I am glad the Young brothers got along rather well when it mattered….and kept the bond.

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  4. Thanks Max! My friends were all over AC/DC…I liked the Bon Scott version in Jr. High. Those 2 are masters at what they do & aren’t really appreciated because of the outfit & it’s ‘Rock & Roll’. They’ve endured!

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    1. The Bon Scott years were my favorite as well. I wasn’t a fan of them at all back then but slowly started to like them. Johnson did a great job though…but I like Scott’s writing a lot.

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    1. He really did…only a few select number of singers could have done it. I do think it would have been interesting to see Noddy Holder in that position…from what I heard…he was asked. His voice would have fit.

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  8. Great post, Max! I remember the Easybeats and Friday On My Mind but had no idea George Young was one of the Young Brothers. That was a fabulous song. Today for Song Lyric Sunday, I had a whole post written up on Have a Drink on Me and decided to chuck it and featured Billie Holiday instead. I wanted to showcase an artist I don’t normally write about; I don’t regret that move.

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    1. I’ve started to listen to more of Billie Holiday in the last six months or so.. you can feel how she felt by the way she sings. . I’ve covered Bessie Smith before and her I know really well…such a powerful voice. Those two were great and had such powerful voices.
      I do Song Lyric Sunday sometimes as well but I haven’t in a while.
      Glad you liked the post.. I didn’t know that about George either.

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      1. Two true greats. Billie …. what a tortured soul. You can hear the melancholy in everything she sings. The United States vs Billie Holiday starring Andra Day was incredible. Day became Billie for that movie; I’ve never seen such an amazing transition.

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      2. I saw a BBC documentary about her on YouTube not long ago. I need to cover her more here…and I do need to see that movie.

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  9. Pingback: Brothers At Arms – Angus and Malcolm Young – MobsterTiger

  11. I learned a lot about AC/DC from this post, Max. Had no idea the two brothers had an older brother who was so influential over and with them. I like their kind of rock and roll. I’ve danced a lot to their tunes out at the bars over the years. Really gets the energy going on the dance floor. Did your band ever cover any AC/DC??

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    1. George is the one that surprised me the most…he helped his two brothers a lot in the business.
      Yes we did…three songs. Shook Me All Night Long, TNT, and Highway To Hell

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      2. Yea that is probably one of their best known songs…them using that helped out Alex Chilton toward the end of his life…having that money coming in.

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