Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

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this is a decent compilation, but, if you look at the track listing on " yngwie malmsteen collection" ( with the exception of " soldier without faith"), it is basically the same album with a different title and cover. an enjoyable album nevertheless.

I know Yngwie Malmsteen has plenty of devoted admirers, but I never really warmed up to the guy's music. I'll be the first to admit that Yngwie has plenty of talent and his technical prowess is the stuff of legends, but I tend to evaluate music based on the songwriting quality and the vocals. I always thought Yngwie fell short in the first category, especially compared to guitarist/songwriters like Michael Schenker or Axel Rudi Pell. Yngwie's songs just seem like vehicles for his extended guitar solos. The vocals performances though, that's another matter entirely.

I am constantly amazed at the caliber of vocalist that Yngwie is able to attract, from Joe Lynn Turner to Jeff Scott Soto to Goran Edman and even Jorn Lande. Why do so many great singers flock to this guy when they know a large part of each album is going to be instrumental? Whatever the reason, the presence of such impressive vocalists makes Yngwie's music impossible for me to ignore completely, which is where the 20th Century Masters: The Best of Yngwie Malmsteen collection comes in handy.

This compilation features a dozen tracks from Yngwie's earlier albums. There are a few instrumental tracks, but the songs with vocals are split pretty evenly between Joe Lynn Turner and Jeff Scott Soto, though Goran Edman gets one track at the end of the disc. Much of the material is the same as what was included on the 1992 The Yngwie Malmsteen Collection, but the major difference is the digital remastering this disc has to offer. The sound quality is crisp and clear and sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday, not 15-20 years ago.

Dedicated Yngwie Malmsteen fans will no doubt find flaws with the song selection, but they are the ones least likely to need this collection in the first place. For casual (or even reluctant) Yngwie fans, the combination of song selection, sound quality and price make the 20th Century Masters: The Best of Yngwie Malmsteen a necessary addition to any hard rock/heavy metal collection.

Yngwie Malmsteen's legendary guitar sound simply cannot be duplicated. His 20th Century Masters spans 1984-1990, which is arguably his best musical period. This enjoyable 12-song set is well worth the cash.

Positives
-All of his hits are here. 'Black Star,' 'Far Beyond The Sun,' 'Making Love,' and 'Trilogy Suite Op: 5' all appear on this compilation.
-As always, the sound quality is simply incredible.

Negatives
-It would be nice to see some of his stuff from G3 here.

Overall, this is well worth the money. If you've never heard of the legendary Swedish guitarist, you have to check this out. He really has the chops of a great guitar player. ENJOY!!!

Ah man, I love this guy... His guitar playing is quite perplexing, since it's the fastest I've ever heard so far... I wonder how he compares to Eddie Van Halen, Neal Schon, or Eric Clapton......... I guess no going to school and playing guitar for education really does it!

Anyway, I can't decide who I like better now.. Joe Lynn Turner.. or Jeff Scott Soto.. Who's better? Help me out here... I'm a huge fan of both... Turner sounds better than Soto sometimes.. but Soto sounds better than Turner.. Ah, help!

As has been stated here before, this is almost the same as The Yngwie Malmsteen Collection. It does not include "Spanish Castle Magic" and "Collection" does not include "Soldier Without Faith." All of the Yngwie classics - the ones that appear on every live album and compilation album and DVD - Yngwie is a genuine guitar hero, instantly recognized as his own and it's worth the time and effort and the money as well.