ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON DEC. 27, 1985 By Steve Newton Hendrix. Page. Beck. Clapton. Blackmore. Van Halen. Rhoads. Malmsteen. Malmsteen? That’s right, Malmsteen. The name might not be as familiar, but rest assured that in years to come it will gain a place beside those of rock’s biggest guitar heroes. At only 22 years of age, … Continue reading Yngwie Malmsteen takes the guitar world by storm at age 22
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 29, 1994 By Steve Newton Four years ago Yngwie Malmsteen released an album, Eclipse, that showed the Swedish guitar demon finally overcoming the songwriting deficiencies that had made his previous recordings little more than launching pads for his incredibly fast, classically bent solos. Tuneful craftsmanship had previously been … Continue reading Album review: Yngwie Malmsteen, The Seventh Sign (1994)
By Steve Newton One of my most popular posts on Ear of Newt is the one where Yngwie Malmsteen calls Ibanez guitars “a bad copy” of the Strat and says Les Pauls are “furniture”. Well, if you ever wondered what the Swedish Fender freak would sound like shredding on a piece of furniture, here ya … Continue reading Yngwie Malmsteen shreds on what he once called “a piece of furniture”: the Gibson Les Paul
By Steve Newton A couple of weeks ago I posted a blog telling of a new partnership between me, the Newt in Ear of Newt, and The Tapes Archive, a U.S.-based podcast that focuses on releasing previously unpublished interviews with rock legends. That blog included a link to a YouTube video The Tapes Archive’s Alan … Continue reading Ear of Newt and The Tapes Archive present Ronnie James Dio: The Sacred Heart Interview, 1985
By Steve Newton I interviewed Ronnie James Dio back in December of 1985 while he was touring behind his Sacred Heart album, with Yngwie Malmsteen opening up. At one point in the interview I mentioned how Ronnie had started out as a trumpet player when he was five, which led to him confessing his deep love … Continue reading That time Ronnie James Dio told me that he loved classical music, and that Bach was a real rock ‘n’ roller
By Steve Newton Yngwie Malmsteen is synonymous with the Fender Stratocaster. Since the get-go he’s proclaimed the superiority of Leo Fender’s classy creation. He’s even gone so far as to compare the competition to “bad copies” and “furniture”. So when I interviewed him back in 2014 I asked him if he’d ever been tempted to … Continue reading That time Yngwie Malmsteen told me that no guitar could possibly do what the Stratocaster does
By Steve Newton Back in December of 1985 I interviewed Ronnie James Dio when he was in the midst of his Sacred Heart Tour and headed to Vancouver for a show at the Pacific Coliseum–with Yngwie Malmsteen opening up! At one point in the conversation I asked Dio which singers he admired the most, but … Continue reading That time I asked Ronnie James Dio which singers he admired the most and he said Mike Reno had a lot of control and “great pipes”
By Steve Newton Vancouver-based guitarist Dave Martone knows wicked guitar players. As well as having collaborated and toured with his good friend Joe Satriani over the years, Martone has managed to work with such acclaimed six-string slingers as Yngwie Malmsteen, Jennifer Batten, Tosin Abasi, Greg Howe, Paul Gilbert, and Marty Friedman. But when I interviewed Martone in November … Continue reading That time Canadian rock-guitar wizard Dave Martone got choked up talking about Eddie Van Halen
By Steve Newton While searching YouTube for some videos to use with an old Yngwie Malmsteen interview of mine I came across an excerpt from an interview with Jeff Healey that took place in 1983, when he was still in high school. “You gotta keep trucking, I think, is the main thing,” relates Healey before … Continue reading A teenaged Jeff Healey rocks out with high-school buddies in lost film from 1983
By Steve Newton Back in November of 1985 I interviewed Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars the same day his band played Vancouver on its Theatre of Pain tour. At one point in the conversation we were talking fave guitar players–his (and mine) being Jeff Beck–and I asked him how he felt about the new superstars … Continue reading That time Mick Mars told me that Yngwie Malmsteen could be the world’s best guitarist if he’d just change his attitude
By Steve Newton I really, really enjoy guitar solos sometimes. When a geetar player hits just the right notes with just the right feel, it’s almost like a religious experience for me. That’s why I’ve asked God to bless exquisite guitar solos by Scott Gorham on Thin Lizzy’s “Romeo and the Lonely Girl”, Donald “Buck … Continue reading God bless Hughie Thomasson’s guitar solo on the Outlaws’ “Hurry Sundown”
By Steve Newton I’ve long held the opinion that AC/DC’s Powerage is their best album. Keith Richards agrees, and he knows a thing or two about rockin’. And more importantly, Malcolm Young himself has named Powerage as Number One. When I met Young backstage after an AC/DC show in Vancouver back in 2001 I mentioned that … Continue reading Eddie Van Halen’s favourite AC/DC album was Powerage
By Steve Newton Back in April of 1997 I did my first interview with Rush bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee. At the time the group was touring behind its Test for Echo album, and that tour marked the first time Rush had taken the “An Evening With” approach, where there is no opening act and it’s just … Continue reading That time Geddy Lee told me that Rush had 4,000 albums
