OPERATION: MINDCRIME

Spring, 1988. I'm sitting in my one room college apartment in San Antonio, Texas. I'm practicing for an oral presentation, Constitutional Law, intense stuff. The phone rings. My friend frantically telling me to turn the radio on (at this point I'd pretty much given up on the radio). "It's new Queensryche!" she screamed....I jumped to the stereo, dialed the station and the two of us listened to "Breaking The Silence" together, not speaking. Melodic power riffs, soaring vocals...duel guitar solo.....signature QR alright.

That was Saturday night. At approximately 10:30 AM on the following Tuesday I walked into the local Sound Warehouse to pick up my copy of Operation: Mindcrime, the album that would become my unquestioned all time favorite. In my opinion it's the single greatest album ever created. Gotta admit I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in the store. Greeting me was a fairly large cardboard display, with a message something along the lines of: "Over 64 minutes of musical theater from the masters of progressive music". Whatever...gimme the album!

I returned to Trinity University and the radio newsroom. I was the News Manager at the station so I secluded myself in Studio 2 to record the album. I had class or something to attend so I arranged for the recording to be completed by a colleague didn't actually listen to the album until later that night. And when I did you can bet that, as with previous QR releases, I secluded myself, properly sedated myself and prepared for an in-depth listening experience. And what an experience I had!

From the acted-out intro to the sonic collage finale it was clear from my very first listen this was a masterpiece. I was literally stunned at the depth and far-reaching ambition of Operation Mindcrime. It was clearly a concept album with each song linked together, moving from one to the next naturally...with the end of each song a perfect intro to the next song. Most are now familiar with the story of Nikki...a disillusioned heroine addict lured into an underground world of terror. He becomes "a hitman for the Order" and starts knocking off high-ranking politicians and religious leaders. He's inextricably linked to Sister Mary, a former prostitute also in the clutches of Dr. X, the mysterious man urging both of them to action. Woven throughout the story are statements about our modern society, the role of television and media, politics, religion....there really isn't a major topic that ISN'T touched upon on the album. This is more than a musical statement...this is a social statement. Which is why it's better than other noteworthy concept albums like The Wall or 2112.

The disc kicks off with a great thematic opening that SLAMS into Anarchy-X, a driving, creative instrumental that segues naturally into Revolution Calling. Each of the first four "songs" Revolution, Operation, Speak and Spreading are all fast, hard rockers that complement each other perfectly. They constitute the greatest 18 minutes of opening music to be found (in my humble opinion). From there the rest of the album never lets down.

Suite Sister Mary ranks as one of my top five QR songs ever. The mood set by the song is amazing...it perfectly reflects the bewildered, slightly euphoric feeling Nikki feels after another killing. The guitar effects used to create police sirens are so real I thought the police were outside on my first listen. Needle Lies hits the listener in the head like a shot of heroine and conveys the anger of a man who's lost control. Electric Requiem, written by drummer Scott Rockenfield, represents the total originality that QR brings to much of their music: drums as the centerpiece, electric guitar that sounds (to me) like an electric chair would sound, if an electric chair made sound.

Really, there isn't a single song or musical piece on OM that ISN'T awesome. The songs stand alone as great individual efforts, each a complete and satisfying offering. The "musical pieces" I write of are the five "songs" that aren't really songs. I Remember Now is the album's opener and perfectly introduces us to the story and then segues into Anarchy-X. As mentioned, AX is an instrumental and a damn compelling one at that; a beautiful, powerful drum and guitar driven 90 seconds that PERFECTLY introduces the album's first real song, Revolution Calling. Electric Requiem, Waiting for 22 and My Empty Room are all short, instrumental heavy songs. Despite the absence of many lyrics, these songs play key roles in the progression and telling of the story by setting appropriate moods and bridging various storylines. This talented piecing together of the story is another ingredient that makes OM a true masterpiece. While the individual songs ARE great alone, combined they are still something greater. They not only tell the story of Nikki and his descent into drug-addicted killer, but each song compliments the song before and after so that together, they create a greater sum than the individual parts.

I guess there's not much more to add. The greatest album ever: a terrific story; a social and political statement; superb musicianship; wonderful songs and the finest moment of my favorite band. About the only negative (and the reason the album doesn't rate as a 100) is the last seconds. Eyes of a Stranger finishes by slowly melding into a sonic stew of sounds....it's a little vague and unsatisfying. The band corrected that on the live version where they completed the circle by transitioning into the album's musical opener Anarchy-X. This version is MUCH better and would have been a better ending than the studio version. Anyway, pretty small complaint. Operation: Mindcrime, the best album ever.