IQ : ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE

 

  1. The Unknown Door
  2. The Road Of Bones
  3. Never Land
  4. The Darkest Hour
  5. Fire And Security
  6. Ten Million Demons
  7. If Anything
  8. Frequency
  9. Zero Hour
  10. Stronger Than Friction
  11. Capricorn
  12. Subterranea
  13. The Seventh House
  14. Further Away
  15. Sacred Sound
  16. Closer

Label : Giant Electric Pea

Release Date : 2025

Length : 72:16

Review (IQ) : When people discover IQ for the first time, one of the comments we often hear is “How have I not heard of this band before?”. Why, nearly 45 years into our career, do we still see some people referring to us as a well-kept secret? And what can we do to make ourselves known to more people who might enjoy our music? This got us to thinking: perhaps a selection of edited versions of some of our songs would be easier to share on social media/ streaming platform playlists and might appeal more to a first-time listener. While a 20-minute epic could be a challenge to anyone unfamiliar with our music, it may be that shorter, more concise versions are more immediately palatable and could act as a kind of 'Gateway' (no pun intended) to the world of IQ. With that in mind we're looking at a collection of special edits with a working title of 'Almost But Not Quite' (see what we did there?). First up is a nifty edit of 'The Unknown Door' from Dominion. We have a few ideas for other tracks, but it would be really interesting to hear from you: What was the first IQ song you heard that turned you on to our music? Which song, albeit in edited form, do you think might work as an introduction to someone who might well be a future prog/IQ person?

Review (ProgArchives) : What we have here is a very interesting compilation, or possibly a sampler, of IQ's music from the last 30 years, going all the way back to 'Ever' which was released in 1993. The idea behind this was to provide a distilled essence of the band with a series of edits so there is no song longer than five minutes, which is quite an achievement. Going through the song titles I think we have at least one song from each of the last nine albums, including this year's 'Dominion', which means we also have performances from every member of the band who has ever been on a studio album in the last 40+ years apart from Paul Menel. I must confess I was not too sure what to expect, as some of the edits have been quite brutal. For example, "The Darkest Hour" has shrunk from 10:52 to 3:34, yet it still works and although we do have some fades in places, overall this album is a huge success. Somehow the songs have more intensity, and although I will always prefer the "full" versions this release has provided some new insights and the opportunity to revisit some albums I have not played as much as I should. I was never a huge fan of 'Frequency' when it was released, but now having heard this I wonder if that was because neither Widge or Cookie were involved and did that taint my view of the music? I am certainly going to go back and listen to it again with open ears, as "Frequency", "Stronger Than Friction" and "Closer" have all come out very well indeed. We only lose a minute from "Subterranea", and it is important to note that the edits have been undertaken very carefully indeed so that essence and stature of the originals have been maintained while turning them into something a little different, more direct. The result is something which is intriguing to diehard fans, listening to music they know so well in shorter versions, while it should also serve well to "newbies" who may be intrigued to know what this prog nonsense is all about, and how can a band have such a solid fanbase and somehow never hit the mainstream? It is almost exactly 40 years since I first saw IQ when they supported Magnum at the Hammersmith Odeon, and they still continue to excite and deliver.

Review (MusicMeter) : IQ heeft op ludieke wijze haar fans actief betrokken bij dit leuke project. Via de officiële website vroegen de bandleden welke nummers het meest geschikt zouden zijn als introductie voor nieuwe luisteraars. De IQ-instapper, zeg maar. IQ staat bekend om haar fraaie, maar soms ook oeverloze en epische composities - iets wat wel vaker voorkomt bij progressieve rockbands - en het viel de heren van IQ regelmatig op dat nieuwe luisteraars moeite hebben om in de muziek of in een bepaald album te komen. Daarom besloot men een selectie van IQ-nummers te bewerken tot kortere versies. Dit album is dus nadrukkelijk geen verzamelaar van nieuwe of oudere, al dan niet populaire nummers, maar een creatieve herinterpretatie van bestaande tracks in een compactere vorm. Het doel was om hun muziek toegankelijker te maken zonder al te veel artistieke concessies. Als liefhebber van leuke melodietjes vind ik dit eigenlijk best een geslaagd project. Het toont aan dat de liedjes van IQ in de kern bijzonder melodieus en toegankelijk zijn, maar dat ze door hun lengte soms (te?) veel ‘herhalingen’ of andere elementen bevatten, waardoor ze een tikkeltje langdradig kunnen overkomen en daardoor wellicht wat minder aantrekkelijk zijn voor potentiële nieuwe fans.