AUDIO: Speak

I was late in hearing about Operation: Mindcrime, though. It wasn't until a couple of years later that a roommate turned me on to the album in a used record store. He couldn't believe that someone would choose to give up their copy Operation: Mindcrime and told me it was a steal at $7.98. I bought it, and once back at the apartment, was introduced to this incredible album.

First, Operation: Mindcrime sets the stage for the entire experience. And that's a good way to describe listening to Operation: Mindcrime -- an experience. It tells the story of Nikki, a young man charged with murder and committed to an asylum. During his stay, a nurse pumps him with drugs to find out his story -- and it's this story (and the way Queensryche tells it through song) that makes the album brilliant.

Mindcrime's story focuses on Nikki and Sister Mary, a hooker-turned-nun who once worked live S&M shows in Times Square (this was the late eighties, remember?). Rescued by a priest, Mary eventually becomes Father William's sexual slave ("He takes her once a week on the altar like a sacrifice", lead singer Geoff Tate sings on "Spreading the Disease"). The priest introduces Mary to the evil Dr. X, a man bent on world domination. She and Nikki, a junkie, begin their doomed relationship. Under Dr. X's control (X's keyword is "mindcrime"), Nikki is forced to commit acts of violence and murder to further the doctor's cause.

As he and Mary become closer, Nikki discovers the abuse Mary has felt at the hands of men and vows revenge. But Mary, feeling hopeless, ends up committing suicide, causing Nikki to break with reality. Arrested and unable to shake the drugs, he is committed and tries to recall the actions of his past.

It all boils down to one word: Revolution. The eighties were turbulent times, and the album takes on the issues of Reagan/Bush-era politics, such as the United States funding wars in South America ("The Mission"), the seemingly endless stream of religious leaders bilking their followers out of hard-earned money ("Revolution Calling"), and drugs ("The Needle"). In "Revolution Calling", Tate sings, "I'm tired of all this bullshit they keep selling me on TV about the Communist land / And all the shady preachers begging for my cash / Swiss bank accounts while giving their secretaries the slam / they're all in Penthouse now or Playboy magazine / million-dollar stories to tell / I guess Warhol wasn't wrong / fame, 15 minutes long / everyone's using everybody making the sale..."

On "Speak", he sings, "Seven years of power / The corporation claw / The rich control the government, the media, the law / To make some kind of difference, then everyone must know / Eradicate the fascists, revolution will grow...The system we learn says we're equal under law / But the streets are reality, the week and poor will fall / Let's tip the power balance and tear down their crown / Educate the masses, we'll burn the White House down..." Yup, sedition.

It's ballsy lyrics like that, and the melancholy "I Don't Believe In Love", that help the album remain relevant. I won't try to paint Operation: Mindcrime as brilliant social commentary... but I could, after enough drinks. The story is a good one, and it stands up as one of the best concept albums created.

Operation: Mindcrime may not be for everyone, but everyone should hear it once or twice -- both for the experience and to judge it for themselves. Looking back, I'm glad I heard it when I did. If I'd been introduced to it when it came out (I was almost 18), I may have blown it off without a second listen. Though the music isn't stereotypical eighties hair-metal, it sometimes sounds dated -- but when you take into account the fact that the standard "metal" songs at the time were mainly about strippers and partying, it's amazing that Operation: Mindcrime was as popular as it was. The songs are easily strong enough to outlast the work of many of the era's other metal bands, and they're part of a classic metal album that will never leave my collection.

-- David A. Cobb