Dream On (Featuring Ronnie James Dio)

Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew is spinning a wild one for you tonight with "Dream On," featuring the legendary Ronnie James Dio and Yngwie Malmsteen, from the 1999 album Tribute to Aerosmith: Not the Same Old Song and Dance. This cover of Aerosmith’s 1973 classic is a heavy metal masterpiece, with Dio’s soaring vocals and Malmsteen’s blistering guitar riffs. One juicy tidbit comes from a 2011 Metal Odyssey blog post, where the writer describes getting “countless ostrich bumps” from this track, calling it the greatest cover of “Dream On” ever, thanks to Dio’s emotional delivery and Malmsteen’s signature shredding. The song was part of a star-studded tribute album featuring rock icons like Ted Nugent and members of Warrant and Mötley Crüe, making it a true gem for metalheads.

Another cool story surfaced on Reddit’s Aerosmith community in 2020, when a fan shared how they discovered this cover on a “greatest metal hits” CD in the early 2000s. They couldn’t forget Malmsteen’s “ridiculous lick” that kicks off the track, a perfect blend of his neoclassical flair with Dio’s powerhouse voice. A 2021 interview on Blabbermouth revealed that Dio and Malmsteen had late-night talks about collaborating on original music but never did due to their strong personalities. Dio himself praised Malmsteen’s guitar prowess in a 1985 interview, noting he could rival Ritchie Blackmore but needed to hone his songwriting. Fans on Reddit’s Metal community in 2012 were split—some felt Malmsteen’s shredding was over the top, while others called it a vast improvement over the original.

Now, let’s dive into how Yngwie Malmsteen, the guitar virtuoso behind this track, got his start. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1963, Malmsteen was a musical prodigy who picked up the guitar at age seven after being inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s death. By his teens, he was obsessed with classical music, particularly Paganini, blending it with rock to create his signature neoclassical metal style. He formed his first band, Rising Force, in Sweden before moving to the U.S. in the early 1980s, where he joined the band Steeler and later Alcatrazz. His 1984 solo debut, Rising Force, blew minds with its lightning-fast arpeggios and baroque influences, cementing him as a pioneer of shred guitar. A recent X post humorously noted that Malmsteen was “firing harmonic minor scales at the doctors” from birth, a nod to his lifelong passion for guitar.

Connect with Yngwie Malmsteen’s world through his official website, where you can find tour dates and merch. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram for updates on his latest projects, though he’s not active on X himself. Fans can join the vibrant Yngwie Malmsteen Fan Club on Facebook to share their love for his music. For more Dio goodness, check out the late legend’s official website, Facebook, and Instagram, plus fan communities like the Ronnie James Dio Fans group on Facebook. Keep rocking, Zoo Freaks!