Joe Lynn Turner has opened up about his days in the studio with the guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen.
The two worked on the 1988 album, ‘Odyssey.’ Turner is credited for all the lyrics, while Malmsteen is credited for the composition of all the music. In a new interview with Backstage Pass, Turner reminisced about the album and was asked if he would consider working with the guitar virtuoso again. He replied:
“Look, I don’t have a problem with Yngwie. Yngwie is Yngwie, it is what it is. It got a little bit too much towards the end. I can remember walking around Stockholm in the rain cursing him because he was just getting overbearing. It was just too much. At times like those you don’t wanna do another record, you really don’t. You need some distance between you two to settle down.”
Turner shared the only exception he would have worked with Malmsteen in the past:
“Looking back, I guess we could have if he was a little more reasonable at the time. But to be honest I think he felt threatened and maybe he felt he needed to go in a different direction. If he’s going in the direction that he’s been going in lately, that’s a great decision simply because he’s not a great singer, he’s not a great drummer or producer. I listen to the records and I go, ‘Well geez, that’s not gonna make it.'”
He added, stating that Malmsteen is ‘his own worst enemy’:
“I listen to ‘Odyssey,’ and I say, ‘Whoa, it’s like a super piece of work.’ I guess sometimes you’re your own worst enemy, and in this case, apparently, Yngwie is his own worst enemy. But I have no problem with Yngwie to this day. What was done was done. What was said was said.”
Why Malmsteen’s First Album ‘Didn’t Work’
During an earlier appearance on the ’80s Glam Metalcast, Turner looked back on his time in Yngwie Malmsteen’s band. The rocker also shared his thoughts on performing on ‘Odyssey’ and why his earlier album did not ‘work out.’ Malmsteen’s 1984 album ‘Rising Force’ was the guitarist’s first work and it includes the hit title track.
Turner focused on Malmsteen’s more recent performances and said:
“Sometimes you’re influenced by the people around you. I’m not gonna mention names. And it’s a shame because you need guidance not only from yourself, of course, your interior, but you need external guidance, too, from people whom you trust and admire and whom you can believe in. And I don’t think he’s getting the right information.”
He added:
“He pushed the band over to the side and he’s got 15, 20 amps and he’s in center-stage and he’s trying to sing, and I go, ‘What is that?’ It doesn’t work. And I think for me, as a fan – Yngwie, I think he’s a brilliant guitar player – it’s just not working anymore. He’s gone into a weird direction here. You can’t tell people sometimes, though. What are you gonna do?”
You can watch the interview below.
