Queensrÿche, “Take Cover”

Queensrÿche, Take Cover
Rhino (Arrives: Nov. 13, 2007)
By: Christa Titus

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Queensrÿche showed what it could do with other people’s material back in 1987 on Rage for Order when it converted the new-wave trappings of Lisa DalBello’s obsessive “Gonna Get Close to You” into a gothic thriller. It that instance, it merely nudged the song’s framework a few steps in a different direction. A few years later it showed its talent for completely renovating arrangements by transforming folk standard Scarborough Fair into battlefield thunder and smoke. As Mike Stone said himself, Take Cover is an album that’s just about having fun, and it’s a welcome stop-gap between studio albums. In honor of Queensrÿche being The Killing Words’ first featured artist, we’ve dissected the album in a track-by-track review.

Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd
Best Track. Unquestionably. The band said it all in one shot right here, raising the bar for the rest of the record. The saxophone has the right seen-it-all attitude, and the synths could be heard as the weeping musicians do inside as they feel their souls being sold off a bitter piece at a time. One of the best guitar performances Michael Wilton and Mike Stone have recorded together. (To read Christa Titus’ review of “Welcome to the Machine” for Billboard, click here.)

Heaven on Their Minds from “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Smartest Heeding of the Call. Stone was ahead of his time when he fantasized years ago about rocking out to this Broadway tune. The opening licks are filled with distortion and attitude, setting up the urgency of Judas Iscariot’s plea for Jesus not to believe the hype. The fivesome is completely unified in their performance, hitting their cues like this was their own song. Scott Rockenfield goes above and beyond, creating a riveting drum track virtually from scratch.

Almost Cut My Hair by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Bluesiest. Eddie Jackson’s pondering, contemplative bass stands front and center in this bluesy rumination on what society sees as the ultimate symbolic act of growing up. (Jason Slater’s and Kelly Gray’s mixing/engineering prowess also make this the most consistent recording of Jackson’s performance on a Queensrÿche album.) Jackson sets the tone for the group to get its laid-back groove on—except for Rockenfield, who plays almost as busily as he does on Heaven on Their Minds.

For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield
Most Transformed. This 1967 protest song is immediately recognizable by its watery harmonic tones and its chorus (”Stop, children, what’s that sound/Everybody look what’s goin down”). Queensrÿche stripped both those elements out and further eradicated the hippie vibe by pumping up the strumming. No surprise if this was one of singer Geoff Tate’s picks; its social commentary, sadly, is still apt 40-some years later.

For the Love of Money by the O’Jays
Fattest Payoff. Most Rÿche fans probably haven’t heard of this track, and the layered backing vocals pay the most tribute to its R&B/funk origins. Again, the band’s industry experience gives it a knowing attitude with which to approach this cautionary tale about greed. The song is all about the rhythm, and the guitars and Jackson are the links that fill out the bottom with high-test vibrations. A remarkable interpretation.

Innuendo by Queen
‘A’ for Effort, ‘B’ for Execution. Like much of Queen’s fare, “Innuendo” was made to shake the rafters. The Rÿche lightens up on its sinister, lockstep foundation, which in turn lessens the song’s impact. Tate, a longtime admirer of Freddie Mercury, treads lightly on the late singer’s territory. Wilton unleashes his inner muso on the first part of the flamenco-inspired, triple-tracked midsection, then wallops it out of the park in the second half.

Neon Knights by Black Sabbath
Gets the Party Started. The band clearly had the most fun zipping through this one, likely recalling the days when they dreamed of being rockers like Sabbath—we’re certainly remembering Queensrÿche’s early years when it wore its English metal influences on its sleeve. Tate reverts to the much-loved power vocals that helped QR distinguish from the hair metal pack; Wilton and Stone gleefully make like two kids discovering Guitar Hero.

Synchronicity II by the Police
Band Practice. Boundaries aren’t pushed much here either. The guys do hijack the tempo and crank the guitars, but beyond that, this is just a well-executed exercise that keeps the guys limber and lets them enjoy jamming on a classic. To be fair, not much else can be done with a song that screams as loud as the din of one’s Rice Krispies.

Red Rain by Peter Gabriel
Most Inspiring. Another case of serendipity where Queensrÿche slips into the song like a well-oiled glove. Dropping the keyboards for Wilton’s and Stone’s raw, inspired string work (and one of the record’s best solos), the band sets afire one of Peter Gabriel’s greatest hits. Rockenfield brings the sound of rain to life with his skittering beats and bold crashes, Jackson’s bass groans and growls like purring thunder, and Tate’s voice is full of praise.

Odissea by Carlo Marrale and Cheope
Biggest Surprise. Although given Tate’s operatic training, it makes sense for him after all this time to try recording in that vein. It’s a compelling treatment and grandiose, but “Odissea” is more opera- than rock-oriented, throwing off the album’s pace. The orchestration and Tate’s tenor—which is richly enhanced by his singing in Italian—take center stage, so the band doesn’t have much room to join in.

Bullet the Blue Sky by U2
(Note: Kelly Gray performs guitar on this track instead of Mike Stone.)
Grittiest Take. Queensrÿche reaches the same rarified performance air as U2 with a bump-n-grind groove that becomes more trance-inducing with each four-count. The members read each other’s nuances like telepathy; Jackson’s pumping bass is flat-out sexy, and the guitars whine and shriek like flares. The live recording catches Tate completely going off for several minutes of spoken word, unloading so hard that fans probably thought twice of approaching him for autographs at the post-show meet-and-greet.

Queensryche.com