Yeah, so prog had its first real heyday in the 70's. We all know that. Bands like Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, and Pink Floyd dominated the scene (whatever scene there was) along with lesser-known bands like Camel, Caravan, Soft Machine, Hawkwind, Gong, Gentle Giant, Eloy, PFM, Kaipa, etc. Those bands reigned supreme, in one way or another, for the better part of that decade...that is, until they were all killed off by punk and, uhhh, Foreigner. But just as punk and arena rock were reactions to prog (albeit in wickedly different directions), it wasn't long before a new age of prog would appear, which itself would be a reaction to punk and arena rock (it's all cyclical, y'know).
It was during this time that these "neo-prog" bands such as Marillion, Pendragon, Pallas, and IQ all came into being.They took the attitude of punk and the power of arena rock and combined it with a 70's prog mindset. Peter Gabriel-era Genesis tended to be the prevailing influence in this crop of bands and while it's true that none of these guys reached the commercial heights of their forefathers, they forged careers that all continue to this day, maintaining legions of fans (especially in the case of Marillion, one of the most successful fully-independent bands in the world). And all these bands, in turn, influenced a later crop of prog bands, who all did their part in the chain, paving the way for the current prog scene, which is bigger, more diverse, and more successful than ever.
Somewhere in the middle of all that is IQ, one of my favorite bands in all of prog. They never quite captured the success of Marillion but they have spent the last 35 years making some of the most compelling music I've ever had the pleasure to hear. From their 1983 debut, Tales From The Lush Attic all the way to 2014's magnificent Road Of Bones, these guys have never made a bad record (of what I've heard). Acquired taste for some, for sure. But always solid.
I came to know IQ with 2004's Dark Matter, which I had on a burned CD for years but had never listened to. Or, if so, it was maybe once, in the background. Anyway, so I finally pulled it out, probably in 2010 or so, and it almost blew my mind. I knew something was there but it wasn't until I listened to it again the next day, or whenever, that I was hooked. I listened to nothing but that disc for weeks, until I knew the whole thing by heart. Then I moved on to their 2009 album, Frequency, which has gone on to become one of my favorite albums of all time....I swear I've listened to it 500 times. One of these days they will issue it on vinyl and I will review it here. So I've been slowly working my way through their catalog over the years and have listened to most of their albums (a few in the middle I haven't yet listened to) and they are all really, incredibly solid.
Probably the best of the bunch is 1997's magnum opus, Subterranea. Every prog band has its opus. That magnificent, often long-winded statement that, successful or not, found the band at its most ambitious. Yes had Tales From Topographic Oceans, Genesis had The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Pink Floyd had The Wall, Jethro Tull had Thick As A Brick, Camel had The Snow Goose, Marillion had both Misplaced Childhood and Brave (a killer double-shot), Spock's Beard had Snow, the list goes on and on. This album is IQ's opus and is a fantastic one at that.
1993 found original vocalist Peter Nicholls reuniting with the band on the album, Ever (one of the few i haven't yet heard....I said I was taking it slow...). It was a successful reunion, one that's survived to this day. For their next album, it was time to do something big. They already had their opus, 1985's magnificent Wake, or so they thought. The only thing they could do now was to try and top it. And they did.
Subterranea follows the story of a man who was raised from birth in solitude, in an underground cell, as part of some twisted scientific experiment. It's not until he is released as an adult into the real world that he comes to understanding...well, pretty much everything. He soon comes to realize that what had happened to him was part of something far greater than imagined.
The rest, I shall not reveal. You must listen to this album. No spoilers here, bucko!
Musically, they are right at the top of their game. The first two sides of the vinyl contain some of the greatest music IQ ever recorded, including the epic "Failsafe" and the title track, which I would love more than anything to see live. "Speak My Name" is one of the band's best gentle-songs, while "Tunnel Vision" moves from a heavy verse into one of their best-ever choruses. Given that these songs all correspond to a story, there is careful attention paid to the arrangements, even more so than usual. The way the album, and the songs themselves, changes gears, turns corners, turns stones...this album flows perfectly. Sometimes melodic ideas that formed the basis for a song earlier on will show up in another form later ("Provider" and "The Sense In Sanity", for example). It is especially effective on vinyl, where it is one continuous piece of music that segues from song to song...on vinyl, there is no time display, and no gaps placed between tracks. You drop the needle, close your eyes, and dig it. There is so much here to dig. From Mike Holmes' tastefully clever guitar work to the since-retired Martin Orford on keys - a visionary one, he was - this album is IQ at their most focused.
Like most double albums, this one does suffer in places, mostly on the second disc. Like most double albums, this has a fair bit of musical padding, bits and pieces here and there that perhaps could have been ignored but are there in order to get the record to a suitable length and balance the discs. Unlike most double albums, that padding doesn't detracts much. The only complaint is the fact that this album is so long. And as if it couldn't get any longer, they close the album with a 20-minute epic, "The Narrow Margin". Taken alone, this is one of their most impressive pieces. Placed at the tail end of two-and-a-half hours of prog...it's a bit much.
That said, if that was not enough, this vinyl edition contains a bonus 12" single featuring two songs cut from Subterranea that are totally worth the extra ten minutes or so. "The Universal Scam" is as good or even better than much of the album. Could have been a single. Rounding out the whole package is "Eyes Of The Blind" is an atmospheric piece with a plaintive Peter Nicholls vocal. They were certainly wise to cut this from the album - it would have definitely slowed things down. But here, in this context, it's a lovely way to end this whirlwind.
Anyway, a few years ago this story was made into a movie, starring William Katt (Greatest American Hero) and Nicholas Turturro. Mike Holmes composed the score and IQ recorded a fair bit of new music, and Subterranea songs as well. It has been touring the film festival circuit for a couple of years now. No word on an official release yet but I will definitely be one of the first to buy a ticket or order the DVD, Something tells me, given the band's blessing on it, this film is going to be great. At the very least, it will probably make more sense ;)
Anyway, the bottom line is - Subterranea is a masterpiece and IQ should be far better known for it.
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