Malcolm Young
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Young is a Scottish-born Australian guitarist
, best known as a founding member, rhythm guitar
ist, backing vocalist
and songwriter for the Australian hard rock
band AC/DC
. Young was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 2003, along with the other members of AC/DC. He has been with them since he co-founded the band in November 1973, apart from a brief absence in 1988.
Though his younger brother Angus
(born 31 March 1955) is the more visible of the brothers, Malcolm has been described as the business and brains behind AC/DC. As the rhythm guitarist, he is responsible for the broad sweep of AC/DC's sound, developing many of the band's guitar riff
s and co-writing the band's material. He is married to Linda Young and has two children, Cara and Ross Young.
, leaving son Alex
(who later went on to form the band Grapefruit
) in the UK. They eventually settled in the suburb of Burwood
. Both Malcolm and his brother Angus are keen football fans, and follow their beloved Rangers Football Club.
George Young's rock
group, The Easybeats
, achieved many number 1 hits in Australia between 1965–1968 and achieved international success with "Friday on My Mind". Malcolm first played with a Newcastle, New South Wales
band called 'The Velvet Underground' (not to be confused with the New York-based Velvet Underground
). playing cover versions of T. Rex
and The Rolling Stones
songs. His brother, Angus, began playing in another group called Kantuckee.
.
AC/DC relocated to the UK in 1976 and began a heavy schedule of international touring and recording. After the death of singer Bon Scott
in 1980, they recorded their biggest selling album Back in Black
with singer Brian Johnson
.
Malcolm Young missed the band's 1988 tour in a bid to stop his drinking problem. This was covered up however, and it was officially announced that he was tending to his sick son, which did have an element of truth to it. Malcolm eventually got over his drinking problem and returned to the band. During Malcolm's absence, his nephew Stevie
replaced him for a while. It was reported that some fans could not tell Malcolm had been replaced, as Stevie bears a striking resemblance to Malcolm.
Malcolm Young is listed in Who's Who In Australia for 2004-2005.
, and blues
-based rock guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s, Malcolm Young is regarded as a leading rock exponent of rhythm guitar
.
Young is the subject of a song (and album) title by Australian punk rock
band Frenzal Rhomb
: "Forever Malcolm Young
".
Guitar Player
magazine has stated that the secret to Malcolm Young's guitar technique is playing open chords through a series of medium-sized amplifiers set to low volume with little or no gain. This is contrary to a common belief of rock guitarists that rhythm guitar should involve loud and overdriven power chords through large amplifiers.
Dave Mustaine
of Megadeth
stated in a 2004 interview that he considered himself, Young and James Hetfield
of Metallica
to be the best rhythm guitarists in the world.
Double-cutaway Jet Firebird guitar handed down to him by Harry Vanda, along with elder brother George Young, of Easybeats fame. He calls this guitar "The Beast". The guitar has the neck and middle pickups (the middle was a humbucker which had been added by Malcolm) removed and only the stock Gretsch "Filtertron" bridge pickup remains. For a short time, Young placed socks in the cavities to prevent feedback
. Prior to that, he used a white piece of plastic to cover the pick-up cavities.
Part of Malcolm Young's sound is due to his use of heavy gauge Gibson nickel
roundwound strings. (.012-.056).http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/how-to-play/jun-05/10142 The heavy strings produce a thicker sound, but don't lend themselves to intricate lead playing, as is the case with the lighter .009-.042 sets used by his brother, Angus
.
During the Let There Be Rock
era, he stripped off the original Firebird Red finish to the maple top. Also during the "Let There Be Rock Tour", he played a Butterscotch Fender Telecaster
. During the Powerage
era, Young again removed the plastic and stuffed socks in the pick-up cavities, and also changed the tailpiece from the stock Burns vibrato to an all-in-one Badass
bridge, and put a black piece of plastic over the cavity where the original tail-piece was. During the Highway To Hell
era, he removed the socks. The guitar stayed like this until 1995, when, during the Ballbreaker
tour, he replaced the Badass bridge with the original tailpiece, and removed the pick-up ring for the bridge pick-up. This is how the guitar has been since then.
Malcolm also owned a 1959 Gretsch White Falcon
that was used during the tours that supported the albums Back in Black
and For Those About to Rock We Salute You
. But he said that after someone 'fixed' it, it lost its distinctive sound, and thus got rid of it. It was sold a few years ago on a rock star items website, along with one of Cliff Williams
' MusicMan basses
. He has recently used another Gretsch White Falcon at shows at Hampden Park
and the Hockenheimring
on The Black Ice Tour. Also in the 1980s and 1990s Malcolm Young used a Gretsch Pro Jet with Bigsby tail piece mounted on it.
Angus and Malcolm Young both use Marshall amplifiers
. The amps stacked behind Malcolm onstage are two original Marshall 100 watt heads, one 1966 JTM45/100 and one late Superbass from the late 1960s or early 1970s. Each head powers two 4 × 12 cabinets. Malcolm also uses custom-made Wizard amps on tour. Malcolm's main amp, since recording Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
in 1976, is a slightly modified Marshall Superbass from the late 1960s or the early 1970s. On Ballbreaker
, he used a Marshall JTM45/100 with KT66s and a high B+ voltage (625 volts). In a recent interview with Marshall Law, Malcolm mentions his two favourite amps: a Superbass and old Super amp (JTM45/100). Also Malcolm used 2 Orange full stacks in London, England on 13 July 1976 while playing "Jailbreak", "Live Wire" and "Can I Sit Next To you Girl," with Bon Scott. While AC/DC were playing at Donington Park in 1991, Malcolm used Mesa Boogie stacks.
On AC/DC's latest album, Black Ice
, Malcolm stated that he used AmpliTube software on the tracks "Big Jack" and "Anything Goes".
From 1995 through to early 2011, Gretsch produced Malcolm Young signature model guitars in single and dual pickup configurations.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, best known as a founding member, rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist, backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
and songwriter for the Australian hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
. Young was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 2003, along with the other members of AC/DC. He has been with them since he co-founded the band in November 1973, apart from a brief absence in 1988.
Though his younger brother Angus
Angus Young
Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...
(born 31 March 1955) is the more visible of the brothers, Malcolm has been described as the business and brains behind AC/DC. As the rhythm guitarist, he is responsible for the broad sweep of AC/DC's sound, developing many of the band's guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
s and co-writing the band's material. He is married to Linda Young and has two children, Cara and Ross Young.
Before AC/DC
Malcolm Young's parents, William Young (1911–1985) and Margaret Young (1913–1988) emigrated from the Cranhill area of Glasgow, Scotland to Sydney, Australia in May 1963 with their children George, Margaret, Malcolm and AngusAngus Young
Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...
, leaving son Alex
Alexander Young (musician)
Alexander Young aka George Alexander was a Scottish guitarist and session musician.Alexander Young was born in Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland...
(who later went on to form the band Grapefruit
Grapefruit (band)
Grapefruit was a London-based British band of the late 1960s. Their brand of music was a typical late 1960s blend of rock, which they often fused with psychedelic effects such as phasers and vocoders, or classical arrangements.-Biography:...
) in the UK. They eventually settled in the suburb of Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
. Both Malcolm and his brother Angus are keen football fans, and follow their beloved Rangers Football Club.
George Young's rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group, The Easybeats
The Easybeats
The Easybeats were an Australian rock and roll band. They formed in Sydney in late 1964 and broke up at the end of 1969. They are regarded as the greatest Australian pop band of the 1960s, and were the first Australian rock and roll act to score an international pop hit with their 1966 single...
, achieved many number 1 hits in Australia between 1965–1968 and achieved international success with "Friday on My Mind". Malcolm first played with a Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
band called 'The Velvet Underground' (not to be confused with the New York-based Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
). playing cover versions of T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
songs. His brother, Angus, began playing in another group called Kantuckee.
AC/DC
Malcolm founded AC/DC in November 1973 and soon asked Angus to join, when Malcolm was 20 years old and Angus was 18. They began national touring in 1974 with singer Dave EvansDave Evans (singer)
Dave Evans is an Australian singer best known as the original lead singer of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1973-1974.-AC/DC:...
.
AC/DC relocated to the UK in 1976 and began a heavy schedule of international touring and recording. After the death of singer Bon Scott
Bon Scott
Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980...
in 1980, they recorded their biggest selling album Back in Black
Back in Black
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band....
with singer Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson is an English singer and lyricist who has been the lead singer for the rock band AC/DC since 1980. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 along with the other members of the band....
.
Malcolm Young missed the band's 1988 tour in a bid to stop his drinking problem. This was covered up however, and it was officially announced that he was tending to his sick son, which did have an element of truth to it. Malcolm eventually got over his drinking problem and returned to the band. During Malcolm's absence, his nephew Stevie
Stevie Young
Stevie Young is the nephew of AC/DC guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young. He is the son of their brother Alex. During the 1988 U.S. tour for AC/DC's album Blow Up Your Video, which started on May 3, 1988, Stevie filled in for Malcolm on rhythm guitar, while Malcolm left to deal with a growing alcohol...
replaced him for a while. It was reported that some fans could not tell Malcolm had been replaced, as Stevie bears a striking resemblance to Malcolm.
Malcolm Young is listed in Who's Who In Australia for 2004-2005.
Legacy and influence
Influenced by 1950s rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-based rock guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s, Malcolm Young is regarded as a leading rock exponent of rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
.
Young is the subject of a song (and album) title by Australian punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Frenzal Rhomb
Frenzal Rhomb
Frenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1992 with mainstay Jason Whalley on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. In 1996, Lindsay McDougall joined the line-up on lead guitar and backing vocals. Two of the group's albums have peaked into the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart, A...
: "Forever Malcolm Young
Forever Malcolm Young
Forever Malcolm Young is the title of the 2006 album from Australian punk band Frenzal Rhomb. It was released in Australia on 14 October 2006, and features 20 of the 27 songs recorded for it....
".
Guitar Player
Guitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
magazine has stated that the secret to Malcolm Young's guitar technique is playing open chords through a series of medium-sized amplifiers set to low volume with little or no gain. This is contrary to a common belief of rock guitarists that rhythm guitar should involve loud and overdriven power chords through large amplifiers.
Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
of Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
stated in a 2004 interview that he considered himself, Young and James Hetfield
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
of Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
to be the best rhythm guitarists in the world.
Equipment
Malcolm Young plays a Red 1963 GretschGretsch
The Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...
Double-cutaway Jet Firebird guitar handed down to him by Harry Vanda, along with elder brother George Young, of Easybeats fame. He calls this guitar "The Beast". The guitar has the neck and middle pickups (the middle was a humbucker which had been added by Malcolm) removed and only the stock Gretsch "Filtertron" bridge pickup remains. For a short time, Young placed socks in the cavities to prevent feedback
Audio feedback
Audio feedback is a special kind of positive feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output...
. Prior to that, he used a white piece of plastic to cover the pick-up cavities.
Part of Malcolm Young's sound is due to his use of heavy gauge Gibson nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
roundwound strings. (.012-.056).http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/how-to-play/jun-05/10142 The heavy strings produce a thicker sound, but don't lend themselves to intricate lead playing, as is the case with the lighter .009-.042 sets used by his brother, Angus
Angus Young
Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician, and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the rock and roll band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003 and is known for his energetic performances,...
.
During the Let There Be Rock
Let There Be Rock
Let There Be Rock is the fourth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in March 1977. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott.It was originally released in Australia on Albert Productions...
era, he stripped off the original Firebird Red finish to the maple top. Also during the "Let There Be Rock Tour", he played a Butterscotch Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
. During the Powerage
Powerage
Powerage is the fifth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in May 1978. It is also AC/DC's fourth international studio album. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Bon Scott....
era, Young again removed the plastic and stuffed socks in the pick-up cavities, and also changed the tailpiece from the stock Burns vibrato to an all-in-one Badass
Badass
Badass is a trade name of Leo Quan, a manufacturer of bridges for guitars and basses. Badass bridges feature individually adjustable saddles, which allows for "extremely accurate intonation adjustments."The Badass came on the market in the 1970s, and was made by entrepreneur and guitar...
bridge, and put a black piece of plastic over the cavity where the original tail-piece was. During the Highway To Hell
Highway to Hell
Highway to Hell can refer to:*Highway to Hell , 1979 album by AC/DC**"Highway to Hell" , the title track from the album*Stairway to Heaven/Highway to Hell*Highway to Hell , a 1992 film starring Chad Lowe and Kristy Swanson...
era, he removed the socks. The guitar stayed like this until 1995, when, during the Ballbreaker
Ballbreaker
Ballbreaker is the 13th Australian and 12th international studio album by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in September 1995. It was the band's first studio album in five years, since The Razors Edge...
tour, he replaced the Badass bridge with the original tailpiece, and removed the pick-up ring for the bridge pick-up. This is how the guitar has been since then.
Malcolm also owned a 1959 Gretsch White Falcon
Gretsch White Falcon
The Gretsch White Falcon is a visually distinctive guitar commercially introduced in 1955 by Gretsch. While it has seen vast and substantial changes to its body shape and features through the years, and is currently offered in several styles, the White Falcon has always maintained a striking and...
that was used during the tours that supported the albums Back in Black
Back in Black
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band....
and For Those About to Rock We Salute You
For Those About to Rock We Salute You
For Those About to Rock We Salute You is the eighth Australian and seventh international studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in 1981. The album was a follow-up to their highly successful album Back in Black. For Those About to Rock has sold over four million copies in the US....
. But he said that after someone 'fixed' it, it lost its distinctive sound, and thus got rid of it. It was sold a few years ago on a rock star items website, along with one of Cliff Williams
Cliff Williams
Clifford Williams is an English bassist and backing vocalist, who has been a member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC since mid-1977. He had started his professional music career in 1967 and was previously in the British groups Home and Bandit. His first studio album with AC/DC was Powerage...
' MusicMan basses
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. He has recently used another Gretsch White Falcon at shows at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
and the Hockenheimring
Hockenheimring
The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix...
on The Black Ice Tour. Also in the 1980s and 1990s Malcolm Young used a Gretsch Pro Jet with Bigsby tail piece mounted on it.
Angus and Malcolm Young both use Marshall amplifiers
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
. The amps stacked behind Malcolm onstage are two original Marshall 100 watt heads, one 1966 JTM45/100 and one late Superbass from the late 1960s or early 1970s. Each head powers two 4 × 12 cabinets. Malcolm also uses custom-made Wizard amps on tour. Malcolm's main amp, since recording Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is the third studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in 1976. All songs were written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott....
in 1976, is a slightly modified Marshall Superbass from the late 1960s or the early 1970s. On Ballbreaker
Ballbreaker
Ballbreaker is the 13th Australian and 12th international studio album by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released in September 1995. It was the band's first studio album in five years, since The Razors Edge...
, he used a Marshall JTM45/100 with KT66s and a high B+ voltage (625 volts). In a recent interview with Marshall Law, Malcolm mentions his two favourite amps: a Superbass and old Super amp (JTM45/100). Also Malcolm used 2 Orange full stacks in London, England on 13 July 1976 while playing "Jailbreak", "Live Wire" and "Can I Sit Next To you Girl," with Bon Scott. While AC/DC were playing at Donington Park in 1991, Malcolm used Mesa Boogie stacks.
On AC/DC's latest album, Black Ice
Black Ice (album)
Black Ice is the 15th Australian and 14th international studio album by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was produced by Brendan O'Brien and released internationally on 17 October 2008. Guitarists Angus Young and Malcolm Young got together in London in 2003 to start composing tracks...
, Malcolm stated that he used AmpliTube software on the tracks "Big Jack" and "Anything Goes".
From 1995 through to early 2011, Gretsch produced Malcolm Young signature model guitars in single and dual pickup configurations.