still think the warning is a better album overall/quote]I would rank their works:
1A. Rage for Order
1B. Operation: Mindcrime
C. The Warning
rage for order's highs (neue regel, the whisper) are arguably higher than anything on the warning, but the lows (chemical youth, gonna get close to you) are borderline unlistenable and embody all the worst aspects of 80's music
The record hold such a special place in my heart. I can still remember the warm summer day I bought the cassette. Pulling out of Vintage Vinyl (still in business), unwrapping the cassette, breathing in that "new cassette" smell, popping the tape in my new Clarion stereo, in my 1979 Toyota Celica, turning left on Route 1 and letting that thing blast out of my Kenwood speakers. OK... I think I'm getting a little hard. But I digress. For me, the stand out tracks on RFO are "I Only See in Infrared", "The Killing Words" and "Screaming in Digital". I would definitely rank "Gonna Get Close to You" as the worst song on the record. However, I don't hate it. I actually like "Chemical Youth". Mind you, I was 17 when I bought that cassette and lyrics of rebellion spoke to me. I suspect I still like that song because it has been bathing in nostalgia since then.
Regardless, the run that band had from the EP up to (arguably) "Promised Land" is unparalleled for me. The diversity from album to album and the high level of songwriting is just outstanding. And while I'm not a fan of "Empire", it's hard not to acknowledge that the band delivered both a unique sounding record and brought themselves to the masses with it.
