By JAY ROBERTS

The Cassette Chronicles is a continuing series of mini reviews and reflections on albums from the 1980’s and 1990’s. The aim of this series is to highlight both known and underappreciated albums from rock, pop and metal genres from this time period through the cassette editions of their releases. Some of the albums I have known about and loved for years, while others are new to me and were music I’ve always wanted to hear. There will be some review analysis and my own personal stories about my connection with various albums. These opinions are strictly my own and do not reflect the views of anyone else at Limelight Magazine.

YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN’S RISING FORCE – ODYSSEY (1988)

While I’m sure it would give me some kind of “street cred” to say that I was in from the start when it comes to listening to the work of Yngwie Malmsteen, whether it be from his time with Steeler and Alcatrazz or even his first three solo albums, I have to admit that it was with this Odyssey album that I first discovered the “neoclassical” heavy metal guitar player.

You probably have the video for the song “Heaven Tonight” playing on Headbanger’s Ball to thank for me not only discovering Malmsteen but I’d lay odds that it was the first time I’d heard singer Joe Lynn Turner as well.

Now I’ve long since gathered as much of the Malmsteen catalog from before this release and going forward from Odyssey but for my money, this is still my favorite release. And even thirty-five years later, the album holds up in rather fantastic fashion.

My first experience owning the album was actually a dubbed cassette copy of the album that I taped off of a friend of mine. That copy is long gone so the one I listened to for this article is an officially released copy.

The album wastes no time drawing you in. The opening track of Side One is “Rising Force” and it comes out of your speakers with an immediately dramatic effect to heighten your anticipation. Then the drums Anders Johansson kick in first to add to the song’s bottom end. But soon after, the full musical score explodes the song into a full bore rocker that gets your blood racing. It’s a fast-moving track that sees Joe Lynn Turner’s vocal delivery coming just as fast as the music. There’s a ton of melodic hooks woven into the song’s knock-out pacing and you can easily understand the notion that Odyssey was geared towards capturing the more radio-friendly sound that held sway in 1988.

With the song “Hold On”, you can hear just how much the music is changed from the first song. While the track is still uptempo in nature, it isn’t nearly as fast as what came before. That doesn’t affect the overall quality of the song though. It has a really good sound as it amply demonstrates how Malmsteen varies his playing and songwriting from track to track.

As I said, the song “Heaven Tonight” was my introduction to Malmsteen and the song is still the best known song from his repertoire. This continually strikes me funny because over the years, Malmsteen has done interviews where he rips the song (and Joe Lynn Turner, for that matter). But he can say whatever he wants, it won’t change my love of this anthemic hit.

There is a ballad on the album. It’s called “Dreaming (Tell Me)” and it starts out just how you might expect a 1980s ballad to sound. It’s not a bad song but even when the pace picks up a bit, it still kind of sits in the pocket of balladry.

Since Malmsteen is an acknowledged shredder, it should come as no surprise that Odyssey features three instrumental tracks. But what always gets me is that two of them are rather brief numbers. Still, the song “Bite The Bullet” may have been about 90 seconds long but it quickly drew me in. 

Of course, I wonder if that’s because in my mind it serves as a prelude to the Side One closing track “Riot In The Dungeons”. I am a huge fan of this song. It was the B-side to the “Heaven Tonight” single but I first heard it when I had the full album. And it just clicked with me right from the start. Much like “Rising Force”, the song is a relentlessly invigorating song with melody a-plenty. It takes you on a journey and then out of the blue it just comes to a note perfect, yet still abrupt, end that leaves you wanting more.

The album’s second side COULD be consider the album tracks side of the release if you wanted to be quick about things. But you’d be missing out on some quality music. The songs “Deju Vu”, “Crystal Ball” and “Now Is The Time” are all straight ahead rockers to open up the side. The band is on fire and I thought Joe Lynn Turner was particularly outstanding with his vocals for “Deju Vu” and “Crystal Ball”. That isn’t to give short shrift to “Now Is The Time” however. I just happened to like those two tracks just a bit more.

But the real standout cut on Odyssey‘s second side is the song “Faster Than The Speed Of Light”. The song’s pacing lives up the hype of the song’s title with a very aggresive musical attack that is deepened by another superb vocal turn from Turner. I’ve never seen Yngwie Malmsteen in concert but I think this song would be a fantastic track to either open or close a live set with.

While the brief instrumental “Memories” closes out the album feeling almost as if it was a postscript to a letter or something, the lengthier instrumental piece “Krakatau” takes the vocals out of the equation so you can just focus on Malmsteen’s playing. And it is rather fantastic on this song. The thing that really struck me odd was that at least during the first half of the song, I could kind of hear in my mind where vocals might’ve fit if the track had called for them. The second half of the song was a bit harder to find that feeling but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the track.

Okay, I know this is technically considered a solo album but it is billed like it’s a band and for my money, it might be one of the best examples of what Yngie Malmsteen’s playing can be like when it is inside of that more commercially accessible song structure and sound. The Swedish guitarist may have had plenty to say about this album over the years. I mean it’s not like he’s ever been shy about sharing his opinions about his material or the people who have sung for him.

But what I know is that Odyssey took me on quite the musical quest and it remains an album I love to come back to over and over. It’s got just the right blend of six-string histrionics and melodic hooks to draw in fans from across the spectrum of musical fandom . This remains my favorite Malmsteen album, period.

NOTES OF INTEREST: The Odyssey album remains the highest charting release from Yngwie Malmsteen. While he wrote all of the music for the album, Joe Lynn Turner is credited with writing all the lyrics.

Odyssey is the only original studio album that Joe Lynn Turner recorded with Yngwie Malmsteen. He was part of the live album Trial By Fire: Live In Leningrad that served as the Odyssey tour document. In 1996, he appeared on three tracks for the Malmsteen covers album Inspiration. 

Former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley played bass on the songs “Rising Force”, “Hold On”, “Crystal Ball” and “Now Is The Time”.

Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero mixed the Odyssey album. The duo have worked together on the mixing of albums by Tesla and Guns N’ Roses. Thompson is credited with mixing Metallica’s …And Justice For All.