Author Topic: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album  (Read 683463 times)

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Offline bl5150

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2380 on: February 20, 2017, 06:15:05 PM »
I could be wrong (I don't spend much time at Tater's site :lol ) but I have a feeling that's always been there and may well have been a condition of the settlement.
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Online TAC

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2381 on: February 20, 2017, 06:15:36 PM »
I could be wrong (I don't spend much time at Tater's site :lol ) but I have a feeling that's always been there and may well have been a condition of the settlement.

Right. Pretty sure this has been pointed out before.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline bl5150

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2382 on: February 20, 2017, 09:43:59 PM »
Hmmm

https://youtu.be/85m-WKdRelA


Not how I remember it :lol    One thing I did notice in that vid though is that , although the range isn't there , he seems to have recovered his "ear" and singing relatively in tune.
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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2383 on: February 21, 2017, 04:13:18 AM »
I remember watching the original airing. Yes, it was excellent.

Think I've only heard the songs on Building Empires video. Did they do more songs than that?

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2384 on: February 21, 2017, 06:45:30 AM »
Pretty sure the original airing was like 4 songs. Not sure what Building Empires has.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
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Offline Setzer

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2385 on: February 21, 2017, 07:57:11 AM »
The Building Empires VHS/DVD has 2 songs from the MTV Unplugged session.
2 different versions exists though, outside the official releases:
5 song MTV Europe broadcast - really great copy, with stereo sound.
12 song uncut (broadcast?) - this one is a couple of generations away from the master tape, and is in mono as well. A certain collector supposedly has a 1st gen. tape with stereo sound, but refuses to share it.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2386 on: February 21, 2017, 08:40:18 AM »
Back in the days before Dime and such (i.e., the '90s), I bought a silver disk of the entire show.  It is quite good.  Couldn't tell you the source, and I don't think the "liner notes" say, but I can check when I get home later.
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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2387 on: February 21, 2017, 09:59:18 AM »
I was just listening to the MTV Unplugged show from the early 90's.  The band sounds excellent here, especially Geoff.  It somewhat comes across as the band distancing themselves from their earlier works, as Geoff alludes to the band playing some old/obscure songs from Rage for Order (even though it was released only 6 years earlier).  He asks the audience if they knew the song The Killing Words.  Or it could also be that they knew their audience was Empire heavy and wouldn't know much of the older material.

Regardless, its a great show and it's a shame it was never officially released.

In 1992, with the band really at an all-time high in its popularity based off of Empire, a lot of people really DIDN'T know the RFO stuff. To them, QR was Mindcrime and Empire, and "hey, what were those other songs they played on the tour?" And it was an MTV event. So yeah, you're probably right, JJ -- an Empire-heavy crowd.

Yep, it was a great show. Particularly the stuff that didn't officially air. I loved how they goofed on "Anybody Listening?" and had to re-do it, and Chris trying to get them to play Suite Sister Mary and Geoff faking bolting from the stage.  :rollin Chris got his "revenge" at the end of Rockin' in the Free World, when he played a bit of SSM, and said "I like that shit a little better, honestly..." or something to that effect. ha ha ha.

Just a great performance by a band dialed in. Funny story some here might not have heard from me. Back in the...it had to have been around 2000, I remember -- it was about a year before Building Empires was released on DVD for the first time. So maybe 2001, i had someone from EMI/Atlantic/Capitol (whatever it was at the time) email me and ask me about the Building Empires footage. At the time, they had lost the master audio, so they were looking to fill in some gaps and wanted the highest grade audio they could find from bootleg collectors that had the whole show. I sent the guy the tracks he wanted. A few months down the road, he told me they ended up finding the masters in some warehouse in Canada that they owned.  :lol

So I'm not surprised the full unplugged gig was never officially released on its own. It seems they likely had problems even just getting the footage and audio for the tracks on Building Empires. Great show though.

In regard to the bootleg sources, they vary. Setzer is close with his list, if not spot-on. Mine was sourced from the first gen video recording from whatever the "master" version of the bootleg of the full show was. The sound is quite good, but I do think it is mono (can't recall). I believe my audio of the full show is pulled from that, and then "stereoized" so it comes out of both speakers. These days, I don't really care as much for the lineage of a recording. If it sounds good, it sounds good. This does.

However, the collector in question did a lot for the Rychean community over the years and shared plenty of shows with hundreds of people. If it is who I think you are referring to, she shared it with me, and by accident recorded it in mono, and did that for a few people without realizing what she had done. It was only after a bunch of zealous nutjobs hounded her that she clammed up and refused to trade any further. And this was in the early 2000s as well, I believe. Maybe 1999. And to be frank, I don't blame her one bit for that. Too many people "demand" from collectors who spent years (decades in some cases) building a collection. I have a ton of stories to tell about that, let me tell ya. It's why I don't trade any longer either.

Without going too far down the rabbit hole, the one version of the audio that was highly circulated was emptyV Unplugged, which was a pull from a guy named John (not sure of the generation). He was a collector and seller of live shows in the late 1990s from around the prog circuit (QR, DT, Rush, etc.). My memory isn't as clear about that whole deal, but simply put, he got out of the "business" in a few years after selling a bunch of live QR shows. He then bought GeoffTate.com and made it into a site that slammed QR for a couple of years before Tate's attorney nailed him with a cease and desist, and John eventually gave the site over to Tate. I don't remember the details, just going from memory. But John managed to sell a bunch of those EmptyV Unplugged CDR recordings over the span of a few years, along with some other shows (Irvine 97 comes to mind, a few gigs on the Q2k tour, etc.)

As a collector, at the time, purchasing bootlegs was all the rage. There were shops all over Long Island that had silver bootlegs for sale that I picked up. I remember picking up a few from John too, including the unplugged. Obviously, as tech advanced, that whole bootleg scene died off, as the Internet made getting recordings pretty easy.
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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2388 on: February 21, 2017, 01:05:28 PM »
Pretty sure the original airing was like 4 songs. Not sure what Building Empires has.
r

Yeah, think I've seen four songs so have seen more than on building empires. Not watched it in years and thought there were 4 tracks on it..
Thanks for the links Setzer, will watch tonight.

Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2389 on: February 21, 2017, 01:14:18 PM »
Pretty sure there were 5 tracks for the official MTV broadcast - 2 from Empire, 2 from RFO and The Lady Wore Black.

However, the collector in question did a lot for the Rychean community over the years and shared plenty of shows with hundreds of people. If it is who I think you are referring to, she shared it with me, and by accident recorded it in mono, and did that for a few people without realizing what she had done. It was only after a bunch of zealous nutjobs hounded her that she clammed up and refused to trade any further. And this was in the early 2000s as well, I believe. Maybe 1999. And to be frank, I don't blame her one bit for that. Too many people "demand" from collectors who spent years (decades in some cases) building a collection. I have a ton of stories to tell about that, let me tell ya. It's why I don't trade any longer either.
I don't know the specifics of the fan you speak of or the problems she dealt with from others "demanding" stuff from her, but the one thing I think is uncool of some bootleg collectors is to include stuff on your list that you absolutely will not trade out to anyone. If someone wants to keep a specific recording to themselves, I don't have a problem with that. But to include it on the list you post/share/whatever publicly that in reality is a forbidden fruit being dangled in front of others is not cool. Again, I don't know the specifics of what happened with this fan - it doesn't sound like that was what she did, since you say she traded it out - but if she did, then I can't completely blame the demanding fans either, altho there certainly are some fans out there that have an incredible sense of entitlement.
 
 
Without going too far down the rabbit hole, the one version of the audio that was highly circulated was emptyV Unplugged, which was a pull from a guy named John (not sure of the generation). He was a collector and seller of live shows in the late 1990s from around the prog circuit (QR, DT, Rush, etc.). My memory isn't as clear about that whole deal, but simply put, he got out of the "business" in a few years after selling a bunch of live QR shows. He then bought GeoffTate.com and made it into a site that slammed QR for a couple of years before Tate's attorney nailed him with a cease and desist, and John eventually gave the site over to Tate. I don't remember the details, just going from memory. But John managed to sell a bunch of those EmptyV Unplugged CDR recordings over the span of a few years, along with some other shows (Irvine 97 comes to mind, a few gigs on the Q2k tour, etc.)
You're speaking of one John DiBella. I bought a few releases from him to - the complete Unplugged performance and one or two others. Forgot that he pulled that stunt buying up the GeoffTate.com domain! Funny thing is he just appeared on dimeadozen recently to torrent a few DT releases.
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Offline Samsara

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2390 on: February 21, 2017, 01:33:51 PM »
Pretty sure there were 5 tracks for the official MTV broadcast - 2 from Empire, 2 from RFO and The Lady Wore Black.

Correct. Silent Lucidity, Della Brown, The Killing Words, I Will Remember, The Lady Wore Black.

Quote from: Setlist Scotty
I don't know the specifics of the fan you speak of or the problems she dealt with from others "demanding" stuff from her, but the one thing I think is uncool of some bootleg collectors is to include stuff on your list that you absolutely will not trade out to anyone. If someone wants to keep a specific recording to themselves, I don't have a problem with that. But to include it on the list you post/share/whatever publicly that in reality is a forbidden fruit being dangled in front of others is not cool. Again, I don't know the specifics of what happened with this fan - it doesn't sound like that was what she did, since you say she traded it out - but if she did, then I can't completely blame the demanding fans either, altho there certainly are some fans out there that have an incredible sense of entitlement.

I agree. That's why by the time I stopped trading in 2008, I had two lists just for that purpose -- one I sent out of what was available for trade, and one that I kept to just keep track of everything. Although as I am sure you can attest to, Scotty, I always used to receive the "I know you have more, stop holding out on me,"emails. That sense of entitlement you speak of is huge. Queensryche really isn't a band in high demand any longer, but when they were, it was crazy.
 
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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2391 on: February 21, 2017, 04:27:10 PM »
Just watched the whole Unplugged set and enjoyed it but now I'm on a downer because I just realised how much I miss CDG in my life.
Seems a genuine nice guy. I'd sit and have quiet beer with him.
And it's always good to get a reminder that Tate wasn't always a cock.

Now replaying loads of CdG songs.

Offline Mebert78

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2392 on: February 22, 2017, 10:29:23 AM »
Holy cow.  Geoff Tate performed an acoustic show two nights in Patchogue, NY, (just five minutes from me) and I had no idea.  That's so close to me, I probably would've checked it out.  I'm curious what kind of crowds he's bringing in for these shows, especially considering the various "QR reunion" comments he's been making in recent interviews. 
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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2393 on: February 22, 2017, 01:49:52 PM »
Mike,

A couple hundred people, according to a friend that went to his DC-area stop. I know a few of the venues he's playing at. All are about the same. 200 people. Bars and nightclubs. To give you an idea -- when Tate played here where I live with Operation: Mindcrime on its last tour (in support of The Key) they played the same venue Queensryche just played with Armored Saint and Midnight Eternal in November. That place has a capacity of 850.

Where Tate is playing under his own name, acoustically, is a converted hamburger restaurant, which is now billed as a "country bar." I was there when it was a hamburger joint (good stuff). The way it is partitioned, you walk in, and straight ahead is the stage, with a bar on the right wall, and tables and chairs in the middle. But if you make a sharp right when you walk in the door, it leads to a bigger dining area. That area is actually cut off from the performer, so Tate will be playing to half the place. His booking agent probably doesn't realize that. So my guess is, he'll probably have an audience of 100-150.
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Offline cfmoran13

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2394 on: February 23, 2017, 02:29:22 PM »
So my guess is, he'll probably have an audience of 100-150.
You're assuming 100-150 people want to see an acoustic Geoff Tate show.

Offline goo-goo

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2395 on: February 23, 2017, 03:06:49 PM »
Has there been any talk about QR going back to the studio for a new album?

Offline Setzer

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2396 on: February 24, 2017, 07:50:50 AM »
Has there been any talk about QR going back to the studio for a new album?
Yes :)

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2397 on: February 28, 2017, 12:59:20 PM »
So my guess is, he'll probably have an audience of 100-150.
You're assuming 100-150 people want to see an acoustic Geoff Tate show.

He still draws up to a couple hundred by himself at these bars, if the pictures are any indication. To be honest, I think Operation: Mindcrime (the band) and Queensryche both draw similarly (to each other) -- about 500-1000, depending on the venue and market. They both played the same place here on their respective last tour legs. Both were heavily Grouponed (meaning both had a lot of people attending through Groupon deals), and the turnout (from me being at the QR one, and seeing pics of the OPM one) looked the same. Queensryche also had Armored Saint in tow, which helped them, because Saint had a good 100 or so people in the crowd primarily to see them (myself included).

It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out when each band releases their next records. I have a feeling Queensryche will maintain the same sort of billings (no growth, but maintain), while I feel OPM will likely slide a little further, if that third record from OPM gets released at all (I have my doubts on that -- Frontiers puts out a lot of stuff, but the last one did not move the needle at all).

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Offline jjrock88

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2398 on: February 28, 2017, 05:34:21 PM »
I never heard what the latest O:M album sold; I'm going to guess it was quite low.  I would wager that the third one will still get released in some capacity just to complete the trilogy.

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2399 on: March 01, 2017, 07:51:03 AM »
I never heard what the latest O:M album sold; I'm going to guess it was quite low.  I would wager that the third one will still get released in some capacity just to complete the trilogy.

I didn't either. I think I remember first week unit numbers being released, but don't recall what they were, and it was dead silent after that. You're probably right on the third record being released at some point. I just wonder what Tate's deal with Frontiers was. I don't imagine he would have signed it if Frontiers has the option of not releasing the third record.

I'm curious to see where he goes now with his career after this. He's playing bars under his own name, and I expect under his "band" name, he'll be playing tinier clubs on the next tour. These tours can't be profitable. There's no way. And if the tours aren't making money,  and his records are not selling, no wonder Tate has been focusing on answering those Queensryche reunion questions.
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Offline jjrock88

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2400 on: March 01, 2017, 09:19:14 AM »
I think the Queensryche reunion articles are the only items that generate any interest from Tate right now.  As mentioned before, it would be ideal for Tate at this point to disappear for awhile and revamp himself.  But he just doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would go away from the spotlight at all.

I can't see the Operation Mindcrime band lasting. I would say in the long run, he would have more chance of success just going out as a solo artist.

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2401 on: March 01, 2017, 11:26:39 AM »

I can't see the Operation Mindcrime band lasting. I would say in the long run, he would have more chance of success just going out as a solo artist.

I don't either. I think the problem he encountered in 2002, and again now, 15 years later, is that his name, by itself, doesn't hold a lot of water for promoters and the industry as that solo artist. His 2002 solo album was completely in another direction, which was, I believe, what he truly wanted to do, music-wise. But instead of slugging it out then, and leaving QR to pursue that, there was the carrot of the QR reunion with DeGarmo. And when that fizzled out after a handful of songs, Tate usurped control of Queensryche until his ouster in 2012.

If we rewind to 2002-2003, things could have been different for Tate. This is where I think he erred. When Queensryche canceled the shows in Japan they had booked in fall 2001 (due to 9-11), if my memory serves (and not sure, but could be in court docs from the lawsuit), they got sued or owed money to Japanese promoters. That comes into play later, if I remember right. They did Tribe, and it fizzled because DeGarmo didn't join back up. So they had a flop of a record, but owed these promoters from Japan, which again, if I remember right, was also a factor in deciding to do MC II, because of the monetary advance for that record. I'm assuming that was used partially to pay off that canceled Japanese tour dates from 2001.

But had Tate, after Tribe fizzled, elected to leave right there, and go do another solo record, and just slug it out in the clubs for a while, I think he would have at least established himself as a solo artist, using QR songs, and songs from his first solo record (and the non-existent second one in this fake scenario). Over time, as hard rock got big again in the mid-to-late 2000s, he might have found more solid footing performing Queensryche songs, assuming that Queensryche would have made the choice then (saying in 2003) to fold (remember, the side projects Slave to the System and Soulbender were also on the agenda for other members then).

Instead, things played out as they did. I mean, financially, I guess Tate made the right call at the time, as the money from touring Queensryche, even after paying off that Japanese thing, was really good. He made Queensryche (as we discussed for years) essentially his touring band, as some of us called it, Tateryche. Then we know what happened after that went too far.

But had Tate gone the other way, and simply left on his own accord after Tribe, and QR folded, I think his career as a solo artist would have been a lot more established and profitable in the long run, particularly now. I remember his band's renditions of QR songs being pretty entertaining (spOOL, Della Brown, Thin Line, etc.).

Now, however, I'm not sure he has much of a future unless a reunion happens. And I just don't see that likely unless it is the FULL Queensryche, and the money is there for that sort of reunion. And as some have pointed out, while I know it was there in the early 2000s, and again after Mindcrime II, it likely isn't there now (from promoters for a full reunited Queensryche) given all that went down.

So where Tate goes in the next couple of years, I don't know. I can't see him still touring with this acoustic ensemble. It can't be profitable. Maybe he starts offering himself up for more voice over work and guest spots for cash on other albums?
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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2402 on: March 02, 2017, 12:32:29 AM »
Even if he had gone full solo back then, I'm not sure if it would have worked out for him. His solo stuff was very different from what QR fans (and maybe general progressive rock/metal fans) expected and I think nobody outside of that kind of people knew who Geoff Tate was and had any kind of interest in him.

Maybe if QR had disbanded and Tate's solo band would have been the only one to perform QR songs live he could have drawn a decent crowd, but probably not with his own songs. And you have to wonder if he would have taken better care of his voice so that he could do those songs justice, I highly doubt that.
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Offline jjrock88

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2403 on: March 02, 2017, 02:49:00 AM »
I've never listened to his first solo album in its entirety, but I've heard samples. It was definitely not my thing, but I'm sure if he would have continued with that sound, he could have built a good fan base.

It was a complete departure from metal and rock, but from what I remember it was kind of a jazzy pop rock sound. There is definitely a market for that, but Geoff would have had to decide to go all in with that sound and build a following. But to just make one album of that music, there is no way you'll be successful. I wasn't following any reviews at the time but I can only assume it turned off the QR and metal fans and he wasn't dedicated enough to make further albums with that sound  to get new fans.

But I'm sure there are lots of people who enjoy that solo album. I just know it wouldn't be my cup of tea

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2404 on: March 02, 2017, 08:05:03 AM »
Even if he had gone full solo back then, I'm not sure if it would have worked out for him. His solo stuff was very different from what QR fans (and maybe general progressive rock/metal fans) expected and I think nobody outside of that kind of people knew who Geoff Tate was and had any kind of interest in him.

Maybe if QR had disbanded and Tate's solo band would have been the only one to perform QR songs live he could have drawn a decent crowd, but probably not with his own songs. And you have to wonder if he would have taken better care of his voice so that he could do those songs justice, I highly doubt that.

Kwyjibo -- that's a really good point. It WAS eclectic. There were a handful of cuts at the end of the record that sounded QR-ish, such as Off the TV and Over Me. But you're spot-on.

In regard to your hypothetical, nah, Tate wouldn't have been the only one. Slave to the System (Scott Rock) played a QR track on their tour (can't recall which one at the moment) and I believe Soulbender (Wilton) played a couple as well in the limited shows they did. I was at the debut Tate show in 2001 at the Catwalk in Seattle, and then went to his first solo show on the album tour in 2002 (that had Soulbender opening the first gig) at the EMP in Seattle. But I think in the scenario you describe, Tate would have had the bigger chance at success, particularly (if your hypothetical played out) if he had geared a second solo record to follow his first that was more in the QR vein at the time.

I've never listened to his first solo album in its entirety, but I've heard samples. It was definitely not my thing, but I'm sure if he would have continued with that sound, he could have built a good fan base.

It had its moments. The songs that stuck with me the most over the years was a tune called Helpless, the single Off the TV (which was QR ish), Over Me, and then a song called "A Passenger." "Flood," which I think was the lead track, was also pretty good. But it was certainly a departure.

Quote
It was a complete departure from metal and rock, but from what I remember it was kind of a jazzy pop rock sound. There is definitely a market for that, but Geoff would have had to decide to go all in with that sound and build a following. But to just make one album of that music, there is no way you'll be successful. I wasn't following any reviews at the time but I can only assume it turned off the QR and metal fans and he wasn't dedicated enough to make further albums with that sound  to get new fans.

But I'm sure there are lots of people who enjoy that solo album. I just know it wouldn't be my cup of tea

You're right on the album description. I listened to it for the first time in years about a month ago. As mentioned above, I was at Tate's first two solo shows. And while the material was different, and the majority of the fans there were hardcores, it was received well. If memory serves, that summer tour was pretty well attended too. Tate did a good job (and his band) of mixing in those solo tracks with QR material that was off the beaten path a bit, and it worked.

I don't remember the reviews of the record itself, but the major point I DO remember was that people thought it was decent, but a bit TOO different. I wasn't the biggest fan at the time. Like now, I thought it was OK, and had some good moments. But there were some head scratching moments as well. As a metal fan, I much preferred Soulbender, honestly.

It's funny, on Tate's current solo tour, which is being billed as the "Whole Ryche Story," acoustic (although he is playing a limited amount of non Ryche stuff), I figured he'd pull out a song or two from that first solo record. He hasn't. The only non-QR songs are The Fight (from his Operation: Mindcrime band), and a cover tune. But I guess doing a 95 percent QR set acoustic is the lure for the tour, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2405 on: March 02, 2017, 08:25:15 AM »
I never cared for the first solo album.  Not that there was anything "wrong" with it.  It just didn't jibe with my interests.  I was actually hoping to hear his voice paired with something MORE metal than Queensryche.  I mean, that wasn't realistic, but I didn't really know it at the time.  I can't remember whether back then he had already gone on record as saying he didn't love metal all that much.  But I remember that when he first said it, whenever that was, I kinda blew it off.  For me, Tate's influences and tastes in music didn't really start to become obvious to me until the covers album and what followed (Cabaret, D2C...).  But anyhow, my point is simply that I didn't care for the first solo album.  I still have it, but haven't listened in years and don't really have any desire to.  And that's fine. 
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Offline Samsara

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2406 on: March 20, 2017, 01:00:27 PM »
I went to see Geoff Tate’s acoustic tour the other night. He was playing mostly old Queensryche songs that were re-arranged a bit, with a violinist instead of a bassist, two acoustic guitars, and a percussionist. Knowing the setlist ahead of time, I knew there were a handful of songs Queensryche would likely never play again, so I wanted to check it out.

I’m very glad I did. The gig was fun, Tate sounded good, and the re-arrangements were interesting to listen to and performed well. Of note for me personally were the performances of songs from Promised Land (“Out of Mind,” “Bridge”), Hear in the Now Frontier (“Some People Fly,” “Chasing Blue Sky”), and Tribe (“Blood”). Tate also did something from every record Queensryche released from 1983-2011, a song from his Operation: Mindcrime project, and a Dropkick Murphys cover.

Song-wise, my personal highlight surprised the hell out of me -- “Blood.” The violinist added an aggressive solo bit to the end of the song that ratcheted up the energy and quite honestly brought the house down. The song went over well and the band received a nice ovation. But it was the narrative change about the tune’s lyrics that enabled me to enjoy it so much.

This was a bit of storyteller show, so Tate introduced “Blood” by saying “I’m not a political man” (which made me laugh a little) and described his recent travels to a foreign country where he saw how oppressed a group of refugees was, including a child being too afraid to take the coat Tate was offering him. He said that examples of incidents like that helped inspire the song. When “Blood” was released in 2003, however, Tate used the tune to finger-point at President George W. Bush regarding 9-11. So, the pivot Tate made on the tune’s meaning to him now, 14 years later, helped me get into it, despite its origins.

Another highlight was Tate’s cover of “The Fight” from Operation: Mindcrime’s last record, Resurrection. While I didn't really care for the record, I did like this particular song. The acoustic backdrop made the already big chorus resonate even further for me. I recorded videos of the songs I mentioned above, but I regret not capturing “The Fight,” because it was that good.

The show wasn’t all about obscure material, however. Tate made sure to do the fan favorites, performing renditions of Queensryche’s “Walk in the Shadows,” (which opened the show) “Another Rainy Night,” “Silent Lucidity,” “I Don’t Believe in Love,” “Eyes of a Stranger,” "The Lady Wore Black," and “Take Hold of the Flame.” They sounded different, of course, but the songs were performed well.

Tate sounds much better over acoustic instrumentation these days. His voice was powerful and has retained a richness to its tone that still makes it captivating, despite losing a lot of his higher range. And that’s not to say he didn’t display some range – he most certainly did, and picked a few spots to show he can still get higher if he needed to.

I don't want to focus on negatives moving forward, but a comparison is called for when talking about Queensryche-Tate stuff. La Torre has done a fine job with Queensryche, and on the Condition Human tour, really put on what I'd call "professional performances," meaning, he has learned the limitations of his voice and delivers a much more consistent performances each night. He has higher range than Tate these days, and La Torre now picks his spots better. So if you want to see the wails, La Torre makes sure to do them. And he should get a lot of credit for whatever work he's done to be as consistent as he has been over the last year.  :tup Tate, on the other hand, has a much warmer tone, and a fullness to his voice that is just unmistakable. After seeing him now for the first time in eight years, it was very, very clear to my ears how distinct he was with Queensryche, even in the latter years. There's a reason why Tate was so lauded over his career, and it's not just for the high notes. So if you're a Queensryche fan, and aren't stuck in the "no Tate, no QR," or "QR is superior to Tate" mentality, I think both will provide you with some good ear candy, depending on what is being played, and what your expectations are. Go and enjoy.

Getting back to the Tate gig, what stood out to me was how comfortable Tate looked on stage, in comparison to the final few years with Queensryche. He poked fun at the 1980s, at himself, smiled a lot and just seemed to enjoy himself. He even said how much he’s had fun on the current tour. At one point, he sped his voice up so much cracking jokes in-between songs, I could have sworn he was on speed. Ha ha ha. But it was all in good fun. The stories he told about many of the songs were obviously scripted, but there was a looseness to his vibe that was nice to see. All of it contributed to a good performance.

One of those stories stood out, and I’ll be adding it to AnybodyListening.net at some point. He recalled how as a child, his mom (who was a single mother at the time), took Tate to work all the time at a mental facility. While that sort of practice likely wouldn’t be permitted today (for obvious reasons), it provided a good basis for writing “Out of Mind.” He recalled that during the Promised Land sessions, he told Chris DeGarmo about it, and DeGarmo came back the next day with a song fully written, music and lyrics, based on Tate’s observations in that mental facility. He also told a very interesting tale about how the insertion of a harmonica solo in “Chasing Blue Sky” came about, which had the crowd laughing.

Overall, I had a good time. The crowd was very small (the venue is a converted hamburger restaurant), numbering about 70ish at its peak during “Silent Lucidity,” but mostly hovering in the 40s. Capacity for the stage-area portion of the place is probably 200. So, Tate didn’t draw very well at all. But to their credit, Tate and his band didn’t play like it was a tiny audience. It was an energetic performance, and if you’ve been on the fence about seeing Tate again, I’d encourage going, particularly if you like the setlist he's doing. The tour runs through April 15, in Toronto, before picking up again in late August according to his Facebook page.
« Last Edit: March 20, 2017, 01:20:20 PM by AnybodyListening.net »
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2407 on: March 20, 2017, 01:34:24 PM »
The songs I listened to weren't bad.  And I agree with your comments about his voice. 

About the vignettes and background about songs...a lot of that sounds really cool.  The problem I have is that the man has proven to be so unabashedly dishonest about so many things over so long a period of time that for any given story, I find myself thinking, "That's pretty cool...IF it happened.  And I don't have a high degree of confidence that it did, at least in the manner he is describing."  I question even the stories about the child in another country or the backstory that supposedly inspired Out of Mind.  Those are great stories.  But did they really happen?  And if they did, did things really unfold the way he is telling them now?  I have no idea.  I mean, there are plenty of stories through the years about Tate doing some REALLY cool, unselfish things for people that are corroborated by others.  And there are plenty of cool stories about him having some cool, unique experiences that are corroborated.  But I can't help but doubt anything that comes out of his mouth, and that's a shame because it distracts me from being able to enjoy what he is doing.

What you said about Blood is really interesting as well.  I'll give it a listen.  I really hated that song though.  Excluding songs from D2C, which I have no specific recollection of because I listened to the album a grand total of once just so I could say I did, Blood is easily my personal "worst" song Queensyrche has ever done.  Part of it is the lyrical content.  But part of it is that I just don't like the song anyway.  But as far as the topic, it's funny how music is.  Sometimes, we can overlook things that bother us.  Sometimes we can't.  And it's so subjective sometimes.  I know you and I have discussed a certain modern Queensryche song that is a huge turnoff for you because of the content.  But while that bothers me, I easily look past it and still love the song.  Similar with, say, I'm American.  I know what Tate was doing there.  But it's still kind of a cool tune, and I ignore the baggage and enjoy it.  With Blood, you are able to ignore the baggage and get into it, while it bothers me to the point that my initial reaction to even checking out this alternative version is one of reluctance.  But I will give it a shot.
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Offline Lowdz

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2408 on: March 20, 2017, 01:41:22 PM »
I never cared for the first solo album.  Not that there was anything "wrong" with it.  It just didn't jibe with my interests.  I was actually hoping to hear his voice paired with something MORE metal than Queensryche.  I mean, that wasn't realistic, but I didn't really know it at the time.  I can't remember whether back then he had already gone on record as saying he didn't love metal all that much.  But I remember that when he first said it, whenever that was, I kinda blew it off.  For me, Tate's influences and tastes in music didn't really start to become obvious to me until the covers album and what followed (Cabaret, D2C...).  But anyhow, my point is simply that I didn't care for the first solo album.  I still have it, but haven't listened in years and don't really have any desire to.  And that's fine.

I was excited when it came out but a couple of songs in it dawned on me that it was shit. Think I've only listened to it twice. I wasn't expecting a metal album but was expecting some interesting songs paired with that once great voice. They weren't there for me.

I wouldn't mi d seeing this acoustic show - sounds interesting,especially if his voice is ok. I have a hard time associating the intelligent guy from earlier in his career to the arse he became in the new millennium.

Offline bill1971

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2409 on: March 20, 2017, 03:31:53 PM »
I saw the show as well, very glad I went. I think the only album he skipped was OM2. Great selection and he sounded very good. I think he really does seemed to be a changed man, he mentioned in an interview on Youtube about that a bad place he was in during and right after the break up. I of course don't have the link. :)

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2410 on: March 21, 2017, 01:47:05 AM »
Good to hear that it is an enjoyable show. And good to hear about his voice. The complete range is probably gone forever, and it is what it is, but what I didn't understand was that nasally whiny singing he did for some time, that annoyed the hell outta me. If he quit that I'm sure he sounds good.

And the acoustic setting probably helps, but 40 people? That's a shame, every bad amateur band draws that and more. Must be really a humbling experience for him.
Must've been Kwyji sending all the wrong songs.   ;D

Offline bill1971

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2411 on: March 21, 2017, 08:57:21 AM »
I think he is trying to make up for the small gigs by charging $50 for the meet and greet. I like what Living Colour does, because it is a small venue they go out and meet the fans and take pictures and sign cd's and other things. I think that helps build a fan base because it builds loyalty.

Offline Lowdz

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2412 on: March 21, 2017, 03:09:20 PM »
Good to hear that it is an enjoyable show. And good to hear about his voice. The complete range is probably gone forever, and it is what it is, but what I didn't understand was that nasally whiny singing he did for some time, that annoyed the hell outta me. If he quit that I'm sure he sounds good.

And the acoustic setting probably helps, but 40 people? That's a shame, every bad amateur band draws that and more. Must be really a humbling experience for him.

I was watching one of the shows on YouTube last night. Tate sounded good, certainly better than the last few years in QR. That nasally whine was awful. The rerecord on his FU album were laughable.

Offline Mindflux

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2413 on: March 21, 2017, 03:14:25 PM »
I think he did a show real recently here in the Austin TX area. Tickets were, if I recall absurdly expensive given who it was.  ($36 dollars at the door)

I didn't go.


Offline bill1971

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Re: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album
« Reply #2414 on: March 21, 2017, 05:22:59 PM »
AnybodyListening.net, I really enjoyed reading some of the court hearing PDF's on your site. I mainly just read Geoff's and Scott's so far, but interesting.