Under The Influence Of AC/DC (Blog)

Are you currently under the influence of ear-splitting, good old-fashioned bluesy Rock ‘n’ Roll? Then you’re probably listening to AC/DC or one of the many bands under their influence as well. This week the Decibel Geeks release Episode #284, with yours truly as the guest host, exploring the influence of AC/DC and bands that picked up on their iconic sound.

There is no doubt in my mind that AC/DC is one of the all-time greatest hard rock bands that ever hit a power chord, sending vibrations screaming through a Marshall stack. Of course, they have their haters, but plenty of people worship this band. If you hate them, we can agree to disagree, but the truth is in the numbers. The band has sold over 200 million records worldwide to date (someone likes them!) and 50 million of those were copies of Back In Black, the 2nd highest selling record in history. Anyone know the top seller of all time? Bueller? Bueller? You guessed it Thriller by Michael Jackson. Anyway, I digress.

We’ve all heard that imitation is the highest form of flattery. This is completely evident in the case of AC/DC. In the past 30 years, there have been so many bands that have come out with what I would call that AC/DC sound. This is not to say they suck or they are ripping off AC/DC. This is also not meant as a slam to any of these bands, in fact, it stands to reason that if I like AC/DC and these bands sound similar, I would also dig them. Go figure. Let’s not kid each other, it’s very hard in the hard rock world to do something completely new or original and have it still be good. Bands have been borrowing from each other since rhythm and blues showed up and music artists built upon that foundation in the early 40’s and 50’s.

To me, it’s all about the song. Does it move me? Does it rock? Does it have good production? Does it have a tight rhythm section with a good pocket? A big kick drum? And heavy driving guitars? This is what I like!!

Not sure why, but a lot of hard rocks bands out there wear their AC/DC influences on their sleeves. Perhaps AC/DC’s sound is simplistic at its core. Perhaps it’s just that AC/DC is just so damn good and have been so damn successful that they have influenced a legion of faithful rock bands that we, the rockers united, can embrace?

The list of bands that I would consider to have been influenced by AC/DC is so ridiculously long, I cannot even begin to cover them all. Back in the 80’s, there were bands like Dirty Looks, Kix, Krokus, Accept, and Rhino Bucket. All great band’s still putting out quality material in 2017.

More recently, I would say a band like Airbourne, oddly enough also from Australia has been very successful in capturing that raw AC/DC sound with a bit more steroids. AC/DC on 11, if you can believe that. I pretty much love everything Airbourne has put out since it’s first major release in 2006.

There is a ton more kick-ass music out there to be discovered. If you like AC/DC, go check out newer bands like The Treatment (UK), Black Aces (Australian), and Koritni (Australian) just to name a few. You won’t be disappointed. By the way, what’s up with the water in Australia?

You have to decide if you can get over the fact that these bands sound like some of your other favorites – either you like the tunes or you don’t, but either way, bands keep embracing their influences which I think produces new rockin music that will keep my fist pumping the air for years to come.

Check out Episode #284 to hear the Decibel Geeks’ thoughts on AC/DC sound-alikes and Chris and Aaron’s picks for best AC/DC influenced songs. And don’t forget to weigh in with your favorites.