Yngwie Malmsteen premieres cover of The Beatles’ ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’

From Planet Rock.

Swedish guitar maverick, Yngwie Malmsteen, has premiered his cover of the George Harrison penned Beatles classic ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’.

The track is lifted from Malmsteen’s upcoming new studio album ‘Blue Lightning’, which is released via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group on Friday 29th March.

Listen to the unique version of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ here:

Alongside four original songs written and recorded by Malmsteen, the album features covers of some of his favourite songs including Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke On The Water’ and ‘Demon’s Eye’, Eric Clapton’s ‘Forever Man’, The Rolling Stones’ ‘Jumping Jack Flash’, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s ‘Purple Haze’.

Malmsteen explains that it was important his covers didn’t sound exactly like the originals: “I have never been one of those people who wants to sit down and mimic the way in which a song sounds on record. I don’t see the point in doing that.

“If all you want to hear is a song the way you remember it, then the originals are there for you. What I have done is add in my own vibe and personality, while paying tribute to what you already know. That way I feel I am being myself, yet also being respectful to those artists.”

Malmsteen says of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’: “There were songs that were immediately clear I wanted to do…But then I also went for something like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” which I wasn’t sure I could do. In this case, it was about trial and error. I am delighted that I was able to do justice to the original.”

The album is self-produced, and Malmsteen has followed a traditional manner in the way this was recorded.  He comments: “In the old days, a band would go into the studio, do a couple of songs, then go out on tour, before returning to the studio to do a couple more new tracks. That’s the way I did things this time.

“I have been so busy on the road in recent times that it was the most pragmatic way to do the album. In all, it took me about ten months to get it done, but by going in the studio in between touring commitments, I feel it kept everything fresh.”

The ‘Blue Lightning’ track-listing is as follows:

1. Blue Lightning
2. Foxey Lady
3. Demon’s Eye
4. 1911 Strut
5. Blue Jean Blues
6. Purple Haze
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
8. Sun’s Up Top’s Down
9. Peace, Please
10. Paint It Black
11. Smoke On The Water
12. Forever Man
13. Little Miss Lover (Bonus Track)
14. Jumping Jack Flash (Bonus Track)

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