Malmsteen around 1984 had the best skills and tone of his career. Also, he had a lot of finesse and musical charisma back then that sadly, diminished slightly as he aged.
Yes in 1984 or during his prime hes untouchable in terms of shredding touch and flawless speed smoothness and when jason becker come out i prefer jason becker phrasing and melody choices of notes and sweep picking.... but live playing? Yjm rules
Yngwie rimane nella storia una leggenda da cui moltissimi hanno preso ispirazione tra cui Jason Becker Paul Gilbert Michael Romeo Michael angelo batio.....personaggio e musicista irraggiungibile
In those days Yngwie was a purist. Far cleaner and concise. His approach with tone , arpeggios, and clean sound was like that of the violin. Which he stated was a major influence.
Back then they all were awesome players. We are so very fortunate that all these players and their incredible performances were recorded and are available now. Thank you for taking your time to put this video together.
When Yngwei was in his prime before the accident he shock the guitar world with hes way to play. Extreamly fast, clean, and exeptional vibrato. He was the first to really bring neo classic metal. He still is a fantastic guitarplayer. One thing is for sure. He will have his place in the history books. As a Swede my self I am proud this icon is from my country.
Just basing on the video, Malmsteen wins hands down.🤘(I will immediately eliminate Jake E.Lee, EVH, Uli Roth and Blackmore - although fantastic guitar players, their technique are 2 notches below Yngwie's level.) The others are like "forcing" the speed...their playing sounds "wanting" to be fast for the sake of playing fast. (except Allan who is more of a Legato/fusion player.) YJM on the other hand simply FLOWS with natural speed. Just flawless organic speed, Truly one of a kind, special generational player, proof that his technique is above the task, you won't sound that if your technique is not on par with the sound you have in your head. As Guthrie Govan said in an interview, he admired Yngwie's technique more than his peers because his "speed has intention". He is right, It's not fast for the sake of being fast. He wanted to sound like the violin, like Bach and Paganini pieces. ❤🔥 Apart from the great speed, he has this "Godlike Vibrato" like no other. So clearly, Malmsteen rules and dominates.🎸
I agree the speed is natural as if he is more concerned with the phrasing like on I am a viking the feel is amazing . That is something he got from Holdsworth IMO the lightness and natural legato
Man, I'm gonna have to second that YJM is my guy on my RUclips. You'll see. I gotta shout out from him. He's freaking incredible. He has a lot of philosophy and wisdom in this stuff.
Who really cares who was the fastest? Isn't it about who plays the most musically? :) I am a big fan of all the guitarists in the video and they have all inspired me a lot, but I have never thought, who is the fastest? It's not a competition even though many guitarists today seem to think it is a competition :)
@@ronaldkoch2766 I am with you on that. Awhile back, I got into the whole shred thing and l listened to alot of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Malmsteen in particular. Don't get me wrong, these guitarists are highly skilled and brilliant players and are the best at what they do. I tend to get a little bored after awhile with the playing extremely fast makes you the king of rock guitar. I tend to really enjoy and appreciate players like David Gilmour, Rory Gallagher, Robin Trower etc. My favorite 3 on this list are Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Gary Moore. The best guitarist is what makes your ears the happiest.
Exactly. While Blackmore, Uli Roth and YJM are the best IMO (they're my top 3 tbh), I also love Paul Gilbert, Schenker, Sykes, Jake E Lee and Gary Moore due to how INTENSE their music are, especially how awesome their vibrato and body of work they give to the world
@@shredboy5000 I guess you moved to Atlanta or something and are teaching there part-time? Memphis was a decent place to live before the 2000's. I used to have a blast hanging out at Strings when you worked there. What's up man?? Still here and chasing that tone! David Wasson
@@RockNRoller66 i remember you. Moved to birmingham. Working at a store a lot like the old SnT. Teaching 50+ students a week for last 18 years. Still playing. And riding motorcycles. Thats about it .
@@sigiligus Holdsworth and Blackmore were 2 of YJM biggest influences (according to him in multiple interviews). Every neo classical shredder after 84 was likely influenced by malmsteen
@@omni-man4624 Listening to anyone wank off on the guitar for five minutes is boring, but if you actually had any understanding of the instrument and what they were actually doing, you wouldn't leave such a stupid remark.
Holdsworth is (I guess was since he is no longer alive) is the electric guitarists ever. So I would put him in the #1 spot For the 2-4 spot I would put in no particular order (since It's to hard to put them in order) John Mclaughlin, Shawn Lane and Frank Gamable #5 spot I think I would put Scott Henderson, but I could also put Gunthrie Govan there. Henderson didn't have the chops of Holdsworth, Lane, Gamable, Govan or even Mclaughlin but ever note from Henderson's guitar playing seemed to be so perfectly placed.
That was a great (and bad) time to be a guitarist. You had to be really on top of your game. Mike Varney had a lot of new killer guitarists coming out too. Yngwie sent a lot of guys to the woodshed.
I'm just pleased I got to see most of those guys live during their peak. It's mainly the Americans I missed out on (Batio, Lynch, EVH, Jake, Gilbert) plus Sykes. For pure 'shred', Yngwie was the best, but T Mac's 'Maximum Security' is my all time favourite instrumental guitar album. I was knocked out at how good Uli JR was on that Electric Sun tour (Beyond the Astral Skies).
agree with you. "Tears of Sahara", "Hundreds of Thousands" and "Autumn Lords" still wailing and weeping in my head since I first listened to them. Such tremendous chordal delivery and fine soloing. Luv his tone and melodic phrasing, the momentum and the way it traverses the song's emotional discharge. Just amazing. Gilbert also displays that. Yngwie is more classical toned. Other giants from that era are Tamas Seekers (most underrated) and Henk van der Laars of Elegy fame. Wonderful players.
@dwightburns6699 no question VM is up there as well. Loved Mind's Eye and still have the LP. Was disappointed with Time Odyssey, which I thought was a bit bland/sterile in comparison. I do have a couple of other VM albums. Never saw him live. Ironically my son saw him with UFO a few years back when he was at Uni.
I saw Yngwie that tour in 84 at the Crest Theater in Sacramento. Me and my friends went to Warehouse records and got our Albums signed by him. Just seen him again on his recent tour. One of the great guitarist of our time.
Road games with Chad wackerman and Jeff Berlin I studied this deeply still do amazing. Executive producer Eddie Van Halen UK sessions. Time to kill. Killing time
I was never a big YM fan as it seemed to feel like his music always sounds the same to itself. The other guitar players provided here have more cemented history with my musical prowess BUT out of all the performances, YM was the cleanest and smoothest approach towards the scales in their respective presentations. They are all great guitar players but Malmsteen truly shines in this video with his notes all clearly defined, perfectly articulated and overall showmanship fit for a hall of fame. Its all about perspective and personal opinions may vary, but this is a good stepping stone to a worthy debate for either side of the table.
Fun video 🤘 FWIW Edward is my personal North Star as a musician and guitarist -- YJM was great back then -- no question, saw him live MANY times -- but his style is not that difficult to emulate (if you practice enough) and it's a dead end road musically IMHO -- Uli Jon Roth is phenomenal -- anybody into that needs to hear Tokyo Tapes
Yngwie unbelievable player but his songs were just okay. That’s why it’s hard to compare him to the great EVH and some of the other great players on this list. Speed solo’s doesn’t always translate to complementing the song. A lot of Yngwie’s songs are wildly overplayed.
I find Yngwie's songs (and especially compositions) endless more interesting than Ed's, along with much more deep cut, evolving, dramatical yet improvised solos. The speed is just an extra ornament like the divine vibrato and violin picking.
@@nicholasthill7151 Lol🤣🤣🤣😂 Yngwie copied Ritchie's hairsyle, stage clothes and movement, stratocaster with scalloped fretboard, playing Bach songs, playing with orchestra If he is the first, why he made an album called "Inspiration" that contain songs made by Ritchie and Uli(5 Blackmore songs 1 Uli song)
@@엽기토끼래비즈 I agree, he copied a lot from Blackmore but he did take it further with the neoclassical style and also in speed. That saod, i am a huge Blackmore fan, much more than Yngwie although i am a Swede an still like Yngwies earlier work from when i was young.
Awesome ! My nbr1 is RITCHIE BLACKMORE and that will never change but IMO no one can beat his Yngwie Malmsteen early years .. in fact till today haven't seen anything better than that ... fantastic footage 👏🎸🌈💜
I have a Yngwie Malmsteen's Fender, he's one of my favorite guitar players, but I do not see music as a competition between Yngwie and the others mentioned...we can learn with everyone of them and that's it. People have some attraction to things like 'the best of ever', 'the greatest', etc. That makes no sense to me in art. All of us have our favorite and that's all...our subjective lists. Days ago I saw something like "Shawn Lane X Yngwie'...well, Shawn was so brilliant (like the old Yngwie), but fans were fighting in the comments like soccer fans...I see no point about it, Shawn is not so famous outside the guitarrists and would not be in those Mojo lists, but he was outstanding like many others: Greg Howe, Jason Becker, Scott Henderson, Allan Holdswort, etc...all of these ones would not be mentioned in popular lists, like the one that put Brian May as the best of ever...Brian is a genius, I love him, but he put it rightly in an interview about the list...you can find it easily. He said he's not the best and you can't rank people...the meaning of lists: to sell a product. PS - George Harrison and Brian May are guitar players I love, they created beautiful guitar solos, few notes, a lot of passion and emotion. I love Gary Moore a lot too, great rock blues player, beautiful voice. One last note: M. A. Batio is the only guitar player in your video I do not like...he sounds like a metronome checker. To listen to him is like to appreciate a metronome...boring, no melody.
Check Vinnie Vincent out, especially from the Vinnie Vincent Invasion album (1986). Very underrated. He could play very fast in a different style to Yngwie.
Great video. I enjoyed it a lot. But, putting George Lynch's melodic solo in Alone Again, against Yngwie's shredding, is a head scratcher. Why not one of George's scorching, classic solos, such as the ones in Tooth And Nail, Turn On The Action, Lightning Strikes, or Kiss Of Death ?
All the modulation going on when Holdsworth is playing is really what sets him apart from everyone else. You have to be a genius to be able to play like that and keep track of where you are and not get lost.
"I don't fuckin sweep pick" YJM Al Di Meola was a huge influence on Yngwie in His formative years & now they're practically neighbors. Others in the race may have been Chris Impelliteri,Buckethead,Jeff Watson, Vinnie Moore,Mitch Perry ,Rob Marcello,John McLaughlin;Akira Takasaki..& soon to be famous guys like Jason Becker, Greg Howe & Warren Di Martini & Ron Thal.. etc. Shawn Lane was the fastest I ever witnessed back then.
Say what you want about Yngwie but what separates him from other shredders is creativity. He is a composer and songwriter, and in Neo Classical he is unmatched in my opinion and that’s what makes him so great.
yngwie made everyone elevate their game. varney was handing yngwies demos tapes to several young shredders including vai…. yngwie was god in 84’ and until his accident hard to match in tone, skill and stage presence ashame he stopped improving his game - and stuck with a singer like joe lynn turner could have been bigger commercially maybe not eddie but much higher than he did … but yngwie will always be the king of shred
I'm not sure what you mean by "stuck with Joe Lynn Turner" Joe was only on 1 studio album Odyssey and that album was Yngwies most successful album, and highest charting album of his career. Heaven Tonight was getting radio airplay. Back then it was well known Yngwie had issues with singers and had an ever changing lineup of band members..he was fired from Alcatrazz for a fight with Graham Bonnet over who was the frontman..
meaning he should have stuck with joe lynn turner ( as a singer ) instead replace jlt with goran and the johannson bros, for that matter. odyssey was an awesome album / great tour and i think they could have made many more albums together - would have been more successful today but he chose to replace his singer and band mates every couple of albums a shame would be great if he could reconnect with someone in his past for the rising force 40th anniversary tour i’m sure he’ll take advantage of
@@mrshredder0076 I'm not the biggest Turner fan but I agree regardless. I am also realistic enough to realize that two egos of that magnitude are never going to last long together. Yngwie had to be the star of his own band and you just can't with a world class singer. Would have been great with someone like Glenn Hughes, I think they would both have been bigger (but we'll never know).
😂😂😂😂 Vai didn't care. Said it himself. But he did make tapes of him playing malmsteens crap. I heard it and he played YJM better than him. Vai was a monster back then. For The Love of G-d crushes EVERYTHING YJM has done.
Although all the guitars that I've just heard up against Yngwie Malmsteen which I love so many of them guitarists and always will Yngwie is the King to me
the thing i like about Malmsteen is that he was the original . he didn't just play fast he had great tone and energy. it was rare for him to play fast just to play fast. man you are bringing me back to when i first started playing guitar. i was 16 and seen Eddie ,Vivian cambell and Yngwie .the same clips your playing. i used to go in my basement and pretend i was rob halford why i sang with the video. pretty much everyday. i thought i did damn good for singing that high. but yeah idk if Yngwie is the best of that year when he's up against so many monsters like Holdsworth.eddie,richie and the like. i know holdsworth does shit loads of hammer ons and pull offs while Yngwie is picking most everything.🙅
No point in comparing everyone of them. They've all contributed in some ways to the evolution of rock. Each of them have unique qualities in playing their own style. I think they're all great players; and i'm a fan in each and everyone of them. Cheers!
Very nice beautiful metal-guitar world mans! Dears legends! Guitar world!! Thank-you very much for tectonic-very big prof works!!! Rock n roll! Everybody!!
Are you're comparing 1984 Yngwie with a lot of post 1984 footage from other players? I'd say the 70s era guys--Uli Jon Roth, Ritchie Blackmore, were just hopelessly outmatched And you'll find no bigger fan of the 80s than me. I'm a huge Jake E Lee and George Lynch fan and while they undoubtedly were great players ,Yngwie was just from another planet. It was like he was at least a generation ahead of them.
What are you smoking? Uli Jon was smoking it and Richie Blackmore in early mid 70’s was insane your just a rookie check out Blackmore in 1969 shredding a hollow body
MY FIRST CONCERT EVER ... YNGWIE, LITA FORD , 1987 CONCORD, CALIFORNIA, SECOND ROW. I WAS 16 YEARS OLD, I HAD STARTED PLAYING THE YEAR BEFORE....I WAS NEVER THE SAME ... INSANE.
i think the big diference was that ingwye start using diferent stuff whit the armonic minor mode and devolope new sounds,diminiture arpegios etc.and the rest of the players was only pentatonic or eolian,natural modes.
@@GuitarGodzUnleashed and also he started playing whit the neck pick up,when all the players was playing whit the bridge pick up,diferent mode and diferent sound a new fresh style.
Haha, exactly. ALL are focused on playing the Pentatonic box. While Yng is blazing with Harmonic Minor, Phyrigian and Diminished weird but unique sounding scales.
@@LeBozoBlamesyou see the guitar god scale was the Dorian mode as its rock n roll. From Chuck berry to jimi Hendrix to evh. That was the scale of choice. I think maybe it started changing with the advent of the jcm 800 to more heavy metal and that introduced more scales to have a darker sound. But I’d still rather listen to evh and Hendrix .
Did you hear about the 80s era Namm show where Gambale was on the same stage as Yngwie? First, they had a jam in E minor and YJM ruled. Gambale “hey let’s play some bop” Yngwie had to leave the stage. Hmmmm?
Yngwie is my heroe my god since 1983 But there is one guitarist that did get to his level and more " Vinnie moore" But still yngwie is the boss and the master of all the shreders of the 80s and even today.
It’s footage from 1984 or as close that as possible. Impellitteri was a couple of years later I believe so he’s not in this. And no footage of Becker until 86…And there may be some footage of Lane but I didn’t find it although I have an audio recording of Shawn from 1982 and he blows everybody away in terms of speed and technique!
Yngwie had it all, skills, fiinesse, composition, his albums back then is something different for the market I think. Still got it til today, although he brings nothing new nowadays.
In my younger days, I idolized Yngwie J. Malmsteen. That all changed the night he showed up at Hollywood's infamous RAINBOW BAR & GRILL. It was a week day, not much business. I was upstairs in the reserved loft. Yngwie comes upstairs with 2 body guards (huge Viking motherfukers who were also band members). And then I noticed this young married couple who just moved here from the Midwest. It was there first time at the Rainbow and they couldn't believe their luck when they see Yngwie. It was not crowded at all. I see them asking the bartender if he knew what Yngwie was drinking? And he said yes, because he just filled his order a minute ago. This couple orders waters for themselves because they barely have the money to buy this one drink. They stand patiently behind Yngwie, waiting for a good time to present this drink... then Yngwie backs up and knocks the drink out of their hands. And says stupid Americans. You should just stay at home if you can't handle your drinks. This couple was absolutely crushed by this. They were trying to apologize, and that's when I stepped in. I said... hey, you look like the guitarist I used to worship. But it's hard to tell, because he was only this big (I was speaking on a poster of Yngwie I'd pinned on my wall from guitar magazine). Then I said... he should learn better manners, or stay the fuck out of America! He looks at me and says "you want to fight me?" I said... Yes, I guess I do. We take the stairway that goes directly outside. I look behind me and it's his bodyguards? Yngwie is at the top of the stairwell, and I shout... I thought this was between you and me? He lifts up his hands and says my hands are worth Millions, I'll not waste them on you! That's when one of the bodyguards Whispers in my ear, and says "if you attack him, we have to interfere. It's not an attack until after you hit him, so make it good!" Even his bodyguards wanted to see him get his ass kicked. That's how big of an asshole he is. I didn't want the bodyguards to risk losing their job. So I decided to let it go. I purchased a couple of drinks for the Midwest couple. And assured them most famous people who come here, are usually nice. And if you come here Friday or Saturday after 10 pm, guaranteed to see a few. I spent the rest of the night drinking with those two Viking Motherfuckers (the bodyguards). Yngwie went back to his room early, instructing his bodyguards to round up some ladies. But it was dead, nobody shows up on a week day. No single ladies their that night. So they ask me if I know any pretty American girls that would like to meet Yngwie? I said... Come on guys, of course. Yes, I know several. However, they are my friends. I can't put them in a situation like that? Good night!
I just have to say that when most of the other guitarist were playing very fast it just sounded like a practice exercise and not a melody in a song. Yngwie had a story going on in the music. Nothing against the other players who I mostly love.
i think every guitar player in 84 are great in their own styles. we dont have to compare the skills that made them famous. music is not a battle but a road to success. Classical? ofcourse Yngwie is the one, he is great on this style no doubt about it.
There are really great players in that video. Uli Jon Roth George Lynch EvH MacAlpine Jake E Lee John Sykes Steve Vai Holdsworth Shawn Lane Jason Becker Al DiMeola AND SOME MORE are on this level THERE IS NO GOAT!
Yngwie’s tone and precision was always better. But I am surprised Joe Satriani isn’t on this list. I would say he is the one who gave Yngwie a run for his money.
There were plenty of great shredders back in the day, and Yngwie was certainly in the conversation about top honours. Holdsworth wasn't a shredder really, I'm gonna leave him out. But for outright jaw-dropping speed and articulation, even in 1984, I have Shawn Lane at the top. He didn't really come to prominence until the 90s, but he was cooking in the 80s and at his peak, he was untouchable.
Love Malmsteen but in all fairness some of the clips from the other guitar players could have been better. Lynch certainly has clips where's he's killing it during the Wicked sensation album in the studio(retakes) but you play a piece of 'Alone again ' to compare??? Try remaking the Video & compare again but this time we see everyone playing at their Peak. Paul Gilbert can stand on the same stage as Yngwie
It’s about 1984 man, not 1990. Even by 1987 a lot of players had caught up with Yngwie for speed and some even surpassed him technically but this video is specifically about 1984. No footage of Lynch that early that I could find…
I think the video from Into the Fire was released in '84 which would have provided a little more pace. Any live footage of the song Tooth and Nail, if available, would have likely been the best representation of Lynch's speed at the time.
It's "Rockin' Every Night" from "Gary Moore - Live in Ireland 1984". The whole concert is a gem and contains much better guitar work than this one here. Check Out ruclips.net/video/9cgGdkC1bXA/видео.htmlsi=weMO_pDqv7YSaSGC
They're all blindingly amazing, especially for the time period. That said, Shawn Lane was absolutely circling them all back in 1979. And he only got scarier and farther separated from the rest as time progressed. Gone way too soon.😢
All these other players are trying to sound like YJM . You can hear it without YJM they would be doing their pentatonic blues box . So YJM is still the best
If the idea is as stated, cutting heads on stage, then you also have to factor in the showmanship. It wasn't just that he sent everyone back to the woodshed over technique, or that he made it totally cool for rock players to care about theory, but how he played what he played on stage, seemingly unable to make a mistake no matter how acrobatic a maneuver he displayed. 1984 Yngwie was an absolute force of nature. And the wildest part was that he was basically a fully-formed player and performer by around the age of 17! Checkout some of the videos from around 1981 of him in Sweden before he came to America--Essentially, everything that took the world by storm in '84 was already there!
His playing was much cleaner and more precise. They are all guitar gods. Different styles entirely with a lot of them taking from one another. I’m glad I got to grow up when this was all brand new and you waited at the record store for the release of now what’s called classic or old school. Respect to them all. 🤘🏻
George Lynch was once asked by a fan at Sweetwater guest show ( what should a young up and coming guitarist seeking fortune and fame do !? ). George replied be yourself or be a second rate yngwie!
Yngwie is great and was so unique and a force of nature in 1984. What a tone too.. But Holdsworth is on a different planet to everyone with maybe the exception of Vai..imho
![Twenty One Pilots - The Line (from Arcane Season 2) [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XCz7WUotXs8/mqdefault.jpg)
Malmsteen around 1984 had the best skills and tone of his career. Also, he had a lot of finesse and musical charisma back then that sadly, diminished slightly as he aged.
I agree.
Yes in 1984 or during his prime hes untouchable in terms of shredding touch and flawless speed smoothness and when jason becker come out i prefer jason becker phrasing and melody choices of notes and sweep picking.... but live playing? Yjm rules
Agree
Yngwie rimane nella storia una leggenda da cui moltissimi hanno preso ispirazione tra cui Jason Becker Paul Gilbert Michael Romeo Michael angelo batio.....personaggio e musicista irraggiungibile
Yngwie crashed his Ferrari in 1986 and was in a coma for a week. He suffered nerve damage and had to relearn the guitar again.
In those days Yngwie was a purist. Far cleaner and concise. His approach with tone , arpeggios, and clean sound was like that of the violin. Which he stated was a major influence.
I agree completely, although not my favorite, no one could touch him under those parameters
Back then they all were awesome players. We are so very fortunate that all these players and their incredible performances were recorded and are available now.
Thank you for taking your time to put this video together.
🤘
Yeah! It's the best comm, that I want to wrote about. Thanks God for all guitar players we can hear forever
Yngwie was the speedking at that age, but most of all an inspirator for the rest of the club of guitarslingers! 🎯
Holdsworth is on a whole different level. Yngwie is a Rock God.
No
Rising Force changed my guitar playing forever. Thanks Yngwie.
AMEN
I dont know about speed but YJM sounds much more pleasing
Like a smoother attack
@@MetalMan2525 feels fair to say "thats what he does", what do you expect, like a seasoned dentist or something😂. Its just what he does
exactly, all the other guitarists sound the same
When Yngwei was in his prime before the accident he shock the guitar world with hes way to play. Extreamly fast, clean, and exeptional vibrato. He was the first to really bring neo classic metal. He still is a fantastic guitarplayer. One thing is for sure. He will have his place in the history books. As a Swede my self I am proud this icon is from my country.
Does anyone know what is the track in the intro ?
❤❤❤❤❤
Not the first, but One of them. Uli Jon Roth…
Yngwei has said his picking improved after the accident. I still think Guthrie is #1 all time and Yngwei #2.
@@KimOlof
No, No, No
==>> BLACKMORE !!!
Just think man..we were the luckiest bastards to have all those guys. I love them all.
Just basing on the video, Malmsteen wins hands down.🤘(I will immediately eliminate Jake E.Lee, EVH, Uli Roth and Blackmore - although fantastic guitar players, their technique are 2 notches below Yngwie's level.) The others are like "forcing" the speed...their playing sounds "wanting" to be fast for the sake of playing fast. (except Allan who is more of a Legato/fusion player.)
YJM on the other hand simply FLOWS with natural speed. Just flawless organic speed, Truly one of a kind, special generational player, proof that his technique is above the task, you won't sound that if your technique is not on par with the sound you have in your head. As Guthrie Govan said in an interview, he admired Yngwie's technique more than his peers because his "speed has intention". He is right, It's not fast for the sake of being fast. He wanted to sound like the violin, like Bach and Paganini pieces. ❤🔥
Apart from the great speed, he has this "Godlike Vibrato" like no other. So clearly, Malmsteen rules and dominates.🎸
Well said
🤘
why never add early richie kotzen video ?
Agreed with you but Holdsworth and Gary Moore were in a league of their own, next level again.
I agree the speed is natural as if he is more concerned with the phrasing like on I am a viking the feel is amazing .
That is something he got from Holdsworth IMO the lightness and natural legato
Yngwie sounds the cleanest to me and the last dude
you can´t compare malmsteen with anyone, he is second to none ;-)
Man, I'm gonna have to second that YJM is my guy on my RUclips. You'll see. I gotta shout out from him. He's freaking incredible. He has a lot of philosophy and wisdom in this stuff.
La plettrata di yngwie è da mettere al conservatorio
Reb beach better
Jake e lee better
Van Helen god
And Steve Vai demi god
All vastly superior than malmsteen
@@sw1000xg ma che dici non stai bene...il maestro yngwie è una leggenda
Big agree, Reb Beach is awesome@@sw1000xg
Who really cares who was the fastest? Isn't it about who plays the most musically? :) I am a big fan of all the guitarists in the video and they have all inspired me a lot, but I have never thought, who is the fastest? It's not a competition even though many guitarists today seem to think it is a competition :)
This. And that is why David Gilmore is usually high on most top 10 guitarist lists.
@@ronaldkoch2766 I am with you on that. Awhile back, I got into the whole shred thing and l listened to alot of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Malmsteen in particular. Don't get me wrong, these guitarists are highly skilled and brilliant players and are the best at what they do. I tend to get a little bored after awhile with the playing extremely fast makes you the king of rock guitar. I tend to really enjoy and appreciate players like David Gilmour, Rory Gallagher, Robin Trower etc. My favorite 3 on this list are Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Gary Moore. The best guitarist is what makes your ears the happiest.
Exactly. While Blackmore, Uli Roth and YJM are the best IMO (they're my top 3 tbh), I also love Paul Gilbert, Schenker, Sykes, Jake E Lee and Gary Moore due to how INTENSE their music are, especially how awesome their vibrato and body of work they give to the world
Yngwie, Holdsworth and a gentleman named Shawn Lane. Trifecta of legendary greatness.
Not lane, computer music
I took lessons from Shawn for years. He could definitely " outshred" anyone. Only person i have seen that comes close is Mateo Mancuso
@@shredboy5000 I guess you moved to Atlanta or something and are teaching there part-time? Memphis was a decent place to live before the 2000's. I used to have a blast hanging out at Strings when you worked there. What's up man?? Still here and chasing that tone! David Wasson
@@RockNRoller66 i remember you. Moved to birmingham. Working at a store a lot like the old SnT. Teaching 50+ students a week for last 18 years. Still playing. And riding motorcycles. Thats about it .
I would put Holdsworth and Lane over Yngwie. I also would put the great Frank Gamable over Yngwie too.
1984 Malmsteen was a freaking monster …. But Holdsworth is from another planet altogether
You’re only saying this because some big RUclips channel glazed Holdsworth within the past year or two. Probably Boomer Beato. Go get a real opinion.
Stop Holdsworth is fucking boring!
@@sigiligus Holdsworth and Blackmore were 2 of YJM biggest influences (according to him in multiple interviews). Every neo classical shredder after 84 was likely influenced by malmsteen
Malmsteen playing is better than Holdswort.
@@omni-man4624 Listening to anyone wank off on the guitar for five minutes is boring, but if you actually had any understanding of the instrument and what they were actually doing, you wouldn't leave such a stupid remark.
Yngwie is what you dream you could sound like. Holdsworth is what you couldn't even imagine sounding like.
Can't even compare No one played like A.H
Allan is like AI guitar..
I see exactly what you mean, here.
Shawn Lane
Holdsworth is (I guess was since he is no longer alive) is the electric guitarists ever.
So I would put him in the #1 spot
For the 2-4 spot I would put in no particular order (since It's to hard to put them in order) John Mclaughlin, Shawn Lane and Frank Gamable
#5 spot I think I would put Scott Henderson, but I could also put Gunthrie Govan there. Henderson didn't have the chops of Holdsworth, Lane, Gamable, Govan or even Mclaughlin but ever note from Henderson's guitar playing seemed to be so perfectly placed.
And…Eddie VH was class and had a unique style and sound
That was a great (and bad) time to be a guitarist. You had to be really on top of your game. Mike Varney had a lot of new killer guitarists coming out too. Yngwie sent a lot of guys to the woodshed.
I'm just pleased I got to see most of those guys live during their peak. It's mainly the Americans I missed out on (Batio, Lynch, EVH, Jake, Gilbert) plus Sykes. For pure 'shred', Yngwie was the best, but T Mac's 'Maximum Security' is my all time favourite instrumental guitar album. I was knocked out at how good Uli JR was on that Electric Sun tour (Beyond the Astral Skies).
agree with you. "Tears of Sahara", "Hundreds of Thousands" and "Autumn Lords" still wailing and weeping in my head since I first listened to them. Such tremendous chordal delivery and fine soloing. Luv his tone and melodic phrasing, the momentum and the way it traverses the song's emotional discharge. Just amazing. Gilbert also displays that. Yngwie is more classical toned. Other giants from that era are Tamas Seekers (most underrated) and Henk van der Laars of Elegy fame. Wonderful players.
Vinnie Moore is a great player as well 👏 👌 no love?
@dwightburns6699 no question VM is up there as well. Loved Mind's Eye and still have the LP. Was disappointed with Time Odyssey, which I thought was a bit bland/sterile in comparison. I do have a couple of other VM albums. Never saw him live. Ironically my son saw him with UFO a few years back when he was at Uni.
Eddie Van Halen #1
I saw Yngwie that tour in 84 at the Crest Theater in Sacramento. Me and my friends went to Warehouse records and got our Albums signed by him. Just seen him again on his recent tour. One of the great guitarist of our time.
Holdsworth was from another planet.
Always.
who?
@@zanthony1286 The guy at the end who was cut off. Alan Holdsworth. Also wondering where was Shawn Lane?
Road games with Chad wackerman and Jeff Berlin
I studied this deeply still do amazing. Executive producer Eddie Van Halen
UK sessions. Time to kill. Killing time
Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Schenker...Giants.
SCHENKER melodies were so tasteful
@@BradEnquistBest melodies ever and Malmsteem is just a boring shredder who won't leave any memorable licks in rock history.
1984? It's Yngwie for sure. I was there, I know.
I was never a big YM fan as it seemed to feel like his music always sounds the same to itself. The other guitar players provided here have more cemented history with my musical prowess BUT out of all the performances, YM was the cleanest and smoothest approach towards the scales in their respective presentations. They are all great guitar players but Malmsteen truly shines in this video with his notes all clearly defined, perfectly articulated and overall showmanship fit for a hall of fame. Its all about perspective and personal opinions may vary, but this is a good stepping stone to a worthy debate for either side of the table.
👌🤝
Fun video 🤘 FWIW Edward is my personal North Star as a musician and guitarist -- YJM was great back then -- no question, saw him live MANY times -- but his style is not that difficult to emulate (if you practice enough) and it's a dead end road musically IMHO -- Uli Jon Roth is phenomenal -- anybody into that needs to hear Tokyo Tapes
Yngwie unbelievable player but his songs were just okay. That’s why it’s hard to compare him to the great EVH and some of the other great players on this list. Speed solo’s doesn’t always translate to complementing the song. A lot of Yngwie’s songs are wildly overplayed.
Ironically the best songwriting involved Joe Lynn Turner but those 2 egos couldn't coexist for long.
@@ardradiva I agree. Those were my favorite from Yngwie. I also liked Mark Boals song off Trilogy album.
I find Yngwie's songs (and especially compositions) endless more interesting than Ed's, along with much more deep cut, evolving, dramatical yet improvised solos. The speed is just an extra ornament like the divine vibrato and violin picking.
Yngwie was the best in that year. No doubt about it. That's not to say there weren't other great players but let's get real here.
Ritchie and Uli was playing those neoclassical stuffs already in 70's..
And Yngwie said he was heavily influenced by Uli in his books.
Isn't that he is the first, it's that he kicked the door down and made it popular.
@@nicholasthill7151 Lol🤣🤣🤣😂 Yngwie copied Ritchie's hairsyle, stage clothes and movement, stratocaster with scalloped fretboard, playing Bach songs, playing with orchestra
If he is the first, why he made an album called "Inspiration" that contain songs made by Ritchie and Uli(5 Blackmore songs 1 Uli song)
@@nicholasthill7151 Yngwie's "inspiration" album has 11 songs made by other great bands. and 5 songs are written by Blackmore
@@엽기토끼래비즈 I agree, he copied a lot from Blackmore but he did take it further with the neoclassical style and also in speed. That saod, i am a huge Blackmore fan, much more than Yngwie although i am a Swede an still like Yngwies earlier work from when i was young.
Awesome ! My nbr1 is RITCHIE BLACKMORE and that will never change but IMO no one can beat his Yngwie Malmsteen early years .. in fact till today haven't seen anything better than that ... fantastic footage 👏🎸🌈💜
Malmsteen vs R Blackmore is just like Father with his Grand Father... Both were so classical
I have a Yngwie Malmsteen's Fender, he's one of my favorite guitar players, but I do not see music as a competition between Yngwie and the others mentioned...we can learn with everyone of them and that's it. People have some attraction to things like 'the best of ever', 'the greatest', etc. That makes no sense to me in art. All of us have our favorite and that's all...our subjective lists. Days ago I saw something like "Shawn Lane X Yngwie'...well, Shawn was so brilliant (like the old Yngwie), but fans were fighting in the comments like soccer fans...I see no point about it, Shawn is not so famous outside the guitarrists and would not be in those Mojo lists, but he was outstanding like many others: Greg Howe, Jason Becker, Scott Henderson, Allan Holdswort, etc...all of these ones would not be mentioned in popular lists, like the one that put Brian May as the best of ever...Brian is a genius, I love him, but he put it rightly in an interview about the list...you can find it easily. He said he's not the best and you can't rank people...the meaning of lists: to sell a product.
PS - George Harrison and Brian May are guitar players I love, they created beautiful guitar solos, few notes, a lot of passion and emotion. I love Gary Moore a lot too, great rock blues player, beautiful voice.
One last note: M. A. Batio is the only guitar player in your video I do not like...he sounds like a metronome checker. To listen to him is like to appreciate a metronome...boring, no melody.
Brilliantly said
Check Vinnie Vincent out, especially from the Vinnie Vincent Invasion album (1986). Very underrated. He could play very fast in a different style to Yngwie.
Mad respect for Yngwie i love his work but imo EVH is his own category
no one can beat nygwie on 1980-1990
Malmsteen is number 1
Shawn Lane
Michael Romeo
Guthrie Govan
Buckethead
ALL better than Malmsteen
Great video. I enjoyed it a lot. But, putting George Lynch's melodic solo in Alone Again, against Yngwie's shredding, is a head scratcher. Why not one of George's scorching, classic solos, such as the ones in Tooth And Nail, Turn On The Action, Lightning Strikes, or Kiss Of Death ?
All shredders rule!!!!!!!! Thank you for the music
Yngwie and Eddie by far
What about Holdsworth?
Holdsworth Nah!
@@GuitarGodzUnleashed what about Randy Rhodes
What about *Lita Ford?*
Technically, she doesn't belong in the discussion but I watched a lot of her videos in my teens...
@@adamkane7513 Because she was hot back in the days 😉
Yngwie definitely owned 1984! And Gary Moore was a true master.... Vai, Gilbert, Etc... So much great and innovative playing!
my favorit guitarist is one and only gary moore~
He’s one of mine too! Could do it all with MELODIES! Not just flying around the fretboard!
@@popjax2465 I agree. Gary Moore can play so many styles.
Gary Moore is best guitarist of all time closely followed by Michael Schenker.
All the modulation going on when Holdsworth is playing is really what sets him apart from everyone else. You have to be a genius to be able to play like that and keep track of where you are and not get lost.
"I don't fuckin sweep pick" YJM
Al Di Meola was a huge influence on Yngwie in His formative years & now they're practically neighbors.
Others in the race may have been
Chris Impelliteri,Buckethead,Jeff Watson, Vinnie Moore,Mitch Perry ,Rob Marcello,John McLaughlin;Akira Takasaki..& soon to be famous guys like Jason Becker, Greg Howe & Warren Di Martini & Ron Thal.. etc.
Shawn Lane was the fastest I ever witnessed back then.
Jake e Lee ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Say what you want about Yngwie but what separates him from other shredders is creativity. He is a composer and songwriter, and in Neo Classical he is unmatched in my opinion and that’s what makes him so great.
yngwie made everyone elevate their game. varney was handing yngwies demos tapes to several young shredders including vai…. yngwie was god in 84’ and until his accident hard to match in tone, skill and stage presence
ashame he stopped improving his game - and stuck with a singer like joe lynn turner
could have been bigger commercially
maybe not eddie but much higher than he did … but yngwie will always be the king of shred
I'm not sure what you mean by "stuck with Joe Lynn Turner" Joe was only on 1 studio album Odyssey and that album was Yngwies most successful album, and highest charting album of his career. Heaven Tonight was getting radio airplay. Back then it was well known Yngwie had issues with singers and had an ever changing lineup of band members..he was fired from Alcatrazz for a fight with Graham Bonnet over who was the frontman..
meaning he should have stuck with joe lynn turner ( as a singer ) instead replace jlt with goran and the johannson bros, for that matter. odyssey was an awesome album / great tour and i think they could have made many more albums together - would have been more successful today but he chose to replace his singer and band mates every couple of albums
a shame
would be great if he could reconnect with someone in his past for the rising force 40th anniversary tour i’m sure he’ll take advantage of
@@mrshredder0076 I'm not the biggest Turner fan but I agree regardless. I am also realistic enough to realize that two egos of that magnitude are never going to last long together. Yngwie had to be the star of his own band and you just can't with a world class singer. Would have been great with someone like Glenn Hughes, I think they would both have been bigger (but we'll never know).
😂😂😂😂 Vai didn't care. Said it himself. But he did make tapes of him playing malmsteens crap. I heard it and he played YJM better than him. Vai was a monster back then. For The Love of G-d crushes EVERYTHING YJM has done.
@@Kingdomprepper144 Yes, maybe without the biblical exaggerations someone might even have taken you for more than just another biased fanboi.
Although all the guitars that I've just heard up against Yngwie Malmsteen which I love so many of them guitarists and always will Yngwie is the King to me
the thing i like about Malmsteen is that he was the original . he didn't just play fast he had great tone and energy. it was rare for him to play fast just to play fast. man you are bringing me back to when i first started playing guitar. i was 16 and seen Eddie ,Vivian cambell and Yngwie .the same clips your playing. i used to go in my basement and pretend i was rob halford why i sang with the video. pretty much everyday. i thought i did damn good for singing that high. but yeah idk if Yngwie is the best of that year when he's up against so many monsters like Holdsworth.eddie,richie and the like. i know holdsworth does shit loads of hammer ons and pull offs while Yngwie is picking most everything.🙅
yngwie can juggling around the fretboard, while the others are very systematic and like a robot sound style. i like yngwie
Jack E Lee......a monster
Great video man! Really enjoyed the shred off.😊
Thanks pal, might make some more vids like this one 🤘
Yngwie is like Mike Tyson in they prime time no one can beat them!
Shawn Lane
Michael Romeo
Guthrie Govan
Buckethead
ALL better than Malmsteen
Glad 2 c Tony MacAlpine mentioned, up against Malmsteem. Found both, n Guitar Magazine record pulloutz, when 1st learning Guitar.
Eddie 78, Randy 81, Yngwie 84, honorable mentions Jake, Vivian, Mathias
Damn! You brought all of the heavy hitters even Michael Angelo with his real hair!
Maybe it's still his real hair - if he saved some 😆(What a fantastic person regardless)
COOL VIDEO ! ALL GREAT GUITARIST ! YNGWIE WINS ....
Absolutely amazing!
I prefer Allan Holdsworth, is not the fastest guitar player who lived, but i love his playing over YJM or EVH
KING EDDIE VAH HALEN
No point in comparing everyone of them.
They've all contributed in some ways to the evolution of rock.
Each of them have unique qualities in playing their own style.
I think they're all great players; and i'm a fan in each and everyone of them.
Cheers!
@15:50 that Holdsworth line is pure genius.
nice, ya got me
Different styles! And Jake is one of my top 5!!
Jake was killing it in those clips! Freaking badass!
Very nice beautiful metal-guitar world mans! Dears legends! Guitar world!! Thank-you very much for tectonic-very big prof works!!! Rock n roll! Everybody!!
Are you're comparing 1984 Yngwie with a lot of post 1984 footage from other players? I'd say the 70s era guys--Uli Jon Roth, Ritchie Blackmore, were just hopelessly outmatched And you'll find no bigger fan of the 80s than me. I'm a huge Jake E Lee and George Lynch fan and while they undoubtedly were great players ,Yngwie was just from another planet. It was like he was at least a generation ahead of them.
This is all footage as close to 1984 as possible. I think the Vai footage might be from 1985.
What are you smoking? Uli Jon was smoking it and Richie Blackmore in early mid 70’s was insane your just a rookie check out Blackmore in 1969 shredding a hollow body
Uli Jon Roth takes a backseat to nobody
@@billb372 "Doctor J takes a backseat nobody!"
Y'all are so funny, I swear.
Excellent video, tnx👍
🤘
MY FIRST CONCERT EVER ... YNGWIE, LITA FORD , 1987 CONCORD, CALIFORNIA, SECOND ROW. I WAS 16 YEARS OLD, I HAD STARTED PLAYING THE YEAR BEFORE....I WAS NEVER THE SAME ... INSANE.
MAYBE IT WAS 1988 ...LOL
What about Chris Impellitteri ? 😊
i think the big diference was that ingwye start using diferent stuff whit the armonic minor mode and devolope new sounds,diminiture arpegios etc.and the rest of the players was only pentatonic or eolian,natural modes.
That’s right…Zakk wylde said Yngiwe was a game changer, like EVH a few years earlier.
@@GuitarGodzUnleashed and also he started playing whit the neck pick up,when all the players was playing whit the bridge pick up,diferent mode and diferent sound a new fresh style.
🤘
Haha, exactly. ALL are focused on playing the Pentatonic box. While Yng is blazing with Harmonic Minor, Phyrigian and Diminished weird but unique sounding scales.
@@LeBozoBlamesyou see the guitar god scale was the Dorian mode as its rock n roll. From
Chuck berry to jimi Hendrix to evh. That was the scale of choice. I think maybe it started changing with the advent of the jcm 800 to more heavy metal and that introduced more scales to have a darker sound. But I’d still rather listen to evh and Hendrix .
Did you hear about the 80s era Namm show where Gambale was on the same stage as Yngwie? First, they had a jam in E minor and YJM ruled. Gambale “hey let’s play some bop” Yngwie had to leave the stage. Hmmmm?
Any video of that? Cool story and of course you can't suddenly play bob or standards if you never tried. 😂
Great editing.. all good in their own way..excellence
👍
Yngwie is my heroe my god since 1983
But there is one guitarist that did get to his level and more
" Vinnie moore"
But still yngwie is the boss and the master of all the shreders of the 80s and even today.
Where is Chriss Impellitteri, Shawn Lane, Jason Becker
It’s footage from 1984 or as close that as possible. Impellitteri was a couple of years later I believe so he’s not in this. And no footage of Becker until 86…And there may be some footage of Lane but I didn’t find it although I have an audio recording of Shawn from 1982 and he blows everybody away in terms of speed and technique!
Jason no match???
He is in one league with Holdsworth, MacAlpine and Shawn Lane.
1984. even though there are clips of Shawn lane from then
Still scary
Yngwie had it all, skills, fiinesse, composition, his albums back then is something different for the market I think. Still got it til today, although he brings nothing new nowadays.
Yngwie in his prime is unmatched for neo classical shred.
Yngwie is on whole other level at that time.
Yngwie was untouchable during the 80s!!
In my younger days, I idolized Yngwie J. Malmsteen.
That all changed the night he showed up at Hollywood's infamous RAINBOW BAR & GRILL.
It was a week day, not much business. I was upstairs in the reserved loft. Yngwie comes upstairs with 2 body guards (huge Viking motherfukers who were also band members). And then I noticed this young married couple who just moved here from the Midwest. It was there first time at the Rainbow and they couldn't believe their luck when they see Yngwie. It was not crowded at all. I see them asking the bartender if he knew what Yngwie was drinking? And he said yes, because he just filled his order a minute ago. This couple orders waters for themselves because they barely have the money to buy this one drink. They stand patiently behind Yngwie, waiting for a good time to present this drink... then Yngwie backs up and knocks the drink out of their hands. And says stupid Americans. You should just stay at home if you can't handle your drinks. This couple was absolutely crushed by this. They were trying to apologize, and that's when I stepped in.
I said... hey, you look like the guitarist I used to worship. But it's hard to tell, because he was only this big (I was speaking on a poster of Yngwie I'd pinned on my wall from guitar magazine).
Then I said... he should learn better manners, or stay the fuck out of America!
He looks at me and says "you want to fight me?" I said... Yes, I guess I do. We take the stairway that goes directly outside. I look behind me and it's his bodyguards? Yngwie is at the top of the stairwell, and I shout... I thought this was between you and me? He lifts up his hands and says my hands are worth Millions, I'll not waste them on you! That's when one of the bodyguards Whispers in my ear, and says "if you attack him, we have to interfere. It's not an attack until after you hit him, so make it good!"
Even his bodyguards wanted to see him get his ass kicked. That's how big of an asshole he is.
I didn't want the bodyguards to risk losing their job. So I decided to let it go. I purchased a couple of drinks for the Midwest couple. And assured them most famous people who come here, are usually nice. And if you come here Friday or Saturday after 10 pm, guaranteed to see a few.
I spent the rest of the night drinking with those two Viking Motherfuckers (the bodyguards).
Yngwie went back to his room early, instructing his bodyguards to round up some ladies.
But it was dead, nobody shows up on a week day. No single ladies their that night. So they ask me if I know any pretty American girls that would like to meet Yngwie?
I said... Come on guys, of course. Yes, I know several. However, they are my friends. I can't put them in a situation like that? Good night!
I just have to say that when most of the other guitarist were playing very fast it just sounded like a practice exercise and not a melody in a song. Yngwie had a story going on in the music. Nothing against the other players who I mostly love.
YES! Yngwie was not only the fastest but the best guitar player in the eighties and all around shredders, PERIOD!
i think every guitar player in 84 are great in their own styles. we dont have to compare the skills that made them famous. music is not a battle but a road to success. Classical? ofcourse Yngwie is the one, he is great on this style no doubt about it.
Malmsteen, Allen Holdsworth, Eddie ❤
YNGWIE 👑 is the best of all time🤘⚡
There are really great players in that video.
Uli Jon Roth
George Lynch
EvH
MacAlpine
Jake E Lee
John Sykes
Steve Vai
Holdsworth
Shawn Lane
Jason Becker
Al DiMeola
AND SOME MORE
are on this level
THERE IS NO GOAT!
No1, the King of all timers. The GOAT !
I like all of them ❤
Yngwie’s tone and precision was always better.
But I am surprised Joe Satriani isn’t on this list. I would say he is the one who gave Yngwie a run for his money.
There were plenty of great shredders back in the day, and Yngwie was certainly in the conversation about top honours. Holdsworth wasn't a shredder really, I'm gonna leave him out. But for outright jaw-dropping speed and articulation, even in 1984, I have Shawn Lane at the top. He didn't really come to prominence until the 90s, but he was cooking in the 80s and at his peak, he was untouchable.
I took lessons from Shawn in the late 80s and early 90s and can attest to your comment
Yngwie, Eddie , Vai......the pedestrians.
Love Malmsteen but in all fairness some of the clips from the other guitar players could have been better. Lynch certainly has clips where's he's killing it during the Wicked sensation album in the studio(retakes) but you play a piece of 'Alone again ' to compare??? Try remaking the Video & compare again but this time we see everyone playing at their Peak. Paul Gilbert can stand on the same stage as Yngwie
It’s about 1984 man, not 1990. Even by 1987 a lot of players had caught up with Yngwie for speed and some even surpassed him technically but this video is specifically about 1984. No footage of Lynch that early that I could find…
I think the video from Into the Fire was released in '84 which would have provided a little more pace. Any live footage of the song Tooth and Nail, if available, would have likely been the best representation of Lynch's speed at the time.
And not only can Paul mix it up with Yngwie, he is probably the nicest guy on the whole list.
I saw his concert in 85 I was fifteen he was the best then
What’s that live from Gary Moore at the beginning ? Thanks !
It's "Rockin' Every Night" from "Gary Moore - Live in Ireland 1984". The whole concert is a gem and contains much better guitar work than this one here. Check Out
ruclips.net/video/9cgGdkC1bXA/видео.htmlsi=weMO_pDqv7YSaSGC
They're all blindingly amazing, especially for the time period. That said, Shawn Lane was absolutely circling them all back in 1979. And he only got scarier and farther separated from the rest as time progressed. Gone way too soon.😢
I cannot ever say who is best. Everyone has made considerable contributions.
All these other players are trying to sound like YJM . You can hear it without YJM they would be doing their pentatonic blues box . So YJM is still the best
If the idea is as stated, cutting heads on stage, then you also have to factor in the showmanship.
It wasn't just that he sent everyone back to the woodshed over technique, or that he made it totally cool for rock players to care about theory, but how he played what he played on stage, seemingly unable to make a mistake no matter how acrobatic a maneuver he displayed.
1984 Yngwie was an absolute force of nature.
And the wildest part was that he was basically a fully-formed player and performer by around the age of 17!
Checkout some of the videos from around 1981 of him in Sweden before he came to America--Essentially, everything that took the world by storm in '84 was already there!
You speak the tru tru.
Malmsteen was not the fastest, but he had the best balance and tone.
His playing was much cleaner and more precise. They are all guitar gods. Different styles entirely with a lot of them taking from one another. I’m glad I got to grow up when this was all brand new and you waited at the record store for the release of now what’s called classic or old school. Respect to them all. 🤘🏻
Not spamming this comment section, but Shawn Lane RIP would own pretty much everyone.
Blackmore's frets look like speed bumps. Dear lord. Super jumbo 🤟
George Lynch was once asked by a fan at Sweetwater guest show ( what should a young up and coming guitarist seeking fortune and fame do !? ). George replied be yourself or be a second rate yngwie!
Yngwie is great and was so unique and a force of nature in 1984.
What a tone too..
But Holdsworth is on a different planet to everyone with maybe the exception of Vai..imho