Subterranea (CD)

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  Progressive Rock
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: March 15, 2005
• Label: Inside Out Music
• UPC: 693723285320
• WAPI (Tower ID): 106500530
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• Tower.com Sales Rank: #19813 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #7402 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
• #173 in Progressive Rock (See Top 100 Progressive Rock Bestsellers)

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Personnel: Peter Nicholls (vocals, background vocals); Mike Holmes (guitar, guitar synthesizer); Tony Wright (saxophone); Martin Orford (keyboards, background vocals); Paul Cook (drums, percussion); John Jowitt (background vocals).

Recording information: Nomansland, New Forest, England (07/1997-08/1997).

Released in September 1997, Subterranea was quickly hailed by most progressive rock critics as a masterpiece and became one of the very few "classic" albums this style brought forth in 1990s. The two-CD, 103-minute concept album is indeed IQ's strongest effort and would even eclipse The Wake, if it weren't for the historical significance of the 1985 LP. An obscure story of subterranean beings, life-and-death chase, and initiatory quest packed with metaphorical implications, Subterranea, as a concept, is typical Peter Nicholls; all lyrics remain vague, only suggesting emotions and bits of plot, but to phenomenal results. The easy comparison would be Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and, yes, there is something of that in here, but the meaning of this album is even more cryptic. The music is rooted in IQ's neo-prog past: rather simple songs, driven by Martin Orford's keyboards and Peter Nicholls' theatrical and emotion-packed vocals, dressed in progressive rock grandeur without the flashy chops, and -- most of all -- very strong melodies. This monster of an album takes some time to get used to. After the first listen, one is left puzzled and uncertain, but once some of the melodies have had a chance to implement themselves in one's brain, Subterranea quickly becomes a "desert island" disc. Highlights include the rocking title track and "Tunnel Vision," the pompous "Failsafe," the heartbreaking ballad "Capricorn" (embellished by the saxophone of guest Tony Wright), and the short "State of Mind" and "Laid Low." The first of these two ends the first disc, while the second opens disc two, thereby presenting the "positive" and "negative" sides of the same melody -- a very clever way to link the two parts of the album as two "acts." The only weak track of the set is the 20-minute epic "The Narrow Margin." Coming at the end, it is simply too hard to digest, and it seems to lose its cohesion somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, Subterranea is IQ's biggest musical accomplishment and will get under the skin of any prog fan. A live version of the album was released in 2000 under the title Subterranea: The Concert. ~ Fran‡ois Couture

Subterranea: The Concert is exactly what the title says: a complete live rendition of IQ's masterpiece Subterranea. The track list is exactly the same as the studio album (there is not even an extra encore). Following Subterranea's release in September 1997, one question immediately arose: It's a fantastic album, but can the guys pull it off live? This document proves without a doubt they did. Actually, IQ performed the work a few times in 1998 and 1999, turning it into a full-fledged stage production with light show, projections, and an actor, getting very close to Genesis' historical production of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in 1974-1975 (minus the outrageous costumes). The performance is as perfect as can be: Peter Nicholls never fails to hit the high notes and puts extra emotion into his characters without resolving to pathos. The rich arrangements are fully reproduced: tapes are used at some points like the string introduction in "Overture" and saxophonist Tony Wright makes a guest appearance for "Capricorn," just like on the studio version. Bassist John Jowitt is more at ease with the band and seems to have a bit more fun with his parts. "Breathtaker" gets extra punch, as do "Failsafe," "Somewhere in Time" and "State of Mind," but in the latter's case it has much to do with the audience's reaction at the end of it, the first pause in the music for 50 minutes. Apart from these minor details, everything is EXACTLY the same as on the studio version and many IQ fans could be easily confused if asked to distinguish one from the other. Therefore, it is hard to give any recommendation on Subterranea: The Concert, either positive or negative. It is as good as Subterranea -- it's the same thing! That's why it is given a two-and-a-half-stars rating (whereas the studio version has five). If redundancy doesn't repel you -- otherwise stick with the studio version. ~ Fran‡ois Couture

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