As Yngwie Malmsteen released his album, Tokyo Live, in April, he sat down for a discussion with Guitar Player contributor, Jonathan Graham, to discuss the album, his guitar history, his influences, and why you can’t really call the technique behind his blazingly fast passages “sweep picking.” An excerpt from the interview follows…
Jonathan Graham: “You’ve always been a solo artist, first and foremost, but I know that there’s been some offers to join some big bands over the years. Can you talk us through some of these ones that you’ve had to turn down?”
Yngwie Malmsteen: “Well, it depends on how you mean. When I first came to the States, I was offered to join UFO. And then on the same day as I offered to do the UFO thing, which was a big step from Steeler, I guess, I got contacted by the thing that became Alcatrazz. It wasn’t called Alcatrazz, they didn’t have any songs, nothing. I wrote all the songs. And I chose that situation because I wanted to write songs instead of just… as much as I like UFO, I didn’t wanna be stepping into someone else’s thing.
“I was asked to join Dave [Lee] Roth’s band. What happened was, that he was leaving, or left already, Van Halen, and I was doing a big American tour, AC/DC. And then right after that I did my own tour of America with a band called Talas opening up, which was Billy Sheehan’s band. And Dave would come to the shows all the time. Plus, we would hang out too, at the Troubadour and stuff, back in the party days, you know what I mean? It would’ve been a great thing, but I think that… I mean, he obviously asked Billy Sheehan too, so Billy took it, you know. I mean, it wasn’t officially on a paper like this or something like this, but it was very obvious what he was thinking about. And I was thinking at the time, I was, ‘Oh, no. I’m doing great,’ whatever, so.
“Very early on, I was offered to join KISS, but that was very short-lived because, they called me when I was still in Sweden in 1982, ’cause the tape had been circulating, and they go, uh… you know, I speak English, but their American, ‘your height, your height.’ I’m like, ‘huh? gesundheit.’ I’m 6’3″, but I didn’t know that, ’cause I’m metric. I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘I’m 192 [cm].’ They didn’t know what that means, and I didn’t know what ‘six foot’ means.”
Watch the interview below:
Malmsteen’s new album, Tokyo Live, is out now via Music Theories Recordings.
The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11th, 2024, as part of his 40th Anniversary World Tour. Calling upon an enormous catalogue of material, Malmsteen shredded his way through a furious set, backed by a mountainous Marshall stack wall. Talking about the live experience, Malmsteen adds, “Playing live in front of people is really what it’s all about. It’s exciting and dangerous because you have to take risks and there’s no fixing afterwards.”
Talking about Tokyo Live on the day of its release he said, “Playing live is where the magic is, it’s exciting and dangerous. I interact with the audience and I take chances, completely jumping over a cliff, and when it falls into place it’s the most amazing thrill. This show is a great snapshot and exudes spontaneity and unique musical moments. Enjoy!”
The name of Yngwie Malmsteen has always stood for uncompromising excellence. In a career that now spans more than 40 years he has proven himself to be a unique artist. You can try to categorise him in any way you wish. But the manner in which this supreme Swedish craftsman has continually developed his music makes Malmsteen sublimely transcend any definition you attempt to impose.
He now has a catalogue of 22 solo studio albums, each of which has much to commend. Malmsteen’s artistry has always clearly incorporated a healthy virtuosity, but his talent goes well beyond a comprehensive control of the guitar. The man is a fine composer and, on recent releases, has also showcased a strong vocal presence and now, with only this fifth live release, it captures four decades of relentless fury and blissful artistry of one of the true greats.
Available formats:
– CD+DVD
– 2LP
– Digital
Order here.
Tokyo Live tracklisting:
CD1
“Rising Force” (Live)
“Top Down Foot Down” (Live)
“No Rest For The Wicked” (Live)
“Soldier” (Live)
“Into Valhalla” (Live)
“Baroque & Roll” (Live)
“Like An Angel” (Live)
“Relentless Fury” (Live)
“Now Your Ships Are Burned” (Live)
“Wolves At The Door” (Live)
“Hiroshima Mon Amour” (Live)
“(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum” (Live)
“Badinere” (Live)
“Paganini’s 4th” (Live)
“Adagio” (Live)
“Far Beyond The Sun” (Live)
“Arpeggios From Hell” (Live)
CD2
“Seventh Sign” (Live)
“Toccata” (Live)
“Evil Eye” (Live)
“Smoke On The Water” (Live)
“Trilogy-Vengeance” (Live)
“Cadenza 1” (Live)
“Brothers” (Live)
“Fugue” (Live)
“Cadenza 2 – Grand Finale” (Live)
“You Don’t Remember I’ll Never Forget” (Live)
“Acoustic Cadenza” (Live)
“Black Star” (Live)
“I’ll See The Light Tonight” (Live)
“Hiroshima Mon Amour” video:
“Wolves At The Door” video:
“Now Your Ships Are Burned” video:
“Like An Angel” video:
“Baroque & Roll” video:
“Into Valhalla” video:
“Soldier” video:
“Rising Force” video:
“Relentless Fury” video:
“Top Down Foot Down” video:
“No Rest For The Wicked” video:
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The post YNGWIE MALMSTEEN On Being Asked To Join DAVID LEE ROTH’s Band – “It Would’ve Been A Great Thing”; Video appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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Jonathan Graham: “You’ve always been a solo artist, first and foremost, but I know that there’s been some offers to join some big bands over the years. Can you talk us through some of these ones that you’ve had to turn down?”
Yngwie Malmsteen: “Well, it depends on how you mean. When I first came to the States, I was offered to join UFO. And then on the same day as I offered to do the UFO thing, which was a big step from Steeler, I guess, I got contacted by the thing that became Alcatrazz. It wasn’t called Alcatrazz, they didn’t have any songs, nothing. I wrote all the songs. And I chose that situation because I wanted to write songs instead of just… as much as I like UFO, I didn’t wanna be stepping into someone else’s thing.
“I was asked to join Dave [Lee] Roth’s band. What happened was, that he was leaving, or left already, Van Halen, and I was doing a big American tour, AC/DC. And then right after that I did my own tour of America with a band called Talas opening up, which was Billy Sheehan’s band. And Dave would come to the shows all the time. Plus, we would hang out too, at the Troubadour and stuff, back in the party days, you know what I mean? It would’ve been a great thing, but I think that… I mean, he obviously asked Billy Sheehan too, so Billy took it, you know. I mean, it wasn’t officially on a paper like this or something like this, but it was very obvious what he was thinking about. And I was thinking at the time, I was, ‘Oh, no. I’m doing great,’ whatever, so.
“Very early on, I was offered to join KISS, but that was very short-lived because, they called me when I was still in Sweden in 1982, ’cause the tape had been circulating, and they go, uh… you know, I speak English, but their American, ‘your height, your height.’ I’m like, ‘huh? gesundheit.’ I’m 6’3″, but I didn’t know that, ’cause I’m metric. I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘I’m 192 [cm].’ They didn’t know what that means, and I didn’t know what ‘six foot’ means.”
Watch the interview below:
Malmsteen’s new album, Tokyo Live, is out now via Music Theories Recordings.
The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11th, 2024, as part of his 40th Anniversary World Tour. Calling upon an enormous catalogue of material, Malmsteen shredded his way through a furious set, backed by a mountainous Marshall stack wall. Talking about the live experience, Malmsteen adds, “Playing live in front of people is really what it’s all about. It’s exciting and dangerous because you have to take risks and there’s no fixing afterwards.”
Talking about Tokyo Live on the day of its release he said, “Playing live is where the magic is, it’s exciting and dangerous. I interact with the audience and I take chances, completely jumping over a cliff, and when it falls into place it’s the most amazing thrill. This show is a great snapshot and exudes spontaneity and unique musical moments. Enjoy!”
The name of Yngwie Malmsteen has always stood for uncompromising excellence. In a career that now spans more than 40 years he has proven himself to be a unique artist. You can try to categorise him in any way you wish. But the manner in which this supreme Swedish craftsman has continually developed his music makes Malmsteen sublimely transcend any definition you attempt to impose.
He now has a catalogue of 22 solo studio albums, each of which has much to commend. Malmsteen’s artistry has always clearly incorporated a healthy virtuosity, but his talent goes well beyond a comprehensive control of the guitar. The man is a fine composer and, on recent releases, has also showcased a strong vocal presence and now, with only this fifth live release, it captures four decades of relentless fury and blissful artistry of one of the true greats.
Available formats:
– CD+DVD
– 2LP
– Digital
Order here.
Tokyo Live tracklisting:
CD1
“Rising Force” (Live)
“Top Down Foot Down” (Live)
“No Rest For The Wicked” (Live)
“Soldier” (Live)
“Into Valhalla” (Live)
“Baroque & Roll” (Live)
“Like An Angel” (Live)
“Relentless Fury” (Live)
“Now Your Ships Are Burned” (Live)
“Wolves At The Door” (Live)
“Hiroshima Mon Amour” (Live)
“(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum” (Live)
“Badinere” (Live)
“Paganini’s 4th” (Live)
“Adagio” (Live)
“Far Beyond The Sun” (Live)
“Arpeggios From Hell” (Live)
CD2
“Seventh Sign” (Live)
“Toccata” (Live)
“Evil Eye” (Live)
“Smoke On The Water” (Live)
“Trilogy-Vengeance” (Live)
“Cadenza 1” (Live)
“Brothers” (Live)
“Fugue” (Live)
“Cadenza 2 – Grand Finale” (Live)
“You Don’t Remember I’ll Never Forget” (Live)
“Acoustic Cadenza” (Live)
“Black Star” (Live)
“I’ll See The Light Tonight” (Live)
“Hiroshima Mon Amour” video:
“Wolves At The Door” video:
“Now Your Ships Are Burned” video:
“Like An Angel” video:
“Baroque & Roll” video:
“Into Valhalla” video:
“Soldier” video:
“Rising Force” video:
“Relentless Fury” video:
“Top Down Foot Down” video:
“No Rest For The Wicked” video:
Follow BraveWords on social media… Facebook page, Facebook Group, X/Twitter, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and YouTube.
Visit https://linktr.ee/bravewords
The post YNGWIE MALMSTEEN On Being Asked To Join DAVID LEE ROTH’s Band – “It Would’ve Been A Great Thing”; Video appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
Continue reading...