Following the last-minute non-availabilty of the exotic ‘Chez Hilda’ recording suite, we were able to locate another equally sumptuous top secret facility, into which Mike and I settled for three days of creative buffoonery over the weekend.

After studio engineer Neil had set everything up and then left us to our own devices, each day began with my customary “Oh blimey, I’m so rubbish at singing” Hour while my voice warmed up, but then from about 1.00pm onwards we hit our stride and worked our way through the tracks one by one. Mike, of course, insisted on wearing his extravagant, and by now legendary, producer’s hat, currently so enormous and decorated with so many jewels, flashing lights and small woodland creatures that much of the equipment in the control room had to be moved into the corridor outside to make room for it. Anyhow, despite that, I’ve now completed the vocals for ‘Frequency’, ‘Closer’, the newly retitled ‘Stronger Than Friction’ (replacing the former working title of ‘Crashed And Burned’) and ‘Already Gone’. Although this latter number won’t be included on the new album, we do intend to make it available in another way…

Oh, and I’m currently thinking ‘The Chicken Forecast’ would be a good album title.

PN

23.07.08
FROST* SPECIAL TOUR EDITION CD NOW AVAILABLE

Frost* 2008 Tour CD featuring IQ's very own John Jowitt and Andy Edwards.

Only 1000 copies, featuring four different covers - £8 each

Also available is a special offer - buy all 4 for £25 

Tracks:
1. Experiments In Mass Appeal (Edit) (7.00)
2. Wonderland (Edit) (5.00)
3. Here Is The News (3.40)
4. Wedding Day (out take from the Milliontown sessions 5.03)
5. Snowman (acoustic) (3.45)

Plus a video section for computer users. A stictly limited edition with one of 4 covers - limited to only 1000 copies. When they are gone, they are GONE!

To buy, go to www.classicrocksociety.net

Mike:
After an extended hiatus in the process and progress of the new album – for many and varied reasons (some called Kipper, the others not) – we’re finally back in the writing and recording groove. All the music is now written (although inevitably there will be some tweaks) and it’s looking like this will be our longest single studio album to date, with just under an hour’s worth of music.

Regular gig-goers will be interested to note that the two new tracks featured on the last tour, ‘Frequency’ and ‘Crashed and Burned’, will both make it onto the album. A third new track, ‘Already Gone’, which was played on an earlier tour, will probably not be included, but may well see the light of day in some other format – watch this space…

Work in the studio resumed on 5th June when Andy polished off the drums (and then played them…) and we finally got Mark involved in all things keyboards-wise-ish. I was able to complete all guitars for ‘Frequency’ and ‘Crashed and Burned’ as well as starting work on two new tracks, imaginatively entitled ‘Long One’ and ‘Closer’.

We’ll be in the studio again on 10th July when we’ll continue with guitars and keyboards, and we’ll also start work on the bass with Madame Johnny – this time sans frock, I think. (Yeah, like that’s gonna happen…)

Towards the end of July I’ll be going up to darkest Manchester where we’ll start recording the vocals with Pete in a new ‘differently-abled’ studio, ‘Chez Hilda’, which is being put together especially for the album. After his recent ‘slight cough’, Pete has purchased a brand new voice and is keen to try it out. He’ll be experimenting with a vocal range that covers the complete audio spectrum and will be extending it beyond the range of human hearing (not that we’ll know anything about this, of course). Watch out for the dangerously high vocal solo towards the end of the album...

The final mix is scheduled to take place early September and we’re hoping to have copies of the finished album ready for the ‘Eclipsed’ festival in Aschaffenburg on 22nd November.

We’ll keep you updated on how things are going, post some photos and maybe a few soundbites as things progress…

Johnny McDozenlegs

Peter:
Following my exciting pneumonic adventures earlier this year (big thanks to everyone for your kind messages), I’m feeling much better now, despite having one or two more grey hairs than I had before! (It’s the stress, you know.) But, with my ‘IQ head’ screwed back on, I’ve been squawking along with the new tunes while beavering away on the lyrics and vocal melodies, and my voice seems to be doing OK, so fingers crossed on that score.

Unfortunately, I’m still the world’s slowest lyric-writer and every line gets re-written about 50 times. Of the tracks we’ve played live, the lyrics for ‘Frequency’ and ‘Crashed And Burned’ are probably about 70% there, though they still need a fair amount of work as some of them were only makeshift easy-to-remember words for my small brain to accommodate at the time. Of the tracks that had no lyrics at all, I’ve been working on ‘Closer’ recently and I think that will stay as the title of that track. This was its original working title, being the track that closes the album, but it also works as in ‘getting closer all the time’, which is kind of the direction the lyrics are heading in at the moment. I think we’ll keep ‘Frequency’ as the title of …er… ‘Frequency’ but ‘Crashed And Burned’ may well change, depending on how the lyrics turn out for that one.

‘Long One’ isn’t actually a particularly long one anymore. Now that we’ve pruned it and chopped it back, it clocks in at about 12 minutes so it’s still a reasonable length but it’s not unmanageably long (oooh, matron).

The working title for the album itself (at least in my mind) has always been ‘Frequency’, which I kind of like as it has a couple of different meanings – radio waves and stuff (which was the original story idea behind that track) but also in the sense that we’re not noted for releasing new albums very often, i.e. with any frequency. Alternatively, ‘The Magician’s Naughty Daughter’ is another popular contender…

John Jowitt and Andy Edwards will be playing shows in June and July with Frost*. Frost*, featuring Andy and John, together with Jem Godfrey, John Mitchell (It Bites, Arena, Kino, John Wetton Band) and Declan Burke of Darwin's Radio will be appearing at the Reichenbach Festival followed by a headline show in Germany. Following those two shows they will tour in support of Spock's Beard. Further details can be found on the Frost* website

04.03.08
IQ TO HEADLINE SUMMERS END FESTIVAL 2008

IQ will headline this years Summer End Festival on Saturday September 27th.
The venue is Lydney Town Hall in Gloucestershire. Further details and ticket
ordering information to follow.

IQ's latest album, Dark Matter, is now available in vinyl format.

The LP is pressed on 180 gram virgin vinyl and comes in a beautiful
gatefold sleeve designed by Tony Lythgoe. This run is limited to only
1500 copies and the first of what we hope will be a series of IQ vinyl reissues.

It is now available to purchase via the GEP Online Store

IQ will play the 2008 Reichenbach Festival on Friday 27th June 2008 along with Spock's Beard.

For further details and tickets, please click here

To coincide with the forthcoming European tour, IQ's 'Forever Live' is being released as a special 2-DVD set.

Disc 1 features the original concert from the Stadthalle in Kleve, Germany in 1993 with a brand new stereo and 5.1 surround mix.

Disc 2 features the following special features:
'Wiggle' and 'No Love Lost' from the concert (previously unreleased)

'Scenes From The Day' documentary, including a commentary by Peter Nicholls

Bonus live footage: early versions of 'The Darkest Hour', 'Fading Senses' and 'Came Down', and performances of 'Further Away', 'Corners'
and 'N.T.O.C. (Resistance)'

IQ Family Tree

Photo Gallery

This DVD is now available to order from the GEP Online Store

15.10.07
CHANGES TO UPCOMING TOUR DATES

Owing to logistical complications, the concert in Poland on November 26th has regrettably been cancelled. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience and disappointment this causes but the decision was made by the local promoter due to problems beyond our control. Also, the date and venue for the CRS show in December has changed to the Montgomery Hall in Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire on January 12th 2008.

16th August 2007
DARK MATTER TO APPEAR ON VINYL

The much discussed vinyl pressing of IQ's 2004 album Dark Matter will finally be released on the Primal Vinyl label. The record will be pressed on 180g vinyl and presented in a de-luxe gatefold sleeve. Although not strictly a limited edition, the run will be for 1500 albums and at this stage it's not expected to be re-pressed beyond that quantity.

The release date hasn't been finalised yet, but the album will be distributed by Plastic Head Music and will of course be available from the online GEP store.

If the release proves successful, GEP will investigate the possibility of other IQ vinyl releases, including Ever, Subterranea and The Seventh House.

For further details visit www.themusicalbox.net

The new IQ DVD, Stage, is now available to order from the GEP online store. For further details please click HERE

Also new to the store is the official Silver Jubilee tour t-shirt.

1. Sacred Sound

2. It All Stops Here

3. Leap Of Faith

4. Born Brilliant

5. The Seventh House

6. Drum Solo

7. No Love Lost

8. Widow’s Peak

9. The Narrow Margin (middle section)

10. Guiding Light

11. Harvest Of Souls

12. Awake And Nervous

13. The Last Human Gateway (middle section)

14. The Wake
    

Disc Two
Burg Herzberg Festival, Germany: July 16th, 2005

1. Sacred Sound

2. It All Stops Here

3. Born Brilliant

4. The Seventh House

5. Drum Solo

6. No Love Lost

7. Leap Of Faith

8. The Wake

9. Harvest Of Souls

10. Awake And Nervous

Special features:
‘Stage And Screen’ featurette
NEARfest soundcheck footage
‘Andy’s First Gig’: Le Medley, Montreal, Qc, Canada (featurette)
Photo Gallery.

Total running time: approximately 260 minutes  

Meanwhile, the countdown continues for IQ’s concert at The Met, Bury on September 9th, their first live performance since last December. This will be one of only two 25th anniversary shows performed in the UK so don’t miss out. In traditional style, the band will be previewing some works in progress from their forthcoming new studio album, due for release next year, as well as old favourites from their ample back catalogue.

The Met ticket office: 0161 761 2216.
www.themet.biz

NEW ALBUM: Work has begun on writing the new studio album, the first with Andy Edwards on drums. No news yet as to what direction the new material may take but the band have met a couple of times to run through embryonic ideas and the writing sessions have been “relaxed and good-natured”. Plenty of time yet for the blood to start flowing! Recording is expected to begin in October with a release scheduled for January/February 2007.

‘FOREVER LIVE’ DVD: this is due to be released in June and will feature a new stereo mix and 5.1 surround sound mix. Special features will include a documentary from the day of the concert, rare video material and a photo gallery. Ideas for the presentation of this package are being discussed and costed.  

NEARFEST / BURG HERZBERG DVD: work has already begun on the DVD of the band’s NEARfest performance and Burg Herzberg festival appearance, both from 2005. One option currently being investigated is to release these as a 2-disc set towards the end of the year.  

SILVER JUBILEE: 2006 marks IQ’s 25th anniversary and the band are currently looking into the possibility of playing some special concerts in the autumn. 

SUBTERRANEA: 2007 will mark the 10th anniversary of the first ‘Subterranea’ shows. The band are considering whether or not one or two special anniversary concerts, re-staging the full ‘Subterranea’ show, would be a good idea. Let us know your thoughts on this one!

15th January 2006
"AFTER THE STORM" KATRINA BENEFIT ALBUM AVAILABLE

Please go to http://afterthestorm.nearfestrecords.com/orderform.asp to place your order.

SUMMARY

"After the Storm" is an effort by the progressive rock community to do its share to help out the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. All of the artists involved have graciously donated music to this project, and many have contributed previously unreleased live or studio material, including New Orleans' own Woodenhead. The costs of manufacturing have been donated by NEARfest and NEARfest Records and all proceeds from the sale of this unique compilation will be donated to aid the survivors of Hurricane Katrina through Habitat for Humanity.

TRACKLISTING

Disc One:

1. Echolyn, "15 Days"

2. Happy the Man, "Ibby It Is" (Live)

3. FM, "Random Harvest"

4. Camel, "After All These Years"

5. Mike Keneally, "Time Table"

6. Spock's Beard, "Shining Star" (Live)

7. IQ, "Chemical Rain"

8. Kraan, "Silver Buildings"

9. Mostly Autumn, "Ghost in Dreamland"

10. IZZ, "My River Flows"

11. Nektar, "Phazed by the Storm"

12. Sean Malone, "Grace" (Live)

Disc Two:

1. Kansas, "Song for America"

2. The Flower Kings, "A King's Prayer" (2005 Remix)

3. Woodenhead, "Buzz Beat" (Live)

4. Djam Karet, "The Shattering Sky"

5. Neal Morse, "Sleeping Jesus" (Live)

6. The Muffins, "Essay R" (Remix)

7. Caravan, "Love Song with Flute" (Live)

8. Änglagård, "Gånglåt från Knapptibble"

9. Little Atlas, "On and On"

10. Arjen Anthony Lucassen, "Pools of Sorrow/Not Over You"

11. California Guitar Trio, "Zundoko Bushi" (Live)

12. Pendragon, "Sou' by Sou'west"

Producer: Gayle Ellett of Fernwood Pacific
Executive Producers: Chad Hutchinson and Robert LaDuca
Mastering: Gayle Ellett and Wayne Yentis
Artwork/Layout: Michael Bennett
Manufacturing: Action Duplication

Further details online at http://afterthestorm.nearfestrecords.com

“I done it good with me ‘ands” said Mike.’

Steve Thorne Website

Here are some words from Cookie himself:

"Dear all,

After what seems like a lifetime with the band, I find myself in need of a change of life so I'm off to the highlands of Scotland to roam about a bit and generally find myself!!! Sarah and I will be moving to the far north to pursue a hunting, fishing and shooting kind of life - probably.

I wish the band and my successor all the best for the future.

Cookie"

The live dates in July will be Cookie's final appearances with IQ.

We have been in contact with possible replacements but if anyone out there feels they might have what it takes to occupy Cookie's drum stool, we would be very interested to hear samples of your work. Please send CDs, tapes or wax cylinders, together with some information about yourself, to: Random Potato Inc, 5 St Paul’s Terrace, 82 Northwood Street, Birmingham B3 1TH. Email: GEP2@hotmail.co.uk. Official auditions will be lined up at the earliest opportunity.

21st September 2004
NEW IQ DVD ON THE WAY

‘IQ – The Twentieth Anniversary Show’ will be a sumptuous 2-disc set. There will be approximately 2 hours of special features on disc 2, including the encores from the concert, the surprise appearance by The Lens, Dolby 5.1 surround sound, a collection of the concert intros and outros and behind-the-scenes footage of the band on the IQ20 European tour…plus more! This brings the running time of the whole package to approximately 4 hours! Crikey!

Stay tuned for more details of the release of this groovy item.