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Highlighting in album tracklistings denotes 'contains Mellotron'. On 'multi-part' tracks I've tried to indicate which parts contain 'Tron, although this isn't always possible.
Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
The 'T' ('Tron, of course...) rating (0-5) is an only slightly more objective indicator of an album's Mellotronness.
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Tales From the Lush Attic (1983, 46.03/56.20) *****/TTTTThe Last Human GatewayThrough the Corridors (Oh Shit Me!) Awake and Nervous My Baby Treats Me Right 'Cos I'm a Hard-Lovin' Man All Night Long The Enemy Smacks [CD adds: Just Changing Hands] |
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The Wake (1985, 49.07/67.11) *****/TTTT |
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| Outer Limits The Wake The Magic Roundabout Corners Widow's Peak The Thousand Days Headlong |
[CD adds: Dans le Parc du Chateau Noir The Thousand Days (demo) The Magic Roundabout (demo)] |
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Nine in a Pond is Here (1985) ***½/TTT |
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| It All Stops Here Fascination Intelligence Quotient The Last Human Gateway Awake and Nervous Outer Limits The Wake Glenn Miller Medley |
Flak The Story of Cow and the Grocery Boys Lost Horizon Robo II Funk is in My Brain Stomach of Animal Sno it Pe Crep (Truth) |
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one-sided 7" (1986) **½/T Nomzamo (demo) |
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Living Proof (1986) ***½/TTT½Awake and NervousOuter Limits It All Stops Here Just Changing Hands The Wake The Magic Roundabout Widow's Peak The Thousand Days Corners |
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Nomzamo (1987) ***/TTNo Love LostPromises (as the Years Go By) Nomzamo Still Life Passing Strangers Human Nature Screaming Common Ground |
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J'ai Pollette d'Arnu (1991, recorded 1985-89, 62.51) ***½/TT |
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| It All Stops Here Sera Sera Intelligence Quotient Dans le Parc du Chateau Noir Medley: The Last Human Gateway Outer Limits It All Stops Here The Enemy Smacks | Common Ground Promises Wurensh |
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The Lost Attic (1999, recorded 1983-99, 76.52) ****½/TTT½ |
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| The Universal Scam Wintertell The Last Human Gateway (Middle Section) Hollow Afternoon (1999 recording) Apathetic and Here, I... N.T.O.C. (Resistance) Eyes of the Blind Barbell is in (12" Lizard Mix) |
The Bold Grenadier My Legs Fascination Hollow Afternoon Awake and Nervous (radio session) Just Changing Hands (radio session) Widow's Peak (radio session) |
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Current availability:
Mellotron used:
Southampton-based outfit The Lens fragmented in 1981 (re-recordings of their material have been released recently), and three of its members formed a new, more blatantly 'progressive' band, IQ. Before long they replaced their drummer, and early Lens member Peter Nicholls joined on vocals; the 'classic' lineup was complete, and engaged themselves in a heavy gigging schedule, just in time to become one of the leading lights in the early-'80s UK prog scene. Their album-length demo, Seven Stories Into Eight (****) was released in late '82, and sold a largish but unknown number of copies, eventually being 'retired' two years later. In 1998, the current lineup re-recorded the whole tape, releasing it along with a remastered version of the original as Seven Stories Into '98 (****), highly recommended for anyone interested in the band's history.
Soon after the tape's release, keyboard player Martin Orford bought his Mellotron M400 (flutes/choirs/strings), and applied it vigorously to the new material they were writing. Later in '83 they released their first 'proper' album, Tales From the Lush Attic, which really has to be hailed as something of a Mellotron Classic; of the album's five tracks, the only two not to feature it are the disturbing Through The Corridors (Oh Shit Me), and the piano solo My Baby Treats Me Right 'Cos I'm A Hard-Lovin' Man All Night Long (!), an early showing of IQ's, er, 'odd' sense of humour. Tales opens with The Last Human Gateway's major-key melody on the 'Tron flutes, with Pete's somewhat tortured vocals entering the fray. His oblique and entirely original lyrics are one of the band's constant reference points; he admits himself that he "Doesn't really know what they're about". It quickly became apparent that Martin's favourite 'Tron sound was the 8-choir; he once described the strings as sounding like "Someone sawing wood", which makes me wonder if they were the classic 3 violins or the grungier sounding string section which does, indeed, sound a lot like someone sawing wood.
Awake And Nervous is an absolute classic of so-called 'neo-prog', the (usually deservedly) much-maligned genre that the scene initiated, featuring simpler arrangements than 'classic' prog, with more emphasis on the vocals. Martin uses the 'Tron strings here to great effect, along with his Italian Logan string synth. The album's closer is the dark The Enemy Smacks, about heroin addiction, featuring more of those flutes in the creepy middle section and triumphal choir finishing the album off nicely. The album isn't to all prog fans' taste, but IQ sounded far nearer to their '70s influences than many of their contemporaries, with a far better grasp of dynamics and chord structures.
Two relevant singles were recorded the following year; Barbell Is In was the band's cod-reggae number, originally on Seven Stories, but Martin still managed to get a quick burst of 'Tron choir in, although this may only be on the '12" Lizard Mix'. The other was a track called Hollow Afternoon, again featuring 'Tron choir, that was only available as a one-sided 7" at their 1984 New Year's Eve bash at the London Marquee, given to everyone who walked through the door. These are both now available on the 1999 'odds'n'sods' compilation, The Lost Attic, as is their BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show Session, also with extra added 'Tron.
The Wake was released nearly two years after its predecessor, a long time in those days, but it was worth the wait. From the ominous opening bassline to Outer Limits to the closing chords of Headlong, IQ barely put a foot wrong, although Corners still jars slightly with its drum machine and spiky synth sounds. Martin hired in a phalanx of extra keyboards, but much of the album is recorded using his 'old faithfuls', with Mellotron on four of the seven tracks. The obvious 'Tron highlights are the title track (choirs on the intro riff) and the nearest the album gets to an 'epic', Widow's Peak, already heard on the previous year's radio session. Along with Tales, this is a seriously essential album, although die-hard '70s obsessives may wish to steer clear. IQ knock anything by Marillion into a cocked hat (in my humble opinion, of course), and while not really approaching the standards set by Genesis et al, these are two of the best albums of their era.
Pete shocked their growing fanbase by quitting soon after The Wake's release, being replaced by the technically superior but otherwise inferior Paul Menel. The band wasted no time in recording him, by releasing what sounds like a set of rehearsal tapes from late '85 as Nine in a Pond is Here, a double LP in a deliberately bootleg-style sleeve, complete with 'TAKRL' lettering. There's four 'Tron tracks on the album, including a side-long The Last Human Gateway and reprises of two other album tracks and another song from Seven Stories, Fascination. Their classic Glenn Miller Medley finally makes it to tape, but side four is plain bizarre; a set of weird experimental pieces mixed with the band's by now infamous humour, the only listenable (frankly) tracks are Lost Horizon and Sno It Pe Crep (that's 'Perceptions' backwards, fact fans), which is, er, a piece of music played backwards, although I know of nothing they've recorded called Perceptions. Any ideas? The first three sides of Nine in a Pond crept out on CD on a French bootleg, eventually officially released by the band, although side four remains unaccountably missing in action. Funny, that...
IQ's show at London's Camden Palace earlier that year, before Pete's departure, had been filmed, and the soundtrack slipped out without the band's consent as Living Proof in '86. It's a very honest representation of the band's sound at the time, but the poor recording quality (at least on the vinyl original) lets it down badly. Martin can be heard 'Tronning away on five of the nine tracks, with no extra 'Tron added to previously 'Tronless tracks. There are two non-album tracks here, so the album's worth it for the fan, but not for the casual buyer. Despite their original reservations, the band reissued it on CD on their own Giant Electric Pea label in the '90s after a swift remix.
Before Menel's first album with the band, Nomzamo (a slightly misguided eulogy to Nelson Mandela's subsequently discredited wife Winnie), a demo version of the title track was sent to fan club members featuring the by now ubiquitous choirs. The song showed a new side to IQ, with a more contemporary sound and more 'world' influences apparent. Sadly, the album was something of a disappointment; Vertigo 'prog' subsidiary Squawk had signed the band, and along with the other major movers of the 'movement', IQ's new music had a distinctly mainstream bent to it, although the album still manages one epic, the non-'Tron Human Nature. Despite being used on three tracks, Martin's Mellotron use was slipping badly by this time, and none of them are especially 'classic'. He'd stopped using the machine live the previous year, after discovering a knackered roadie bumping it down a flight of steps on his own, as recounted in my '80s Prog page.
Menel's second album, the even more 'commercial' Are You Sitting Comfortably? (***) had no 'Tron whatsoever, although the 'epic' count was raised by one. Menel and long-term bassist Tim Esau left soon after, to immediately disappear into obscurity. An acquaintance of mine met Paul Menel some years later, who angrily claimed that he'd "Tried to drag IQ into the future; they tried to drag me into the past"; I think we all know who got the last laugh, eh? I'd personally given up on the band by this point, so I missed their great 'comeback' gig at the (new) Marquee with Martin on vocals. Pete came out for the encore to scenes of hysteria unrivalled since, oh, the most recent gathering of hormonal teenage girls at the time; Bros or somesuch, I'd imagine (about whom it has been said, "Who?"). Not to say that IQ audiences consist of such types. Perish the thought. Pete soon rejoined on a permanent basis, only for the band to suffer another blow; old friend and Lens member Les 'Ledge' Marshall, by now their bassist, committed suicide, leaving the distraught band in temporary limbo. They decided to soldier on, and found ex-Ark bassist John Jowett, joining Pete, Martin and long-term members Mike Holmes (guitar) and Paul Cook (drums. Not that one). As an aside, Martin and John also played in Jadis around this time, who are often incorrectly described as an 'IQ offshoot'. Formed in the early '80s, Jadis have worked their way through multiple lineups and styles, with IQ members coming and going with some regularity.
Rather than rush into recording themselves, IQ formed their GEP label and released their first 'odds'n'sods' album, J'ai Pollette d'Arnu, which apparently means absolutely nothing. The band had been practicing writing complete rubbish in English for some years by this point, and felt confident enough to tackle French, too. The album's a real mixed bag; both sides of an early Menel release, re-recordings of two Seven Stories tracks, a b-side featuring Pete, a demo and four live tracks. The b-side, Dans Le Parc Du Chateau Noir has some moody 'Tron choir, and while I thought that both sides of the single did, on another listen I can only real hear any on the rather stunning Intelligence Quotient. Now, despite my deep reservations about Menel's suitability for the band, I have to say that this and It All Stops Here are the most amazing recordings, making this CD worth purchasing for them alone.
IQ finally recorded a new album proper, and Ever was released in 1993, crediting Martin with Mellotron, among a bevy of newer instruments, although I'm extremely reliably informed (thanks, Martin) that it is, in fact, sampled, as is the 'Tron on Jadis' More Than Meets the Eye. In a sad state of disrepair, Martin's 'Tron was finally sold to Pendragon/Arena/lots of other stuff man Clive Nolan, who won't take it on tour, but at least records with it. Martin still uses samples of the 8-choir, heard to good effect on the double CD/video set Forever Live (****½), recorded in '93 but not released until '96. It must be old, John's still got hair... The samples can still be heard, in the background at least, on the following year's spiffing double CD concept album, Subterranea (****½), but they seem to have been quietly retired by 2000's The Seventh House (****). 2004's Dark Matter, though, is a full-on '70s-style prog album, complete with (fake) Hammond, Mellotron and Moog.
As mentioned above, however, 1999 brought their second odds'n'sods album, The Lost Attic, containing outtakes, demos and rarities from 1983-99, including five 'Tron tracks from the band's '80s heyday. Rumour has it (cough) that the album was only released to cover the enormous cost of their excellent stage show for Subterranea, as was the subsequent live album/video of the tour. IQ are still very much a going concern, and still, amazingly, putting out good albums, but don't expect any more Mellotron unless they can dig up enough obscurities to make up a third CD.
You may have gathered that despite my '70s bias, I really like IQ; I won't claim they're perfect, but they've put out more very good material than most bands have any right to do. So... if you're not put off by the 'eighties-ness' of their sound, buy Tales From the Lush Attic and The Wake immediately, then maybe Living Proof and The Lost Attic. As far as the Mellotron content is concerned, all the others above feature (just) enough to make them worthwhile, but the only albums I can't really recommend musically are their two late-'80s 'commercial' efforts, and even they have their moments.
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Ever (1993, 50.29) ****The Darkest HourFading Senses After All Fading Senses Out of Nowhere Further Away Leap of Faith Came Down |
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Dark Matter (2004, 52.20) ****½Sacred SoundRed Dust Shadow You Never Will Born Brilliant Harvest of Souls First of the Last The Wrong Host Nocturne Frame and Form Mortal Procession |
Current availability:
After using real 'Tron on several albums, though never particularly liking playing the instrument, Martin Orford sampled it around 1986 for live use, although it still found its way onto the odd studio recording. IQ's first 'reformation' album, with Pete Nicholls back in the fold, Ever, credits 'Mellotron', but I'm very reliably informed that it's the same choir samples Martin had been using onstage for several years you can hear on three tracks. They're a bit buried in the mix, to be honest, and my original 'real 'Tron' review states that I wasn't totally convinced as to their veracity, and it appears I was right. It's a good album, mind you, but don't go expecting any real Mellotron.
However... 2004's Dark Matter is a full-on '70s-style prog album, complete with (fake) Hammond, Mellotron and Moog, although the Taurus pedals are real (!), albeit only at all obvious on one track. This has to be IQ's best album for years, and the interim ones have mostly been pretty good... Opener Sacred Sound has a repeating chord sequence to die for, while 'side-long' closer Harvest Of Souls gets better with every play. Loads of fake 'Tron (strings/flutes/choir), all from the IK Multimedia Sample Tank, suitably credited, making a change from most fakes' credited pretence at reality. Who'd have thought IQ would still be on top of their game after over 20 years? Shocking. Well, let's hope Martin enjoyed the pseudo-analogue experience enough to repeat the experiment next time round... What we can be certain of is that he isn't going to use the real thing, sadly. Oh well. Buy this album, anyway.
