Geoff Tate's "Operation: Mindcrime" (not Queensryche)

[Samsara]

Noticed today that Geoff Tate's Operation: Mindcrime (which performed with a different lineup, as we noted, a couple months ago in Brazil) is headed out in support of ANGRA in March and April 2018 in Europe and Russia. Very cool bill. Not sure who is in Angra these days, but I remember digging them years ago.

In his recent brazilian tour, Geoff Tate played with an all brazilian band and the bassist was Felipe Andreoli of Angra.
IMO the last Angra album was very good, still with Kiko in the band and already with Fabio on vocals. From Secret Garden:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIqIRK5ynM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaUeS-wRUYQ (awesome The Police cover)
Marcelo Barbosa is the new guitar player. A very good one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixBr990_teU

I thought the band sounded pretty good!

I'm glad Tate is going this route for the time being. I think it is still possible that he reunites later in the year with Queensyrche (again, money talks). But I'm very much for him doing his own thing at this point. I don't seriously think there's a huge bump in cash for him to reunite with Queensryche without DeGarmo. The only thing that makes sense (at least IMO) financially would be the original lineup. And again, I think the key years are 2018 or 2020 for that. If it doesn't happen then, it likely won't ever...which is what I would bet on. But you never know.

[wolfking]

This is interesting.  Ty Tabor on playing on FU;

"Uncomfortable, because when I agreed to do it, I thought that I was agreeing to play a solo on one of Geoff's solo albums. I didn't realize it was that when I agreed to it. So I sort of stepped into the controversy accidentally. And I don't know if you noticed — I didn't say a word about it on any of it on my social networks, I didn't promote it or anything, because I felt bad about it. I went ahead and did it 'cause I gave my word, but I didn't realize that's what it was when I said yes. I misunderstood."

[bill1971]

Noticed today that Geoff Tate's Operation: Mindcrime (which performed with a different lineup, as we noted, a couple months ago in Brazil) is headed out in support of ANGRA in March and April 2018 in Europe and Russia. Very cool bill. Not sure who is in Angra these days, but I remember digging them years ago.

In his recent brazilian tour, Geoff Tate played with an all brazilian band and the bassist was Felipe Andreoli of Angra.
IMO the last Angra album was very good, still with Kiko in the band and already with Fabio on vocals. From Secret Garden:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wIqIRK5ynM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaUeS-wRUYQ (awesome The Police cover)
Marcelo Barbosa is the new guitar player. A very good one! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixBr990_teU

I thought the band sounded pretty good!

I'm glad Tate is going this route for the time being. I think it is still possible that he reunites later in the year with Queensyrche (again, money talks). But I'm very much for him doing his own thing at this point. I don't seriously think there's a huge bump in cash for him to reunite with Queensryche without DeGarmo. The only thing that makes sense (at least IMO) financially would be the original lineup. And again, I think the key years are 2018 or 2020 for that. If it doesn't happen then, it likely won't ever...which is what I would bet on. But you never know.

Yes he is basically playing the same size clubs with or without Queensryche. Even if DeGarmo came back I couldn't see them all of sudden playing large arenas maybe placed that DT play at least until the novelty wears off.

[bill1971]

His new album came out earlier this month. It is not bad. Nothing ground breaking but a few goof songs. "It was Always You" being my favorite. He DOES not know how to promote, even on his Twitter page he doesn't mention it. I've heard a few recent interviews promoting it, he does not seem so pompous anymore but it looks like for the 30 year anniversary he is going to play O:M in it's entirety....again....I loved his acoustic show but will probably pass, although it would have been about 12 years since I've seen it performed live so who knows.

[DragonAttack]

His new album came out earlier this month. It is not bad. Nothing ground breaking but a few goof songs. "It was Always You" being my favorite.

Freudian slip?

[bill1971]

His new album came out earlier this month. It is not bad. Nothing ground breaking but a few goof songs. "It was Always You" being my favorite.

Freudian slip?

Funny. I though I was only this bad when talking to text.

[?]

Tate was joined by Tobias Sammet of Avantasia for Jet City Woman at one of his German shows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdv74ruk6QY Sammet messed up some of the words, but Tate sounds good and they clearly had a great time.

[MirrorMask]

Nice! Also, never really followed him that close to know the difference throughout the years, but Geoff here seems kinda, you know, older and wiser. The way he introduces Tobi and the song, he gives the idea of someone that has seen quite some stuff (you know, worldwide success) and by now he's just happy to share it with anybody listening (yeah, I did that). A world apart from "you guys suck" (which still must have been said tongue in cheek, but still...)

[bill1971]

Ok Forum, I have a confession to make. I like that trilogy of Tate's named Operation Mindcrime There I said it. If you want to ban me, I'll understand.

[njfirefighter]

Fuck everybody else  you like it that's all that matters right ?

And I'd go see the show if I were you. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The band at present is a major upgrade IMO. No telling whether that will last or not, so I'd go if I were you. 

[IDontNotDoThings]

Okay, I'm about to listen through Geoff Tate's trilogy in one sitting. I'll post back with my first impressions. Wish me luck.

[IDontNotDoThings]

...I couldn't get past the first disc...

[bill1971]

...I couldn't get past the first disc...

That's because I didn't get a chance to wish you luck.

[IDontNotDoThings]

...I couldn't get past the first disc...

That's because I didn't get a chance to wish you luck.

 

[jammindude]

Dude....you gotta commit.  If you say you’re going to do something like that, you’ve got to take one for the team.   I mean, I was thinking of what a great write up it would be to read about your misery and torture, and how Geoff Tate now makes you want to go kill puppies or something.   But then you wussed out on us. 

 

[IDontNotDoThings]

Dude....you gotta commit.  If you say you’re going to do something like that, you’ve got to take one for the team.   I mean, I was thinking of what a great write up it would be to read about your misery and torture, and how Geoff Tate now makes you want to go kill puppies or something.   But then you wussed out on us. 

 

Eh, I'll try again later today, but I promise it'll be good when I get there. 

[IDontNotDoThings]

First off, before I'd even like to say anything, I'd just like to get this important piece of information out of the way first...

*ahem*

Geoff Tate is kind of a cunt



Now that everyone's caught up to speed, let's hear this shit.


Track 1: Choices
"Hmmm... what's the best way I can start this 3-hour concept album trilogy about the economic status of our current society?"

"Hmmm, how about 30 seconds of inaudible sound effects, followed by 3 minutes one repeated line that resolves in a total anticlimax thanks to the over-compressed production."

"Perfect, let's do it!"

^ This was a conversation that I doubt 2 humans have ever had in the history of our known universe. Luckily, I don't think anyone involved with this album legally counts as a human, so here we are.

Track 2: Burn
Woah, watch out Geoff, don't overdo it with the vocal performance, if you do that too much you might actually make your audience give a shit.

Anyway, this is track had potential I guess, but nothing's really done with any sense of passion or enthusiasm so it just sounds dead inside, & if I wanted to hear a song that reflects my constant mental state, I'd probably listen to nirvana or something, not a song that's supposed to be about the economic status of the US.

Track 3: Re-Inventing The Future
Oh hey, it's the single. Again, this honestly had a bit of potential. The chorus is pretty neat & I like the theme of the lyrics, but Geoff can't hold a note in the chorus longer than a nanosecond, so that's kind of a problem. On the plus side though, I hear rap's pretty big now, & a speed like that would be pretty impressive nowadays.

inb4 Geoff Tate's rap career please god don't actually let this happen

Track 4: Ready To Fly
Actually, listening to this album's making me a bit tired. I'm not sure I can do this right now. Maybe if I could justt rset my headfor  al ittle whil
 >?Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb=bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbggb//////gv
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbhbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhh

Track 5: Discussion In A Smoke Filled Room
Oh shit I just remembered this album was meant to have a story.

Actually that was a lie, no I didn't

Track 6: Life or Death
Why hello there Mr. Not-Geoff-Tate. Uh, quick question, why are you actually making him look better in comparison? Honestly that's a much bigger accomplishment than most other civilisations can ever dream of. I mean, think about it, it's a natural progression...

The climbing of Mt Everest
The invention of electricity
The splitting of the atom
The discovery of a singer worse than Geoff Tate
??
idk the cure for cancer i guess?

Truly with this discovery we can advance further as a society & better the lives of millions as a result.

Track 7: The Stranger
Oh wait, nevermind, I think this song just gave cancer to everyone who listened to it. Damn, that's gotta be the fastest drop in everyone's faith in humanity since I was given a DTF account.

What's that?
Oh yeah, I had a song to talk about.

"i'm a walkin' genocide"
"make you cry, make you want your mother"
"im the best, fuck the rest"
"let's see if he takes it like a man"

Jesus, when did Geoff become an edgy teenager? At this point I'm waiting for the "psssh...nothin personnel kid"

Oh wait, that's actually in the song

fuck

Yeah, this is abysmal. Probably the worst song that's ever been associated with Queenryche, & that's living in a world where Saved, Hit The Black, One Life, Desert Dance, Home Again, The Voice, Slave, In The Hands Of God & all of DTC exists.

Yeah, it's that bad.

Track 8: Hearing Voices
Like the previous song, only longer, more boring, lazier, & basically worse in every way. I'd honestly be impressed at how fast this album turned to an "all-time worst candidate" if it weren't so sad. At this point I got an ad for a syrian refugee charity & it made me less depressed than being reminded that this album exists. & at that point I just imagine all the money this album made & how many better things it could be used for... like buying gold-plated toilet paper, or using the bills as frisbees for your dog, or throwing pennies at passersby & running away.

I mean hey, this album's supposed to be about economics, right? I think this is the most valid point this album's made thus far.

Track 9: On Queue
"Tell me, remind me" God damnit, stop making me think of better songs.

Anyway, there's not really a lot to talk about with this one. I mean sure, it's long, drawn-out, boring, lazy, dull, uninteresting, fuck I need a thesaurus to find more synonyms for bland.

Calling this elevator music is an insult to elevators. I mean, they work hard to carry hundreds of kilos up & down every day for as long as they operate. If I were an elevator, I'd probably go on strike if I heard that my function was being compared to this song. Hey, maybe that's why they get stuck for ten hours trapping people until they either suffocate or go insane until they can finally get them out.

I mean, if you consider what they're being compared to, I'd have that reaction too.

Track 10: An Ambush Of Sadness
There are a lot of greatthings you can do in 90 seconds:
-Make your bed
-Make a coffee
-Make 90-second noodles
-Spin around in a chair
-Play 3/4 of a game of tetris
-Eat half a candy bar
-Kill yourself
The list goes on

Y'know what's not on that list?
Listening to this song

Track 11: Kicking In The Door
That elevator probably had hopes & dreams just like the rest of us, & yet they're doomed to a life of endless tedium & mundanity to solve only a slight bit of time in our everyday lives. How could we opress them of their hopes & dreams just because of their unfortunate fate?

& by "endless tedium & mundanity" I mean having song associated with you

Track 12: The Fall
& now it's time for the epic closer that'll wrap up this whole first disc on a high note & truly make us feel like we've experienced something grand with the past 47 minutes of our lives.

Okay, I have a lot of opinions on this song in particular, so allow me to express them in the most civil way I can possibly put this so that everyone involved can actually take something from this writeup & take the criticisms to hear to ensure that another mistake like this album can never happen to such a well-established singer ever again.

*ahem*

Geoff Tate is kind of a cunt


So that was the review. God knows I'm not putting myself through 2 more hours of this shit, so that'll be it for now. Hopefully you'll stay tuned to my next review where I'll either successfully finish listening to the second disc or successfully become dead as a result. I'll be fine as long as it isn't the first one.

[bill1971]

Bravo! I thoroughly disagree with you but I'm not a good enough writer to write my own review. I give you credit for getting through it all and writing up a well-written and humorous review.

I truly do think Geoff Tate has become more humble in the last few years. And not disliking him as a person has helped me personally enjoy the albums.

[bill1971]

Fuck everybody else  you like it that's all that matters right ?

And I'd go see the show if I were you. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The band at present is a major upgrade IMO. No telling whether that will last or not, so I'd go if I were you. 

Amen!!

[MirrorMask]

Yeah, this is abysmal. Probably the worst song that's ever been associated with Queenryche, & that's living in a world where Saved, Hit The Black, One Life, Desert Dance, Home Again, The Voice, Slave, In The Hands Of God & all of DTC exists.

Yeah, it's that bad.


------


"Tell me, remind me" God damnit, stop making me think of better songs.

 

[Samsara]

I've listened to all three albums multiple times. For me, the third is the worst of the bunch. It just loses steam. I sort of get what Tate was trying to achieve, but it went all over the place. Overall, his OPM project produced a few good songs, but that was about it. From an album standpoint, TLT-fronted QR certainly has the better material.

I am curious, however, what Tate will do now that this is done. His voice HAS gotten a bit better, although nowhere near what it once was. Time will tell I guess.

[jammindude]

First off, before I'd even like to say anything, I'd just like to get this important piece of information out of the way first...

*ahem*

Geoff Tate is kind of a cunt



Now that everyone's caught up to speed, let's hear this shit.


Track 1: Choices
"Hmmm... what's the best way I can start this 3-hour concept album trilogy about the economic status of our current society?"

"Hmmm, how about 30 seconds of inaudible sound effects, followed by 3 minutes one repeated line that resolves in a total anticlimax thanks to the over-compressed production."

"Perfect, let's do it!"

^ This was a conversation that I doubt 2 humans have ever had in the history of our known universe. Luckily, I don't think anyone involved with this album legally counts as a human, so here we are.

Track 2: Burn
Woah, watch out Geoff, don't overdo it with the vocal performance, if you do that too much you might actually make your audience give a shit.

Anyway, this is track had potential I guess, but nothing's really done with any sense of passion or enthusiasm so it just sounds dead inside, & if I wanted to hear a song that reflects my constant mental state, I'd probably listen to nirvana or something, not a song that's supposed to be about the economic status of the US.

Track 3: Re-Inventing The Future
Oh hey, it's the single. Again, this honestly had a bit of potential. The chorus is pretty neat & I like the theme of the lyrics, but Geoff can't hold a note in the chorus longer than a nanosecond, so that's kind of a problem. On the plus side though, I hear rap's pretty big now, & a speed like that would be pretty impressive nowadays.

inb4 Geoff Tate's rap career please god don't actually let this happen

Track 4: Ready To Fly
Actually, listening to this album's making me a bit tired. I'm not sure I can do this right now. Maybe if I could justt rset my headfor  al ittle whil
 >?Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb=bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbggb//////gv
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbhbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhh

Track 5: Discussion In A Smoke Filled Room
Oh shit I just remembered this album was meant to have a story.

Actually that was a lie, no I didn't

Track 6: Life or Death
Why hello there Mr. Not-Geoff-Tate. Uh, quick question, why are you actually making him look better in comparison? Honestly that's a much bigger accomplishment than most other civilisations can ever dream of. I mean, think about it, it's a natural progression...

The climbing of Mt Everest
The invention of electricity
The splitting of the atom
The discovery of a singer worse than Geoff Tate
??
idk the cure for cancer i guess?

Truly with this discovery we can advance further as a society & better the lives of millions as a result.

Track 7: The Stranger
Oh wait, nevermind, I think this song just gave cancer to everyone who listened to it. Damn, that's gotta be the fastest drop in everyone's faith in humanity since I was given a DTF account.

What's that?
Oh yeah, I had a song to talk about.

"i'm a walkin' genocide"
"make you cry, make you want your mother"
"im the best, fuck the rest"
"let's see if he takes it like a man"

Jesus, when did Geoff become an edgy teenager? At this point I'm waiting for the "psssh...nothin personnel kid"

Oh wait, that's actually in the song

fuck

Yeah, this is abysmal. Probably the worst song that's ever been associated with Queenryche, & that's living in a world where Saved, Hit The Black, One Life, Desert Dance, Home Again, The Voice, Slave, In The Hands Of God & all of DTC exists.

Yeah, it's that bad.

Track 8: Hearing Voices
Like the previous song, only longer, more boring, lazier, & basically worse in every way. I'd honestly be impressed at how fast this album turned to an "all-time worst candidate" if it weren't so sad. At this point I got an ad for a syrian refugee charity & it made me less depressed than being reminded that this album exists. & at that point I just imagine all the money this album made & how many better things it could be used for... like buying gold-plated toilet paper, or using the bills as frisbees for your dog, or throwing pennies at passersby & running away.

I mean hey, this album's supposed to be about economics, right? I think this is the most valid point this album's made thus far.

Track 9: On Queue
"Tell me, remind me" God damnit, stop making me think of better songs.

Anyway, there's not really a lot to talk about with this one. I mean sure, it's long, drawn-out, boring, lazy, dull, uninteresting, fuck I need a thesaurus to find more synonyms for bland.

Calling this elevator music is an insult to elevators. I mean, they work hard to carry hundreds of kilos up & down every day for as long as they operate. If I were an elevator, I'd probably go on strike if I heard that my function was being compared to this song. Hey, maybe that's why they get stuck for ten hours trapping people until they either suffocate or go insane until they can finally get them out.

I mean, if you consider what they're being compared to, I'd have that reaction too.

Track 10: An Ambush Of Sadness
There are a lot of greatthings you can do in 90 seconds:
-Make your bed
-Make a coffee
-Make 90-second noodles
-Spin around in a chair
-Play 3/4 of a game of tetris
-Eat half a candy bar
-Kill yourself
The list goes on

Y'know what's not on that list?
Listening to this song

Track 11: Kicking In The Door
That elevator probably had hopes & dreams just like the rest of us, & yet they're doomed to a life of endless tedium & mundanity to solve only a slight bit of time in our everyday lives. How could we opress them of their hopes & dreams just because of their unfortunate fate?

& by "endless tedium & mundanity" I mean having song associated with you

Track 12: The Fall
& now it's time for the epic closer that'll wrap up this whole first disc on a high note & truly make us feel like we've experienced something grand with the past 47 minutes of our lives.

Okay, I have a lot of opinions on this song in particular, so allow me to express them in the most civil way I can possibly put this so that everyone involved can actually take something from this writeup & take the criticisms to hear to ensure that another mistake like this album can never happen to such a well-established singer ever again.

*ahem*

Geoff Tate is kind of a cunt


So that was the review. God knows I'm not putting myself through 2 more hours of this shit, so that'll be it for now. Hopefully you'll stay tuned to my next review where I'll either successfully finish listening to the second disc or successfully become dead as a result. I'll be fine as long as it isn't the first one.

THIS. IS. BRILLIANT!    BRAVO, SIR!!!   

The elevator part especially had me 

[IDontNotDoThings]

snip

THIS. IS. BRILLIANT!    BRAVO, SIR!!!   

The elevator part especially had me 

Thanks. Y'know, it's responses like these that really inspire me to go & seek out the next disc of the trilogy & put my all into a review of that too.

(you can take that as a complement or an insult)

[jammindude]

snip

THIS. IS. BRILLIANT!    BRAVO, SIR!!!   

The elevator part especially had me 

Thanks. Y'know, it's responses like these that really inspire me to go & seek out the next disc of the trilogy & put my all into a review of that too.

(you can take that as a complement or an insult)

It's almost touching.   The torture you're willing to endure just to bring a few laughs to the rest of us.   Not sure I'd be that selfless.   

[IDontNotDoThings]

Okay, I've tried listening to disc 2 a few times now & honestly I don't know what to say. This album's fucking boring. It's just so *there* that there's nothing to talk about. At least with the first album I could focus on certain actively-bad things about the songs & make jokes about them. Here, it's such middle-of-the-road nothingness that I feel like I'm going to fall asleep on my keyboard at any given moment (& I already made that joke it the first review). So honestly I'm at a loss for what I should do. Do I leave the first review as is & let it stand on its own, or do I try to force enough comedy to gather reviews of the whole trilogy. I have the first 7 tracks (i.e. 3 songs) written up so I guess I could still share that, but yeah, this ain't givin' me anything to work off of.

[bill1971]

Okay, I've tried listening to disc 2 a few times now & honestly I don't know what to say. This album's fucking boring. It's just so *there* that there's nothing to talk about. At least with the first album I could focus on certain actively-bad things about the songs & make jokes about them. Here, it's such middle-of-the-road nothingness that I feel like I'm going to fall asleep on my keyboard at any given moment (& I already made that joke it the first review). So honestly I'm at a loss for what I should do. Do I leave the first review as is & let it stand on its own, or do I try to force enough comedy to gather reviews of the whole trilogy. I have the first 7 tracks (i.e. 3 songs) written up so I guess I could still share that, but yeah, this ain't givin' me anything to work off of.

Did you like the song "the fight" at all. Or was it just a fight to stay awake?

I actually like that song and it was really brought to life for me when I saw him perform it live on his acoustic tour.

[IDontNotDoThings]

Okay, I've tried listening to disc 2 a few times now & honestly I don't know what to say. This album's fucking boring. It's just so *there* that there's nothing to talk about. At least with the first album I could focus on certain actively-bad things about the songs & make jokes about them. Here, it's such middle-of-the-road nothingness that I feel like I'm going to fall asleep on my keyboard at any given moment (& I already made that joke it the first review). So honestly I'm at a loss for what I should do. Do I leave the first review as is & let it stand on its own, or do I try to force enough comedy to gather reviews of the whole trilogy. I have the first 7 tracks (i.e. 3 songs) written up so I guess I could still share that, but yeah, this ain't givin' me anything to work off of.

Did you like the song "the fight" at all. Or was it just a fight to stay awake?

I actually like that song and it was really brought to life for me when I saw him perform it live on his acoustic tour.

Probably the only track on that album worth remembering. With better production it could've been great, but it's just kinda "ok" with how compressed the 2nd disc is.

I also skipped ahead to disc 3 & I have to say, I honestly kind of enjoyed it. I mean, it does feel a bit aimless at points, & there is a bit of filler (it should've ended after AFW), but the production is great & for once it actually feels like GT had a vision for what it was actually going to be. A welcome change if you ask me. 


That also got me thinking though, what would a version of the trilogy without all the filler/dead-weight look like? I thought about it for a little while & I came up with this tracklist.

1. Choices (w/o first minute)
2. Burn
3. Re-Inventing The Future
4. Life Or Death
5. Left For Dead
6. Miles Away (w/o drum intro)
7. The Fight
8. Invincible (w/o first minute & last 90 seconds)
9. Wake Me Up
10. It Was Always You
11. My Eyes
12. All For What (w/o first minute)
(Total: 54:49)

(edit: I've probably edited this more times than necessary, but I'm trying to get it just right, so bear with me  )

[Samsara]

The Fight is a really great song, honestly. I enjoy it quite a bit.

[bill1971]

Okay, I've tried listening to disc 2 a few times now & honestly I don't know what to say. This album's fucking boring. It's just so *there* that there's nothing to talk about. At least with the first album I could focus on certain actively-bad things about the songs & make jokes about them. Here, it's such middle-of-the-road nothingness that I feel like I'm going to fall asleep on my keyboard at any given moment (& I already made that joke it the first review). So honestly I'm at a loss for what I should do. Do I leave the first review as is & let it stand on its own, or do I try to force enough comedy to gather reviews of the whole trilogy. I have the first 7 tracks (i.e. 3 songs) written up so I guess I could still share that, but yeah, this ain't givin' me anything to work off of.

Did you like the song "the fight" at all. Or was it just a fight to stay awake?

I actually like that song and it was really brought to life for me when I saw him perform it live on his acoustic tour.

Probably the only track on that album worth remembering. With better production it could've been great, but it's just kinda "ok" with how compressed the 2nd disc is.

I also skipped ahead to disc 3 & I have to say, I honestly kind of enjoyed it. I mean, it does feel a bit aimless at points, & there is a bit of filler (it should've ended after AFW), but the production is great & for once it actually feels like GT had a vision for what it was actually going to be. A welcome change if you ask me. 


That also got me thinking though, what would a version of the trilogy without all the filler/dead-weight look like? I thought about it for a little while & I came up with this tracklist.

1. Choices (w/o first 30 seconds)
2. Burn
3. Re-Inventing The Future
4. Life Or Death
5. Left For Dead
6. Miles Away (w/o drum intro)
7. The Fight
8. Invincible
9. Wake Me Up
10. It Was Always You
11. Under Control
12. My Eyes
13. All For What
(Total: 62:51)

(edit: I've probably edited this more times than necessary, but I'm trying to get it just right, so bear with me  )

That is a cool idea, I may make a housework playlist out of that list. Thanks for the idea.

[Samsara]

I took in Tate's 30th Anniversary of Mindcrime show last night at a little theater. He sounded pretty good for about half the show, and there was a lot of energy.

I really preferred the acoustic show in 2017 a lot more, however. I felt this time around, the vibe was just too loose for a production of Mindcrime. If you want to read the review, here it is:

https://anybodylistening.net/gt-8-15-18-omc.html

That link has the review, and a few videos I shot. Enjoy.

B

[bosk1]

He sounded pretty good on The Mission.  Not bad on Breaking the Silence either, considering both how difficult it is and how late in the set it shows up.  He sounded awful on Best I Can.

[bill1971]

I thought I posted here, but I guess it was on another thread. I also saw his 30th Mind crime tour in So Cal. I thought it was very good. Great energy, he sounded I thought very good and he really does have great stage presence.  I agree about liking the acoustic tour better, better because of it's diversity and it felt more personal.

Nice review Samsara. I agree with the choice of his daughter for Mary but I found it somewhat sweet that he gets to sing a duet with his daughter every night. He seemed like a proud poppa. She was working the merch booth and seemed like a nice person.

[Samsara]

I thought I posted here, but I guess it was on another thread. I also saw his 30th Mind crime tour in So Cal. I thought it was very good. Great energy, he sounded I thought very good and he really does have great stage presence.  I agree about liking the acoustic tour better, better because of it's diversity and it felt more personal.

Nice review Samsara. I agree with the choice of his daughter for Mary but I found it somewhat sweet that he gets to sing a duet with his daughter every night. He seemed like a proud poppa. She was working the merch booth and seemed like a nice person.

Hey Bill!

Thanks. It was fun, but yeah, I liked the acoustic show more. Tate seems to me to be absolutely at peace with himself, his career, and what he's doing, and it shows in some of the effort he has been making.

As for the nepotism -- not a fan at all. Never have been, never will be. I totally get why it is done (financially and personally). And it is his own name, not Queensryche, so I don't have AS big an issue with it. But stuff would sound a WHOLE lot better if some better care is taken with who is representing that material.

Anyway, not a wasted evening. Seen worse shows, seen better shows. If he did a similar tour with Empire in 2020 (if he and QR don't reunite by then -- I still say if promoters offer good money, they will) with this band...i mean I'd PROBABLY go if it was similar to what I just saw last night. But I'm not sure.

Frankly, I'd like a tour (this is just me being selfish) of him doing Q2k and American Soldier material next year year (20 and 10 anniversaries for both). But that would likely never happen, because promoters probably wouldn't be interested in such a thing. But you never know. Lord knows current QR isn't ever going to play those records again.

[bill1971]

I thought I posted here, but I guess it was on another thread. I also saw his 30th Mind crime tour in So Cal. I thought it was very good. Great energy, he sounded I thought very good and he really does have great stage presence.  I agree about liking the acoustic tour better, better because of it's diversity and it felt more personal.

Nice review Samsara. I agree with the choice of his daughter for Mary but I found it somewhat sweet that he gets to sing a duet with his daughter every night. He seemed like a proud poppa. She was working the merch booth and seemed like a nice person.

Hey Bill!

Thanks. It was fun, but yeah, I liked the acoustic show more. Tate seems to me to be absolutely at peace with himself, his career, and what he's doing, and it shows in some of the effort he has been making.

As for the nepotism -- not a fan at all. Never have been, never will be. I totally get why it is done (financially and personally). And it is his own name, not Queensryche, so I don't have AS big an issue with it. But stuff would sound a WHOLE lot better if some better care is taken with who is representing that material.

Anyway, not a wasted evening. Seen worse shows, seen better shows. If he did a similar tour with Empire in 2020 (if he and QR don't reunite by then -- I still say if promoters offer good money, they will) with this band...i mean I'd PROBABLY go if it was similar to what I just saw last night. But I'm not sure.

Frankly, I'd like a tour (this is just me being selfish) of him doing Q2k and American Soldier material next year year (20 and 10 anniversaries for both). But that would likely never happen, because promoters probably wouldn't be interested in such a thing. But you never know. Lord knows current QR isn't ever going to play those records again.

I think on some interview he said he was touring with Avantasia next year, but I can confirm. Here is him singing one of their songs with him. Sounds pretty cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcwA0rqw6d4

I would see an Empire tour or Promised Land. Even one where it was a mixed setlist like before. His voice is better than it has been in a while, might as well ride the wave. My Tate bucket list song is to hear Someone Else live, either him solo or if he reunited with QR. Quite frankly I don't think he would play any bigger places or draw any bigger crowds. All that is left of QR of the original members is Wilton and Jackson. I am big fans of them but I don't think they are going to draw a big crowd.

[bosk1]

If he can pull it off, a smart thing for him to do might be to try to get into Tobi's regular rotation and do more songs.  If he could get a major role on the next album instead of a one-song role, and maybe take on a role as one of the major singers on tour, that could be a pretty good paying gig for him for a little while.  Probably better than what he is currently doing playing these tiny places in the states.