We crack open a September 1986 issue of Hit Parader and read the wonderfully odd “Out to Lunch” piece on Queensrÿche—right in the Rage for Order era. Robert John Hadfield and Shelle Crow talk the album art change (that hard-to-read blue marble first pressing!), the vampiric/stalker vibe around “Gonna Get Close to You,” the band’s misfit status opening for Ratt/Bon Jovi/AC/DC, and how just a few years later they’d explode with Operation: Mindcrime (1988) and Empire (1990). We also hit Jeff (Geoff) Tate’s vocal mystique, the band’s nerdy-intellectual persona, and the article’s hilarious plans for an Amazon trek…and even “space tourism” by 1992. Nostalgia, receipts, and big Queensrÿche energy.

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Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 Intro — Why Rage for Order still hits
01:05 The 1986 landscape: Van Halen split, Priest, KISS, Crüe, Maiden
04:08 Discography check: EP (’83), The Warning (’84), Rage for Order (’86)
05:04 Album art fix — blue marble vs later black text (readability)
06:00 Aesthetic & “vampire” vibe; “Gonna Get Close to You” (Dalbello cover)
06:50 Opening for Ratt/Bon Jovi/AC/DC — total genre mismatch
07:06 Path to the peak: Operation: Mindcrime (’88) → Empire (’90)
07:51 Geoff Tate’s voice & why vocal coaches analyze it
08:11 Where they are now: Wilton & Eddie Jackson as original members; Todd La Torre era
09:11 Audiomover mid-roll + 15% off
09:49 Hit Parader’s “Out to Lunch”: Amazon trek, frontier adventures, space-orbit vacation
12:07 Why this article rules: not the usual tour/album Q&A
14:12 The “120-mile orbit” plan and 1992 predictions
15:04 Queensrÿche’s thoughtful/nerdy persona vs glam-party scene
19:16 Hair talk, long-hair era, and stage nostalgia
24:39 Manhattan “adventure,” being misfit openers, unique energy
26:22 Seeing the current band live; nostalgia vs then
27:48 1990 breakthrough confirmed; post-Empire arc
28:05 Wrap-up, comments, subscribe, share

Key Takeaways
Rage for Order love-letter plus the early-pressing art quirk (blue marble text).
Queensrÿche’s off-kilter, intellectual vibe in an era of glam chaos.
“Gonna Get Close to You” as delightfully creepy centerpiece.
Pre-arena years perspective: opening slots → MTV era (“Silent Lucidity,” “Jet City Woman,” “Empire,” “Best I Can”).
The 1986 Hit Parader lunch piece shows Tate/DeGarmo dreaming big (Amazon trek, even space!).

@queensryche @GeoffTate @ToddLaTorre
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