IQ’s "Dark Matter"

It's a very good album, certainly a big improvement over The Seventh House, which was a pretty weak batch of tea, imho.

And Salmacis, high praise to you on both your user name and logo - you have excellent taste!

I've only heard 'Seventh House' other than this cd, but Dark Matter still remains to be a classy album.  It's brilliant from start to finish, and the lead singer's name(I forget it now - I'll have to look it up) sounds eerily similar to Jon Anderson at times(which I like.)

Overall, I prefer DM to SH by a long slide.

And Salmacis, high praise to you on both your user name and logo - you have excellent taste!

Ah, thank you good man. "Fountain" was an early favorite of mine (I first got into the band of my own accord when I was 14 or so and that song just blew my mind - I was exposed to them as early as 1980 however, when my older brother would play "Wind" and "Seconds Out" and I would look at the albums which he kept in milk crates (he was a teen in the 70's, older than me)) - wow I know how to ramble. Apologies. And Olias Of Sunhillow is one of my all time favorite albums and I keep wanting to get that symbol tatooed. Maybe one day.

As for Ever, a lot of people cite that as the ultimate or close to ultimate IQ album, but it ranks about 4th or so for me.

ProgRockerJDS: That's quite an oddity there in your sig - the old logo beside a Marbles-era pic!

Salmacis72 wrote: Olias Of Sunhillow is one of my all time favorite albums

Olias is so good it's kind of weird - it's like a direct transmission from another universe or something. Wonderful.

A brilliant album - the best I've heard from IQ by quite a way. "Harvest of Souls" is the best prog epic since, well maybe "Awaken". As Salmacis said, the production and mixing is top rate, it sounds old and new at the same time, if you see what I mean. It manages to sound up to date whilst at the same time having classic organ and guitar sounds.

A work of genius.

fandango wrote: On Maani's thread, I have given both DM and Ever 4.5/5 (that's about as good as it gets from me), but if I was stuck on a desert island with Valerie Singleton, i'd chose 'Ever'...because of the depth of feeling it has.... having said that, if I was stuck on a desert island with Nicole Kidman, I may choose some Luther Vandross...

If I was stuck on a desert island with Nicole Kidman, I wouldn't care what music I had. Or maybe I'd go for "Slide it in" by Whitesnake.

Do I detect a Valerie Singleton fetish there, fandango?

fandango wrote: chopper wrote: fandango wrote: On Maani's thread, I have given both DM and Ever 4.5/5 (that's about as good as it gets from me), but if I was stuck on a desert island with Valerie Singleton, i'd chose 'Ever'...because of the depth of feeling it has.... having said that, if I was stuck on a desert island with Nicole Kidman, I may choose some Luther Vandross... If I was stuck on a desert island with Nicole Kidman, I wouldn't care what music I had. Or maybe I'd go for "Slide it in" by Whitesnake. Do I detect a Valerie Singleton fetish there, fandango? I was thinking more 'Would I Lie To You?' actually...especially the spoken bit at the end of the track that got deleted on the single... I've always seen VS as a bit of a Grandma figure...

What was the spoken bit then?

Prefer The Seventh House'

But only just. Both SH and Dark Matter are among the best neo prog albums ever made IMO.

As you've probably guessed by now I reckon Dark Matter was their finest album as they must have got a new drum kit as it doesn't have the jarring drumming as aptly illustrated on Ever. Seventh House is very good as well. In fact they are all good albums ----------------------apart from that drumming. If only I could get my hands on the master tapes?????

Good weekend Fan?