| Operation: Mindcrime | ||||
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| Studio album by Queensrÿche | ||||
| Released | May 3, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1987–1988 Kajem/Victory Studios, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, USA |
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| Genre | Heavy metal Progressive metal |
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| Length | 59:14[1] | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Peter Collins | |||
| Queensrÿche chronology | ||||
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| Allmusic | [2] |
Operation: Mindcrime is a concept album by American progressive metal band Queensrÿche. Released on May 3, 1988, it is the band's third full-length album. A rock opera, its story follows a man who becomes disillusioned with the society of the time and reluctantly becomes involved with a revolutionary group as an assassin of political leaders. In January 1989, it ranked #34 on Kerrang! magazine's "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time".[3]
Contents |
During the tour promoting the 1990 album Empire, Operation: Mindcrime was performed in its entirety. The stage show featured video, animation and guest singer Pamela Moore as Sister Mary. This live show was successful enough that the band released it as a box set called Operation: LIVEcrime. The story was initially explored in a series of video clips for MTV in the 1989 VHS video, Video: Mindcrime.
Before filming Video: Mindcrime, the band shot a one-off promotional video in 1988 for the song "Speak" which only consisted of performance footage and did not include any of the story concepts that dominated the album.
In the United States, the album was certified gold a year after its release and was certified platinum in 1991.
In 2003, a 24-bit remastered version of Operation: Mindcrime was released that included live versions of "The Mission" and "My Empty Room" as bonus tracks. In 2006, EMI released a deluxe Operation: Mindcrime box set that included the 2003 remaster, as well as an audio disc of a November 15, 1990 Hammersmith Odeon concert, with the band performing the entire album, and a bonus DVD containing Video: Mindcrime and bonus clips.
A sequel, Operation: Mindcrime II, was released on April 4, 2006, with Ronnie James Dio taking over the role of Dr. X. The subsequent tour consisted of the band performing both Operation: Mindcrime and its sequel in their entirety, back-to-back, with actors, props, an elaborate stage set, and a video screen. The live act from that tour also portrayed Mary's death clearly for the first time. It was later released on the 2007 DVD Mindcrime at the Moore, which included a recording of Dio's only live performance of "The Chase".
The album begins with the protagonist, Nikki, in a hospital. He lies in a near catatonic state, unable to remember anything but snippets from his past. Suddenly, Nikki's memories come flooding back in a torrent. He remembers how, as a heroin addict and would-be political radical frustrated with contemporary society, he was manipulated into joining a supposed secret organization dedicated to revolution. At the head of this organization is a political and religious demagogue known only as Dr. X, who by manipulating Nikki through a combination of his heroin addiction and brainwashing techniques, uses Nikki as an assassin. Whenever Dr. X uses the word "mindcrime" Nikki becomes his docile puppet, a state which Dr. X uses to command Nikki to undertake any murder that the Doctor wishes. Through one of Dr. X's probable associates, a corrupt priest named Father William, Nikki is offered the services of a prostitute-turned-nun named Sister Mary. Through his friendship and growing affection toward Sister Mary, Nikki begins to question the nature of what he is doing. Dr. X notices this and, seeing a potential threat in Mary, orders Nikki to kill both her and the priest. Nikki goes to Mary's church and kills the priest, but after confronting Mary fails to comply with the command to murder her. He and Mary decided to leave the organization together, and Nikki goes to Dr. X to tell him that they are out. Dr. X, however, reminds Nikki that he is an addict, and that he is the one who can provide him with his daily fix. Nikki leaves, conflicted and returns to Mary, only to find her dead. He cannot cope with the loss, as well as the possibility that he himself may have killed her and not known it, and begins to succumb to insanity. He runs through the streets calling her name. The Police arrive and attempt to subdue him. A gun is found on him, and they take him into custody under suspicion of Mary's murder and the murders he committed for Dr. X. Suffering from complete loss of memory he is put into a hospital, where he sees a news report on the recent spree of political homicides. This jogs his memory and returns us to the beginning where he remembers what has happened and begins to tell his story.
In April 2006, while doing press for sequel Operation: Mindcrime II, vocalist Geoff Tate told MTV.com that there were plans to make feature films out of both Operation: Mindcrime and its sequel. While details since then have been virtually nonexistent, Tate stated in the interview that he had worked on a script with a screenwriter named Mark Shepherd and that the band was shopping the completed script to various Hollywood studios.[4]
Adam Pascal is in talks with Queensrÿche to produce a stage version of the album. Geoff and Susan Tate have reportedly given the go-ahead, though it is still in very early stages.[5]
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