Led by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, AC/DC showed the world in the 1970s that Rock and Roll was alive and well. They were part of an incredible generation of bands that gave the genre some of its greatest albums and influenced countless musicians in the decades that followed.
Over the years, many of Angus and Malcolm’s peers have shared their thoughts on them and on AC/DC, including legendary Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry.
Joe Perry’s opinion on AC/DC and Angus Young
Joe Perry has been a huge fan of AC/DC ever since he listened to the band for the first time in the 1970s. During the past decades he went to see them play multiple times and even listed “Highway to Hell” as one of his favorite albums of all time. “When I need to wake up, I put on one of AC/DC’s first three albums. As a band, they took Rock ‘N’ Roll down to its essence without being too cheesy or over-the-top. Their theatrics are genuine.”
“The music has this honesty to it. You get the feeling they are just five guys in a room playing and getting off on it. That’s what a great record does,” he told Best Life Online in 2018.
When it comes to AC/DC’s later albums, his favorite is “Powerage” (1978), which was also mentioned by Keith Richards and Eddie Van Halen as one they loved. Perry said that this record captures the essence of Rock music and that Angus, of whom he is a big fan, was amazing on every guitar solo.
“All the early records with Bon Scott are great. ‘Powerage’ is definitely one of my favourites. To me, it perfectly distilled everything that I like about rock’n’roll down to its essence. As a guitar player, obviously I’m going to be drawn in by the riffs and the way Angus just tore it up on every solo. But then you listen to Bon’s story-telling and that’s just wonderful.”
He continued:
“People will know Highway To Hell and Back In Black because they’re the albums with the big radio songs. But there’s so many great, great songs on Powerage. People who’re really into AC/DC understand that ‘Powerage’ is a classic album, a milestone. With each album that came out they were refining their basic sound. They weren’t trying to invent anything new. By the time they reached ‘Powerage’ the songs were just getting better and better,” he told Classic Rock in 2021.
During the same conversation, the Aerosmith guitarist said that “Powerage” is in his vinyl collection and that although he listens to it all the time, it never loses its power. “It’s a brilliant record, just pure Rock’n’Roll. It will never age.”
Some of the most famous tracks from that album are “Rock N’ Roll Damnation”, “Down Payment Blues”, “Riff Raff” and “Sin City”. The album reached the position number 26 on the United Kingdom charts. But it was number 133 on the United States Billboard 200. But they would really reach a huge audience with the release of their two most famous albums “Highway To Hell” (1979) and “Back In Black” (1980).
AC/DC was Aerosmith’s opening act in 1977 and Perry was “blown away” by them
The brothers Malcolm and Angus Young have always been extremely grateful to Aerosmith for the support they gave AC/DC when the band was still trying to break into the American market. The Boston group took them under their wing and brought them on the road as their opening act and that tour was extremely important for their career. This support was the main reason why the brothers invited Steven Tyler to induct them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. During his speech, the singer said that “AC/DC is the ultimate middle finger aimed at the establishment”.
AC/DC went on the road with them in 1977 during their “Draw the Line” tour. Joe Perry recalled that he was “blown away” seeing them play live and has stated that they are his favorite opening act Aerosmith ever had.
“AC/DC, without a doubt (was the best). Guns N’ Roses was really good, but they were kind of, I could see them as being more of an extension of the kind of style of Rock and Roll that we were doing. But AC/DC had taken it and boiled it down to the real basic, no-questions-asked hard rock. When Bon Scott got out there and started singing, you believed every word he said.”
He continued:
“And they were a bunch of little guys from Australia who had this incredibly huge sound. You just knew that they were going to be at the top of the charts in a really short time. I used to go down and watch them play all the time. I mean, they were incredible. And I still think they’re one of the best bands in the world,” he told Examiner in 2014. Besides Angus and Malcolm, the band was also formed back then by Cliff Williams, Phil Rudd and Bon Scott.
Joe Perry wishes Aerosmith had written more songs like AC/DC
When speaking with Rick Beato, Joe Perry said he wished Aerosmith could have written more songs like AC/DC. But according to him, the band’s songwriting style prevented them from doing so. “I love AC/DC. I wish we could write a shitload more songs like that. But the band takes its own course,” he said in 2025.
Although he enjoyed seeing Axl Rose front the band, he believes the band needs Johnson on vocals. However, in his opinion, the real frontman of AC/DC is Angus Young. He has always been impressed by how the guitarist kept performing with the same stamina throughout his entire career.
Interestingly, one of the first major concerts Metallica’s James Hetfield ever attended was Aerosmith, with AC/DC as the opening act. The show took place at the Long Beach Arena in California.