IQ - 2025 - Almost But Not Quite

(72:00; Giant Electric Pea)






















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.

Kev Rowland, December 2025

Links:
https://www.iq-hq.co.uk/
https://gep.co.uk/

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