Hear in the Now Frontier
Encyclopedia
Hear in the Now Frontier is the sixth studio album
by progressive metal
band Queensrÿche
, released in 1997
. It was partly recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, the home studio of Pearl Jam
guitarist Stone Gossard
, and was engineered and mixed by Toby Wright
, who had recently worked with Alice In Chains
.
The album debuted at #19 but quickly vanished from the charts. Hear in the Now Frontier features a more basic, stripped down musical style than anything the band had released to date, and some fans and critics pointed to the grunge
genre - rooted in Seattle, near where Queensrÿche formed - as being a major influence. Despite the reaction, the singles "Sign of the Times" and "You" received substantial airplay. Both tracks, as well as "Some People Fly," would later be featured on best-of
compilation
s. Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrÿche
, a 2007 compilation, also takes its name from the song.
, in 2003
but did not officially rejoin.
The band played only half the album on its 1997 tour with 6 songs still unplayed to date including: "Cuckoo's Nest," "Hero," "Miles Away," "All I Want," "Anytime/Anywhere," and "sp00L." However, "sp00L" and "Hero" have been played by Geoff Tate's band during the 2002 tour supporting his own solo album.
In U.S. the album sold about 330,000 copies to date (2006)
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
, released in 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
. It was partly recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, the home studio of Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
guitarist Stone Gossard
Stone Gossard
Stone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician who serves as the rhythm and lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam...
, and was engineered and mixed by Toby Wright
Toby Wright
Toby Wright is a record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn. He is currently in Nashville, Tennessee working on Kara Clark's latest Ep.-Producer:...
, who had recently worked with Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
.
The album debuted at #19 but quickly vanished from the charts. Hear in the Now Frontier features a more basic, stripped down musical style than anything the band had released to date, and some fans and critics pointed to the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
genre - rooted in Seattle, near where Queensrÿche formed - as being a major influence. Despite the reaction, the singles "Sign of the Times" and "You" received substantial airplay. Both tracks, as well as "Some People Fly," would later be featured on best-of
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s. Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrÿche
Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrÿche
Sign of the Times is a compilation album by Seattle-based progressive metal band Queensrÿche. It contains a selection of their most notable songs and was released on August 28, 2007...
, a 2007 compilation, also takes its name from the song.
Touring
During Queensrÿche's tour in support of Hear in the Now Frontier, their longtime label, EMI America Records, went bankrupt. Queensrÿche was forced to use their own money to finance the remainder of the tour, during which founding member Chris DeGarmo announced he was leaving the band. DeGarmo would return to play and co-write five songs for TribeTribe (Queensrÿche album)
-Personnel:*Geoff Tate - Vocals*Chris DeGarmo - Guitar*Michael Wilton - Guitar*Mike Stone - Guitar*Eddie Jackson - Bass*Scott Rockenfield - Drums...
, in 2003
2003 in music
-January:* January – following an investigation by The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and London detectives, police raids in England and the Netherlands recover nearly 500 original Beatles studio tapes, recorded during the Let It Be sessions. Five people are arrested...
but did not officially rejoin.
The band played only half the album on its 1997 tour with 6 songs still unplayed to date including: "Cuckoo's Nest," "Hero," "Miles Away," "All I Want," "Anytime/Anywhere," and "sp00L." However, "sp00L" and "Hero" have been played by Geoff Tate's band during the 2002 tour supporting his own solo album.
Track listing
2003 CD reissue bonus tracks
The album was re-released on June 10, 2003 with the following bonus tracks:- "Chasing Blue Sky" – 3:41
- "Silent Lucidity (Live - MTV Unplugged, Los Angeles, CA on 27 April 1992)" – 5:24
- "The Killing Words (Live - MTV Unplugged, Los Angeles, CA on 27 April 1992)" – 3:52
- "I Will Remember (Live - MTV Unplugged, Los Angeles, CA on 27 April 1992)" – 4:01
Band members
- Geoff TateGeoff TateGeoff Tate is an American singer and musician, who rose to fame in the 1980s with the progressive metal band, Queensrÿche...
– vocals - Chris DeGarmoChris DeGarmoChris DeGarmo is an American heavy metal and hard rock guitarist. He co-founded Queensrÿche in 1981 and played with the group during their most commercially successful period. Since departing from the band, DeGarmo has continued his involvement in the music business in a much smaller capacity...
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Michael WiltonMichael WiltonMichael Wilton is an American guitarist for the progressive metal band Queensrÿche. Wilton attended Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle where he met future Queensrÿche drummer Scott Rockenfield and began recording in 1981...
– guitar - Eddie JacksonEddie Jackson (musician)Eddie Jackson is the bass guitarist for the progressive metal band, Queensrÿche. He has been with the group since 1981, when they were known as The Mob....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Scott RockenfieldScott RockenfieldScott Rockenfield is the drummer for the progressive metal band Queensrÿche and the band Slave to the System....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Additional musicians
- Matt RollingsMatt RollingsMatt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
- keyboards, piano on "All I Want" - Steve Nathan - keyboards
- David RagsdaleDavid RagsdaleDavid Ragsdale, violinist for Kansas since 1991, started violin at the age of three. After studies with renowned classical teachers and a stint at the Tulsa Philharmonic, David's violinist duties took him out of the largely classical area and into rock and roll.Through the years he has performed...
- violin on "Sign of the Times""
Production
- Peter CollinsPeter CollinsPeter Collins may refer to:* Peter Collins * Peter Collins * Peter Collins * Peter Collins...
- producer - Toby WrightToby WrightToby Wright is a record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn. He is currently in Nashville, Tennessee working on Kara Clark's latest Ep.-Producer:...
- engineer, mixing - Adam Atley, Matt BaylesMatt Bayles-Information:Bayles is known for his work with bands such as Isis, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Botch, Mastodon, The Fall of Troy, Minus The Bear, Burnt by the Sun and Norma Jean....
- assistant engineers - Steve Marcussen - mastering
- Hugh SymeHugh SymeHugh Syme is a Canadian Juno Award-winning graphic artist who is best known for his artwork and cover concepts for rock and metal bands. He is also a musician and has appeared in some Rush songs as a keyboard player. Syme is notably responsible for all of Rush's album cover art since 1975's Caress...
, Dimo Safari - art direction, design
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Billboard 200 | 19 |
| Germany | 19 | |
| UK | 46 | |
Singles
Billboard (North America)| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Sign of the Times" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| "You" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 11 |
In U.S. the album sold about 330,000 copies to date (2006)