IS AC/DC RECORDING NEW MATERIAL WITH SINGER BRIAN JOHNSON?
Nick Reilly of NME reports:
AC/DC are rumoured to be working on new music with former frontman Brian Johnson and ex-drummer Phil Rudd, after the pair were spotted together in Vancouver.
Johnson was forced to leave the band in 2016 after suffering hearing loss, before being replaced by Axl Rose. Rudd, meanwhile, departed in 2015 after a string of publicized legal problems.
But it seems that the classic line-up could be getting together once more after the pair were spotted in the Canadian city, where the rock icons have recorded all their albums over the last two decades.
A photo posted on Twitter shows Johnson and Rudd relaxing outside the city’s Warehouse Studios – and it’s claimed that the rest of the band are in tow too.
Vancouver website The Straight claims to have been contacted by a local who spoke to Stevie Young – the nephew of guitarist Angus Young.
“The guy tells me that he had a quick chat with a couple of members of AC/DC in downtown Vancouver this morning”, The Straight’s Steve Newton claimed.
“One of the rockers that he talked to was Stevie Young, Angus Young’s nephew, who took over the rhythm-guitar spot in AC/DC from Angus’s brother Malcolm in 2014 when Mal started suffering from the health problems, including dementia, that he would succumb to last November.
…the other rocker my source talked to was none other than, get this: Phil Rudd. Yes, Phil Rudd, the longtime AC/DC drummer who was himself replaced behind the kit by Chris “Thunderstruck” Slade in 2015 for the band’s Rock or Bust World Tour.”
The only stumbling block in the story so far seems to be the apparent absence of guitarist Angus Young…
source: nme.com
I hope it’s true, but how do we know this isn’t a photo from 2014?
Rudd had long hair during the Rock or Bust recording sessions.
As an AC/DC fan this doesnt make me real happy, if true. Even without the hearing issues, Brian’s voice and stage presence was declining through the years. Brian is the nicest guy I’ve ever been able to spend time with, but age is a battle very few can win. With the loss of Malcolm, chances are it’ll be another snoozefest like Rock or Bust with Angus’ usual songwriting. I thought Axl could at least add some grit and attitude to the songs, even more so of Angus actually let him help write lyrics. In a perfect world this would allow Axl time to sort through songs for his own band, but probability is just extra time on the couch and in the pool until Slash and Duff are done with their own stuff.
I used to drive through that area where the studio is all the time, but stopped because of all the jaywalking junkies. It’s in the worst part of Vancouver, probably all of Canada.
I’m dying to know if this is true, so I’ll risk making that part of my route again. Can’t commit to walking the back alleys for a quick shot of the boys on a smoke break though. Way too risky in that neighbourhood.
note: photo of brian and phil was actually taken in Germany outside a nursing home.