Dee Snider Says New AC/DC Album Will Feature ‘Surprises’ Involving Malcolm Young

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

February 27th, 2020 9:58 AM

AC/DC’s long-rumored new album appears to not only be definitely happening, but Dee Snider says there are “surprises” in store that fans will love.

Snider said in a new interview that he discussed the new album recently with Brian Johnson over dinner. Snider didn’t drop specifics, but he did say, “He told me a lot of stuff, and a lot of stuff that I don’t wanna say. But we know from the photos, and Brian confirmed it, they’ve been in the studio, they’ve been recording. The original – I don’t say the ‘original’ guys, because a lot of ’em are gone, but I say the ‘classic’ lineup is back together and there are some surprises, which I can’t talk about, regarding Malcolm Young that just had my jaw on the floor. I will say he will be present. So this is AC/DC as we know and love them.”

This follows last month’s update from Eddie McGuire from Australia’s Triple M Hot Breakfast where the host said “My mail is, there will be a new album released by AC/DC in February/March this year, but also that AC/DC will be touring Australia [in] October/November 2020. And after a lot of work and a lot of technical research, they have been able to get a hearing aid for Brian Johnson, who will be out front. And even Phil Rudd might be back in the group either playing percussion or drums with Angus [Young] so that they’ve got three of — well, not the originals, but three of the old-timers, if you like, back there. They’ve had a few changes over the journey, but Angus out front, Brian Johnson lead singing, and maybe Phil Rudd, after his issues that he’s had in recent times.”

Rumors about AC/DC releasing a new album and touring again with Johnson have been reported since August 2018 after photos surfaced of Johnson, Angus Young and Stevie Young outside on the patio area of Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, the same studio where the band recorded their past three studio albums.

Among the reports/rumors that have surfaced since then involve the new album being a tribute to late rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, retired bassist Cliff Williams returning to the band and that Johnson is singing on the new album.

Throughout this whole timeframe, AC/DC has yet to comment about a potential album or tour.

https://twitter.com/georgiastraight/status/1027049295625826304https://twitter.com/JonAlba/status/1027417209424019456/

5 Classic Debut Albums Panned by ‘Rolling Stone’

• AC/DC – ‘High Voltage’

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  Billy Altman wrote that with the release of AC/DC's debut, the hard rock genre "unquestionably hit its all-time low."  On top of that, "Lead singer Bon Scott spits out his vocals with a truly annoying aggression which, I suppose, is the only way to do it when all you seem to care about is being a star so that you can get laid every night." And what's so wrong with that?!

• Van Halen – ‘Van Halen’

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  Charles M. Young declared in the first sentence of his review on Van Halen's debut, "Mark my words: in three years, Van Halen is going to be fat and self-indulgent and disgusting, and they'll follow Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin right into the toilet." It's pretty safe to say that Charles was a little off in his prediction.

• Jimi Hendrix Experience – ‘Are You Experienced’

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  It's difficult to imagine anyone saying anything negative about the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but Jon Landau found a way.  While Landau praised songs like "Purple Haze," "Hey Joe" and "The Wind Cries Mary," he wrote of the rest of the album, "Everything else is insane and simply a matter of either you dig it or you don't. Basically, I don't for several reasons. Despite Jimi's musical brilliance and the group's total precision, the poor quality of the songs and the inanity of the lyrics too often get in the way." Yeah...whatever, Jon.
• Led Zeppelin – ‘Led Zeppelin I’

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  John Mendelsohn spent the bulk of his review comparing Zeppelin to the Jeff Beck Group. Mendelsohn saved his harshed critique for Jimmy Page calling him "a very limited producer and a writer of weak, unimaginative songs" and that "the Zeppelin album suffers from his having both produced it and written most of it (alone or in combination with his accomplices in the group.)" It's a good thing Jimmy improved a little in the writing department, right?

• Black Sabbath – ‘Black Sabbath’

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  Lester Bangs tore Sabbath a new one in his review on their debut writing, "The whole album is a shuck...the album has nothing to do with spiritualism, the occult, or anything much except stiff recitations of Cream cliches that sound like the musicians learned them out of a book, grinding on and one with dogged persistence...The even have discordant jams with bass and guitar reeling like velocitized speedfreaks all over each other's musical perimeters yet never quite finding synch - just like Cream!  But worse." Bangs may have been lauded as "America's greatest rock critic," but we're sure there are plenty disagree with his assessment here.

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Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

Category:

• Music
• Rat Rock News

Tags:

AC/DC,Dee Snider