Queensrÿche scored their breakthrough success with the ambitious concept album Operation: Mindcrime, which tells the story of a fortune hunter whose disillusionment with Reagan-era American society leads him to join a shadowy plot to assassinate corrupt leaders.
For such a detailed story line (there is also a tragic romance thrown in), the band keeps its focus remarkably well, and the music is just as ambitious, featuring a ten-minute track with orchestrations by Michael Kamen.
Those experiments don't tend to work as well as the tighter, more melodic prog metal songs, which are frequently gems, especially the singles "Eyes of a Stranger" and "I Don't Believe in Love." Granted, the lyrics and political observations can sometimes be too serious and intellectual for their own good (few bands, metal or otherwise, can make lines like "There's no raison d'être" work).
But despite the occasional flaws, it's surprising how well Operation: Mindcrime does work, and it's a testament to Queensrÿche's creativity and talent that they can pull off a project of this magnitude.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Remember NowChris DeGarmo | Queensrÿche | Play | 01:21 | 3 MB | 5 MB |
| 2 | Anarchy-XChris DeGarmo | Queensrÿche | Play | 01:27 | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| 3 | Revolution CallingGeoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | Operation: MindcrimeChris DeGarmo, Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 5 | SpeakGeoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 6 | Spreading the DiseaseGeoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | The MissionChris DeGarmo | Queensrÿche | Play | 05:50 | 13 MB | 36 MB |
| 8 | Suite Sister MaryChris DeGarmo, Geoff Tate | Queensrÿche | Play | 10:43 | 24 MB | 64 MB |
| 9 | The Needle LiesGeoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 03:09 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 10 | Electric RequiemScott Rockenfield, Geoff Tate | Queensrÿche | Play | 01:22 | 3 MB | 7 MB |
| 11 | Breaking the SilenceChris DeGarmo, Geoff Tate | Queensrÿche | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 12 | I Don't Believe in LoveChris DeGarmo, Geoff Tate | Queensrÿche | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 28 MB |
| 13 | Waiting for 22Chris DeGarmo | Queensrÿche | Play | 01:07 | 2 MB | 5 MB |
| 14 | My Empty RoomGeoff Tate, Michael Wilton | Queensrÿche | Play | 01:30 | 3 MB | 7 MB |
| 15 | Eyes of a StrangerChris DeGarmo, Geoff Tate | Queensrÿche | Play | 06:39 | 15 MB | 41 MB |
| 59 mins | 136 MB | |||||
| 59 mins | 372 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Andrew | Photography |
| 2 | James Barton | Engineer, Mixing |
| 3 | Jim Campbell | Assistant Engineer |
| 4 | Peter Collins | Producer |
| 5 | Chris DeGarmo | Composer, Multi Instruments |
| 6 | Eddie Jackson | Guitar (Bass) |
| 7 | Michael Kamen | Cello, Choir/Chorus |
| 8 | Bob Ludwig | Mastering |
| 9 | Paul Milner | Assistant Engineer |
| 10 | The Moronic Monks of Morin Heights | Group |
| 11 | Paul Northfield | Engineer |
| 12 | Ronald Prent | Mixing Assistant |
| 13 | Queensrÿche | Primary Artist |
| 14 | Glen Robinson | Assistant Engineer |
| 15 | Scott Rockenfield | Composer, Multi Instruments |
| 16 | Snakemeister | Conductor |
| 17 | Geoff Tate | Composer, Multi Instruments, Vocals |
| 18 | Michael Wilton | Composer, Multi Instruments |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |