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Rating: Except for his debut with Steeler, Alcatrazz represents the first true beginning of the Swedish axeman in the rock music scene: in 1983, "No parole from Rock'N'Roll" was released and the following year this live album was published, featuring some of the best songs from the Japanese tour.
Alongside the very young Malmsteen, we find a highly charismatic singer, already well-known to the public for having played under the reign of His Majesty Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow. I'm talking about Graham Bonnet and a band that is extremely technical and refined. In this live performance, you can admire a Malmsteen who is absolutely different from the current one. It may seem paradoxical for those who consider him today an eccentric and verbose virtuoso of the six strings, but here the guitar is absolutely in service of the songs, always mature, incisive, never cloying.
A considerable amount of attention is given by the Swede to the arrangements and the rhythm section, but the perspective is different: within this band, there is a notable balance among the parts to which Yngwie himself adapts, showing, contrary to today, that he can express a great and unreachable classical virtuosity without necessarily distorting the songs with redundant and baroque solos. There are many musically relevant and significant episodes, although "Night Games" and "Kree Nakoorie" represent, in my opinion, the highest expression of the perfect harmony between sung and instrumental parts, while the solo track "Evil Eye" (which will later appear on "Rising Force") is absolutely overwhelming, where Malmsteen reaches a stellar technical-compositional perfection, surpassing clearly the rather unhappy version present in G3 with Vai and Satriani.
Finally noteworthy are two covers by the great Ritchie Blackmore, "Since you've been gone" and "All night long", played with absolute reverence and inspiration. During these years, his influence on Malmsteen is decisive, especially in the search for melody and a musical journey that sees the fusion between a rock and a classical foundation. This is an album I recommend to everyone. For those who love Malmsteen, it represents a milestone, for those who hate him and there are many, it's an opportunity to say that at least at the beginning of his career, he was truly great. Certainly, it is singular to note how his has been a trajectory inversely proportional to that of other great musicians, "unreachable" at the start of his career (as defined by Steve Vai himself who will replace him in Alcatrazz) and so repetitive and verbose (except for some episodes) after more than 40 years.
Tracklist and Lyrics
02 Hiroshima Mon Amour (04:13)
It was newborn and ten feet tall,
But they called it little boy,
And C7, H5, O6, N3 they called him
T-N-T.
The fireball would dim the sun,
Promising death in its cruelest form.
Hiroshima Mon Amour
As we beg to be forgiven do you spit,
In our face and curse us all.
The fireball that shamed the sun,
Burning the shadows on the ground,
As the rain falls to dry the land,
Leaving desert for the thirsty man.
They all said it would end the war,
And we thanked Christ for the bomb,
And the priests and witches all agreed,
They should die to keep them free.
The fireball that shamed the sun,
Burning the shadows on the ground,
As the rain falls to dry the land,
Leaving the desert for the thirsty man.
HIROSHIMA!!!
04 Island in the Sun (04:09)
They named it the rock, land of
the living dead
A repose for the rich and famous
All the infamous would tell each other's
lies
Why did they want to tell the truth
[CHORUS]
On an island in the sun
Cool Pacific winds blow
Most were poets and they wrote in
basic prose
On the walls of their sunset blvd.
In their nine by five rooms, became
inspired
By the silence in sight of the city
[FULL CHORUS]
On an island in the sun
Cool Pacific winds blow
Just across the bay
Battered by the waves
[SOLO]
[FULL CHORUS]</i> - Key change
Two Sailawena's
[FULL CHORUS]
07 Since You've Been Gone (03:32)
I get the same old dreams, same time every night
Fall to the ground and I wake up
So I get out of bed, put on my shoes, and in my head
Thoughts fly back to the break-up
These four walls are closing in
Look at the fix you've put me in
Since you been gone, since you been gone
I'm outta my head, can't take it
Could I be wrong, but since you been gone
You cast a spell, so break it
Oooohhh - Whhooooaaa - Ooooohhh
Since you been gone
So in the night I stand beneath the back street light
I read the words that you sent to me
I can take the afternoon, the night-time comes around too soon
You can't know what you mean to me
Your poison letter, your telegram
Just goes to show you don't give a damn
Since you been gone, since you been gone
I'm outta my head, can't take it
Could I be wrong, but since you been gone
You cast a spell, so break it
Oooohhh - Whhooooaaa - Ooooohhh
Since you been gone
If you will come back
Baby you know
You'll never do wrong
Since you been gone, since you been gone
I'm outta my head, can't take it
Could I be wrong, but since you been gone
You cast a spell, so break it
Oooohhh - Whhooooaaa - Ooooohhh
Ever since, you been gone
Since you been gone, since you been gone
I'm outta my head, can't take it
Since you been gone, since you been gone
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