Angus Young, the legendary lead guitarist of AC/DC, has written some of the most memorable riffs in hard rock. But his solos are equally hailed as some of the greatest. The Australian guitarist drew inspiration from electric guitar pioneers such as Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Chuck Berry.
Among his most celebrated solos are those in “Back in Black,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Thunderstruck,” “Highway to Hell” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).”
Yet, according to Young, his contributions aren’t nearly as important as those of the group’s rhythm guitarist. For much of AC/DC’s history, that role was held by his late brother, Malcolm Young, who often played a Gretsch Jet Firebird. Since Malcolm’s retirement in 2014 due to dementia, their nephew Stevie Young has taken over rhythm guitar duties.
“I remember a cover me and my brother did together going way back [November 1995],” Young told Guitar World in 2020. “That was nice, because there was always a tendency for people to only look at solo guitarists, while Malcolm was an out-and-out rhythm player. A lot of people forget that there’s some great rhythm players out there. And the two of us were doing it together.”
In a February 1984 interview with Guitar Player, Young downplayed his role as a soloist.
“That’s the easiest part, the solos. There’s no great thing in being a soloist,” he told assistant editor Jas Obrecht.
When asked which tracks best define his playing, Young emphasized the band’s collective effort.
“That’s hard, because I never look at them as a solo thing. It’s our band; we all play together. The guys all around me—it’s just like a little team,” he said. “I could tell you the best songs. I like ‘Let There Be Rock’ very much. ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ I love, the song ‘Back in Black,’ ‘What Do You Do for Money Honey’—the list is endless.”
On whether he plays all the solos on AC/DC records, Young joked: “Yeah, my brother’s too lazy. It interferes with his drinking.”
Young described the difference between his and Malcolm’s roles in the band.
“I’m just like a color over the top. He’s the solid thing; he pumps it along. His right hand is always going. In that field, I don’t think anyone can do what he does. He’s very clean; he’s very hard. It’s an attack. Anyone that sees him or knows about guitars can tell.”
Despite being the band’s most recognizable member, Young said Malcolm never minded.
“No. He was the one that shoved me in the first place. He got me into it: ‘I want you to do all of this,’” Young said. “In the early days, we used to fool around on some of our first albums. He would do little bits of guitar. We would double up, swap, do a solo here, a solo there. Malcolm’s more experienced at it than me.”
