QUEENSRYCHE

chewie wrote:

As someone mentioned earlier(Shawn Of Fire?) he should just go and do a Peter Gabriel sort of thing and do HIS own music that isn't tied to QR.

No he shouldn't, not if he expects to make any money.

"Operation: Mindcrime" is a more marketable name/concept than simply Geoff Tate. I bet his solo albums didn't earn him $500 total.

It makes sense to expand on those albums from a financial POV, but if he's not gonna bring the metal then it won't work. So it won't work.

Temple of Blood wrote:

chewie wrote:

As someone mentioned earlier(Shawn Of Fire?) he should just go and do a Peter Gabriel sort of thing and do HIS own music that isn't tied to QR.

No he shouldn't, not if he expects to make any money.

"Operation: Mindcrime" is a more marketable name/concept than simply Geoff Tate.  I bet his solo albums didn't earn him $500 total.

It makes sense to expand on those albums from a financial POV, but if he's not gonna bring the metal then it won't work.  So it won't work.

I'm just thinking if he wants to carve out his own audience(like PG and RP did... even Kevin Moore to some extent.) and not just QR fans. If the albums are good is all that really counts anyway. If he works off of that template and they suck, what's the point? I'd rather hear something inspired than just another bad metal album.

If they are good then we know that he can still bring "the metal".

chewie wrote:

As someone mentioned earlier(Shawn Of Fire?) he should just go and do a Peter Gabriel sort of thing and do HIS own music that isn't tied to QR. Hell, even Robert Plant went and did his solo thing and I think it sounds really good until around Now and Zen.

Probably, but in the case of someone like Peter Gabriel, he left Genesis when they were hugely popular still. They weren't struggling in clubs towards the end of their career. If Geoff had left QR after Empire and started doing solo stuff that had some similarity to that, he might have had a shot. At this point only QR fans care and most of them don't want to hear something too far removed from that QR sound.

ultmetal wrote:

chewie wrote:

As someone mentioned earlier(Shawn Of Fire?) he should just go and do a Peter Gabriel sort of thing and do HIS own music that isn't tied to QR. Hell, even Robert Plant went and did his solo thing and I think it sounds really good until around Now and Zen.

Probably, but in the case of someone like Peter Gabriel, he left Genesis when they were hugely popular still. They weren't struggling in clubs towards the end of their career. If Geoff had left QR after Empire and started doing solo stuff that had some similarity to that, he might have had a shot. At this point only QR fans care and most of them don't want to hear something too far removed from that QR sound.

I can totally see that.

But it will still comes down to the music. If it still sounds like what he has been doing under the QR banner, then he might as well as move on in a different direction.

OR just write better songs!   

ultmetal wrote:

chewie wrote:

As someone mentioned earlier(Shawn Of Fire?) he should just go and do a Peter Gabriel sort of thing and do HIS own music that isn't tied to QR. Hell, even Robert Plant went and did his solo thing and I think it sounds really good until around Now and Zen.

Probably, but in the case of someone like Peter Gabriel, he left Genesis when they were hugely popular still. They weren't struggling in clubs towards the end of their career. If Geoff had left QR after Empire and started doing solo stuff that had some similarity to that, he might have had a shot. At this point only QR fans care and most of them don't want to hear something too far removed from that QR sound.

Bingo.

Geoff needs the kind of songwriting partner he had with DeGarmo. Frankly, QUEENSRYCHE need that too. They are even harder to find than great vocalists.

Temple of Blood wrote:

Quote :

Probably, but in the case of someone like Peter Gabriel, he left Genesis when they were hugely popular still. They weren't struggling in clubs towards the end of their career. If Geoff had left QR after Empire and started doing solo stuff that had some similarity to that, he might have had a shot. At this point only QR fans care and most of them don't want to hear something too far removed from that QR sound.

Bingo.

Geoff needs the kind of songwriting partner he had with DeGarmo.  Frankly, QUEENSRYCHE need that too.  They are even harder to find than great vocalists.

I'll second that.  Not sure if I've brought this up on the board, but in comparing FU and QR2013, I feel like FU has songs with no vibe or performance and QR2013 has vibe and performance without any really memorable songs - it's like a tech demo for Promised Land, cool, but not a lot of meat to it.

Kind of a more dramatic reading of the comparison between David Gilmour and Roger Waters post-Pink Floyd split.

I understand his money related reasons. But artistically, I think he could explore some darker, slightly more laid back music...sort of a blend of Peter Gabriel and Katatonia...and it be really cool.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

I understand his money related reasons. But artistically, I think he could explore some darker, slightly more laid back music...sort of a blend of Peter Gabriel and Katatonia...and it be really cool.

I agree with this, and I also agree with ToB, I have no idea what the sales of his two solo albums were, but since he rushed into the studio to record his scab version of Queensryche, I am sure the sales were dismal since Tate did not bother to promote it.

manny wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

I understand his money related reasons. But artistically, I think he could explore some darker, slightly more laid back music...sort of a blend of Peter Gabriel and Katatonia...and it be really cool.

I agree with this, and I also agree with ToB, I have no idea what the sales of his two solo albums were, but since he rushed into the studio to record his scab version of Queensryche, I am sure the sales were dismal since Tate did not bother to promote it

Yeah, he could definitely do some darker, proggier stuff, which could be excellent. Problem is, as much as he says he wants to distance himself from Queensryche, he can't. He knows that's where the money is, which is why he's now going by Operation: Mindcrime and not Geoff Tate.

As for Frequency Unknown and the La Torre-fronted Queensryche album, I think the latter is far superior. In fact, I think it's a great album overall. Frequency Unknown is a mess. It's a collection of mostly leftover tracks that weren't good enough for Jason Slater's other bands. That said, I still think there are some good tunes on it, which I've mentioned before. "Weight of the World," shoddy production notwithstanding, is fantastic.



Great tune.

So this new trilogy will basically be Operation:Mindcrime parts III-V?

Talk about diluting the brand...

I have to confess I enjoyed 'Frequency Unknown', I did not think it was the best album Geoff Tate has been involved with, but I enjoyed it.

His first solo album was an interesting album. Not metal or prog, but a more reflective album that showed he is a more diverse songwriting, and songs lyrically were more personal. Sadly I was the one who liked it, since most reviews had called his self titled album crap.

Lari wrote:

So this new trilogy will basically be Operation:Mindcrime parts III-V?

Talk about diluting the brand...

yeah. Its his to do with what he wants but i think he runs the risk of overexposure.

Lari wrote:

So this new trilogy will basically be Operation:Mindcrime parts III-V?

Talk about diluting the brand...

That's what it sounds like, yeah. I'd probably look forward to it if OMII wasn't so lame. I still think that album has some great songs, like "The Hands" and "Re-Arrange You," but the story was so weak.

manny wrote:

I have to confess I enjoyed 'Frequency Unknown', I did not think it was the best album Geoff Tate has been involved with, but I enjoyed it.  

His first solo album was an interesting album. Not metal or prog, but a more reflective album that showed he is a more diverse songwriting, and songs lyrically were more personal. Sadly I was the one who liked it, since most reviews had called his self titled album crap.

I enjoyed his first solo album. Far from amazing, but a decent listen. It's not a go-to album, but I don't skip any tracks if they happen to shuffle into my life.

Eyesore wrote:

manny wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

I understand his money related reasons. But artistically, I think he could explore some darker, slightly more laid back music...sort of a blend of Peter Gabriel and Katatonia...and it be really cool.

I agree with this, and I also agree with ToB, I have no idea what the sales of his two solo albums were, but since he rushed into the studio to record his scab version of Queensryche, I am sure the sales were dismal since Tate did not bother to promote it

Yeah, he could definitely do some darker, proggier stuff, which could be excellent. Problem is, as much as he says he wants to distance himself from Queensryche, he can't. He knows that's where the money is, which is why he's now going by Operation: Mindcrime and not Geoff Tate.

As for Frequency Unknown and the La Torre-fronted Queensryche album, I think the latter is far superior. In fact, I think it's a great album overall. Frequency Unknown is a mess. It's a collection of mostly leftover tracks that weren't good enough for Jason Slater's other bands. That said, I still think there are some good tunes on it, which I've mentioned before. "Weight of the World," shoddy production notwithstanding, is fantastic.



Great tune.

That and "In The Hands Of God" are both good, IMO.

I still have yet to hear both F.U. (not top priority) and the self titled (much more interested in that one).

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

manny wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

I understand his money related reasons. But artistically, I think he could explore some darker, slightly more laid back music...sort of a blend of Peter Gabriel and Katatonia...and it be really cool.

I agree with this, and I also agree with ToB, I have no idea what the sales of his two solo albums were, but since he rushed into the studio to record his scab version of Queensryche, I am sure the sales were dismal since Tate did not bother to promote it

Yeah, he could definitely do some darker, proggier stuff, which could be excellent. Problem is, as much as he says he wants to distance himself from Queensryche, he can't. He knows that's where the money is, which is why he's now going by Operation: Mindcrime and not Geoff Tate.

As for Frequency Unknown and the La Torre-fronted Queensryche album, I think the latter is far superior. In fact, I think it's a great album overall. Frequency Unknown is a mess. It's a collection of mostly leftover tracks that weren't good enough for Jason Slater's other bands. That said, I still think there are some good tunes on it, which I've mentioned before. "Weight of the World," shoddy production notwithstanding, is fantastic.



Great tune.

That and "In The Hands Of God" are both good, IMO.

Yeah, that's one of the good ones. "Cold" is the other. The rest, mediocre at best to downright awful.

Eyesore wrote:

manny wrote:

I have to confess I enjoyed 'Frequency Unknown', I did not think it was the best album Geoff Tate has been involved with, but I enjoyed it.  

His first solo album was an interesting album. Not metal or prog, but a more reflective album that showed he is a more diverse songwriting, and songs lyrically were more personal. Sadly I was the one who liked it, since most reviews had called his self titled album crap.

I enjoyed his first solo album. Far from amazing, but a decent listen. It's not a go-to album, but I don't skip any tracks if they happen to shuffle into my life.

That's pretty much how I feel about that album too. I would have definitely preferred it if he'd done something like that after the split, but as you pointed out that wouldn't be where the money is.

Runicen wrote:

Temple of Blood wrote:

Quote :

Probably, but in the case of someone like Peter Gabriel, he left Genesis when they were hugely popular still. They weren't struggling in clubs towards the end of their career. If Geoff had left QR after Empire and started doing solo stuff that had some similarity to that, he might have had a shot. At this point only QR fans care and most of them don't want to hear something too far removed from that QR sound.

Bingo.

Geoff needs the kind of songwriting partner he had with DeGarmo.  Frankly, QUEENSRYCHE need that too.  They are even harder to find than great vocalists.

I'll second that.  Not sure if I've brought this up on the board, but in comparing FU and QR2013, I feel like FU has songs with no vibe or performance and QR2013 has vibe and performance without any really memorable songs - it's like a tech demo for Promised Land, cool, but not a lot of meat to it.

Kind of a more dramatic reading of the comparison between David Gilmour and Roger Waters post-Pink Floyd split.

That is by far the best perspective I could share on both albums. I enjoyed FU way more than I thought I would, but it still felt rushed, incomplete, and uninspired. QR, on the other hand, felt hella inspired, but the songwriting was lacking. I've heard that album several times now and I can barely remember a single tune. But I enjoy listening to it.

I still think FU sucks and love the S/T...... That said, I will say that FU is marginally better than Dedicated to chaos.

thejokeriv wrote:

I still think FU sucks and love the S/T...... That said, I will say that FU is marginally better than Dedicated to chaos.

I agree. There are a couple of tolerable songs on FU but the S/T is much more memorable to me.

I am repeating myself, but to me, the s/t sounds like a band trying to sound like Queensryche...or a band influenced by Queensryche, as opposed to being THE Queensryche. I'm not saying it's "bad", it just doesn't connect with me. I like the few songs I like on FU better than anything I like on the s/t.

manny wrote:

His first solo album was an interesting album. Not metal or prog, but a more reflective album that showed he is a more diverse songwriting, and songs lyrically were more personal. Sadly I was the one who liked it, since most reviews had called his self titled album crap.

You know, I liked it too! He did something different & I think it worked.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

I am repeating myself, but to me, the s/t sounds like a band trying to sound like Queensryche...or a band influenced by Queensryche, as opposed to being THE Queensryche. I'm not saying it's "bad", it just doesn't connect with me. I like the few songs I like on FU better than anything I like on the s/t.

Well, that's kind of to be expected, right?

Eyesore wrote:

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

I am repeating myself, but to me, the s/t sounds like a band trying to sound like Queensryche...or a band influenced by Queensryche, as opposed to being THE Queensryche. I'm not saying it's "bad", it just doesn't connect with me. I like the few songs I like on FU better than anything I like on the s/t.

Well, that's kind of to be expected, right?

i think so. The S/T had a new singer, was the first time they have done anything remotely metal since Promised Land and I thought the songs were pretty good. I would not say the S/T ranks up there with the first 4 but when compared to FU it is a lot better (although I will admit the bar is not that high).