Best Tune on "Empire" by Queensrÿche

Recorded at Vancouver Studios, Vancouver, B.C., Canada, Spring 1990

Released: September 4th, 1990

Produced by Peter Collins

Geoff Tate - Vocals, Keyboard
Michael Wilton - Guitars
Chris DeGarmo - Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards (track 1)
Eddie Jackson - Bass, Vocals
Scott Rockenfield - Drums, Percussion

Tunes
Best I Can
The Thin Line
Jet City Woman
Della Brown
Another Rainy Night
Empire
Resistance
Silent Lucidity
Hand on Heart
One and Only
Anybody Listening?

The album stands as Queensrÿche's most commercially successful release, reaching triple-platinum status and the single extracted, the power ballad "Silent Lucidity", reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Silent Lucidity" was also nominated for the Grammy Awards of 1992 in the categories Best Rock Song and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

This one was much easier to choose from than the last two: "Best I Can", followed by "Empire" and "Anybody Listening?"

Another Rainy Night for me.

This is my favorite Queensrÿche album. Love every song.

I still really like this whole album. I chose the title track as the music holds up well and the lyrical content is still relevant.

DAMN!!! This is a tough one! So many great tunes...........

Is this another pick 3?

chewie wrote:

Is this another pick 3?

Nope. That aspect of the poll really stumped them last time, so I opted not to.

Another Rainy Night

Best I Can

Anybody Listening?

Citanul wrote:

Anybody Listening?

This.

I feel like this is one of the most overrated albums ever. If "Last Time In Paris" would have been included, I would have gone with that. I guess I will go with the title track.

The last great album by the original members Every song on here is great but I'll go with Jet City Woman.

Empire

I picked "Another Rainy Night." I was rapidly losing interest in Queensryche by this point in their career as they became more and more commercial. I couldn't stand "Silent Lucidity" at the time and I still hate it. Ugh.

Anybody Listening? is the standout for me. Hand on Heart would've been my second choice.

I think I actually dig Promised Land a little more than this one, as it's a little darker.

Anybody Listening? followed by The Thin Line(such an odd song, but that's what
I like about it) and Resistance.

I dig the whole album, though, yes even Silent Stupidity.

the sentinel wrote:

I still really like this whole album. I chose the title track as the music holds up well and the lyrical content is still relevant.

Same opinion, same vote

Watching the various new networks' coverage of both parties' campaigns this last year or so I can't count the number of times I've literally broken out with "They're building empires..."

I haven't listened to this album in over 15 years. I used to have it on CD. After hearing it on Spotify, I was surprised I didn't remember more songs (save for "Silent Lucidity," of course). Some didn't ring a bell at all. I like Operation: Mindcrime better. It only took me one listen, though, to pick a track: "Empire" is awesome! I really like "Resistance" and "One and Only," too.

It's funny how memories are so associated with music. I remember a girl I dated in HS and she loved this album. I can't help but think of "Missy" when I hear Another Rainy Night or Della Brown.

007 wrote:

The last great album by the original members

I thought that would be Promise Land...

Another Rainy Night gets my vote.

Empire, but really the whole album is good. The first minute or so of Jet City Woman (intro) is cool.

Easy. "Empire."

I might have told this story before, but I'll repeat it because it's funny. The first concert I ever attended was Def Leppard on their Hysteria tour, 1989, I believe. At that point in my life, I listened to two bands: Def Leppard and Run DMC. An odd couple, I know. Anyway, because of this, I didn't give a crap about the opening band, which happened to be Queensryche. They were touring Mindcrime, and I booed them the entire time! Haha.

I was like 13 or 14 at the time, and obviously still pretty close-minded.

Jump ahead a few years and that's changed. Now I'm into tons of different bands, all kinds of different styles, I'm playing guitar and singing in my own bands, etc. This was back when we dubbed music off the radio. No MP3s. No streaming anything. If you wanted to listen to music yet to be released, you dubbed it off the radio.

(Whenever Def Leppard's "Tear It Down" comes on, in my head I still hear Lisa Simpson introducing the song for WAAF! Haha. Because that single, the original version, was played long before Adrenalize came out, and I listened to it like crazy from a dubbed cassette.)

So one night this song comes on, and it just kicks all kinds of ass! But they never said who the band was. I listened to that channel for weeks, just waiting for someone to mention the band name. But every time I heard the song, no name mentioned. Drove me nuts! And then, finally, the DJ said, "That was 'Empire,' by Queensryche."

SONOFABITCH! Haha.

So yeah, the band I booed all night a few years earlier was blowing my silly little mind! Of course I went out and bought Empire. Love it! Then I bought Mindcrime. Amazing! Rage for Order. Effing brilliant! The Warning. Killer! The EP. Badass! And to this day, I still kick myself over it. I saw them on the first Mindcrime tour and booed them all night. Every time DeGarmo came near us, I shouted, "Your hat is gay!" Haha. So dumb.

Oh well.

candlemass wrote:

007 wrote:

The last great album by the original members

I thought that would be Promise Land...

Nope. Hear In The Now Frontier (excluding the latest two, which I think are quite good). It might be different, but it's a really great album. Probably Queensryche's most underrated.

I sold this album. Didn't do a single thing for me anymore.