In a brand new interview with the “80’s Glam Metalcast”, legendary hard rock vocalist Joe Lynn Turner reflected on his 1988 collaboration with Yngwie Malmsteen.
He said:
“Personally, I think it’s some of the best work Yngwie or I have ever done”
“I think that is a brilliant album. It still stands the test of time. ‘Odyssey’ is just powerful. Every track is a great song, and yet incredible virtuoso playing by Yngwie. My vocal performances I couldn’t get better, I think, if I tried. The writing — everything was just there in that package all at once. Of course, I know for a fact, as far as numerically, it’s the biggest album he’s ever had. And I’m still playing some of those songs with my band — absolutely. People wanna hear that stuff. And [Yngwie has] gone off in another world. He does ‘Rising Force’ and a few other songs, but he’s singing them, and it’s just not gonna work.”
On his current lineup, he said:
“Sometimes you’re influenced by the people around you.”
“I’m not gonna mention names. And it’s a shame, because you need guidance not only from yourself, of course, your interior, but you need an external guidance, too, from people whom you trust and admire and whom you can believe in. And I don’t think he’s getting the right information. He pushed the band over to the side and he’s got 15, 20 amps and he’s in centerstage and he’s trying to sing, and I go, ‘What is that?’ It doesn’t work. And I think for me, [as] a fan — Yngwie, I think he’s a brilliant guitar player — it’s just not working anymore. He’s gone into a weird direction here. You can’t tell people sometimes, though. What are you gonna do?”