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Odyssey (Yngwie Malmsteen album)

Odyssey
Studio album by
Yngwie Malmsteen
Released8 April 1988 (1988-04-08)
Studio
Genre
Length50:42
LabelPolydor
ProducerYngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Glixman, Jim Lewis
Yngwie Malmsteen chronology
Trilogy
(1986) 		Odyssey
(1988) 		Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad
(1989)
Singles from Odyssey
  1. "Heaven Tonight" / "Riot in the Dungeons"
    Released: 1988[1][2]

Odyssey is the fourth studio album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released on 8 April 1988 through Polydor Records.[3] The album reached No. 40 on the US Billboard 200[4] and remained on that chart for eighteen weeks,[5] as well as reaching the top 50 in five other countries.[3] As of 2021 it remains Malmsteen's highest-charting release on the Billboard 200.[5]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[7]
Metal Forces6.5/10[8]

Steve Huey at AllMusic gave Odyssey two stars out of five, calling it "a more subdued, polished collection seemingly designed for mainstream radio airplay", but that it "shows little difference in approach from [Malmsteen's] previous output". He praised Joe Lynn Turner's vocals and Malmsteen's guitar work, but remarked that the latter sounds "constrained and passionless" due in part to his recovery from a near-fatal car accident in 1987.[6]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Joe Lynn Turner; all music is composed by Yngwie Malmsteen

No.TitleLength
1."Rising Force"4:24
2."Hold On"5:12
3."Heaven Tonight"4:07
4."Dreaming (Tell Me)"5:22
5."Bite the Bullet" (instrumental)1:35
6."Riot in the Dungeons"4:26
7."Deja Vu"4:17
8."Crystal Ball"4:56
9."Now Is the Time"4:34
10."Faster Than the Speed of Light"4:30
11."Krakatau" (instrumental)6:06
12."Memories" (instrumental)1:14
Total length:50:42

Personnel

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Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart performance for Odyssey
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[9] 75
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 27
European Albums (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 40
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 50
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13] 19
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[14] 10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 7
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 17
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 27
US Billboard 200[18] 40
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[19] 40

Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Odyssey
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan — 42,000[13]
Sweden (GLF)[20] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - Heaven Tonight (song)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  2. ^ "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force – Heaven Tonight". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
  3. ^ a b "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - Odyssey (album)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  4. ^ "Odyssey - Yngwie Malmsteen | Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
  5. ^ a b "Yngwie Malmsteen - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
  6. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  7. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 209. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
  8. ^ Sharpe-Young, Garry (1988). "Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyseey". Metal Forces. No. 28. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 190. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force – Odyssey" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  11. ^ "EMR/CISAC Eurochart Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. 28 May 1988. p. 30. Retrieved 31 January 2021. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force – Odyssey" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  13. ^ a b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  14. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force – Odyssey". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force – Odyssey". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force – Odyssey". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Yngwie Malmsteen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Yngwie Malmsteen Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Music Monitor – First Quarter 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. 19 January 1991. p. 6. Retrieved 31 January 2021. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
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