Credit: Far Out / Harry Potts / Alamy / Joan Sorolla
Thu 21 May 2026 20:00, UK
Look, you’re currently reading the words of one of the biggest AC/DC fans in the world, so this list was incredibly difficult to write.
It was my dad who introduced me to the Australian rockers, and I haven’t looked back since. Their music is such a weird combination of a source of comfort as well as a desire to join the nearest mosh pit. At the heart of the band’s quality, without a shadow of a doubt, are the exceptional riffs of both Angus and Malcom Young.
“A little bit of a twist,” that’s what Angus Young called it. When he was talking about his brother’s work on ‘Bad Boy Boogie’, Angus admitted he loved it because of that twist that Malcolm added: “[It] has got a flavour because it’s got a little bit of a twist in it. It sounds easy, but Malcolm had a little twist that I don’t think many could do […] How clever was he to do that? I still play it just for the fact that he just changed that little note around.”
That’s what makes all of their songs great. AC/DC aren’t a band which uses a huge selection of chords, but with every song, no matter how limited the library might be, they add inflexions, rhythm and melody that ensures each track is separate from the last. It’s unbelievable, really. However, let’s be real, the band have released 17 albums, and amongst them, it’s inevitable you’re going to come across a bad riff here and there.
You can twist things the wrong way, you know? These are five instances when the band slightly missed the mark with their riff writing, and it led to the creation of guitar lines that we’re better off without.
Five AC/DC riffs that shouldn’t exist: ADD AS A PREFERRED SOURCE ON GOOGLE 