Keith Richards has devoted so much of his life to The Rolling Stones that it’s little surprise he hasn’t had much time to enjoy anyone else. He is the gang’s leader, and he has never displayed any soppy vulnerabilities, such as enjoying The Beatles, The Band, The Bee Gees, or nearly anyone save the devil himself, Robert Johnson.
However, there was one band that the Stones met while on tour that he couldn’t stop admiring. While Prince may not have worked well as a supporting act, with Richards later referring to him as a “overrated midget,” he was thoroughly enchanted by Australian rockers AC/DC when they met live in Sydney. Their simplicity and force appealed to Richards, who has always preferred feeling over flashy intricacy.
Ahead of three major gigs in Australia in 2002, Richards devised a plan to invite a couple of Australia’s favourite sons to rehearsal, which Angus and Malcolm Young accepted. They endeared themselves not only with their similar laissez-faire attitude, but also with the allure of their dual guitar work. “Being a guitarist is one thing; being a guitarist with another guitarist is quite another. It’s not two guitars; it’s five, six, ten,” Richards explained.
The Rolling Stones frontman stated that the duo captured this cohesive power and the chemistry that can result from it. Richards has always prioritized this, whether he’s performing with Ron Wood, Mick Taylor, Brian Jones, or anyone else who has ventured to connect with him. He described this as the success at the heart of AC/DC, saying on the Four Licks tour DVD, “There are bands that you can’t tell who is doing what.” Angus and Malcolm, you know Angus is going to play the lead, but their chemistry is always stunning.
He has admired them on the festival circuit for years, with Charlie Watts adding: “They’re terrific at festivals, maybe the greatest at it, I believe. I know Keith has always enjoyed AC/DC.” Seeing them firsthand just added to the charm. “Bless their hearts; they are great little bundle of energy,” Richards was saying.
Unfortunately, Angus Young wasn’t as complimentary in response. Richards admitted to Classic Rock some years ago that he would “yawn my head off” if he had to sit through a Rolling Stones concert. “The Rolling Stones do soul music these days, and this is meant to be rock ‘n’ roll. “Leave it to the experts,” he said. He considered the pioneers “Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard” to be the best players.
While he appreciated the days when the band stayed true to the blues-influenced pioneers, he had little patience for what came after. “They must have progressed the wrong way,” he remarked, cuttingly. “I’ll tell you when it stopped getting good—when The Rolling Stones released ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ and ‘Street Fighting Man’. Beyond that, there is nothing.” Perhaps this is why he has never sought to ‘advance’ with AC/DC, saying, “A lot of people say that we make the same album eleven times. In fact, they are lying. It’s actually been 12 times.
Sorry, Keith, the joint cover of ‘Rock Me Baby’ may have lit Sydney on fire, but the feeling is not reciprocated.
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