''The Wake'' is the second studio album by British
neo-progressive rock
Neo-progressive rock (also known as neo-prog) is a genre, subgenre of progressive rock which developed in the UK in the early 1980s. The genre's most popular band, Marillion, achieved mainstream success in the decade. Several bands from the genre ...
band
IQ, released in June 1985 by Sahara Records. Recorded at Falconer Studios in London from March to April 1985, it was produced by Mike Holmes and Tim Esau.
Release and reception
''The Wake'' is IQ's only album to reach the
UK Charts, peaking at number 72 with a stay of one week.
''The Wake'' has been described by
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
as "definitely a classic" which "helped define what neo-progressive was and generated dozens of sound-alike albums." The review argued that it "remains the band's true classic, a must-have for anyone remotely interested in progressive rock from the 1980s."
Sleeve art
The cover art was designed by lead singer Peter Nicholls. In the image, most of the characters are original, except the central one, which is based on Canadian actress
Rae Dawn Chong
Rae Dawn Chong (born February 28, 1961) is a Canadian-American actress. She made her big screen debut appearing in the 1978 musical drama film ''Stony Island (film), Stony Island'', and in 1981 starred in the fantasy film ''Quest for Fire (film), ...
wearing clay face paint as Ika in the film ''
Quest for Fire ''Quest for Fire'' may refer to:
* '' The Quest for Fire'', a 1911 novel by J. H. Rosny
* ''Quest for Fire'' (film), a 1981 film adaptation of the 1911 novel
* "Quest for Fire", a song by Iron Maiden from 1983's ''Piece of Mind
''Piece of Min ...
'' (1981). However, according to Nicholls, many fans of the band misinterpreted this as a self-portrait, since he wore extensive stage makeup at the time.
In what is thought to be the earliest photograph ever taken of the band
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
, a poster of ''The Wake'' is shown on the wall behind
Thom Yorke
Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been describe ...
at
Abingdon School
Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...
.
Track listing
Personnel
IQ
*
Peter Nicholls – vocals and
tambourine
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...
; design and illustration
*Mike Holmes – guitars; production
*Tim Esau – bass; production
*
Martin Orford Martin Orford (born 10 June 1959, Bitterne, Southampton) is an English keyboard player best known as the founder of progressive rock bands IQ and Jadis. He also worked with former King Crimson, U.K. and Asia bassist John Wetton, and has released t ...
– synthesizer, organ,
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...
,
flute
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
and backing vocals
*Paul Cook – drums and percussion
Technical personnel
*Harun Coombes – engineer
*George Bodnar – cover photography
Charts
References
External links
IQ Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wake, The
IQ (band) albums
1985 albums