YNGWIE MALMSTEEN recalls being approached to audition for KISS and DAVID LEE ROTH's band
04-06-2025
In a new interview with Guitar Player contributor Jonathan Graham, legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen spoke about some of the offers he had received over the years to join established bands or collaborate with well-known musicians. He said: “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 (my then-band) STEELER, I guess, I got contacted by the thing that became ALCATRAZZ. It wasn’t called ALCATRAZZ yet. 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 with 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. And it would’ve been a great thing, but I think that… I mean, he obviously asked Billy Sheehan too, so Billy took it. 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 at the time, I was thinking, ‘Oh, no. I’m doing great,’ whatever.
“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 my tape had been circulating… I’m six (feet and) three (inches tall). But I didn’t know that, because I’m familiar with the metric system of weights and measures. I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘I’m 192 (centimeters).’ They didn’t know what that means, and I didn’t know what ‘six foot’ means.”
As previously reported, Yngwie will release a new live album, “Tokyo Live”, on April 25 via Music Theories Recordings. The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11, 2024 as part of Yngwie‘s 40th-anniversary world tour.. In celebration of the announcement the first taster on the video for “Top Down, Foot Down” was released earlier this year.
Watch “Top Down, Foot Down” below.
“Top Down, Foot Down” is taken from the 2016 album “World On Fire” and showcases the wide range and dynamic flavor which demonstrates Malmsteen‘s fury and elegance, all encapsulated in a just-under-two-minute version of the song.
Malmsteen says: “‘Top Down, Foot Down’ is one of my favorite live numbers, C#m arpeggios into E arpeggios and a fluid C#m melody with flat 5th diminished and suspended resolution. The title also depicts my love of convertible cruising.”
The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11, 2024 as part of Yngwie‘s 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.”
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 categorize 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.
“Tokyo Live” track listing:
CD1
01. Rising Force (Live)
02. Top Down Foot Down (Live)
03. No Rest For The Wicked (Live)
04. Soldier (Live)
05. Into Valhalla (Live)
06. Baroque & Roll (Live)
07. Like An Angel (Live)
08. Relentless Fury (Live)
09. Now Your Ships Are Burned (Live)
10. Wolves At The Door (Live)
11. Hiroshima Mon Amour (Live)
12. (Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum (Live)
13. Badinere (Live)
14. Paganini’s 4th (Live)
15. Adagio (Live)
16. Far Beyond The Sun (Live)
17. Arpeggios From Hell (Live)
CD2
01. Seventh Sign (Live)
02. Toccata (Live)
03. Evil Eye (Live)
04. Smoke On The Water (Live)
05. Trilogy-Vengeance (Live)
06. Cadenza 1 (Live)
07. Brothers (Live)
08. Fugue (Live)
09. Cadenza 2 – Grand Finale (Live)
10. You Don’t Remember I’ll Never Forget (Live)
11. Acoustic Cadenza (Live)
12. Black Star (Live)
13. I’ll See The Light Tonight (Live)
Social media