10 Most Underrated Guitarists Of All Time
1. Malcolm Young
Of course all the attention’s going to go to Angus. The diminutive lead guitarist wields his SG like a pitchfork, fingertapping and soloing like a maniac. He’s dressed like a schoolboy, for God’s sake. Obviously all eyes are going to be on him.
The heart of AC/DC, though? That would be older brother Malcolm, whose pounding riffs were the foundations for nearly 40 years of Aussie rock. They weren’t a band big on variety, but the beauty of Malcolm’s riffs was how distinguishable they were from one another, even if they were of a piece, to put it mildly.
He’s one of the all time great rhythm guitarists, keeping the songs together along with the rest of the rhythm section to allow Angus and Bon Scott, later Brian Johnson, to strut their stuff with impunity.
His passing in 2017 was met with great sadness, particularly in the world of rock and roll - he was a guitarist’s guitarist, the kind of low key figure who makes everyone else look great through impeccable timing and an unselfish stage presence. And that’s without even getting into the songs and riffs he wrote. A quiet colossus in rock.