IQ Appreciation Thread

richardh wrote: progbethyname wrote: Anybody actually spin SEVEN STORIES INTO EIGHT?? A really wonderful side of the band If I may say. It's quite psychedelic. For Christ sake is a great instrumental. And BARBELL IS IN makes laugh!! IQ reggae. Lol   certainly and also The Lost Attic has some good stuff as well

are you going to the warm up show on good Friday?

Relative newbie here (to the forum, not to IQ)

My favourite band.  Amazingly consistent: I rank the Menel albums right up there with the rest, certainly helped by the fact that they are where I came in with the band But they are real gems, and include some of their finest tracks - Human Nature, Common Ground (beautiful, just beautiful), Wurensch, War Heroes, Nothing At All....

Went to see them for the first time at The Marquee on the night they announced that Menel and Tim Esau were leaving in 1989   At this point I knew nothing of the Nicholls era 1 or the first 2 albums, and with there being no internet I assumed they had disappeared, until seeing an advert in The Independent for Subterranea.  I got the album but was unimpressed for a long time; didn't like the "new" vocalist and my musical brain wasn't working properly, due to several years as a student where I had ignored proper music and listened to Oasis, etc

Eventually (after several years, not of constantly playing mind) it clicked and I discovered the older albums and some more that had appeared.  This really co-incided with my newly-discovered appreciation for prog, which was inspired by getting The Platinum Collection by Genesis in about 2002.  Suddenly, I realised what music I really liked and the Internet did the rest

The release of Frequency really cemented the band's position for me.  A stunning album.  Been to see them 3 times since then, including the Road Of Bones launch gig last year.  Wish I could see them more, but in South Wales we don't get many of the top prog acts visiting....

So, yeah, my favourite band.  Love all their albums.  Can't really pick a favourite.  The Road Of Bones is amazing, and I feel that the quality of the 2nd disc is as high as the first.

Top tracks?  The Last Human Gateway, Headlong, Common Ground, Wurensch, Further Away, Sleepless Incidental, It All Stops Here, The Wrong Side Of Weird, Sacred Sound, Closer, Constellations.  There, how's that for a setlist based on one song from each studio album

I've never heard the Menel album but I'm not really a fan of the Menel IQ albums.  In fact I only have them on vinyl and have never bothered buying cd copies.

I remember being so disillusioned when Nicholls left and I heard the "new" stuff.  It acually turned me off the band for a few years.

The Road of Bones is almost a year old now, how time flies......

Roj wrote: I've never heard the Menel album but I'm not really a fan of the Menel IQ albums.  In fact I only have them on vinyl and have never bothered buying cd copies. I remember being so disillusioned when Nicholls left and I heard the "new" stuff.  It acually turned me off the band for a few years. The Road of Bones is almost a year old now, how time flies......

^ thanks for the recommendation . I love Mike Holmes , he is 'Mr IQ' so to speak but I've never got as far as checking out The Lens. Will sort that!

Tom Ozric wrote: I am going to say something here that will annoy many folks here at P.A. I find Road Of Bones to be slightly below the likes of Ever and Lush Attic, in the whole scheme of things. It is excellent, no doubt, but it seems to be missing that 'something' I seek within their music....... ...........or, am I missing something ???

Hi Tom,

I felt the same way about RoB at first, particularly the first disc, but it's been a slow-burner and I'm really starting to get into it now. And now that I've seen it live, I'm really, really getting more into it, but I admit it's taken me a lot longer than it usually does with IQ.

But if you have the two disc version, try listening from "Constellations" to the end. So you get a mini-album of Constellations/Fall and Rise/10 Million Demons/Hardcore. This to me, has more of the classic IQ kind of sound mixed with some new areas they haven't done before too. I listened to these four tracks for months, when the other songs didn't immediately grab me as much. 10 Million Demons is a silly track of course, but reminds me of their fun tunes that you don't expect like "Barbell is in" which I actually love. (and it seems some others here really like that one too)

These days I'm listening to disc one, and it starts to work for me really well at this point but it has taken a long time as I say and will probably never be my favourite, but who knows? Time can do strange things--plenty of my favourite albums are ones that I wasn't sure about at first--but I'm certainly "getting it" at this point and it feels very good.  I have to say I am really happy with the lineup and how the guys are playing--some of the best Cook/Esau work ever and Neil is playing up a storm/creating some very cool atmospheres. Pete/Mike great as always, although I'd love more leads from Mike on the next one.


Edited by january4mn - May 02 2015 at 08:10

Hi Tom,

I agree about Subterranea--that one took me a long while to love too, although it is now probably my current favourite IQ album!? Maybe it's a double album thing?

As far as all the five star reviews go with The Road of Bones, I think (if i ever actually did any reviews or ratings!?) that I'd have given it 4 stars right away last year, but these days I would give it a 5, so it definitely improved over time for me.

But, it does strike me as odd that it has such a higher rating over all than the earlier IQ albums. I'd like to see those older ones get more of the love they deserve on this site (although the ratings are mostly really respectable, but then again what are ratings when personally, I LOVE those albums?

But the reason ROB has such a higher ratings than earlier IQ may have to do with the fact that the website has grown in numbers over the years. So, the highest ratings will be either newer albums of the last few years or the big classic albums like Foxtrot etc. Just an idea.

Anyway, glad you're willing to give The Road of Bones more of a chance--there is a lot of great stuff on there, but as you say a "denser" work which can take some time. BTW, you must have loved the remix of "Lush Attic"! I still like to put on the original too sometimes, but it's one of the best remix albums I ever heard--excellent to hear another version of "Wintertell" on there too.


Edited by january4mn - May 02 2015 at 12:40

january4mn wrote: Hi Tom, I agree about Subterranea--that one took me a long while to love too, although it is now probably my current favourite IQ album!? Maybe it's a double album thing? As far as all the five star reviews go with The Road of Bones, I think (if i ever actually did any reviews or ratings!?) that I'd have given it 4 stars right away last year, but these days I would give it a 5, so it definitely improved over time for me. But, it does strike me as odd that it has such a higher rating over all than the earlier IQ albums. I'd like to see those older ones get more of the love they deserve on this site (although the ratings are mostly really respectable, but then again what are ratings when personally, I LOVE those albums? But the reason ROB has such a higher ratings than earlier IQ may have to do with the fact that the website has grown in numbers over the years. So, the highest ratings will be either newer albums of the last few years or the big classic albums like Foxtrot etc. Just an idea. Anyway, glad you're willing to give The Road of Bones more of a chance--there is a lot of great stuff on there, but as you say a "denser" work which can take some time. BTW, you must have loved the remix of "Lush Attic"! I still like to put on the original too sometimes, but it's one of the best remix albums I ever heard--excellent to hear another version of "Wintertell" on there too.

Sheesus, it's a triple vinyl - I don't have many of those so I forgot - probably why I don't spin it often as I should.
No remix, I have the original LP, a numbered copy with a light blue border around the b&w design. The Enemy Smacks is my fave track. I am still missing a few of their albums.


Edited by Tom Ozric - May 02 2015 at 15:14

Tom Ozric wrote: I am going to say something here that will annoy many folks here at P.A. I find Road Of Bones to be slightly below the likes of Ever and Lush Attic, in the whole scheme of things. It is excellent, no doubt, but it seems to be missing that 'something' I seek within their music....... ...........or, am I missing something ???