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                                       * *
 Screaming in Digital                  * *                  Volume 11 - 06Jan92
 The Queensryche NetDigest              *                Edited by Dan Birchall
 birchall@pilot.njin.net                *                  birchall@njin.bitnet

[anonymous FTP site]-------------------------------[glia.biostr.washington.edu]

                                Table of Contents

        Screaming in Digital            -                   Editor's note
        Neue Regel                      -                      What's new
        Speak                           -                  Correspondence
        I Will Remember                 -                         History
        Gonna get Close to You          -                       Spottings
        Anybody Listening?              -                     Classifieds
        The Whisper                     -                      Discussion
        Spreading the Disease           -                       Resources

[Screaming in Digital]------------------------------------------[Editor's Note]

        A few readers pointed out to me that full-justification only really
works with graphical displays where the letters aren't all the same size, and
that left-justification works much better on plain text displays like this.
Therefore, I'm going to go back to left-justification, until everyone on the
net gets graphical. :)  
        Welcome to 1992, I hope you enjoy your 'ride' through this year.

[Neue Regel]-------------------------------------------------------[What's New]

        Well, Christmas has come and gone, New Year's has come and gone, and
the local Tower Records _still_ has a few copies of the "operation: LIVEcrime"
box set.  I've not checked to see whether the rumours about the components
becoming separately available after Christmas is true... Has anyone out there
seen them separately?

        There have been requests that a discography be compiled.  Being the
masochist that I am, I'd like to do something a bit more difficult.  Therefore,
if you have any Queensryche stuff (other than the albums, of course) please
send me the following information:
Recordings:     Title, format (CD, tape, cassingle, 7", 12", LP), company, 
                serial number, copyright date, country of release, and track
                list.
Videos:         Title, format (VHS, beta, other), company, serial number,
                copyright date, country of release, and track list.
Articles:       Title, name of publication in which the article appears, date
                of issue if applicable, author.
Fan stuff:      Type of item (poster, shirt, pic, pass, etc), description of 
                item, approximate date of item, and optionally where you got
                it.
        I will be compiling this information, with the intent of making it
available through FTP.

[Speak]--------------------------------------------------------[Correspondence]

padden@latcs1.lat.oz.au writes,
        "In the "operation: LIVEcrime" video, in some places there are 
keyboards in the audio but no band member playing them.  What happens in 
concert?  Are they pre-recorded or is there a '6th member'?
        Also in the video, what does Geoff Tate say thru the megaphone before
"Speak", and what does he mumble between "Suite Sister Mary" and "The Needle
Lies"?" (Liam)
                {Though no member of Queensryche is exactly a virtuoso on the
                keyboard, both Geoff and Chris are capable of playing, and at
                the show I saw, a keyboard on-stage was used a few times.  In
                the instances you're referring to, I suspect it's pre-recorded
                sound, as are many of the voices and things.  Of course, the
                recorded sounds are still of the band.  -sh}

bed3@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu writes,
        "I was watching a so-so sci-fi movie (I forget the title) about this
alien who comes to earth to find and arrest/kill another, and they both control
human bodies... anyway, at one point in the movie, in a hospital, you can
distinctly hear in the background "Calling Dr. Blair..." etc in the exact
voice.  I'm almost positive it came out after Mindcrime.  Sorry I can't
remember the flick, but it was a good reference by the director, certainly.
Anyone out there remember the film?" (Ben)
                {No, but I think it was called "Peacemaker." ;) -sh}

starr@dpe.enet.dec.com writes,
        "An interesting observation about Queensryche and Star Trek 
connections, beyond the possible Tri-Ryche origins.  I believe that the actor 
who plays Dr. X in the "Operation: mindcrime" video is the same actor who plays 
Spock's brother in Star Trek V! (It's either him, or a very close lookalike.) 
Not only that, but in Star Trek V, he does something very similar to Dr. X - 
gets followers to believe in him by getting them to share their pain with him! 
Very weird...  I wonder which came first..." (Alan)
                {Research indicates that the actor in "Operation: mindcrime"
                is Anthony Valentine, and the actor in Star Trek V is Lawrence
                Luckenbill.  The chance that they look alike is definitely a
                possibility, though.  -sh}

maupin@cs.washington.edu writes,        *******************
        "I had a thought on the ASCII   ***************** **
Tri-Ryche... why not make it half       ************ **   ****  *
"inverse" and half "normal," a la the   ***********       ********
word "Queensryche" on the cover of      ********          ***********
"Operation: mindcrime?"  Here's a       *****             **************
sloppy rendition I did by just filling  ***               ****************
in the "holes" on the right half" (Ken) **  ****   **     ******  ***    **
        {This one also has potential,   ** ****** ****    *****    *      *
I'm beginning to think that whatever    ** ************   ****            *
the new header turns out to be will be  *************     ******
a hybrid of all the suggestions I get,  ************  **  ***  **
with a decent amount of "customizing"   ************ ***  ***   *
thrown in on my part.  -sh}             ****************  ***
                                        ***************** **
                                        ***************** **
                                        ***************** **
                                        *******************
                                        *******************
                                        *******************
                                        *******************

[I Will Remember]-----------------------------------------------------[History]

                "In His Own Words - Chris DeGarmo, Queensryche"
                article by Chris Welch in "Metal Hammer", 1988
                Contributed by Liam Padden, padden@latcs1.lat.oz.au 

        Queensryche have produced one of the most important albums of the age
with "Operation: mindcrime."  It represents a giant leap forward for rock and
metal, and has already been heralded by critics as one of _the_ seminal works
of the eighties.  Influential writer for the New York Globe, Irma Putz, wrote
recently, "Jeez, it's so _far out._"  Wise words indeed.  Now we have invited
Chris DeGarmo, the band's lead guitarist, to describe track by track the album
that tells the story of Dr. X, Sister Mary, and the mysterious hero who may be
a villain:
        "I Remember Now."  A concept album was something the band had fancied
doing for some time, and was extremely challenging to put together.  We wanted
the music to paint a picture.  We had a vision and worked very hard on the 
segues like this part.  The story is set in contemporary times, and there is a
bit of finger pointing going on in America.  It has a cynical edge to it, but
disguised in fictional tales.  Geoff Tate is responsible for the lyrics, which
reflect what we see going on.  It's not a "let's go to the beach and party"
record, that's for sure.  But we're not being unpatriotic.  We just like to
write dark, twisted tales that make you think.  This first piece is a 
flashback for the character Nikki, a street kid gone wrong who has a heroin
problem and is pretty unmotivated as far as life and goals go.  He becomes
the subject of manipulation by Dr. X, who wants violent political change.  He
is used as a hit man to eliminate people.  "I Remember Now" begins this wild
roller coaster ride with Nikki having a flashback as he comes out of a coma,
watching himself on the news, seeing the horrible crimes he has committed.
We used English actor Anthony Valentine to play the part of Dr. X, and Debbie
Wheeler plays Mary, by the way.
        "Anarchy-X."  This is just the segment where Nikki is introduced to
X while speaking at a rally, and lasts just a minute.
        "Revolution Calling."  This is X laying out his philosophy and
indoctrination, and Geoff became quite psychotic singing it.  He had to
believe in it, you know!  Hopefully we will be doing the entire album in a
headlining situation, which we are planning now.
        "Operation: mindcrime."  This is a call to arms, and the next step
after indoctrination.  X is speaking to Nikki, sort of "Join me, Luke 
Skywalker, we'll rule the world."  He orders him to bump off religious and 
political leaders.  X is a cool, calm and sinister character who thinks he is
going to right the world through violent means.
        "Speak."  This has a crowd chanting, with Nikki saying, "Hey, listen
to me," while he does soapbox preaching.  He claims here that he has the
answer and the vision about the future.  This track is very up tempo, 
aggressive and staccato, with heavy guitar lines and special vocal effects.
        "Spreading the Disease."  There is an interesting drum part, which
Scott came up with.  Geoff does a vocal rap about the indoctrination
process, and the song brings in the character of Mary, who is a former
prostitute.  She gets recruited by a preacher and thinks religion will cleanse
her.  It turns out Father William takes advantage of her.  The song isn't
meant to slam religion, but points out that people in respectable positions
can still self-destruct and go wrong.  It's about the manipulation of people's
thinking.  It's not a sexual disease.  It's about corruption and the media, 
where the disease can be capitalism or communism.
        "The Mission."  This is my composition.  On the other albums we have
done, Geoff and I have split the lyrics.  On this album, Geoff had a clear
vision of what he wanted to write, and I was very busy worrying about the
music, so I didn't get many words in.  His lyrics were great anyway.  With
this song, I did get a chance to write the words.  This is where Nikki has
done the dirty deeds and Mary is giving him solace in a church.  X has
planted her to be Nikki's helper, to absolve him of sins.  She is being used
by X to help comfort Nikki.  In this song, Nikki is in a candlelit room,
musing on all the people he has killed.  He is convinced his mission will
save the world and he should be proud of himself.  He lights a candle for
each hit, and by the end of the tune, he's sitting in a room full of candles.
Can you imagine the scene?
        "Suite Sister Mary."  This is the situation where Nikki and Mary come
together.  X is telling Nikki to kill Mary, and he doesn't want to, but X
figures out Mary is becoming dangerous.  Nikki and Mary try to escape, and
this track was very exciting for us, because we used a Latin choir.  The track
lasts about 10 minutes.
        "The Needle Lies."  This is a very fast piece where Nikki walks into
X's lair and says he wants out, and X just laughs at him.  Basically, it is
about the clutches of heroin that Nikki has been locked into to make him
commit his crimes.  The title of the song tells you not to trust drugs.  To
cure himself, he carves into his arm, "Never trust the needle that lies."
        "Electric Requiem."  A moodie segue where Nikki comes back to church
and finds Mary dead, hanging by her rosary, you know.  There is a bit of a
mystery here.  You don't know who killed her.  Was it X or Nikki?  Requiem is,
of course, a mass for the dead, and we did it in a very twisted fashion.
        "Breaking the Silence."  This and the next song are both very
remorseful.  He has fallen in love with Mary, and it turned out a bad 
experience.  This is about him running through the streets screaming.  It
starts slow and hypnotic with lots of whispering.
        "I Don't Believe in Love."  Here is Nikki's reaction to being in love
and being deceived by it.  There is no choir on this one, just our own immense
backing vocals.  This has very crisp drums and well-blended backing vocals,
with everybody available in the studio, including the receptionist, joining in.
The drums sound so clean because of digital recording, and we actually 'warmed
up' the record a little bit.  It was so hard it hurt.  I loved it, and the
guys in the band were really keen on it, but we thought we would save the
fan's ears!
        "Waiting for 22."  This is just a little moody guitar piece that lasts
about a minute, which I wrote and all the guys and the producer liked.
        "My Empty Room."  There is a clock ticking through this one.  It's
where Nikki is sitting in an empty room, tracing Mary's figure on the wall
and spacing out, wondering what he is going to do, all by himself.
        "Eyes of a Stranger."  This closes the album, and is sort of the end
going back to the beginning.  It takes place in the hospital isolation room, 
where Nikki is looking at himself in the mirror trying to figure out who he is.
We see a whole flashback of the album, with segments of each of the songs.  You
can hear bits and pieces flying through the mix, culminating in a giant
"Revolution" vocal.  It's like when you die, your whole life flashing before
you.  It ends with him saying, "I remember now."  The whole thing comes round
in a giant circle.  What happens to X?  Ah, we are into the unknown here.  X
seems to escape, doesn't he?  Or can we believe Nikki's story?
        {It is interesting to note here the suggestion that Nikki might have
        killed Mary, and also that he does not mention the possibility of
        Mary having committed suicide. This supports my own little theory
        that the band never really decided how she died, but left it open
        to interpretation. - Liam.}

[Gonna Get Close to You]--------------------------------------------[Spottings]

starr@dpe.enet.dec.com writes,
        "I've met the guys in the band on numerous occasions over the past 3 
years.  We're not exactly friends, but I guess you could say we're 
acquaintances.  As others have mentioned, they are without a doubt some of the
nicest guys I've met in the biz.  No pretentions, no attitudes, and very
sincere about the appreciation of fans and their support.
        "When they were in Boston last month (to play the Boston Garden),  
Eddie's favorite (custom-made) bass was stolen from a car, out in front of the
radio station WBCN (where they were doing an interview).  Last I heard from
them, they hadn't caught the guy, but did nab one of his friends.  Anyone know
if he ever got it back?  He was REALLY bummed about losing it!" (Alan)

[Anybody Listening?]----------------------------------------------[Classifieds]

        Wanted: Lyrics to "Last Time in Paris"
        Reply to: starr@dpe.enet.dec.com -and- birchall@pilot.njin.net

[The Whisper]------------------------------------------------------[Discussion]

padden@latcs1.lat.oz.au writes,
        "I first heard of Queensryche in 1987 from a friend who was into them
and I debated buying "Rage for Order" a couple of times but their image put me 
off.  Then "Operation: mindcrime" came out and all the magazines and metal
radio shows were raving, so I got a copy off a friend, and after a couple of
listens went out and bought my own copy." (Liam)

starr@dpe.enet.dec.com writes,
        "I first heard of Queensryche when I saw them open for Twisted Sister
at the Paradise in Boston (back when they had heavy metal shows on Monday
nights).  Tell you the truth, I wasn't that impressed with them at the time. I
didn't become a real fan of theirs until the "Operation: mindcrime" days, and
still prefer that (and "Empire") over the older stuff." (Alan)

rk1i+@andrew.cmu.edu writes,
        "I first heard of Queensryche in 1988.  I saw the video of "Eyes of a 
Stranger" on MTV, and thought it was absurdly amazing.  Turns out a buddy of
mine had "Operation: mindcrime" on CD, so I borrowed it and played "Eyes of a
Stranger" about fifty zillion times or so.  I then went out and bought the CD,
still unfamiliar with the rest of the album.  Then, I fell in love with "I
Don't Believe in Love," and then "Suite Sister Mary," and then "Revolution
Calling," and then "Breaking the Silence," and _then_ the rest of the album.
        "After a couple of months, I went out and got "Rage for Order," and 
promptly went gaga over it.  I spent the next year listening almost exclusively
to those two albums.  I also got the EP, but wasted no time in losing it.  On 
September 25, 1990, I went to a National Record Mart where I knew the manager, 
and got "Empire."  She also gave me a promo poster that my roommate from last 
year ripped by accident.  Anyway, I wasn't immediately thrilled by it, but 
within two or three months of nonstop listening, I fell in love with it too.  
        "However, my favorite Queensryche tune is still, to this day, "Eyes of 
a Stranger."  Even if Geoff's hair looks really doofy in the video.  I still 
don't have "The Warning," but I always keep an eye out for it, and if I happen 
to run across it at a good price, I'll get it.  The EP, I have a horrendously 
worn out tape copy of, and as soon as the tape progresses to the unlistenable 
stage, I'll get a new CD of it too.
        "The best part of it, in my opinion, is that my girlfriend wasn't a 
Queensryche fan until she started seeing me, and now they're her favorite band,
too.  You know, that's not necessarily a bad thing."
        "My best friend has also taken a tremendous liking to them over the 
course of the last two years.  His liking started when he lived with me for a
few months one summer, and would get awakened in the morning when I had to go
to work by Mindcrime blasting away. 
        "I guess the biggest attraction for me, to Queensryche, is Geoff's 
tremendously wonderful voice.  When my friend and I started our band last
year, he would tell me, "How would Geoff sound hitting this note?" whenever
I had difficulty deciding how to enunciate parts of whatever song we were
working on.  For me, Geoff Tate is the greatest singer that the world has
known, and my goal, as a singer, is to have the same amazing range that he
displays.  I'm close, but no cigar, yet.  Maybe after a few more years of
practice and sweat."
        "I'm thoroughly convinced that Queensryche will establish themselves 
to the general community as one of rock's true legends.  For us, however, they
already are." (Ra)

[Spreading the Disease]---------------------------------------------[Resources]

padden@latcs1.lat.oz.au writes,
        "Does anybody have the track listing of a double 7" single that came
out around 1986, which featured a previously unreleased track.  This track
might have been Prophecy, but if it's not I want to hunt down a copy.
        "Also noteworthy is Geoff's vocal contribution (2 lines) to the "Stars" 
single by the "Hear'n Aid" project a few years back.  Not really worth buying
just for Geoff, but I liked the song and album.  I can't remember if any other
band members contributed.  Geoff was also in the video." (Liam)

[]---------------------------------------------------------------------------[]

        Well, looks like this year's gotten off to an okay start from where I
sit.  Hope it's going well for the rest of you also... Have a good week!

                                -Shag