I saw this tour in 1988 and fell in love with band and have been a HUGE fan of them ever since. I will echo the statements of some many others here ... Conor, "Here we have it, one of the most critically acclaimed progressive metal albums of all time. This is the album that brought Queensryche from being a very underground, relatively unknown band to one of the most intriguing and innovative bands in metal." or Raff, ""Operation: Mindcrime" has often been hailed as one of the 'founding fathers, so to speak, of progressive metal - its intriguing concept and flawless realization more akin to vintage progressive rock than straightforward heavy metal. A dark, convoluted, positively dystopian tale out of Orwell's "1984", whose world view is best summed up by the chilling lyrics to "Spreading the Disease", it is also a strong, stark political statement that goes against the grain of Eighties hedonism and heedless faith in unbridled consumerism. " Every now and the an album hits when the moon and stars are aligned and it stands the test of time and this is one of those albums. If you do not have it in your collection, it is a MUST ADD and you will enjoy how it sucks you in with each additional listen. ENJOY !!!