I finally listened to an Yngwie Malmsteen/Rising Force album today

Excellent.

 

Who are you thinking of? The closest analogue (outside the fusion scene) would probably be Eddie van Halen, and his playing served the songs in ways Yngwie rarely does.

 

Yeah, it's a shame that these threads typically de-evolve into either jokes about his weight balooning or how unoriginal he is. How he doesn't play with feeling (like I am sure they do.) How he is a Blackmore clone.

And this complete disdain for anyone with such an impressive techinal mastery of the instrument, rather than recycling the same, tired blues licks that everyone and their mom plays. Yeah, he sucks. "Noodling crap" indeed.

I didn't know there was an Andy Pearce remastered set of the Polydor years. I have the original cds/vinyl for all of them, so not sure I need them. It's good to hear it's a good mastering with high dynamic range though, very encouraging.

 

I have rising force & a best of. Have seen him live.
I wouldn't be a huge fan of the vocal songs....but I think he is incredibly talented.
Listen to far beyond the sun from rising force, He's 20 years old. Its amazing playing.

 

Here's the very first track on his very first album. As you can hear, right off the bat he came into the scene as a completely mindless shredder. I mean, there's isn't the slightest trace of soul on this, not a drop of feeling on this track. In fact, don't play it, don't listen to it, don't even try!

 

Obviously that is merely a subjective opinion.
I like Van Halen, but personally I don't see that Eddie's leads serve the songs any more than Vai or Malmsteen.
Most of Vai's stuff is instrumental anyway, and isn't in the same category of the Van Halen catalog which is mainly commercial rock/metal whatever the preferred terminology.

 

Page, Alvin Lee, John McLaughlin, Van Halen, Jan Akkerman .... great guitarists, not knocking them, but all tended towards flashy lead guitar, but get judged in a completely different light

 

He isn't... just like Lennon and McCartney followed in Elvis' footsteps, before Epstein cleaned them up, Malmsteen was influenced by Blackmore, nothing more, nothing less... but it is mainly a timing issue. So many folks have drawn a line in the sand whereby nothing after 197? Is of any value, because it was all just so much better in the good old days lol

 

Lol

 

Cracks me up that he uses his middle initial on that album cover, as if we were going to confuse him with all the other musicians named Yngwie Malmsteen.

 

Ok, so here is Yngwie jamming on Bach's adagio .... and someone not really listening could well say, it's just shredding.... that says more about the listener than the musician.
The phrasing is exquisite, and Yngwie's trills, vibrato and execution are not purely shredding, they are beautiful. If someone hates this kind of music, that's fine, but don't just vomit some ridiculous nonsense that it is emotionless crap, it is simply that you don't like it.

 

I liked him from the get go, but rarely listen to him now. Perhaps your tastes have changed by waiting so long. He's a take it or leave it kind of music for me. Rock Orchestra music to me, as his parents were very heavy into Classical music.

His 1st 3 LPs were killer for me.

 

Have it on CD & you're right, great album.

 

Yep. Seen him live 4 times, he never disappoints. Amazing guitarist.

 

I interviewed Yngwie in the bar of a swanky Central Park South hotel for the War To End All Wars album. It was just as Spinal Tap as you'd expect it to be. Leather pants, silk shirt half buttoned, sunglasses in the dark...the whole deal. As I was waiting my turn one of the bar patrons asked who it was. He seemed unimpressed. Highlights of the interview: I asked if the advance copy of the album I had was unmixed because it sounded muddy to me, he got mad and said no and that I was wrong. I asked who played bass, he said 'I did, I play so fast the speaker cone on the amp can't keep up with me.' When asked about contemporary Swedish folk music he said, 'what the Hell do I know about that, I live in Florida.'

At one point he demanded a bowl of pretzels, or more accurately a bowl of the snack mix with everything but the pretzels removed. Then he decided he was done and walked away. His PR guy tried calling after him, but he just put up his hand and walked out of the bar. Oh Yngwie...

 

Yea, he certainly wouldn't be the easiest interview lol.... he's a strange guy for sure, but an excellent musician

 

Ever read his book? According to him, his old manager stole millions from him & his now wife, realized it & there was a huge fight about it. I dont think he ever saw a dime of that $$$. He also loves Ferraris & has like 8 of them.

I hear he's not a very nice guy to deal with, but he's still a phenomenal guitarist.

I could swear I read somewhere, that RF was going to get re-released & that there was a bunch of extra material that was going to be added to it. A 2/3 disc set too IIRC. I'll have to see if I can find that info.

 

I loved the earlier Yngwie albums up to Odyssey, but slowly lost interest and don't keep up with what he's doing now.
A part of the reason (for me) is Jens Johannsson. I think that Yngwie is often better when he has a strong keyboardist to play 'against'. Similarly, some of the work he's done with Derek Sherinian is good.
I suspect that latterly his band have literally been 'hired hands' who have to play what they are told to and are not allowed to bring their own creativity into the mix, to the detriment of the music.

 

Never read his book, but don't doubt any of that information. He's certainly good at what he does if not a very good human. When he was touring with Dio, Wendy used to give him a hard time. Making him remove his banner, shortening his set multiple times...she thought it was funny. I only saw Yngwie live once, with the mighty Jorn on vocals...though you'd never know it because he kept the band shrouded in smoke with all the lights on himself. Oh he also tried to sing 'Red House,' yeah...no.

 

Just playing this album now. Thanks for giving me the idea to dig it out

 

Agree - aside from the classical leanings and use of Harmonic Minor scales, there is no "cloning" going on here. Just because Blackmore, Uli Roth and Schenker laid the groundwork for this style, doesn't mean that the guy who takes it all to the next level is a "clone."

 

Got to see him once w/RF way back in the day in Detroit, I don't remember much from that show.

3 times for NAAM, Was amazing live, but you're spot on about the smoke & the other band members being hidden from everyone else.

He seems like a narcissist too. Puts on a good show.

 

I think he stands out in the field, as there aren't any more guys doing what he's doing right now. His neo-classical style is cool IMO, I heard him w/Steeler, then later with Alcatrazz & knew he was amazing.

I was a HUGE 80s hair/glam metal fan when I was a kid growing up in Detroit. I heard A LOT of little known bands @ the time either through radio or friends, as they were all pretty much into the same type of music.

 

Actually, the "hired hands" thing ended years ago. These days, Yngwie fancies himself a one man show, playing everything, producing and singing. It's a shame really, I enjoyed everything up to the 2 albums with "Ripper" Owens, but the last few albums even has this long term fan scratching his head.

And even though Yngwie claims his former bandmates were simply hired to fill a role, I do suspect there was a lot more collaborating going on then he likes us to believe. For example, Joe Lynn Turners stamp is all over the Odyssey album. Similarly, I suspect singer Mats Leven had a lot of input in the creation of Facing The Animal. Jeff Scott Soto has commented that a lot of songs on Marching Out, he should have been credited for. So...…

 

That was my first introduction to him (Alcatrazz.) I turned on MTV (when they actually played music!) and saw Graham Bonnet singing - hey it's the guy that was on that one Rainbow album! Then came the guitar solo and it was a total, "what the hell was that" moment! I swear he was a lot more melodic in those days, his lead playing actually breathed, like the concept of "rests" was not lost on him.