I think it was fairly late '89 when I first heard this album. I may have seen a video sometime in '88, but I was busy graduating from high school, going through Marine Corps boot camp, and adjusting to the culture shock of Camp Lejuene, North Carolina to have paid attention to much else that wasn't already on my radar in the 1988 timeframe. So not already being a Queensryche fan, this album definitely escaped my notice at the time it was released. Given the initial cold reception and long buildup before it finally exploded, I think that's understandable. And there was a ton of stuff out at that time from bands that I was actively following: Def Lep was still going strong on Hysteria, and there was a ton of other good stuff from '87 and early '88 that I was still spinning a lot, like Whitesnake and Y&T. Then right around the time I graduated, we got new albums from Bon Jovi (New Jersey), Cinderella (Long, Cold Winter), and Stryper (In God We Trust). So, yeah, Mindcrime didn't even register.
Fast forward a bit to a guy in my Marine Corps unit totally hyping the band and the album. He said it was "really deep music--the kind you have to think deeply about to really get." That sounded interesting. I borrowed the cassette from him and listened a bit. I remember the sound being pretty grating, even though there were definitely some cool parts. I don't think I listened to the entire album, but I listened to a good chunk of it and decided it just wasn't for me. I distinctly remember being intrigued by Suite Sister Mary, both because of the length and the intriguing title, with both its forebodingness and its punningness. But listening to it, it was just a bit offputting to me at that time.
Fast forward a bit more. I don't know how long it was, but I was at a club in Jacksonville with some buddies (the then-infamous Thunderbird--I now cringe when I think back on it). Rock/metal cover bands and up-and-comers would play there. In fact, I think Firehouse even played there before they hit it big. Anyhow, there was a pretty decent cover band playing, and they did a cover of I Don't Believe In Love. And it's kind of funny because, if the next series of events didn't play out exactly as it did, I'm not sure how long it would have taken me to finally notice this band. So, I noticed the song as a Queensryche song. And I thought it was pretty good. But I wasn't really playing close attention. Can't remember if me and my buddies were just chatting, or if we were trying to hit on some girls, or what, but the band were just sort of in the background. Then a little bit later, the singer made an announcement between songs, something along the lines of, "We don't normally do this, but there's a guy up here in the front that is stationed here, and he's a long way from home. [I think he might have been from Seattle in fact, but not sure] And he is a HUGE Queensryche fan and BEGGED us to do a Queensryche song. So since this is the only one we know, we're gonna play it again." So they played IDBIL again. This time, I paid attention. And this time, I got it. What a song. It REALLY hooked me and got stuck in my head.
After that gig, I went back to my buddy that had loaned me his tape and asked if I could make a copy. And I began listening. Songs like IDBIL, Breaking the Silence, and The Mission totally drew me in. I remember the summer of 1990, there were three albums I played nonstop, whether we were spending lazy days at the local beach, hanging out in the barracks, road tripping to Myrtle Beach, or whatever. Those were: Mindcrime, Slip of the Tongue (Whitesnake), and Ten (Y&T). It would still be awhile before I would start exploring the back catalogue and this band would, for the next decade+, become my favorite band. But this put me well on my way. (and, yes, I did eventually buy my own copy instead of just listening for free)
As for the album itself, what is so great about it is that it not only has a story that you can just get lost in and head-trip over, but it also has such deep, layered music that you can listen and listen, and still discover something new way down the road that you never heard/noticed before. Even though I have grown somewhat cold on the album over time (the songs are still great, but I feel like I've...I hate to say it because it sounds pretentious, but...outgrown the concept), I still hold it in high regard. Songs like IDBIL, The Mission, Breaking the Silence, and Eyes of a Stranger are just SO good. And even though I have heard them so much that I have felt burned out on them for a long time, I find that I still love them when I do take the opportunity to listen.
I suspect there will be a writeup for Livecrime after Empire because of the release order, so I'll hold off my comments on it until then.
Topic: The Queensr˙che Discography Thread (Read 106612 times)
