Tag: Malcolm Young

Bringing a Western Beat to Japan

by Kangaeroo • February 22, 2023

Shonen Knife covers Acca Dacca’s Who Made Who

For some reason, Japanese artists covering Western songs has also held something of a fascination for me.

I’m not really attuned to hit charts, nor really have been.

And music isn’t one of my great loves, though I have an appreciation for pretty much any type of tune.

Perhaps my liking for the out-of-the-ordinary stems from the Aussie DNA, which seems to have a likeness for the novelty song, with national and international No. 1 hits during my lifetime Down Under including the likes of I’ve Been Everywhere, A Pub with No Beer, A Redback on the Toilet Seat, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport, Rak Off Normie, The Newcastle Song, Farewell, Aunty Jack, C’mon Aussie C’mon, Shaddup You Face and Australiana, and, of course, rockin’ Sister Janet Mead, the Catholic nun who parlayed a funky Lord’s Prayer into becoming a global sensation, to name but a handful. Even AC/DC, Australia’s most successful act in history in terms of record sales, started off as something of a comic band with Angus Young wearing his schoolboy outfit and songs such as The Jack and She’s Got Balls.

Last weekend I fell into a rabbit hole of Japanese artists’ covers of Western songs, which I planned to write up.

Then, as I delved deeper and found out more, I branched out into those covering in Japanese, those in the original language (mostly English) and those mixing two or more languages.

That led down an even deeper hole where my focus got switched to Japanese artists’ covers of Australian artists.

And, typically, now I have run out of time before I can find enough focus to stick to the original topic, so it’s bits and pieces of everything and nothing really clear.

I can at least take solace by being on brand in that regard, anyway!

But if I can manage to consistently update this blog in the future in a way I haven’t been able to for the past nine years, there will be a lot more related matter on this topic.

Beat Crusaders cover Acca Dacca’s Thunderstruck (Unfortunately, the video is only viewable outside of Japan)

If you absolutely want to, you might be able to view the link from inside Japan by clicking here.

Oz Rock Legend Malcolm Young Dies 　豪ロック伝説的な人マルコム・ヤング氏が死去

by Kangaeroo • November 19, 2017

Rock legend Malcolm Young, co-founder of Australia’s biggest ever band AC/DC, has died. He was 64.
　オーストラリア最大ロックバンドであるAC/DCの伝説的な共同創立者のマルコム・ヤング氏が死去した。64歳だった。
Young formed AC/DC in 1973 with his younger brother, Angus, who remains the only original member of the band still playing.
　1973年にヤング氏は弟であり現在バンドの唯一オリジナルメンバーとして現役のアンガスと共にAC/DCを結成した。
Young played rhythm guitar for AC/DC until he left the band in 2014 to receive treatment for dementia.
　2014年に認知症の治療を受けるためバンドを退会するまでヤング氏がAC/DCのリズム・ギターを担当した。
He had overcome lung cancer, heart problems and alcoholism.
　肺癌、心臓病やアルコール依存症を克服していた。
Young was described as the driving force behind AC/DC, which has sold about 200 million albums, making it among the best-selling artists of all time.
　売れた音楽家の一つとしてAC/DCが約2億枚もアルバムを売上げ、ヤング氏のバンドの原動力と言われた。
AC/DC toured Japan early in the Brian Johnson era, visiting in 1981 and again the following year. However, the band didn’t tour again until 2001. Acca Dacca last played Japan in 2010, Malcolm Young’s final tour with the band.
　AC/DCはブライアン・ジョンソン氏時代初期頃に来日がした。1981年、そして翌年82年にも来日ツアーが行ったものの次にツアーしたのは2001年となった。最後に来日したのはマルコム氏のバンド最後のツアーでもあった2010年だった。
The Youngs’ elder brother, George, died last month. He had produced the early AC/DC albums and been a member of The Easybeats, one of Australia’s first rock bands to achieve global success.
　ヤング兄弟の兄であったジョージ氏も先月死去した。同氏はAC/DC初期頃のアルバムをプロデューサーだったし、それ以前に最初に世界の舞台で成功したオーストラリアのバンドの一つであったジ・イージービーツのメンバーでもあった。
1981 Japan Tour