Angus Young (left) and Bon Scott of AC/DC in 1976, courtesy Getty Images.
Do you remember eons ago when Aussie rock maulers AC/DC were considered wicked and likely to corrupt the healthy minds of fans? Seems almost impossible now, doesn’t it, especially given that the wee musicians (and trust us, they are physically tiny) seem almost like caricatures of what rock stars should be.
Well, an ultra-rare tour program from the band’s bad old days – which was issued only in Australia and banned for allegedly being inflammatory – has just fetched a staggering $1,500 U.S. on eBay. Described by the seller (with suitable hyperbole) as a “Holy Grail AC/DC collectible,” the program from 1976 depicts AC/DC at their evil zenith.
As Ultimate Classic Rock notes the book was issued during the band’s 20-show A Giant Dose of Rock & Roll tour. Apparently, a few shows into the tour the program “was withdrawn forcibly by the authorities because the powers that be deemed AC/DC to be a threat to the social morals of Australia’s youth.
"A certain minister of the Australian parliament denounced the band as ‘a cause for the moral decline in the nation’s youth.’”
Hahaha. Seriously, like I said, doesn’t that just seem unimaginable now?
Anyway as UCR adds, “a politically incorrect quote on then-bassist Mark Evans’ page detailing what he wished to do with Rod Stewart's then-wife Brit Eklund, combined with the negativity generated due to guitarist Angus Young’s strip/moon routine, bred enough high voltage to shut the presses down. The tour program was pulled immediately and all production was stopped on making future copies.”
And so there you have it. Strangely, the eBay seller, who claims to be an AC/DC mega-fan, says he has searched for this item for ages and has only ever found this one, which begs the question: so why on Earth is he selling it? Especially since original singer Bon Scott (R.I.P.) was still going strong… weird.
Anyway, just shows that anything can be worth lots to someone who covets it.
Classic !!!
Posted by: Mark | 06/23/2012 at 10:51 PM