Queensryche Offers a Career-Spanning Retrospective
Written: Aug 22 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very entertaining, lots of great songs, reminds me why I so enjoy Queensryche.
Cons: A few missing songs...many of which show up on the deluxe version of this disc.
The Bottom Line: Looking for a place to start with Queensryche? Sign of the Times is is a great CD to buy.
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| lambchops's Full Review: Sign of the Times - Queensryche |
You know at least two songs by Queensryche. Don't laugh. It's true. Sure they are a prog rock/metal band, but both Silent Lucidity Jet City Woman from Empire (1990) were big crossover hits. That particular album has gone multi-platinum. As much as it may seem they were one hit wonders, the real truth is that Queensryche has released fifteen albums which have sold a combined total of over 20 million copies. For that reason alone rock fans should listen up. Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensryche is a great overview of what can only be called an illustrious career.
Spanning their entire 25-year career, Sign of the Times is a representative sampling of their best singles and album tracks. It is arranged in chronological order and is most heavily focused on the years between 1988(Operation: Mindcrime) and 1994 (Promised Land). Of course it also tosses in a few from the earlier years and a few from more recent offerings. The Washington band consisting of Geoff Tate, Scott Rockenfield, Chris DeGarmo, Eddie Jackson, and Michael Wilton have proven they have both talent and lasting power. Their songs are just as fresh and relevant today as they were when originally recorded. I own the vast majority of the Queensryche studio albums (a shocker, eh?) and agree with the popular sentiment that Operation: Mindcrime is a rock classic. Empire is a close second. The rest of their material is unsurprisingly excellent.
As with most Best Of compilations, there is some room for controversy. Empire is an obvious omission. If you're not new to Queensryche, I suggest you pick up the Deluxe edition which includes some great album tracks, some interesting live songs, a remix, and six (!) previously unreleased demos. As it stands, I am pleased with the single CD 17-track release and recommend it especially to people looking to further their Queensryche knowledge and appreciation.
At the same time Queensryche were at their most popular, they also created their best music. You'll find these songs in the middle of Sign of the Times. However the CD begins with early track Queen of the Reich. It sets the stage with throbbing beats, metal crunch and Geoff Tate's energetic and dynamic vocals. The band's early reliance on Iron Maiden is apparent across the song (and for that matter the band's debut EP) but it is as good a place to start as any. Queensryche had clearly done some maturing in the year that followed. Warning feels better thought out and more focused. Still they had yet to really carve out their identity which would become apparent on the yet to be released epic Operation: Mindcrime. Next up is a selection from the band's least popular release, Rage for Order. Walk in the Shadows isn't remarkable in any way aside from Tate's gripping voice. The song isn't as thick as prior selections and is probably the best of the album from which it was culled but honestly that is saying very little.
These early songs are really a necessary evil. Fans and newbies alike should know where Queensryche came from to appreciate where they ended up. Three songs from Operation: Mindcrime land in the middle of Sign of the Times. Take Hold of the Flame is first up. There is an obvious separation between the first three songs and this one. It is beautifully arranged with progressive metal leanings which are quite suited to the performers. Sure there are some over-wrought lyrics but that is often what makes prog music so dramatic. I Don't Believe in Love and Eyes of a Stranger were both singles for obvious reasons. They are carefully assembled, gorgeously performed, and genuinely classics for Queensryche. My personal favorite is Eyes of a Stranger which opens with a fabulous drum-and-guitar solo. Once Tate makes his entrance I'm already sold on the piece. The melody is intricate and sparks with tense confidence. This is a mid-tempo rocker that is completely typical of what fans have come to love from the talented band.
Mashed between the Operation: Mindcrime songs is another selection from the band's solo debut EP. The Lady Wore Black may on paper seem out of place, but the attention to detail and dramatic performance are definitely indicative of the band's talent and future releases (though at the time it must have seemed misplaced. From there, listeners are rewarded with three songs from the 1990 smash hit Empire. Silent Lucidity is a signature song. The gently strummed acoustic guitar paired with orchestral strings and Tate's deep, painful groan are what I always think of when I hear the word "Queensryche." With that said I also can't help but remember the outstanding guitar solo that opens Jet City Woman. In 1990 you'd have been hard pressed to find a more gripping and surprising rock track. Speaking of excellent songs, Another Rainy Night also qualifies. It still gets airplay (like the other singles from Empire) but it wasn't as popular. I still don't know why. All the elements that made the others big hits are here...Tate's soaring voice, all the excellent guitars, the careful melody, and the thumping drums.
A lovely acoustic-meets-prog song is placed between those three Empire tracks. Bridge is a refreshing, almost uplifting, and emotional song that certainly deserves more attention than it has received. The band sounds very confident and mature--it is among the best work I've heard from them. Sign of the Times is next up. This collection's namesake, it is a strong and poignant rock track. Not as great as some of the other songs here but definitely in the upper echelon of selections. I'm particularly fond of the clearly enunciated and obviously political verse that follows:
On the senate floor they congregate
Many pockets lined with green,
From those behind the scenes, yeah they take the bribe ( its on the side )
A sign of the times, sign of the times...
A sign of the times, sign of the times...
Next on the docket is another track from Promised Land. I Am I is less focused than I like but I can't deny how excellent Queensryche sounds on the whole. I am also pleased that Real World from the Last Action Hero Soundtrack found its way onto this best of compilation. While not a huge hit, it is adventurous and chock full of strings, rock instruments, and surprising little nuances. I love that it opens with a decidedly Eastern feel and moves into a bluesy-country guitar bit followed by the dramatic prog-rock I've come to really enjoy from the band. This is definitely one of my favorite selections. Some People Fly is fine enough, but it really pales in comparison to the other song from Hear in the Now Frontier. I want to love it, but I don't. It seems to last forever. Similarly I'm not impressed by the 2000 song Until There Was You which does seem to go anywhere despite incorporating many of the musical elements which have worked for Queensryche in the past. My main complaint is that it feels decidedly adult contemporary. And that's not a compliment.
All The Promises is the most recent song here and continues the story that began on Operation: Mindcrime some 20 years earlier. All plot(s) aside, the song is delicate, theatrical, and dusky. It works nicely, especially as the exclamation point at the end of this great collection.
People who want to get to know Queensryche better should pick Sign of the Times up. It is a well organized and representative CD. I love that it starts at the band's earliest recordings, takes a heavy sampling from their most productive and lauded years, and wraps up with a few more recent songs. It isn't perfect, but no career in the history of music has ever been flawless. Warts and all, Queensryche proves their worth somewhere close to the top of the prog metal heap. I like it...I think you will too.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Queen of the Reich [Queensryche, 1983]
02. Warning [The Warning, 1984]
03. Walk in the Shadows [Rage for Order, 1986]
04. Take Hold Of The Flame [Operation: Mindcrime, 1988]
05. The Lady Wore Black [Queensryche, 1983]
06. I Don't Believe in Love [Operation: Mindcrime, 1988]
07. Eyes of a Stranger [Operation: Mindcrime, 1988]
08. Silent Lucidity [Empire, 1990]
09. Bridge [Promised Land, 1994]
10. Jet City Woman [Empire, 1990]
11. Another Rainy Night [Empire, 1990]
12. Sign Of the Times [Hear in the Now Frontier, 1997]
13. I Am I [Promised Land, 1994]
14. Real World [Last Action Hero Original Soundtrack, 1993]
15. Some People Fly [Hear in the Now Frontier, 1997]
16. Until There Was You [Q2K, 2000]
17. All The Promises [Operation: Mindcrime II, 2006]
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Related Reviews:
Empire (1990)
http://www.epinions.com/content_53888257668
Recommended:
Yes
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lambchops
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