Yngwie Malmsteen has released a cover of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

The song comes from his upcoming album Blue Lightning, which arrives on March 29 and features the guitarist's takes on eight classic rock songs among its 12 tracks.

“I have always played around with old songs, both live and also in the studio," Malmsteen said in a press release. "I did a similar album called Inspiration a while ago, and it was [record company] Mascot who came to me and suggested I do a blues record.”

He noted "there were songs that were immediately clear I wanted to do. These were the likes of 'Purple Haze' and 'Smoke on the Water,' which I have been playing since I was a kid. 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's about trial and error. I am delighted that I was able to do justice to the original.”

You can listen to his cover of the Beatles classic below.

Among the other songs Malmsteen tackles on Blue Lightning are classics by Jimi Hendrix ("Foxey Lady," "Purple Haze"), the Rolling Stones ("Paint It, Black"), ZZ Top ("Blue Jean Blues") and Deep Purple ("Demon's Eye," "Smoke on the Water").

One track, Eric Clapton's "Forever Man," came with a particular challenge. “I heard this on the radio, and honestly I didn't know whether I could do it for this album," he said.

"But I sat down and tried things, and they worked out. I had to rise to the occasion and am delighted to have done exactly that. On the singing side with 'Forever Man,' I did it all in one take. I got the lyrics through, went into the studio, and just got them done. I am not someone who likes to do take after take. I feel you should be able to get it right the first time around. That applies to the vocal parts and also my guitar playing. And for the most part, this is the way I did Blue Lightning.”

You can see the track listing below.

Yngwie Malmsteen, 'Blue Lightning' Track Listing
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"

 

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