reviewed by MC5, November 2, 1999
Here we are again reviewing another Time-Warner corporation product. Peeling off the tape on the CD, one can see the shiny "W," the mark of the beast. MIM is not smart enough to review the local music scene, so we review this corporate schlepp, in order that our Maoist-minded readers will grow sickened and take up the reviews of smaller but political local bands that make independent institutions of the oppressed possible.
The reviewer is not sure why, but the Time-Warner HQ web site (http://www.music.warnerbros.com/)is not boasting its relationship to "Queensryche," while it is quite proud to announce its ownership of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vitamin C, Stone Temple Pilots, Halloween, Filter, Paula Cole Band, Tori Amos, The Doobie Brothers, Eric Clapton, Adam Sandler, Missy Elliott, Kid Rock, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Goo Goo Dolls, Staind, Everything But the Girl, Iron Giant, Nu Flavor, A Century of Women in Music, Gloria Steinem and Susan Faludi. Aside from Atlantic, Time-Warner also owns the Elektra, Warner Bros, Rhino and Reprise labels, at the very least.
It works out well when one owns half the actors, actresses and musicians of Hollywood and the news magazines and news networks to publicize their existence. Stars who do not make the news in Time Magazine or CNN can be featured in puff pieces in Life or Entertainment Weekly and still be in the same corporate family. Rock stars who make a mark can also appear in Time-Warner's TV show on rock history.
When DJs play enough Time-Warner music, they can get a vote in the Jenny Jones Show for best DJ. The Jenny Jones Show is also owned by Time-Warner along with Seinfeld and ER. Oh it pains us, but Time-Warner owns movie-of-the-year candidate "The Matrix."
Entertainment Weekly (EW) gave the Stone Temple Pilots a "C" for its "No 4" album of 1999. We agreed with their review that it was "unexciting and obvious." However, EW reviewed, mentioned and featured Stone Temple Pilots repeatedly over the years.
In the case of Queensryche, there were also several references, but "Q2K" has not been reviewed yet.
There is no doubt the "Q2K" is a demonstration of musical talent. Q2K's music is very entertaining, but like the Stone Temple Pilots, Queensryche is not able to put anything much into their lyrics. Their lyrics are perhaps more psychologically involved and mature than the ones in Stone Temple Pilots' "No 4," but they still lack originality.
Most of this album is still the same old boring romance culture schlock. This reviewer thought at one time that Queensryche was a Marxist band or pseudo-Marxist band of some kind or another. Right now it seems to be just another rock band that knows how to play its instruments, but doesn't have anything to say.