TALES FROM THE LUSH ATTIC

I'm quite the modern IQ fan, but after finally finding the vinyl of their debut I wasn't that impressed. Along with Marillion's first, 'Tales From The Lush Attic' by IQ represents the birth of the neo-progressive movement. During most of the record one can almost imagine all band members thinking about how to recreate the vibe of Genesis' 'The Lamb Dies Down on Broadway'. Singer Peter Nicholls hasn't really found his own voice here, but does a nice enough tribute to Peter Gabriel. The Genesis hommage doesn't bother me much, the production of the record is the main problem here. I'm sad to say the band itself is at least partly to blame here; all the tempo's on this album are dead wrong; too fast and distorted by over-excited or rushed playing. The production sound doesn't help either. Probably due a lack of imagination of the producer chose an almost working-man post-punk type of dry sound, which gives this otherwise imaginative music a very odd 'pub' feel.

Putting all these critiques aside, this albums isn't loved for no reason. Right from the opening keyboard theme from 'The Last Human Gateway' you can hear the love for the progressive genre. When Nicholls enters with his theatrical performance this moment can still be relived as a sort of reunion of seventies sentiments. This twenty minute suite unapologetically fires all that was good about symphonic prog; waves of synths, time-signatures, epic guitar leads and of course that conclusive finale in which everything comes together. On side two 'The Enemy Smacks' reaches equal peaks. The short 'Through The Corridors' has guitar solo's serving as riffs and suffers terribly for it. To bad, because without it side one would have been better.

Whether you'll really appreciate this album will depend on you having forgiving ears (or not) when it comes to the production. Its historical importance can't be denied - as does the love put into writing it. The artwork is quite good! Only the limited first run has the blue frame and you're more likely to find a red one. The band has also released a remix/remaster which sounds a lot better than my vinyl. I myself will however remain a frequent listener of their more recent output.