As comical as Yngwie Malmsteen - the character - is, there's no denying his virtuosic performance on the guitar, nor his influence on legions of metal guitarists since his first solo effort in 1984. Known for his pristine technique, smooth and facile phrasing, and above all for his ultra-fast picking and arpeggiating, Yngwie set a bar for guitar virtuosity which, amazingly, really hasn't been topped in the 30 years since that debut. Plus, check out the ruffly cuffs on that shirt!
Yngwie takes heat for a lot of things, I think mostly because he seems not to be a very nice guy. I don't know how accurate that reputation is, but one thing he's criticized about that I agree with is his songwriting, which is pretty formulaic and often cheesy. His songs are usually just a framework upon which to show off his incredible facility on the instrument. For this reason, I tend to prefer his work on other people's music, including cover versions of classic songs. Fortunately for me, there are plenty of examples of just that. I'm including below one of my favorites: his partnership with Ronnie James Dio on the Aerosmith classic, Dream On. As I'm sure you know, the original is a great piece of music and a solid execution. To these ears, this cover takes it up about five notches with just awesome performances by two of the greatest in the history of rock.
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