IQ - The Wake

Year of Release: 1985
Label: GEP
Catalog Number: GEPCD 1011
Format: CD
Total Time: 67:54:00

The Wake is the second release from the well-known English prog band, IQ.

This is a very important disc because it lets you understand what road they took through their musical journey. It contains three bonus tracks, adding those ones that appeared on LP

The Wake can be considered a classic neo-prog album: a few moments of virtuosity, shorter songs than the symphonic rock of seventies, catchier melodies, and so on. But it also has all the defects of early neo-prog efforts: there are too many influences of past groups, so sometimes it lacks originality. Peter Nicholls tries to emulate Peter Gabriel, and I don't like his "gabrielization"; many solos by Mike Holmes are "infected" by Hackett's influences and the beginning of "Outer Limits" seems to appear on UK's albums. However the sound is more modern and represents perfectly the age that it was published.

There are some pieces that make it interesting as well: for example, the link between "The Wake" and "The Magic Roundabout" is an experimental- psychedelic instrumental by Martin Orford and reveals the love of melodies that the group has; therefore the final result is enjoyable.

Tracklisting:
Outer Limits / The Wake / The Magic Roundabout / Corners / Widow's Peak / The Thousand Days / Headlong / Bonus Tracks: Dans Le Parc Du Chateau Noir / The Thousand Days (demo) / The Magic Roundabout (demo) ?

Musicians:
Paul Cook - drums
Tim Esau - bass
Peter Nicholls - voice
Martin Orford - keyboards and flute
Mike Holmes - guitars

Discography:
Tales From The Lush Attic (1983)
The Wake (1985)
Nine In A Pond Is Here (1985)
Living Proof (1986)
Nomzamo (1987)
Are You Sitting Comfortably? (1989)
J'ai Pollette D'arnu (1991)
Ever (1994)
Forever Live (1996)
Subterranea (1997)
Seven Stories Into 98 (1998)
The Lost Attic (1999)
Subterranea: The Concert (2000)
The Seventh House (2001)
The Archive Collection - IQ20: Live In Aschaffenburg (2003)
Dark Matter (2004)
Frequency Tour CD 1 (2008)
Frequency Tour CD 2 (2008)
Frequency (2009)
The Wake: Live At De Boerderij (2010)
The Wake (Deluxe Edition) (2010)
Re:Mixed (2011)
The Archive Collection - IQ30: Live In Zoetermeer (2012)
Tales From The Lush Attic 2013 Remix (2013)
The Road Of Bones (2014)
The Road Of Bonus (2014)
Live On The Road Of Bones (2016)
Tales From A Dark Christmas (2017)
Resistance (2019)
A Show Of Resistance (2020)

Subterranea: The Concert Video (VHS) (2000)
Subterranea: The Concert DVD (DVD) (2002)
IQ20 - The Twentieth Anniversary Show (DVD) (2004)
Live From London (DVD) (2005)
Stage (DVD) (2006)
Forever Live (DVD) (2007)
Scrape Across The Sky (2016)
Live Like This (2020)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin UK

Added: April 20th 2003
Reviewer: Davide Guidone

Artist website: www.iq-hq.co.uk
Hits: 3956
Language: english