Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: IQ
Label: Giant Electric Pea
Release: 1985
Length: 67:08
Rating: 4.5/5
»The Wake«, the third studio outing from English neo-prog heavyweights IQ, was their best record of the 1980s and is still their only album to make the UK chart. Even most of the critics of the day, who neither before nor after ever really ‘got’ the band, gave »The Wake« a thumbs-up, and for a brief moment it looked like the goddess Fortuna had finally smiled on them. That’s no small thing for a band that never tasted commercial success or wider recognition in its career, even though they were among the finest representatives of the neo prog movement and phenomenal technical wizards who, by the mid-eighties, had also sculpted themselves into top-notch songwriters.
Compared to the very good but, production- and arrangement-wise, still pretty rookie-ish predecessor »Tales from the Lush Attic« (1983), »The Wake« is a noticeable leap forward. That goes for the structure of the individual compositions as well as the production, which has finally become what it should be for a band of such artistic rank and technical caliber. Charismatic singer and lyricist Peter Nicholls once again contributed an enigmatic, mystical cover featuring a harlequin figure that strongly recalls his made-up stage persona of the time, even though it’s actually the face of actress Rae Dawn Chong from the film »Quest for Fire« (1981). The other figures on the cover relate to individual lyrics on »The Wake« and are presented, in a more or less introspective way, through Nicholls’ unmistakably melodramatic singing. The vocal kinship with Peter Gabriel (ex-Genesis) remained his trademark, but after »Tales from the Lush Attic« he became even more varied in switching between vocal registers.
Keyboardist Martin Orford, too, made serious progress in two years and became remarkably skilled not just at improvising but at laying down extremely tasteful, melodically conceived synth arrangements, while blending the ‘classic prog rock keyboards’, that is Mellotron, electric piano and organ, very well into the production, which the band handled themselves once again. By this point they’d learned a thing or two as producers as well. Guitarist Mike Holmes especially shines on »The Wake« as an innovator in crafting witty guitar phrases, and also as an ingeniously inventive soloist with a recognizable technique. The golden instrumental partnership of Orford and Holmes gave IQ the means to build exceptionally rich harmonies rooted in the best days of symphonic prog rock. The rhythm section of drummer Paul Cook and bassist Tim Esau, meanwhile, never shied away from complex rhythmic nuances and intelligently timed tempo shifts. There’s somewhat less improvising this time than on »Tales from the Lush Attic«, but in return the individual sections on every single »The Wake« composition have a much more polished and sensible structure with a bigger emphasis on melody.
So as musicians, and above all as songwriters, arrangers and producers, IQ took an important step forward on »The Wake«, which makes the fact that their original/classic lineup fell apart after the album’s release feel all the more bitter. There isn’t a single weak track on »The Wake«. »Outer Limits«, with its dramatic layering of Mellotron curtains slowly building a mysterious, slightly dark atmosphere, is an immensely powerful album opener. The superb transition into a somewhat brighter section, where keyboard-and-guitar harmonies backed by heavy Mellotron take the lead, and above all the entrance of Nicholls’ theatrical, mournful vocals, add up to a winning combination and the birth of one of neo prog rock’s classics. The piece hits its climax when Nicholls’ singing reaches into the higher registers, and the mighty symphonic arrangements are crowned with a melancholic guitar solo.
The title track is one of the darkest and most enigmatic moments in the IQ story (which also makes it one of their best), with massive layers of sacred-flavored organ in the foreground, laid over punchy guitar passages and backed by melodic rhythmic nuances. Here Nicholls proves once again that he’s a first-rate master of poetic melodrama. Together with his technically highly skilled instrumental comrades he conjures up a truly mighty and intense mood that will remind plenty of people of classic Genesis, the way they might have sounded in 1985 had Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett not left in the meantime and had the band not gone through its transformation into pop rock.
»The Magic Roundabout«, another IQ evergreen, which opens with a sacred intro of dramatic organ curtains followed by a sly shift into a rhythmically faster section, is full of unexpected tempo twists and magnificent arrangements that symphonic prog fans will still be licking their lips over today. Despite the optimistically tinted main arrangement, Nicholls’ singing this time soaks up even darker shades than usual, his voice full of disappointment and rage at the world, while irritated guitar passages and rattling bass lines help crank up the fatalistic atmosphere. Holmes’ phenomenal guitar solo cleverly steers this wonderful composition toward its exit.
»Corners«, one of the strangest experiments in the entire IQ catalog, opens with exotic-sounding percussion (tabla) and fun synth effects, adding a slight touch of world music. The feeling only grows with the arrival of Holmes’ electric sitar, while Nicholls’ melancholic singing brings a dash of paranoia and anxiety into an otherwise rather unusual, positively tinged atmosphere.
The best part of »The Wake« is undoubtedly the final three compositions, which catch IQ at the peak of their ‘game’. The epic masterpiece »Widow’s Peak« and its instrumental opening section slowly build an ever more complex mood while new layers of synthesizers keep piling up. Eventually an iconoclastic instrumental section takes shape, with turbulent rhythmic meanders and mighty guitar passages, while Nicholls’ authoritative vocal approach seasons the increasingly gloomy atmosphere even further. The epic harmonies radiate the aura of some bygone Victorian era, while Nicholls sketches out an unhappy love drama with a sarcastic touch. Rattling bass lines and a rhythmic build-up on the cymbals are followed by a brilliant switch into a combative section and another chance for a sprawling guitar improvisation.
»The Thousand Days« is surely the most commercial thing on »The Wake«, even though it was probably never made with the aim of getting the band onto the radio charts in any way. With it, the classic IQ lineup managed to create its own ‘pop’ standard, which sounds commercial only when you compare it to most of the rest of the material they recorded under Nicholls’ vocal command. A blend of pleasantly harmonized acoustic guitar arrangement and subtle synth textures paves the way for the song’s climax in an epic chorus, where the theatrical Nicholls shines brightest. The epic peak of the album, though, comes from the closing standard »Headlong«, which is still some of the best stuff IQ have made in their career so far. Peter’s tormented vocal confession slowly builds a tense opening drama, while punchy guitar passages, vivid organ variations and Mellotron grandeur, providing a mighty symphonic backdrop, carry the listener off on an unforgettable sonic adventure. That’s followed by a solemn move into an epic section, where Nicholls stages a veritable ambient revelation with his singing. For the big finale, Holmes pulls another wonderfully interesting guitar phrase out of his sleeve, which, together with a witty synth motif, carries everything into a triumphant exit. The reissue also includes a bonus track with a French title, »Dans le Parc du Cheatau Noir«, which is on par with the material on the ‘regular’ part. Here too, a seriously dark mood prevails, with Nicholls’ almost paranoid vocal approach, a faster rhythmic pulse and a wild closing guitar solo.
»The Wake« is certainly not the best album in IQ’s history, but it still marks the peak of their early period (the eighties) and their step up to the next level of maturity as songwriters and arrangers. Nicholls wanted to carry on in the symphonic prog rock style they’d had until then, while the other members of the band wished for a somewhat more commercial direction, after realizing that some of their neo prog peers were doing very well on the commercial side too (really, Marillion were the only such case). In the end the majority’s will won out and Nicholls (temporarily) said goodbye to the band, which for quite a while ‘blew their brains out’, especially when it came to the quality of the lyrics and the artistic vision. For a long time, right up to the album »Ever« (1993), »The Wake« was thus the swan song of the classic IQ lineup. On the next two albums, by experimenting with new wave elements, IQ began losing more and more credibility among progressive rock fans, while failing to win over the pop-hit ‘devourers’ with the new direction either, so Nicholls’ return in the early nineties was simply inevitable.
Line-up
Peter Nicholls – vocals, tambourine
Mike Holmes – guitar, sitar
Martin Orford – keyboards, flute, backing vocals
Tim Esau – bass guitar and bass pedals
Paul Cook – drums and percussion
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Harun – tabla on “Corners”
Production
Mike Holmes and Tim Esau
Track list
1. Outer Limits (8:15)
2. The Wake (3:12)
3. The Magic Roundabout (8:18)
4. Corners (6:20)
5. Widow’s Peak (9:12)
6. The Thousand Days (5:12)
7. Headlong (7:25)
Bonus tracks:
8. Dans Le Parc Du Chateau Noir (7:37)
9. The Thousand Days (demo) (3:55)
10. The Magic Roundabout (demo) (6:27)
Album length: 67:08
