My first album by IQ ever. And I've known the band for almost 40 years now. Since my first contact with IQ was live, a live album was a must. A "warning" in advance: I like the band and their music, there is hardly a song (apart from the two Phonogram records, which I find simply terrible) that I don't like. Nevertheless, I will be as objective as possible.
But I'm getting ahead of myself again. IQ was founded in 1981 by guitarist Michael Holmes and keyboardist Martin Orford in England. Until the two-year contract with Phonogram, they played neo-prog, after which prog moved back into focus. In 1990, Peter Nicholls, the pre-Phonogram singer, returned. The charismatic Nicholls was good for the band. Other (current) members are Tim Esau on bass, Paul Cook on drums and Neil Durant on keyboards. IQ distributes itself through the Giant Electric Pea Label, whose CEO is Michael Holmes. GEP is dedicated to progressive rock. Finally, in 2023, the live concert “Subterranea Live At De Boerderij October 22 2011” was released as a 3-LP set. And I present it here.

The album is designed as a triple gatefold, with Vinyls A/B on the left, C/D in the middle and E/F on the right. The inside cover is also well done. From inside left to right:

Subterranea is a concept album and tells the fictional story of a man who joins a revolution against a surveillance state out of love. Ultimately, both fail due to the protagonist's lethargy. Peter Nicholls is a singer who plays the role live like an actor. And live, IQ can do that. The album is spread over three vinyls, blue, red and orange. (The difference between red and orange doesn't really come across in the pictures).

Each sleeve is also printed on both sides, for example the sleeve of record A/B. Incidentally, the bars on the front cover are punched out, so Peter Nicholls can be “put in prison”.

My highlights are every single song. There isn't a song that Ihas any faults. With IQ, the music is always the focus and you can hear and feel that. The 20-minute long "The Narrow Margin" takes up the entire side F and is the heart of the album. Varied, progressive, conceptual, emotional, musically top and lyrically brilliant. But that also applies to "Sleepless Incidental" (side A), "Speak my Name" and "Tunnel Vision" on side B. "King of Fools" and "The Sense of Sanity" (side C), "Capricorn" on side D. On side E, "Unsolid Ground" jumps out at me.
How do the vinyls sound? They sit well and firmly on the surface (I always use a record weight and a flat acrylic record support), there is also a slight wobble, but it does not affect the sound and is almost unavoidable with vinyl. Crackles are normal and also unavoidable, dust remains dust. But the sound is divine, studio headphones and my hybrid headphone amplifier (tubes in the preamp, transistors in the power amplifier) ​​do the rest. The reproduction of the room is particularly important live, which is why I recommend open headphones with the highest possible impedance. My KHV has enough power to drive headphones with 600 ohms. In other words: a clean production. Each instrument can be located individually. A booklet is also included.

A conclusion that is easy for me to draw. Subterranea was well received in 1997 in the then smaller prog world. Why IQ is still somehow under the radar (despite a loyal fan base) remains a mystery to me. Top productions, top musicians. The music is melodic prog rock, the lyrics appealing. IQ is unmistakably IQ, similar and yet varied. This album live from De Boerderij is highly recommended. This 3-LP set, which was created with love, is highly recommended to every prog fan and music lover.

The photos are all from my LP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder. I am using the picture of the band with kind permission.