Name______

69. AC/DC (1973 – present)

Malcom Young (1953 - ), Angus Young (1955 - ), Mark Evans (1956 - ), Phil Rudd (1954 - ), Brian Johnson (1947 - ), Bon Scott (1946 – 80)

For three decades AC/DC has reigned as one of the best-loved and hardest-rocking bands in the world. Featuring guitarist Angus Young as their visual symbol and musical firebrand, they grew from humble origins in Australia to become an arena-filling phenomenon with worldwide popularity. They did so without gimmickry, except for Angus’s schoolboy uniform, which became mandatory stage attire. From the beginning they have been a straight-ahead, no-frills rock and roll band that aimed for the gut. “We’ve never pulled any punches,” vocalist Brian Johnson has said. “We just play music that’s fun and simple--the way our audience likes it.”

Listen to: Back In Black

As you listen to the music, answer the following questions. Short answers are fine.

  • What are the instruments used to make the music? Name as many as you can.
  • How does this music make me feel?
  • Is there a singer? If yes, are they male or female?
  • In what genre does this music best fit?

70. Bruce Springsteen (1949 - present)

Bruce Springsteen ranks alongside such rock and roll figureheads as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Just as those artists shaped popular music, Springsteen served as a pivotal figure in its evolution with his rise to prominence in the mid-Seventies. Early on, he was touted as one of several heirs to Bob Dylan’s mantle. All of these would-be “new Dylans"-who also included Loudon Wainwright, John Prine and Elliott Murphy-rose above the hype, but Springsteen soared highest, catapulting himself to fame on the unrestrained energy of his live shows, the evocative power of his songwriting, and the direct connection he forged with his listeners. Springsteen lifted rock and roll from its early Seventies doldrums, providing continuity and renewal at a point when it was sorely in need of both. During a decade in which disco, glam-rock, heavy-metal and arena-rock provided different forms of escape into fantasy, Springsteen restored a note of urgency and realism to the rock and roll landscape. Each painstakingly crafted album since his 1973 debut, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., has served as a literate pulse-taking of a generation’s fortunes. As a live performer, he offers himself as a “prisoner” of the music he loves, and each concert has been played as if it might be his last.
Listen to: Born To Run

As you listen to the music, answer the following questions. Short answers are fine.

  • What are the instruments used to make the music? Name as many as you can.
  • How does this music make me feel?
  • Is there a singer? If yes, are they male or female?
  • In what genre does this music best fit?