Yngwie Malmsteen recently opened up about a pivotal moment in his career when he was offered the chance to join both UFO and Alcatrazz, ultimately deciding on the latter for its creative freedom.
Known for his neoclassical guitar prowess, Malmsteen has always valued artistic independence and integrity. However, early in his career, he worked as part of a band, first with Steeler and later with Alcatrazz, where he gained recognition before launching his successful solo career in the ’80s.
In a recent interview with Eddie Trunk, Malmsteen recalled the offer he received to join UFO while he was transitioning out of Steeler. Both UFO’s Phil Mogg and Graham Bonnet from Alcatrazz reached out to him in less than 24 hours, placing him in a difficult decision. Malmsteen shared the details of that time (as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):
“I was playing around with Steeler, we were all over the Sunset Strip… One night, we played in Orange County, and Phil Mogg from UFO came to see us. I loved UFO, and he said, ‘I’m putting UFO back together. I need a great guitar player, so come to my house tomorrow.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there.'”
The next morning, Malmsteen received a phone call from a manager involved with what would become Alcatrazz (though it didn’t have a name at the time). “They came and picked me up, and I asked them what their songs were like, and they said, ‘We don’t have any songs yet.’ I asked about their direction, and they replied, ‘We don’t have a direction yet… But you got the gig!’ I said, ‘Let me think about it. I’ve gotta go see somebody.'”
He continued: “I went to Phil Mogg’s house, and while he was cool, his plans didn’t seem as organized as the other offer. So, I called the Alcatrazz camp from Phil’s house and said, ‘Okay, I’ll do your thing, but with a couple of conditions: I write the songs, and we get a new drummer.’ We auditioned hundreds of drummers, including some from Alice Cooper’s band, before settling on Jan Uvena.”
While Malmsteen acknowledged that being part of UFO would have been incredible, he was more drawn to the idea of starting fresh. “It would have been great to join UFO, but that would have meant playing their classics. I was more interested in starting something new.”
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