In a new interview with Australia’s ABC, AC/DC guitarist Angus Young confirmed that his late brother, founding AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, was posthumously involved in the making of the band’s long-awaited comeback album, “Power Up”. Malcolm, who died three years ago from effects of dementia at age 64, is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on “Power Up”.
“A lot of the ideas Malcolm and myself had through the years,” Angus said. “They were ideas that the two of us together had worked on. At the time we always said, ‘Oh yeah, we got to get to that’. We always put aside the songs that we always thought were good AC/DC-style songs. So, with this album, it was a case of, ‘All right, I’ll go through and get a lot of those ideas the two of us worked on that we always believed should have gone out there as AC/DC tracks.'”
Even though the riff ideas that eventually made it to “Power Up” had been set aside by the Young brothers over many years, Angus is confident about their quality.
“I can think of a few [that are] probably from the ’90s,” Angus said. “At the time there were good, strong ideas. I mean, a lot of them I’ve remembered in my head and I’ve always at some point said ‘Oh, we’ve got to get to that track, and that track.'”
Angus went on to say that he has “a few boxes” of ideas from writing sessions with his brother that didn’t make it to their past records.
“We did a lot of stuff together over the years,” he said. “A lot of stuff we would say ‘That’s definitely an AC/DC track, that one’s gonna work, this is gonna work’.”
Malcolm, who co-founded AC/DC with Angus in 1973, died in November 2017 after failing health for several years. His condition forced him to leave the band in 2014, with his nephew Stevie Young stepping into Malcolm‘s position.
“Power Up” is due on November 13. The follow-up to 2014’s “Rock Or Bust” was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O’Brien, who also worked 2008’s “Black Ice” and “Rock Or Bust”.
“Power Up” will be available in multiple configurations, including digital, CD, and deluxe versions. The limited edition, one-of-a-kind deluxe “Power Up” box is the ultimate fan package. Hit the button on the side of the box and watch the flashing neon AC/DC logo light up while the opening bars of “Shot In The Dark” blast out of the built-in speaker. Inside the box is the full CD package in a soft-pack with a 20-page booklet that features exclusive photos and USB charging cable allowing the box to remain powered up and on display. The vinyl LP will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket. Limited-edition variants of the LP will be available at select retailers nationwide, as well as the band’s online store. The album will be available on all digital platforms.
