Jimi Bell is a great player and so is Impellitteri. But Yngwie is in a class of his own. It's not one thing it's the whole package, the tone, the phrasing, the vibrato, the persona, is why Yngwie left all the other, super shredders in the dust.
You obviously have no idea what 'phrasing' is. Yngwie dwells on harmonic minor scale run up and down most of the time, and that's not 'phrasing' that's speed exercise. You want to educate yourself on phrasing? Check out Greg Howe or Scott Henderson, or that whizzkid Matteo Mancuso.
@@kotzenkotzen6392 Say whatever you want. They are not my frickin' kids...lol. You on the other hand seem to be emotionally invested in your favorite guitar players.
Saw Jimi(Bell) in ‘78-‘79 at the Bac-Dor in Waterford,Ct. with a band called Sparky. Chris is correct,Jimi WAS tearing it up WAY early on ! Chris,Jimi,& Yngwie,all phenomenal!❤Love all three❤😊!
People focus only on speed and scale types. What Yngwie did that NOBODY could imitate was his sense of time. That is, in his phrasing. He always held the beat and bar lines in his head but would burst in and out of free time, with his phrases (or lines) drifting into the next bar. If you want the complete opposite, think of John Petrucci, where almost every note fits perfectly into an equally divided part of the bar. Yngwie also would change speed mid-phrase, listen to the end of the Ships are Burned solo for this. Each part of the solo is in sections that don't always line up with the bars. His magic is actually his ability to hold the beat but be independent of it, like a jazz drummer, during solos.
Stand In Line is one of my favorites of all time. "Secret Lover" is such a great song. All of the songs are good and I still get chills from most every track.
I'll be the first to admit calling Chris an Yngwie clone lol, but not in a derogatory way. Stand In Line is still one of my favorite shred guitar albums to this day. But c'mon, it was painfully obvious the impact Yngwie made on the rock guitar scene in the 80's. Especially the second half of the decade.
Yeah he is and to me sounds NOTHING like YJM? I don't hear the similarity? I would know YJM's playing anywhere. There is only one Yngwie Malmsteen! That ones on YT that can sound exactly like his are not impressing me because it is not their thing it is Yngwies. Look at MATTEO MANCUSO that guy has his own thing and is incredible!
I was a young metal guitarist in the mid 80's and a fan of Randy, Angus, Wolf Hofmann, etc and was blown away when I first heard Rising Force. Sounds like CI is trying to downplay the initial impact that YJM had. He wasnt just about the dimished and harmonic minor and speed, etc. It was his compositions, his guitar tone, showmanship, and much more. There is a reason YJM rose above all the other guitarists of his day (and even before him), and why he remains relevant and stood the test of time. CI is great but he's no YJM. And yes, when I first heard CI, I assumed he was a YJM clone.
Jimi Bell was not "there first". His band that got noticed on the East coast "Joined Forces" didn't even join together until 1984. Their first EP in 1985. On the other hand, Yngwie's "Rising Force" band was formed in 1978 and recorded demos in 1978-1981. Yngwie had his own sound and style during this time. Those demos reached the U.S., then Steeler 1983, etc. This is documented history. ✌🎸🎶
I remember my brother buying the Stand in Line album when it came out & we both said, Holy Shit! This guy is even faster than Yngwie!! Chris is awesome & such great memories from that era of virtuoso players🎼🎸
Yngwie's early demos was already surfacing and talked about as early as '81, if I'm not mistaken. We have to ask Mike Varney, or read his interviews about timelines. Of course it's hard being accused not having your own personal style. All I can say is that nobody sounds like Yngwie.
Chris Impellitteri was from my hometown! I remember seeing him playing in the cover bands he played in at the Infinity nightclub a few times. I thought he was an amazing guitarist.
I don't remember anyone saying anything about being a "clone", but I do remember things like "fastest on the scene", specifically. I remember seeing an ad of Chris sitting on an amp in the guitar mags. Those were some good times!
I’ve been trying to get rick beato to get jimi Bell on his show. I think he would be amazed at Jimi’s playing. Jimi not only alternate picks everything and makes it sound like a sweep but his legato playing has a Holdsworth influence . And his blues playing is outstanding. Not to mention his country picking is outstanding as well. If you know you know…
@ about 5 million subscribers. Just trying to get Jimi seen by a bigger audience. Unless you have 5 million ? Then you interview him 😀. Just trying to help a buddy out.
I'm from Connecticut. Jimmy Bell is highly regarded here for decades. I'm 65 so I know all about Jimmy. Aldo Dennis Langevin of you're more into jazz. Both super nice guys.
Chris is a great player, but he’s just not on the same level as Yngwie. -Most people aren’t, that’s why Yngwie is truly a pioneer of a genre of guitar and still doing it to this day. For people that think that Malmsteen has no feeling(?)listen to his first album “Rising Force” and tell me it’s not completely stuffed full of feeling,not just speed alone. The idea that he’s a one trick pony couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
I met Jimi Bell at a gig he played with House of Lords at a tiny Club here in Oslo, before Covid19 :) It was in the middle of the winter with lots of snow and stuff ... I had my arm around James Christian, having a couple of beers, asking any question I've had since the Sahara album ... since he's had some Norwegian connections, and I loved those HOL records, with so many great musicians involved and crazy good songs! Like, Impellitteri, Mandy Meyer and even Mike Tramp in there! I had a talk with Jimi as we were all leaving, about him playing a nice, snow-white SG-type Custom guitar ... he was very professional and a SCARY good player! :O Now I see a connection here :)
Reality is, no one can 'copy' anyone, it's impossible. Impellitteri has never been a 'clone' of anything. Some learned to play 'in the style of', but do they have creative powers? did they release the same records? No. Did they even write any music? No. And that makes ALL the difference. It's like the English alphabet, billions learned it, but who wrote EXACTLY the same letters? No one. And so, every committed musician is important and unique: there will never be another one EXACTLY like him. For all eternity. And I agree with Chris, it's disrespectful, and let's add ignorant too, but here's the rub: the world of music goes round because of MUSICIANS, not some dull w***rs at Allmusic, i.e. 'critics'.
Thanks Impellitteri for introducing me to Jimi Bell. I did discovered Yngwie back in 2004 When G3 came out and Impellitteri in 2005. It never came into my mind Impellitteri is a ynwie clone. As a matter of fact I got pretty bored after listening to ynwie and to till this day He kinda sounds boring , but Impellitteri always managed me to blow my mind. The tremolo picking of impellitteri before beginning the solo alone is very different compared to yngwie.
Really enjoying the FIB podcast! Chris sounds like a sober, intelligent person. Most rock stars aren't very eloquent, and they make me wonder if they need help getting dressed.
I know a singer that played on 1 of impellitteri albums and he had a cousin named Rick Harlson that played so great. He was so fast and couls easily play Yngwie then turn around play Chet Atkins, Bach, you name it. Would teach hours and hours of Theory. He should have millions just on talent alone. The whole family it seemed were just great musicians
I'm from CT. Lot of great musicians from there even Vinny Vincent my stepdad made his guitars .I must look up Jimi Bell I've heard his name from folks for years😅
The Impelliteri album with Graham felt like Graham backtracking and resuming Alcatraz/Yngwie style metal which was still peaking. I found Chris's guitar-blasting far more distorted and one speed fits all than Yngwie was.
Just going visually, what the marketing seemed like at the time was, "if you like that, you'll like this." Every lead singer dyed their hair blond to echo David Lee Roth, every band looked the same, every guitarist used the same stuff as everyone else. Whatever worked for somebody, everyone else immediately latched onto. Stand In Line was no different. Graham Bonnet is on the record, the "Since You've Been Gone" cover, Chris is playing a Strat and has a Stratty tone with the wide, wild vibrato. It was as if it was saying, "If you like Yngwie, you'll like this!" Instantly upon hearing it though, any guitar player with ears could tell he wasn't just doing an Yngwie impression. He had his own style, his own space. But to the layperson, to someone who is only seeing it and not hearing it, and to people who don't know that Blackmore, Shenker, and Uli all came before, it's easy to see why they might say, "oh he's just copying Yngwie." At that time, the younger audience couldn't care less about what came before. We didn't care about Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Who, Scorpions, UFO, that was all old shit. It was all about Randy and Eddie. Guitar started with them and everything before was caveman shit. And then the next batch of kids who weren't there for Eddie and Randy thought THEY were caveman shit and it was all about Yngwie, Jake, and Lynch. And then it was the next group, and the next group, and it kept getting more neoclassical and faster, just cramming it in even when it didn't fit. Pedal point arpeggio sequences in a song about partying and scoring chicks. It just kept getting so ridiculous and it was just one giant dick measuring contest. Paganini, Vivaldi, Debussy, Stravinsky, Mozart, Bach... just, who fuckin cares? And then it was all instantly lame. Gone. Flushed. The whole copycat and one-upmanship didn't matter at all.
Also i feel sorry for Graham Bonnet he literally fronted 2 of the best bands of the 80s Rainbow and Alcatrazz , He was on MTV and had 2 big hit songs with God Blessed Video and also Since you've been gone but now 35 years on in his older years poor guy is playing to groups of only 50 people in small clubs , The tragic thing is he can still sing and hit those notes , same happened to Joe Lynn Turner too who is now playing very small clubs , Anyway about Chris he was not an Yngwie clone at all , He incorporated different styles from many guitarists into his playing which is what every guitarist does.
I can empathize with the man and what he's trying to explain about the influences being, basically shared and both Yngwie and him growing up as musicians absorbing other's playing. Both were aiming to be a "copy" of Blackmore's, among others... but yeah, following his steps and even getting the same vocalists. But just because he has suffered a whole career being called "A copy" over decades, doesn't erase the real impact that Yngwie made on his own career. The first releases have so many blunt rip-offs from Blackmore's work... but also Yngwie's songs and nobody was hiding it. Nobody can hear "Leviathan", from Stand in Line, without thinking in "I Am a Viking" . And that's just one example. Nowadays, finally, in the latest era of his career, he's making songs that don't sound like someone else's. And that makes me happy.
Him, Joe Stump, bunch of guys all trying to dress like Yngwie--play the strat like Yngwie, etc etc. Don't act like you didn't worship at the Rising Force altar. But now that I hear his admiration for Jimi Bell, his style makes a lot more sense to me. They actually do sound pretty similar. And anyhow, nobody--not Chris, not Jimi Bell, not whoever you might name, was able to copy the vibrato, fluidity, feel, and musicality that Yngwie had back then. Speed was just part of it. He was also cleaner than any of the guys that followed in his wake.
As I'm watching this, in the back of my mind I'm thinking, Jimi Bell? Why does that namme sound familiar. You guys mentioned Connecticut, I'm from Danbury. A few years ago, I went to see a tribute band called Beyond Purple. They played Deep Purple, Dio, White Snake, Rainbow, etc. If I'm not mistaken, Jimi Bell played with them! That's so cool!
Chris is awesome player and overlooked. Jimi Bell tried out for Ozzy, didn't get the gig because he was a south paw/they didn't want him to compared to Tony Iommi.
Jimi Bell was actually up for the gig for Ozzy and had the gig until Sharon and Ozz heard this crazy guitar player named Jeffery Wielandt AKA Zakk Wylde
I hope to hear a future interview with Alex Masi vertical invader and attack of the neon shark are very good records as well as danger zone. Holdsworth played synth axe on one of his records and the song DFWM is pretty intense.
Jimi Bell as of the last few years has been playing in a version of the band Autograph. Although I know the original guitar player, Steve Lynch, has been trying to stop them from using the name Autograph.
Was it disrespectful for Chris to solo over the Black Star groove in his instrucional video but NOT mention Yngwie as an influence in the same video when he was discussing influences? That disappointed me.
This guy brought a little of that on himself. When your liner notes say something musically-brilliant like (and I’m paraphrasing) “To all my fans, I promise my guitar solos will get faster, and faster”….you’re sending the wrong signals. Not knocking the guy’s playing, I’m questioning what sounds a bit hypocritical. But, I digress…
It’s 2024 and he still hasn’t admitted he copied Yngwie . It’s beyond moronic by now. He copied his style , his look, the strat, the lettering on his album covers, covering since you’ve been gone , playing with Graham bonnet , etc etc. Nobody believes what he says. His style has zero to do with DiMeola or MacLauglin. When he came out all of the guitar players I knew rolled their eyes at him being by an obvious Yngwie rip off
That`s right. I still can`t believe how 80`s shredders diminish or envy Yngwie. The swedish was the pinnacle of the shredder on the 80`s and a new level...and not a devote fan of him, but this clones are still salty.
Oh wow.... just checking out Jimi Bell and he puts them both to shame. Shows that without the right vehicle a player will go virtually unnoticed for decades
People never want to fess up to being a hair band, 1:21. All of these bands try to knock the hair band moniker in hind sight. Hair was cool in the 80s and all of the chicks were in to it! The alternative bands persuaded people to hate those bands in the 92 forward era. I hated alternative, still do. I always played my hair band and thrash music as loud as my speakers would go!!
I've heard Impelliterri since the late 80's. He sounds nothing like Yngwie. Just because it is fast doesn't mean it is the same. And having Graham Bonnet as a singer still doesn't make it the same.
No one loves yjm more than me . .but chris is sooooo much more than yjm clone ... That's so disrespectful to Chris ..the only people who say this are ppl who have heard 1 of his solos. .. Chris is a f-ing god on the guitar who deserves so much more attention and praise...I guarantee anyone who reads this and doesn't know Chris and his work .if you just give him 15 mins of your time you will not only thank me for the suggestion but you will thank Chris for blowing your mind with his playing.
I lived in LA for a short time in 2012 as an intern from the UK and yeah i was so let down it was nothing like it was in the 80s or early 90s , Junkies everywhere , Homeless people begging for money , Over priced everything and the people were not friendly apart from the rich areas like West and North Hollywood of course but East and South LA scared me as i had to go through South Central to get to the airport and yeah dangerous , The UK people here are all mouth and no action , the LA folk are all action no mouth if that makes sense.
I know YJM; Chris Impellitteri is nowhere near, by no means necessary, at the same creativity level, accuracy, and skill level as YJM -- PERIOD! 30 minutes of Impellitteri and you've seen all the tricks.
It all got a bit athletic. I remember a magazine saying Impelliteri was faster than Yngwie . Personally I think his work stands alone. I really like his new stuff too.
It’s kinda revisionist history. I loved Impellitteri’s later work with Rob Rock, but come on… with Stand in Line he’s there shredding away on a Strat and with a vocalist that Yngwie worked with. He practically advertised himself as the “next Yngwie”, and in interviews was all about how fast he could play. I was glad to see he’d matured later on, still blazing fast but also understanding how to serve a song.
I was exposed and saw Randy Rhoads with Ozzy in concert doing diminished flavored songs and straight diminished runs and lines before Yngwie got to the USA and exposed but yet Chris won't mention his influence.
I have always loved the mid-tempo Impellitteri tracks but it seems on the more recent albums every song is her speed metal track. Sounds like they're just playing fast for the sake of playing fast. Not as much melody or feeling as the earlier albums.
I'm sorry but... I'm 57, been in music since grade school... Growing up, listening to hard Rock, Heavy Metal... 1st for me there was Jimi, Jimmy, Jeff, The Sweet, EVH,RR... In 10th grade someone turned me onto Yngwie Malmsteen... Yes he's fast,great .. all that, but over the decades,I've kinda noticed that he was very arrogant... claims that he's never "practiced" playing guitar...even when he was a kid!? Yeah right... People just don't wake up great players!? Unless you're Edward Van Halen or something
PS. I don't count people who play covers, etc.....these are boring musicians. Point is, if you wrote your own music, it will be inevitably different from anyone else's, or at least different enough. It's pretty much guaranteed. This 'anyone can be a clone of X' is a myth, no one can 'clone' anyone, it's BS. Musicians just get inspired by others, then they do their own thing, IF they have anything to say (that's why so many boring musicians play covers). And the ones who merely play somebody else's licks, are hobbyists. The real proof is if the musician writes his own music, which Chris certainly did.
The two guitarists are nothing alike. Chris is a shredder, whereas Yngwie is neo-classical. I can listen to Chris repeatedly, whereas Yngwie plays the same thing song-after-song, which becomes annoying. Chris also seems very down to earth, but Yngwie is a complete ass
*YNGWIE"S INNOVATION* Yngwie brought contrapundal into rock composition. Chris Impellitteri is an idiot for thinking it is about scales. Yngwie's songs often change key contexts. Impellitteri spent his time being Big in Japan, a fame chaser, who, though has some good rock songs, would be nothing without Rob Rock's vocals and lyrics.
It's funny how he tries to diminish the Malmsteen influence for God sake it was so clear although he didn't have the style of Yngwie. I never liked Chris's sound
America embraced you? MTV played what of "your" stuff? I'm 56, grew up in the meat of 80s metal. I vaguely remember this guy's name, barely. FFS get a hold of yourself.
Seems the problem is originality,..you put out an album of covers,...you wanted to ride the trends,.....do others music,........did'nt have a style of your own,......how many players mastered the diminished crap & thought they were a musical genius,....we got a YJM,......find your own style,........there's always a Jimi in everything isn't there,..."the almost but not quiet"
He's ok, his picking hand is faster than his fingers... sounds too sloppy and rushed. Yngwie does it better and shouldn't be copied. Its already been done!
Jimi Bell is a great player and so is Impellitteri. But Yngwie is in a class of his own. It's not one thing it's the whole package, the tone, the phrasing, the vibrato, the persona, is why Yngwie left all the other, super shredders in the dust.
on point man
You obviously have no idea what 'phrasing' is. Yngwie dwells on harmonic minor scale run up and down most of the time, and that's not 'phrasing' that's speed exercise. You want to educate yourself on phrasing? Check out Greg Howe or Scott Henderson, or that whizzkid Matteo Mancuso.
@@hon8177 You must have sold millions of records to say something like that, either that or you are just a nobody living in your mom's basement.
@@verbotenco Andy Timmons would smoke every name you mention
@@kotzenkotzen6392 Say whatever you want. They are not my frickin' kids...lol. You on the other hand seem to be emotionally invested in your favorite guitar players.
Yngwie was doing the Rising Force stuff in Sweden back in the 70's. He was completely isolated there.
Saw Jimi(Bell) in ‘78-‘79 at the Bac-Dor in Waterford,Ct. with a band called Sparky. Chris is correct,Jimi WAS tearing it up WAY early on ! Chris,Jimi,& Yngwie,all phenomenal!❤Love all three❤😊!
It's always funny how people always try and diminish what Yngwie has done.
@Craig-xf7ox rofl
..the best comment in RUclips history
People focus only on speed and scale types. What Yngwie did that NOBODY could imitate was his sense of time. That is, in his phrasing. He always held the beat and bar lines in his head but would burst in and out of free time, with his phrases (or lines) drifting into the next bar. If you want the complete opposite, think of John Petrucci, where almost every note fits perfectly into an equally divided part of the bar. Yngwie also would change speed mid-phrase, listen to the end of the Ships are Burned solo for this. Each part of the solo is in sections that don't always line up with the bars. His magic is actually his ability to hold the beat but be independent of it, like a jazz drummer, during solos.
Stand In Line is one of my favorites of all time. "Secret Lover" is such a great song. All of the songs are good and I still get chills from most every track.
White and perfect!
@Christopher-s2h2o Indeed
I'll be the first to admit calling Chris an Yngwie clone lol, but not in a derogatory way. Stand In Line is still one of my favorite shred guitar albums to this day. But c'mon, it was painfully obvious the impact Yngwie made on the rock guitar scene in the 80's. Especially the second half of the decade.
Chris is a phenomenal guitar player.
Yeah he is and to me sounds NOTHING like YJM? I don't hear the similarity?
I would know YJM's playing anywhere. There is only one Yngwie Malmsteen! That ones on YT that can sound exactly like his
are not impressing me because it is not their thing it is Yngwies. Look at MATTEO MANCUSO that guy has his own thing and is
incredible!
I was a young metal guitarist in the mid 80's and a fan of Randy, Angus, Wolf Hofmann, etc and was blown away when I first heard Rising Force. Sounds like CI is trying to downplay the initial impact that YJM had. He wasnt just about the dimished and harmonic minor and speed, etc. It was his compositions, his guitar tone, showmanship, and much more. There is a reason YJM rose above all the other guitarists of his day (and even before him), and why he remains relevant and stood the test of time. CI is great but he's no YJM. And yes, when I first heard CI, I assumed he was a YJM clone.
Yeah for sure. CI has some kind of jealousy there. A lot of people did back then (including Van Halen)
@@williamg8832Sounds like you're the one with a problem - multiple comments saying someone else has a problem. What a dork
So true. Many people can't see that actually intensive composing is the strongest Yngwie's point
Well said.
True dat!!
Jimi Bell was not "there first". His band that got noticed on the East coast
"Joined Forces" didn't even join together until 1984. Their first EP in 1985.
On the other hand, Yngwie's "Rising Force" band was formed in 1978 and recorded demos in 1978-1981. Yngwie had his own sound and style during this time. Those demos reached the U.S., then Steeler 1983, etc. This is documented history.
✌🎸🎶
Thank You for clearing that up. Chris Impellitteri probably has some kind of resentment towards Yngwie.
Chris tired eveyrthng he could to diminish Malmsteen's accomplsihments, while saying he loved him. Yeah, buddy
Dought it. He just wants credit were credit is due
@@stephanea5364 - That's what it sounded like to me. Bottom line, EVERYONE was envious of Yngwie back then....
Yeah I saw them many times good music
I remember my brother buying the Stand in Line album when it came out & we both said, Holy Shit! This guy is even faster than Yngwie!! Chris is awesome & such great memories from that era of virtuoso players🎼🎸
Yngwie's early demos was already surfacing and talked about as early as '81, if I'm not mistaken. We have to ask Mike Varney, or read his interviews about timelines. Of course it's hard being accused not having your own personal style. All I can say is that nobody sounds like Yngwie.
Chris is absolutely amazing guitar player and songwriter.
He's definitely one of my favorites...he still puts out awesome albums 🎸🙂🎸
Chris 🙂👍
Chris Impellitteri was from my hometown! I remember seeing him playing in the cover bands he played in at the Infinity nightclub a few times. I thought he was an amazing guitarist.
Their new LP is a monster. Every album is great. Chris is an underrated player. Go buy their new LP. The guitar runs are amazing.
IMO Chris is far more talented, an under rated musician, an unrecognised icon of the 90's. I still listen to Impellitteri today!
he is not far more talented let's be real he's good
Chris is an awesome player. I believe Zakk Wylde also praised Jimi Bell's playing in interviews.
I don't remember anyone saying anything about being a "clone", but I do remember things like "fastest on the scene", specifically. I remember seeing an ad of Chris sitting on an amp in the guitar mags. Those were some good times!
I’ve been trying to get rick beato to get jimi Bell on his show. I think he would be amazed at Jimi’s playing. Jimi not only alternate picks everything and makes it sound like a sweep but his legato playing has a Holdsworth influence . And his blues playing is outstanding. Not to mention his country picking is outstanding as well. If you know you know…
Honestly, who cares about Rick Beato!
@ about 5 million subscribers. Just trying to get Jimi seen by a bigger audience. Unless you have 5 million ? Then you interview him 😀. Just trying to help a buddy out.
I'm from Connecticut. Jimmy Bell is highly regarded here for decades. I'm 65 so I know all about Jimmy. Aldo Dennis Langevin of you're more into jazz. Both super nice guys.
Great interview! Chris = Need for speed. CI always seemed like a dude of integrity.
Chris is a great player, but he’s just not on the same level as Yngwie. -Most people aren’t, that’s why Yngwie is truly a pioneer of a genre of guitar and still doing it to this day. For people that think that Malmsteen has no feeling(?)listen to his first album “Rising Force” and tell me it’s not completely stuffed full of feeling,not just speed alone. The idea that he’s a one trick pony couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.
I met Jimi Bell at a gig he played with House of Lords at a tiny Club here in Oslo, before Covid19 :) It was in the middle of the winter with lots of snow and stuff ... I had my arm around James Christian, having a couple of beers, asking any question I've had since the Sahara album ... since he's had some Norwegian connections, and I loved those HOL records, with so many great musicians involved and crazy good songs! Like, Impellitteri, Mandy Meyer and even Mike Tramp in there! I had a talk with Jimi as we were all leaving, about him playing a nice, snow-white SG-type Custom guitar ... he was very professional and a SCARY good player! :O Now I see a connection here :)
Reality is, no one can 'copy' anyone, it's impossible. Impellitteri has never been a 'clone' of anything. Some learned to play 'in the style of', but do they have creative powers? did they release the same records? No. Did they even write any music? No. And that makes ALL the difference. It's like the English alphabet, billions learned it, but who wrote EXACTLY the same letters? No one. And so, every committed musician is important and unique: there will never be another one EXACTLY like him. For all eternity. And I agree with Chris, it's disrespectful, and let's add ignorant too, but here's the rub: the world of music goes round because of MUSICIANS, not some dull w***rs at Allmusic, i.e. 'critics'.
All three of them are great guitarists.
Thanks Impellitteri for introducing me to Jimi Bell.
I did discovered Yngwie back in 2004 When G3 came out and Impellitteri in 2005. It never came into my mind Impellitteri is a ynwie clone. As a matter of fact I got pretty bored after listening to ynwie and to till this day He kinda sounds boring , but Impellitteri always managed me to blow my mind.
The tremolo picking of impellitteri before beginning the solo alone is very different compared to yngwie.
Miss the old days and all the screaming great guitar players.
Really enjoying the FIB podcast! Chris sounds like a sober, intelligent person. Most rock stars aren't very eloquent, and they make me wonder if they need help getting dressed.
I know a singer that played on 1 of impellitteri albums and he had a cousin named Rick Harlson that played so great. He was so fast and couls easily play Yngwie then turn around play Chet Atkins, Bach, you name it. Would teach hours and hours of Theory. He should have millions just on talent alone. The whole family it seemed were just great musicians
I'm from CT. Lot of great musicians from there even Vinny Vincent my stepdad made his guitars .I must look up Jimi Bell I've heard his name from folks for years😅
Impellitteri's Black album and the Stand in Line r dynamite.
If im not mistaken their newer video had Paul Bostaph slayer drummer on it. Pretty kool.
The Impelliteri album with Graham felt like Graham backtracking and resuming Alcatraz/Yngwie style metal which was still peaking. I found Chris's guitar-blasting far more distorted and one speed fits all than Yngwie was.
Just going visually, what the marketing seemed like at the time was, "if you like that, you'll like this." Every lead singer dyed their hair blond to echo David Lee Roth, every band looked the same, every guitarist used the same stuff as everyone else. Whatever worked for somebody, everyone else immediately latched onto.
Stand In Line was no different. Graham Bonnet is on the record, the "Since You've Been Gone" cover, Chris is playing a Strat and has a Stratty tone with the wide, wild vibrato. It was as if it was saying, "If you like Yngwie, you'll like this!" Instantly upon hearing it though, any guitar player with ears could tell he wasn't just doing an Yngwie impression. He had his own style, his own space. But to the layperson, to someone who is only seeing it and not hearing it, and to people who don't know that Blackmore, Shenker, and Uli all came before, it's easy to see why they might say, "oh he's just copying Yngwie."
At that time, the younger audience couldn't care less about what came before. We didn't care about Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Who, Scorpions, UFO, that was all old shit. It was all about Randy and Eddie. Guitar started with them and everything before was caveman shit. And then the next batch of kids who weren't there for Eddie and Randy thought THEY were caveman shit and it was all about Yngwie, Jake, and Lynch. And then it was the next group, and the next group, and it kept getting more neoclassical and faster, just cramming it in even when it didn't fit. Pedal point arpeggio sequences in a song about partying and scoring chicks. It just kept getting so ridiculous and it was just one giant dick measuring contest. Paganini, Vivaldi, Debussy, Stravinsky, Mozart, Bach... just, who fuckin cares?
And then it was all instantly lame. Gone. Flushed. The whole copycat and one-upmanship didn't matter at all.
Interesting interview.. Thank you.
Great vidieo as usual!
Chris just gave a seminar on back handed compliments, regarding Yngwie 😆
Also i feel sorry for Graham Bonnet he literally fronted 2 of the best bands of the 80s Rainbow and Alcatrazz , He was on MTV and had 2 big hit songs with God Blessed Video and also Since you've been gone but now 35 years on in his older years poor guy is playing to groups of only 50 people in small clubs , The tragic thing is he can still sing and hit those notes , same happened to Joe Lynn Turner too who is now playing very small clubs , Anyway about Chris he was not an Yngwie clone at all , He incorporated different styles from many guitarists into his playing which is what every guitarist does.
I can empathize with the man and what he's trying to explain about the influences being, basically shared and both Yngwie and him growing up as musicians absorbing other's playing. Both were aiming to be a "copy" of Blackmore's, among others... but yeah, following his steps and even getting the same vocalists.
But just because he has suffered a whole career being called "A copy" over decades, doesn't erase the real impact that Yngwie made on his own career.
The first releases have so many blunt rip-offs from Blackmore's work... but also Yngwie's songs and nobody was hiding it.
Nobody can hear "Leviathan", from Stand in Line, without thinking in "I Am a Viking" . And that's just one example.
Nowadays, finally, in the latest era of his career, he's making songs that don't sound like someone else's. And that makes me happy.
Ty Chris, I'm going to check out Jimi bell right bow
Impellitteri sounds completely different from Yngwie. In a blind study I can always hear the difference and tell who is who playing.
Him, Joe Stump, bunch of guys all trying to dress like Yngwie--play the strat like Yngwie, etc etc. Don't act like you didn't worship at the Rising Force altar. But now that I hear his admiration for Jimi Bell, his style makes a lot more sense to me. They actually do sound pretty similar. And anyhow, nobody--not Chris, not Jimi Bell, not whoever you might name, was able to copy the vibrato, fluidity, feel, and musicality that Yngwie had back then. Speed was just part of it. He was also cleaner than any of the guys that followed in his wake.
He’s definitely downplaying Yngwie. Chris is good but Yngwie is in a whole different universe.
How come I didn't get a notification, I have everything in the right place. Anyway, there are pics or at least one pic of GnR looking glam as hell.
As I'm watching this, in the back of my mind I'm thinking, Jimi Bell? Why does that namme sound familiar. You guys mentioned Connecticut, I'm from Danbury. A few years ago, I went to see a tribute band called Beyond Purple. They played Deep Purple, Dio, White Snake, Rainbow, etc. If I'm not mistaken, Jimi Bell played with them! That's so cool!
Jimi plays with Beyond Purple, your recollection is correct.
@flockoglock saw them at Sonny's Place in Somers, CT. a couple years ago. They were really good.
Chris is awesome player and overlooked. Jimi Bell tried out for Ozzy, didn't get the gig because he was a south paw/they didn't want him to compared to Tony Iommi.
Chris Impellitteri is a great player, but Yngwie is my fav.
Recently just saw Vinnie Moore for the first time ever, along with TMac, it was great!
Jimi Bell was actually up for the gig for Ozzy and had the gig until Sharon and Ozz heard this crazy guitar player named Jeffery Wielandt AKA Zakk Wylde
I hope to hear a future interview with Alex Masi vertical invader and attack of the neon shark are very good records as well as danger zone. Holdsworth played synth axe on one of his records and the song DFWM is pretty intense.
I love Impellitteri!
Jimi Bell as of the last few years has been playing in a version of the band Autograph. Although I know the original guitar player, Steve Lynch, has been trying to stop them from using the name Autograph.
Was it disrespectful for Chris to solo over the Black Star groove in his instrucional video but NOT mention Yngwie as an influence in the same video when he was discussing influences? That disappointed me.
Good point!
This guy brought a little of that on himself. When your liner notes say something musically-brilliant like (and I’m paraphrasing) “To all my fans, I promise my guitar solos will get faster, and faster”….you’re sending the wrong signals. Not knocking the guy’s playing, I’m questioning what sounds a bit hypocritical. But, I digress…
It’s 2024 and he still hasn’t admitted he copied Yngwie . It’s beyond moronic by now. He copied his style , his look, the strat, the lettering on his album covers, covering since you’ve been gone , playing with Graham bonnet , etc etc. Nobody believes what he says. His style has zero to do with DiMeola or MacLauglin. When he came out all of the guitar players I knew rolled their eyes at him being by an obvious Yngwie rip off
That`s right. I still can`t believe how 80`s shredders diminish or envy Yngwie. The swedish was the pinnacle of the shredder on the 80`s and a new level...and not a devote fan of him, but this clones are still salty.
ty for seeing t hat
Oh wow.... just checking out Jimi Bell and he puts them both to shame. Shows that without the right vehicle a player will go virtually unnoticed for decades
honeymoon phase?
People never want to fess up to being a hair band, 1:21. All of these bands try to knock the hair band moniker in hind sight. Hair was cool in the 80s and all of the chicks were in to it! The alternative bands persuaded people to hate those bands in the 92 forward era. I hated alternative, still do. I always played my hair band and thrash music as loud as my speakers would go!!
I've heard Impelliterri since the late 80's. He sounds nothing like Yngwie. Just because it is fast doesn't mean it is the same. And having Graham Bonnet as a singer still doesn't make it the same.
No one loves yjm more than me . .but chris is sooooo much more than yjm clone ... That's so disrespectful to Chris ..the only people who say this are ppl who have heard 1 of his solos. .. Chris is a f-ing god on the guitar who deserves so much more attention and praise...I guarantee anyone who reads this and doesn't know Chris and his work .if you just give him 15 mins of your time you will not only thank me for the suggestion but you will thank Chris for blowing your mind with his playing.
Chris is definitely a faster and cleaner alternate picker than Yngwie.
I lived in LA for a short time in 2012 as an intern from the UK and yeah i was so let down it was nothing like it was in the 80s or early 90s , Junkies everywhere , Homeless people begging for money , Over priced everything and the people were not friendly apart from the rich areas like West and North Hollywood of course but East and South LA scared me as i had to go through South Central to get to the airport and yeah dangerous , The UK people here are all mouth and no action , the LA folk are all action no mouth if that makes sense.
I know YJM; Chris Impellitteri is nowhere near, by no means necessary, at the same creativity level, accuracy, and skill level as YJM -- PERIOD!
30 minutes of Impellitteri and you've seen all the tricks.
Jimi Bell is a devil with a machine gun technique . So superb.
Thank u
It all got a bit athletic. I remember a magazine saying Impelliteri was faster than Yngwie . Personally I think his work stands alone. I really like his new stuff too.
It’s kinda revisionist history. I loved Impellitteri’s later work with Rob Rock, but come on… with Stand in Line he’s there shredding away on a Strat and with a vocalist that Yngwie worked with. He practically advertised himself as the “next Yngwie”, and in interviews was all about how fast he could play. I was glad to see he’d matured later on, still blazing fast but also understanding how to serve a song.
And it was such slop. Super heavy pick attack with a fuckton of reverb. Nothing like Yngwie.
the greatest guitarist on earth !nobody came close to him stand in line was shedwevre absolut !nobody plays like him, ,
Jorn viggo Lofstad Stephen Forte Simon Capone Mats Hauglan Somonie Mularoni Michael Romeo ill take these guys any day of the week
Blackmore started it all
Too much Jimi Bell talk in this one....Love your work my friend.
Imaginary music was played on mtv on headbanger ball quite a few times
I was exposed and saw Randy Rhoads with Ozzy in concert doing diminished flavored songs and straight diminished runs and lines before Yngwie got to the USA and exposed but yet Chris won't mention his influence.
If he was an Yngwie clone i would probably like him.
I have always loved the mid-tempo Impellitteri tracks but it seems on the more recent albums every song is her speed metal track. Sounds like they're just playing fast for the sake of playing fast. Not as much melody or feeling as the earlier albums.
when you hear chris … you know he’s more influenced by bell then yngwie
but yngwie influenced legions
I'm sorry but... I'm 57, been in music since grade school... Growing up, listening to hard Rock, Heavy Metal... 1st for me there was Jimi, Jimmy, Jeff, The Sweet, EVH,RR... In 10th grade someone turned me onto Yngwie Malmsteen... Yes he's fast,great .. all that, but over the decades,I've kinda noticed that he was very arrogant... claims that he's never "practiced" playing guitar...even when he was a kid!? Yeah right... People just don't wake up great players!? Unless you're Edward Van Halen or something
You misunderstood him. He meant he didn't drill scales, etc. He always played music.
It's just like anyone who puts their picking hand on the fretboard is called Eddie.
LOL He should take that as a high compliment - he's just a generic neoclassical shredder.
It looks like he had more hair spray than Peggy Bundy but they weren't a hair band ? 😂
Jimi Bell is good but he no Yngwie!
PS. I don't count people who play covers, etc.....these are boring musicians. Point is, if you wrote your own music, it will be inevitably different from anyone else's, or at least different enough. It's pretty much guaranteed. This 'anyone can be a clone of X' is a myth, no one can 'clone' anyone, it's BS. Musicians just get inspired by others, then they do their own thing, IF they have anything to say (that's why so many boring musicians play covers). And the ones who merely play somebody else's licks, are hobbyists. The real proof is if the musician writes his own music, which Chris certainly did.
Just another Yngwie wanna be..
What about Joe Stump???
Yngwie thinking another guitarist is arrogant is pot calling the kettle black
😄😄😄😄
Anyone that started shredding after Yngwie are copycats period
*Impellitteri does not sound at all like Yngwie.*
There are only a handful of players who can cover Yngwie songs. Kelly Simonz comes to mind.
This guys stories remind me of Greg Leon and all his foolish stories.
The two guitarists are nothing alike. Chris is a shredder, whereas Yngwie is neo-classical. I can listen to Chris repeatedly, whereas Yngwie plays the same thing song-after-song, which becomes annoying. Chris also seems very down to earth, but Yngwie is a complete ass
*YNGWIE"S INNOVATION*
Yngwie brought contrapundal into rock composition. Chris Impellitteri is an idiot for thinking it is about scales.
Yngwie's songs often change key contexts.
Impellitteri spent his time being Big in Japan, a fame chaser, who, though has some good rock songs, would be nothing without Rob Rock's vocals and lyrics.
Never a hair band...lol ...sure
Chris has always been butt hurt about Malmsteen. For years he’s whined. It’s hilarious.
It's funny how he tries to diminish the Malmsteen influence for God sake it was so clear although he didn't have the style of Yngwie. I never liked Chris's sound
JOE STUMP.
America embraced you? MTV played what of "your" stuff? I'm 56, grew up in the meat of 80s metal. I vaguely remember this guy's name, barely. FFS get a hold of yourself.
Seems the problem is originality,..you put out an album of covers,...you wanted to ride the trends,.....do others music,........did'nt have a style of your own,......how many players mastered the diminished crap & thought they were a musical genius,....we got a YJM,......find your own style,........there's always a Jimi in everything isn't there,..."the almost but not quiet"
He's ok, his picking hand is faster than his fingers... sounds too sloppy and rushed.
Yngwie does it better and shouldn't be copied. Its already been done!
Sorry but no.
I was going to defend him until he said he liked Poison. God poison sucked. :)
U b offended to, l too don't like Donuts n rereleasing same licks for 4decades n call it new album
Lmao such a bs story ...u wish . Who is Chris 😂😂😂