#geoff tate
May 3, 1988, Queensrÿche released their quintessential album, OPERATION MINDCRIME. Geoff Tate came up with the “revolutionary” idea when the opening chords of the title track found their way into his conscience while sitting alone in a church in Montreal. The inspiration for Mary’s character came later when he witnessed a sad-looking girl in Amsterdam clutching a teddy bear and dancing by herself in a nun’s costume. With the help of Chris DeGarmo, the band took those ideas and produced one of the greatest concept albums ever written, and like it or not, it became the benchmark against which their entire body of work would forever be compared. The album was certified gold a year after its release, and eventually went platinum in 1991. Revo-lution!