Ruminations - July 16, 2005
by Stephanie Sollow



What's Your IQ?


Something a little different - well, not much different - for the sporadically updated Ruminations page. It's mainly because most of my thoughts go into a Progression column.

Though I had prepared to include this with a pre-NEARfest update... that was not to be...

Late in 2004, I was asked by NEARFest's Rob LaDuca to write a bio for the NF 2005 program, a bio on IQ. A bio on IQ! The headliners! Me! Writing the bio on the headliners! Let me just say, I was over the moon and out there somewhere in deep space. It was like "Jenny from the block" (so to speak) had made the big time.

Note: For those who have never seen me, I look nothing at all like Jennifer Lopez... though I'm often mistaken for Christine Holz of Music News Network. I don't know if that's an insult to her or compliment to me... but there you have it. I don't really even look like her, come to think of it... and so let's go with "insult to her." And I believe it was Christine doing brisk business at the Flower Kings merch table at CalProg as the t-shirts seemed to fly out the door... I was outside on the patio for the Mike Sadler and friends set... very enjoyable by the way... and so I watched out of the corner of my eye as the last of the TFK tee's were sold (darn it). I'm a bit of a tee-shirt fanatic...

Anyway, I was tickled pink to be asked... And so, busily I wrote, re-acquainting myself with IQ's back catalogue... One requirement that Rob had was that I include quotes from various sources... so, it wouldn't just be all my opinion on IQ... not that I don't have one, but it did mean I didn't have to quickly write a ton of reviews, only to quote myself...

Fast forward to June... something has come up... while Rob was asking me, Chad was asking the brains behind GEPR, Fred Tafton, to write an IQ bio... you can guess whose version they decided to go with, can't you? Hey, I'm cool with it. If Rob had said Chad had asked his second cousin's fifth nephew who lived in Antarctica and had never heard of IQ let alone had one, well... I'd be... bothered somewhat. Ah, but no, it's Fred... so yay Fred!. But, just for your reading enjoyment... or torture, depending on what you think of my writing ... here's what I proffered to the NEARfest folks (though I've added a title, and some graphics):

IQ - The NEARFest Bio

If progressive rock died in the mid-70s, as it is said to have by some, its rebirth came in the late 70s and early 80s. Of course, we all know that prog didn't really die, it just lost its favor with the press. This seeming rebirth of one thread of the of the progressive music tapestry, so-called "neo-prog," included IQ.

Martin Orford (Photo: Duncan Glenday)However, IQ is a band that hates labels and one that doesn't necessarily think of themselves as a progressive rock band. And do not, ever ever call them "neo-prog." Get keyboardist and founding member Martin Orford talking about this subject, and you are bound to get a very terse reply. Such as this to Vitaly Menshikov at Progressor.net: "What on earth is Neo art rock? I don't really understand all these labels. We just write songs we like and that's it. We have always written great little pop songs, and sometimes we linked them all together to make a long track like 'The Last Human Gateway,' and sometimes we would just do them as pop songs." Orford goes further in an email interview with Mike Prete of The Giant Progweed (www.progweed.net): "In my book, neo = fake, and IQ is no fake band - we're every bit as good as the 70's prog bands and a whole lot better than most of them in my (not very humble) opinion. 20 years worth of consistent record sales does not lie - we are the genuine article. In any case, the correct name of the movement with which IQ was associated [...] was the 'New Wave Of Progressive Rock.' The neo-progressive term emerged from the USA about 10 - 12 years later [...] Thankfully, the term 'neo-progressive' is very rarely used in the UK."

Peter Nicholls (courtesy)IQ, who first headlined NEARfest in 1999 (the very first NEARfest), began 1981 as an outgrowth of The Lens, a band that three fifths of the original IQ line up were part of at one time or another - Peter Nicholls (vocals) and Mike Holmes (guitars) to begin with in 1976, and in 1977, Orford as well. (A Lens bio is at www.gep.co.uk). Nicholls later left The Lens and formed Delfin with Lens drummer Niall Hayden and keyboardist Kev Sharpe. Orford and Holmes continued for awhile, but desired to branch out from the mostly instrumental band that The Lens was. With two other Lens members, Mark Ridout (drums) and Carmine Brundell (vocals), and with bassist Tim Esau, they formed IQ. Both Ridout and Brundell would soon leave, Ridout being replaced by Paul Cook. And joining the band on vocals, invited by Holmes, was Nicholls. (Incidentally, Ridout would later team up with one-time Lens and IQ bassist Les Marshall to form what would become Jadis.)

The band's first, though "unofficial," release was a cassette of demos containing mostly instrumental pieces called Seven Stories Into Eight (1982). "There were three different editions," according to the It All Posts Here IQ newsletter FAQ, "released on cassette and sold at gigs and the local places that would pick up such a recording. The versions only contain minor adjustments, remixes, etc. The third is most commonly found." The band later re-recorded all these pieces in 1998 for Seven Stories Into '98. However, you can find an even earlier IQ recording on a compilation album called Playback as put out by the UK publication Melody Maker in 1981.

By the time IQ released their first proper album, they were already headlining at such clubs as The Marquee in London. Prior to that, they opened for Twelfth Night and The Enid. The band also later - in the mid-80s - opened for Wishbone Ash and Magnum.

Tales From The Lush AtticThat first official album, Tales From The Lush Attic (1983), bears striking musical similarities to Genesis, both in the arrangements and in the vocals of Nicholls. Writes Prete about Tales: "IQ's debut is the perfect bridge between the classic symphonic sound of the 70s, and the more straight ahead 80s neo-prog. [...] They assault the listener with a strong sense of melody, complex hard rock and plenty of emotion to create an emotional sound. Unlike their contemporaries, IQ has a great sense of song writing, and is able to create long 'epic' pieces without sounding contrived. The best example of this would be 'The Last Human Gateway,' a 20 minute piece composed of smaller passages that move seamlessly into each other." The other factor in the band's style that led to comparisons with Genesis was Nicholls' use of masks and make up. Nicholls had already been a some-time actor, so it wasn't an unnatural addition to the band's music, and with the dramatic style of music the band were playing, seems wholly appropriate. Much as it did for Peter Gabriel and Genesis.

The WakeIn 1985 IQ released their second album, The Wake, "a fine piece of progressive music, performed by an obviously talented group of musicians," writes Peter Ridout at Progarchives (www.progarchives.com). "Particularly effective tracks include the atmospheric and even grandiose opener 'Outer Limits;' the hard-hitting, memorable title track (both songs feature great 'Hackett-esque' guitar from Mike Holmes); the musically-diverse 'The Magic Roundabout;' the initially-melancholy, then driving and infectious 'Headlong' (which has a simply majestic closing section); and 'Dans Le Parc Du Chateau Noir' (more superb axe-work here!)."

Living ProofA live release followed, Living Proof (1985), which had initially been recorded for the Live In London television show. It marked the end of the first chapter of the IQ story. Nicholls left the band (and formed Niadem's Ghost) and was replaced by Paul Mendel. The first release from this new line up was the fan club release Nine In A Pond Is Here, which "contains the first practice sessions with Paul," writes Maurice Dam at The Lush Attic. "Although the quality is not perfect, the music makes up for it with songs like 'IQ,' 'Fascination' or 'The Last Human Gateway.' This record is mainly known for the wacky 4th side though with several humorous pieces of 'music.'"

NomzamoThings were looking up for IQ, as it was at this time that the band were signed to Squawk, an imprint run by the band's manager Peter Mensch, which was affiliated with Vertigo Records and Polygram/Phonogram Records. With the new album and vocalist came a change in direction, a more commercial sounding style of rock. The first release under the new deal was Nomzamo, an album that stylistically at times would fit right in with the "new wave" music that was popular at the time. Music that lives up to Orford's comment that "We have always written great little pop songs..." Truer to say is that Nomzamo, and the album that followed, Are You Sitting Comfortably?Are You Sitting Comfortably? (1989), which was produced by Terry Brown (of Rush fame) were similar in feel to the pop direction that Genesis were also taking in the early 80s. They didn't abandon a progressive inclination entirely, as a closer listen to each of these albums would attest.

Just as quickly as things took a downturn for the band -- the Squawk label was in financial trouble, the band were dropped and went on hiatus (Menel and Esau left; Orford began playing with Jadis) -- things were also coming back together. There were a couple of gigs in 1990, with Marshall taking over for Esau, and Orford handling vocals himself for one gig, and for the other ... Nicholls on lead vocals. Les Marshall's unexpected passing in 1991 drew the band closer together. The label Giant Electric Pea was formed, the first release being J'ai Pollette d'Arnu, featuring Mendel's last live performances and some outtakes. The band had their American debut in May of 1993 by playing at Progfest in Los Angeles.

EverEver (1993) marked the return of the band and of Peter Nicholls on vocals, with the addition of John Jowitt (Jadis) on bass. "[...S]ome of the music here is very strong," writes Jon Fry at Ground and Sky (www.progreviews.com). "Little of the band's roots in Genesis can be detected on this work (a good thing, in my opinion) and I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't believe there is original sounding neo-prog. [...] The tracks that work the most effectively are those that are the simpler rock-orientated pieces -- 'The Darkest Hour,' 'Out Of Nowhere,' and, to a lesser degree, 'Came Down.'" And says Sean McFee at Ground and Sky, with a slightly different take, "The Genesis influences are still very strong, although now they might come from a bit later in that band's recording history. In fact, this album gives a superficial idea of what Trick-era Genesis might have sounded like with Gabriel, given the vocal similarities with Nicholls."

SubterraneaForever Live, a double CD, was released in 1996. And what has become another milestone in the band's career, the double-disc concept album Subterranea, was released in 1997. "Let me get one thing straight..." commands Jurriaan Hage of The Axiom Of Choice (www.cs.uu.nl/people/jur/progrock.html)."[F]rom the neo-classical tuning of the instruments and the instrumental Subterranea videoshowcase called 'Overture' until the twenty minute 'The Narrow Margin,' this must be one, if not the, most important progressive release of 1997." The band also recorded and released a live video of the band performing Subterranea in its entirety, naturally called Subterranea: The Concert Video (2000), and releasing the soundtrack as Subterranea: The Concert (2000). The DVD version of the video came out in 2002.

Seventh House followed in 2001. "IQ today sounds more confident than they have ever sounded before," writes John "BoBo" Bollenberg at Progressiveworld.net (www.progressiveworld.net). "Since Ever, the band has led a second life with a firm line-up as a result and every single member feeling at ease within the IQ concept. [...] Michael Holmes did The Seventh Housea remarkable job production-wise, as you hear every little detail crystal clear. On one side you have the open arrangement, and once guitars and rhythm take over, the sounds are all over the place without being over-arranged one single second." And Ron Fuchs at ProgNaut (www.prognaut.com), says, "IQ has set yet another milestone in their almost 20 years together (as of this release) with The Seventh House."

Dark MatterIQ's latest release is 2004's Dark Matter. Sea Of Tranquility (www.seaoftranquility.org) reviewer Pete Pardo describes Dark Matter thusly, "the sounds contained within the grooves of Dark Matter are still classic IQ - no surprises here, no change in direction, but pure symphonic progressive rock, dark and moody, with more than a hint to vintage Genesis. [...] Rich keyboard textures (synths, Hammond, Mellotron) and melodic guitar passages meet up with the yearning vocals of Peter Nicholls to create five memorable songs, helping to lift Dark Matter into the upper echelon of IQ recordings alongside Ever, The Wake, Tales From The Lush Attic, The Seventh House, and Subterranea."

It was announced in February 2005 that Paul Cook would leave the band, though not until after the July live dates.



Several months after I sent this off to Rob, IQ's new drummer was announced - Andy Edwards. And, it turns out, Cook decided not tour with IQ afterall.


Links: Progression, NEARfest, IQ, Flower Kings, CalProg, GEPR, Progressor.net, The Giant Progweed, The Lens, Jadis, The Enid, Wishbone Ash, Magnum, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Progarchives, Terry Brown,
Rush, Giant Electric Pea, Ground and Sky, The Axiom Of Choice, ProgNaut, Sea Of Tranquility








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Published on: 2005-07-16 (3203 reads)

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