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Far Beyond the Sun (Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force)

It’s hard to look back and quite understand the impact that Yngwie had on rock guitarists. If you were there you’ll remember. As if Eddie wasn’t enough to be miserable about. And if you weren’t there you will likely have an opinion about him. That’s what real guitar heroes do… their impact lives on forever. Yngwie is still loved or loathed in equal measure to this day… and I absolutely freakin’ love his playing. I don’t care that he pulls silly faces or wears silly clothes. That’s part of playing guitar and being a rock star isn’t it?! From the opening fills to the ending harmonics there isn’t a note on this album that hasn’t been ripped apart by budding guitar heroes. And remember folks, this kid was 20. That’s right. Twenty years old. Many would still feel that his first record is his best and it likely is. Here Yngwie is dynamic, expressive and always tasteful. Oh, and he has an incredible sound too!

Girl Gone Bad/House of Pain (Van Halen ‘1984’)

My fave VH tracks. I see these as one big suite so I include them both. That way it’s a monster of a track. Edward is one hell of a guitar player all over this album. The first thing you notice is that his sound is cleaner but bigger. I don’t know if Holdsworth was influencing Ed at this time (I seem to think he was) but there are some very Holdsworth like moments when he’s noodling at the end of Drop Dead Legs. For me this is Edward’s finest hour and annoyingly the last of the Roth era.

Back For More (Ratt ‘Out of the Cellar’)

Ok, I have to confess… I loved Ratt. And I think I still love Ratt. I got goosebumps when I stuck this vinyl on. I could have picked any of the songs on the album as it’s littered with amazing playing from the outrageously underrated Warren DeMartini. If you like your 80s rock guitar and haven’t yet had the delights of Warren’s awesome playing then get on with it. The guy was absolutely freakin’ awesome!

When Heaven Comes Down (Dokken ‘Tooth and Nail’)

I still don’t understand the album cover to this. What the hell is it meant to be? Anyway… that’s another thing. Those who know me know that 1984 spawned more guitar players that influenced me heavily than any other time and George, Warren and Yngwie are probably the 80s guys that inspired me the most. George was my fave player for a long time…his solos and riffs just drip with excitement. One of the few rockers to have his own identifiable style.

Larks’ Tongues in Aspic Pt3 (King Crimson ‘Three of a Perfect Pair’)

The live version of Larks 3 on Absent Lovers is absolutely astonishing and should defo be checked out for sure! How fitting that another Larks version would be the last we heard of this Crimson. The marriage of Belew and Fripp’s playing is as perfect a pairing as you’ll ever hear and they pull out all the stops here. Tracks like Dig Me and Industry likely better identify this Crimson era and Belew’s input on this record is nothing short of phenomenal, throwing in more new guitar sounds and noises than you could possibly imagine. If only they had done Four of a Perfect Triplet.

Have a nice weekend folks, what’s left of it!
P.

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