The Warning (Queensrÿche album)

The Warning
Studio album by Queensrÿche
Released	September 7, 1984
Recorded	1983–84
Studio	Angel Studios, Audio International Studios, Abbey Road Studios and Mayfair Studios in London
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	48:36
Label	EMI America
Producer	James Guthrie
Queensrÿche chronology
Queensrÿche (1983) The Warning (1984) Rage for Order (1986)
Singles from The Warning
"Take Hold of the Flame" / "Nightrider" Released: September 1984
Music sample
"Take Hold of the Flame"

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Martin Popoff	(8/10)[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]

The Warning is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Queensrÿche, released on September 7, 1984, and reissued on May 6, 2003, with three bonus tracks.

Background

Queensrÿche wrote the material for The Warning during their tour in support of the Queensrÿche EP, inspired by world events and the 1949 George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.^[4] The album was recorded in various recording studios in London with Pink Floyd-producer James Guthrie.

In 2013, lead singer Geoff Tate explained the band's dissatisfaction with the album's mix: "The only time I ever experienced [a record label restricting creative freedom] was during the recording of Queensrÿche's first album, The Warning. We went $300,000 over budget and the label took the record out of our hands and gave it to someone else to mix. ... The guy that mixed the album had no clue what Queensrÿche was. He never listened to hard rock music and didn't take input from anyone in the band. He just mixed it according to how he thought it should sound. No one in the band could listen to that record. We all hated it."^[5]

The Warning shows the band in an early stage of development, playing straight heavy metal songs unlike later albums in which more experimentation was expressed. It was a moderate commercial success in the United States, although none of the singles charted domestically. However, "Take Hold of the Flame" was an international hit, particularly in Japan.^[1]

In support of the release, Queensrÿche went on a worldwide tour from August 1984 through to July 1985.^[4] During the American leg of their tour, they were the opening act for Kiss on their 1984–85 Animalize Tour and Iron Maiden on their 1984–85 World Slavery Tour.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Warning"	Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton	4:43
2.	"En Force"	Chris DeGarmo	5:13
3.	"Deliverance"	Wilton	3:17
4.	"No Sanctuary"	DeGarmo, Tate	6:02
5.	"N M 156"	DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton	4:35

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Take Hold of the Flame"	DeGarmo, Tate	4:54
7.	"Before the Storm"	Tate, Wilton	4:27
8.	"Child of Fire"	Tate, Wilton	5:17
9.	"Roads to Madness"	DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton	9:38
Total length:			48:36

2003 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Prophecy"	DeGarmo	4:00
11.	"The Lady Wore Black" (live at The Astoria Theatre, London, UK on October 20, 1994)	DeGarmo, Tate	5:23
12.	"Take Hold of the Flame" (live at Madison and LaCrosse, WI on May 10–12, 1991)	DeGarmo, Tate	5:06

The album's original track sequence and sound mix that the band had approved, was changed by mix engineer Val Garay under orders from EMI-America, against the wishes of the band.^[4][6][7] This original intended sequence is identical to the final track listing but with the following exceptions: "N M 156" as the opening song and "Warning" as the second to last track, displacing "Child of Fire". The band first learned of this in August 1984, while on tour in Japan.^[4]

Original track listing (unreleased)
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"N M 156"	DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton	4:35
2.	"En Force"	DeGarmo	5:13
3.	"Deliverance"	Wilton	3:17
4.	"No Sanctuary"	DeGarmo, Tate	6:02
5.	"Take Hold of the Flame"	DeGarmo, Tate	4:54
6.	"Before the Storm"	Tate, Wilton	4:27
7.	"Child of Fire"	Tate, Wilton	5:17
8.	"Warning"	Tate, Wilton	4:43
9.	"Roads to Madness"	DeGarmo, Tate, Wilton	9:38

Personnel

Queensrÿche

• Geoff Tate – lead vocals
• Chris DeGarmo – guitar (lead guitar on "Take Hold of the Flame"), background vocals
• Michael Wilton – guitar (lead guitar on "Warning"), background vocals
• Eddie Jackson – bass, background vocals
• Scott Rockenfield – drums

Additional musicians

• Michael Kamen – conducting, orchestral arrangement

Production

• James Guthrie – production
• Val Garay – mixing
• Neil Kernon – engineering, mixing ("The Prophecy"), production

Chart performance

Year	Chart	Position
1984	Swedish Albums Chart[8]	42
	Billboard 200 (US)[9]	61
	RPM Top 100 Albums (Canada)[10]	91
	UK Albums Chart[11]	100

Certifications

Country	Organization	Year	Sales
USA	RIAA	1991	Gold (+ 500,000)[12]

References

1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Warning - Queensrÿche". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
2. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1894959315.
3. Rolling Stone list
4. "Queensrÿche: 1984–1985". Anybody Listening. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
5. Cecolini, Vinny (2013-05-28). "Geoff Tate: Leaving The Past Behind And Looking To The Future". JAM Magazine. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
6. "The Warning". Anybody Listening. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
7. "Original Tracklisting of The Warning". The Breakdown Room. Anybody Listening. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
8. "Queensrÿche - The Warning (album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
9. "The Warning Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
10. "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 41, No. 9, November 03 1984". Library and Archives Canada. 3 November 1984. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
11. "The Warning Cahrt Stats". Chart Stats.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
12. RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Queensryche. Retrieved on 2013-02-15.