Time for Chris Slade's return....

 

I am 39 years old and here I am writing about a band member. I feel foolish for writing about something as silly as who will or who will not play drums for AC/DC. Then, I think about people half again as old as me getting all lathered up over politics, and then I tell myself that I’m not so silly after all!

Phil Rudd has been a mess for some time. When he came back to the band in the mid 1990’s, I at first thought it was cool, until I listened to their “Ballbreaker” album. Other than a few tracks, that album stunk. They tried their hand at some blues, which AC/DC did well with on “Powerage”, but there was something missing this time around. It didn’t take me long to figure it out. It was the drums. Phil’s drumming style has progressively become lazier. If you listen to albums from the 1970’s and listen to the “Ballbreaker” album, tell me that you can’t hear a difference in drums compared to “The Razor’s Edge”.

Drums are the salt of the song. They can either make the song bland and sometimes they can overpower it. And just like salt, the drums are often the most under-appreciated and misunderstood ingredient in music. Just as in cooking, finding the right balance is essential. My palate says Phil Rudd has gone stale, and Chris Slade is a tad salty, but I prefer a tad extra salt over blandness.

“Stiff Upper Lip” wasn’t much better. I didn’t like that album at all. It was more than just drumming that was flat on that album.

“Black Ice” was better. Phil only sounded alive on the song “War Machine”. Other than that, it still had a flat, lazy sound at drums.

I must admit that Phil sounded better on “Rock or Bust”. However, he still has a loose sound that I don’t like. Contrast his drumming on “Rock or Bust” with his drumming in the 1970’s, and he sounds tired today. When you see Phil on video, he looks tired. He isn’t smiling. He looks like he ashing his cigarette all over his snare drum head. Hell, he’s starting to look like a crumpled cigarette butt himself. I have read where some people say that it doesn’t matter what he looks like. Wrong. Ask any performer who is anybody, and they’ll tell you that stage presence is very important. There are articles written on the issue. Why should Phil be exempt?

One of the things AC/DC has loved to point out is that in the beginning, they’d get better response from the crowd than bands who were billed higher than them, because as opposed to just standing still and playing, you had Angus running all over the place, and of course, Bon just seethed personality. AC/DC put on a better show than other bands partly based upon the visual aspect of the show. KISS knows this too. That’s why KISS puts on such a visual show. If you have the music and the visual show both kicking ass, it’s hard to go wrong.

One area where AC/DC have been faltering is in the visual part of the show. Bells, trains, cannons, and blow up dolls aside, it’s only Angus that provides the show anymore. Sure, Brian is an excellent front man. He isn’t Bon Scott when it comes to stage presence. Cliff and Malcolm, now Stevie, do their part by taking their positions at drums right and left, then coming out in unison for the chorus, and returning in unison when they’re done singing. They could just as easily put the microphones where they stand, but even the subtlety of their taking a few steps forward and back adds to the stage theatrics.

Then there are the drums. Look at the old footage of Phil Rudd. While he’s always used what I call a closed drum set, meaning that he surrounds himself with drums and cymbals to the point that he’s hard to see, on video, he used to smile and get into the music. He looked happy. That’s not to say that he’s not happy today playing drums, but his stage presence today is abysmal. I don’t give a damn if he is the greatest drummer in the world. He puts on a terrible show visually. Why go to a concert if not for the visual aspect of the show? You could just sit to home and enjoy the band audibly or just wait for another live album if you like the crowd noise and expanded solos. If you want to be around other people enjoying the music at the same time you are, you could go to a bar on a Friday or Saturday night and drop your dollars in the jukebox or just have a party and play the albums. You go to a concert for a whole range of experiences, and Phil looks like shit. He doesn’t add to the visual experience. Sure, there are lots of lights, a big bell, a blow up doll, and other effects, but that’s like using a dildo to satisfy your wife because you can’t cut the mustard anymore.

Contrast this with Chris Slade. “The Razor’s Edge” was the biggest album sales wise for AC/DC since “For Those About to Rock”. It is critically the best received album since as well. Chris Slade made that album sound tight. Some complained that he played too fast. At last check, AC/DC are a rock and roll band. Rock and Roll is supposed to be fast. Do you want a waltz? With the exception of “Love Song” “Crabsody in Blue” and “Ride On”, where is the slow drumming on the older albums? Phil used to keep a fast tempo. Phil used to have a tight sound. When Phil came back from his 12 year absence, he wasn’t the same guy.

Chris has top notch stage presence. In fact, with the loss of Bon Scott, Chris helps add where Brian falls short. Chris uses what I call an open drum set. He sets it up in such a way that you can easily see him while he plays. When Chris plays, he smiles. That’s very important. He gets into the music. He looks like he’s having the best time of his life. He adds tremendously to stage presence. If you watch “Live at Donington”, you’ll see where Chris and Angus play off of each other and make for one hell of a show. I haven’t seen Angus do this with Phil.

Chris is a better drummer than Phil. Some say that Phil is the best drummer for AC/DC. Do you mean a lazy drummer fits AC/DC the best? Some people say nobody hits the drums as hard as Phil. How can you tell the difference in an album? I think people say this cliché stuff because it sounds good, not because it really means anything. When Jimmy Page put together a band called The Firm, who did he turn to? Chris Slade. Think about that for a moment - Jimmy Page, the man who played with arguably one of the best drummers to ever assault a kit, John Bonham, wanted none other than Chris Slade. Chris had even committed to another job that would prevent him from joining The Firm and Jimmy Page decided that he wanted Chris enough that he chose to wait a whole year, just so that he could have Chris Slade play drums for him. That’s how good Chris is. Chris Slade has played with more A-list bands and musicians than Rudd could ever dream of. Not to detract from Rudd’s years with AC/DC, which does account for something – Chris has played with countless musicians and played many different styles. Chris has a deeper repertoire. Chris understands everything about stage presence. When you see Chris playing, whether for The Firm, Manfred Mann, or AC/DC, he puts on a show. Visually, he’s a stunning drummer. Elvis even wanted Chris Slade to play for him. That’s a fact! You don’t get picked by Jimmy Page and Elvis unless you are a top shelf drummer. Chris is a world class drummer. They don't come any better qualified.

Some have complained that Chris has been relegated to playing in a cover band lately. Bullshit. The Chris Slade Timeline isn’t a cover band because Chris isn’t playing covers. He’s playing songs that he has been involved with personally over the course of his 50 year career. Instead of sitting on his ass and flying helicopters or herding sheep, Chris decided to spend his time continuing his love of music and playing drums.

If Phil honestly is so great, then why didn’t anyone come looking for Phil to come play for them when he left AC/DC in 1983? The only band who obviously wanted him was AC/DC. Chris Slade, on the other hand, frequently plays with other bands. Hell, even Simon Wright has no problem playing with other bands.

Finally, Chris Slade is a gentleman. He has been a tremendous ambassador for AC/DC. He never speaks ill of them. He only builds them up in interviews. His love for AC/DC is evident. I don’t think it has anything to do with money. Phil, on the other hand, has this entitlement mentality when it comes to the band. He brags about how much money he spends on cars and hookers. I can see why he needs to tour and make money. His lifestyle means he needs huge influxes of cash. He put out a solo album and complained that he had to do something because the band wasn’t putting out an album. It doesn’t sound like he consulted with Angus or Malcolm on this. I could be wrong, but that’s the impression I get. Phil is stuck on himself. He’s an asshole to others, including his employees. Unlike every other band member, Phil Rudd isn’t humble. He has obviously been upset that he has had to stay quiet in the band because in interviews he mentions that people think he’s stupid because he doesn’t speak. Geeze, Cliff Williams hasn’t said much either, yet nobody claims that Cliff is stupid. In fact, in the band’s off time, rather than being a dickhead to employees and fornicating with prostitutes, Cliff and Brian did the “Classic Rock Cares” tour in 2007. If you really look at it, Chris Slade’s personality fits better with the other members of AC/DC than Phil Rudd’s. What Phil Rudd has that Chris Slade doesn’t is tenure. Chris Slade admits that the guys in AC/DC are extremely loyal. It sounds like they are loyal to a fault. Truthfully, I think Phil Rudd has done more harm to AC/DC than good these past 20 years.

I don’t know what AC/DC is going to do when it comes to drums. One thing that I do not like about AC/DC is their secretive nature. They’re like the dictatorship of North Korea in that regard. They are so tight lipped about things that it leaves everyone to speculate and be frustrated. That’s not to say that they should air all their dirty laundry out, but obviously, there’s a code in the band that you don’t say anything publicly without permission, and whoever grants that permission is really stingy on what they allow to be said. Even right now, the day after Christmas, Chris Slade on his “Chris Slade Timeline” Facebook page is mum about AC/DC. He doesn't seem to want to touch the subject with a 10 foot pole. He won’t even say if he’s spoken to anyone in the band regarding the situation. It’s uncanny.

They may not even go with Slade. Whatever the case may be, it appears that they’re going to try and make the change as quietly as possible. Guess what? That’s pretty difficult when you’re one of the top bands in the world. That’s like having a top level change in the United States government quietly. People are bound to notice.

Instead, rumors are running rampant on the internet about what the band is going to do about their drumming position. They say they care about the fans, yet they choose to leave them in the dark. Bands like Metallica have perfected the art of keeping their fans informed on what is going on regarding the band. AC/DC could stand to take some notes. This isn’t the 1970’s, 1980’s, or 1990’s anymore. People are connected like never before. People don’t get their information from a month old magazine sitting on a store shelf. Now, people get, and expect their information in near real time. AC/DC must know this, but they don't seem to like it. AC/DC acts like someone who sticks with cassette tapes because they don’t want to switch to CDs. They were one of the last holdouts when it came to selling their music digitally.

This isn’t even a situation like Malcolm’s dementia. While Phil’s battle with whatever it is that’s messing him up may be personal, he has made it public. The previous two paragraphs detail why. In today’s day and age, it doesn’t take much to get yourself in the news, especially if you’re famous. Phil doesn’t seem to have a good grasp of this reality. Chris Slade seems to understand this. I haven’t found any scandals, past or present, surrounding Chris Slade.

The question now becomes, who will be AC/DC’s next drummer? When will the band choose to announce it? Will the change be permanent or temporary?

Phil quit being AC/DC’s best drummer back in the 1980’s. When he came back, he was never the same. Like the fat incarnation Elvis, he has almost been a mockery of his former self. Chris Slade on the other hand has never quit loving the band. He has the right mindset and works as hard as anyone on drums. I’d be surprised if Chris ever did anything to damage the band’s reputation. In 50 years, he hasn't done anything to damage the reputation of any band that he's been in. He is a true professional, and he's humble. While it’s true that he’s no Phil Rudd, even the old, top notch Phil - that doesn't mean that he's subpar to Phil. He's just different. Just as Brian Johnson and Bon Scott are two different people, giving the band two different sounds, AC/DC with Chris Slade at the drum set is every bit as good, albeit different, from the band with Phil at drums. He’s certainly better than Phil in his current condition. Chris has publicly stated in interviews that he loves to tour. Phil has had troubles showing up for recording and promotion. You can't have a concert schedule with someone who you cannot count on to be there. Chris wins over Phil hands down in this respect. If AC/DC were to choose Chris, they wouldn't have to worry about their drummer any more. Reliability has to account for something.

This essay is only valid until AC/DC announces their next drummer. Their choice may even be someone not on the radar today. As of right now, Chris Slade is my first pick as their drummer. It remains to be seen who Angus picks.

It’s time that Angus put Slade back behind the drum kit and leave him there. Even if Phil cleans himself up, he twice put the band in a pinch. Slade has never done that. Slade has been as loyal to AC/DC as AC/DC have been to Phil. It would be refreshing to see AC/DC do right by Slade for all he has done for them over the years.