Sphinx iQ 2

Stars gab es am Discohimmel der siebziger Jahre viele, Sternchen noch viel mehr. Doch die Disco-Queen gab es nur einmal: Amanda Lear. Die einstige Muse Salvador Dalís begann ihre Karriere als Fotomodell und Mannequin, war später in mehreren Ländern als TV-Talkmasterin erfolgreich und ist inzwischen selbst eine geachtete und geschätzte Malerin. Der größte Teil ihrer Fangemeinde besteht jedoch nach wie vor aus Musikfreunden. Kein Geringerer als David Bowie war es, der die Frau mit der geheimnisvollen Aura und der markanten tiefen Stimme dazu ermunterte, Schallplatten aufzunehmen

The Archive Collection: IQ20 is a live album by British progressive rock band IQ released in 2003. The album is the first installment of a series of original bootlegs releases, and was recorded on 16 February 2002 at the Colos-Saal, in Aschaffenburg, Germany, during IQ's 20th anniversary tour. Recorded live in concert from the personal soundboard archives of the band, IQ's 20 is an essential acquisition. This 2 CD package is from the "The Seventh House" tour and contains many of IQ's great songs including a stunning opening into "Awake & Nervous", a great version of "The Wrong Side Of Weird" and a haunting beautiful version of "The Last Human Gateway".

1993's blistering return to form finds IQ rediscovering the mojo they displaced after 1985's dark, stark, startlingly brilliant `The Wake', a fact not entirely unconnected to vocalist Peter Nicholls' return to the band. But there is more to it than this. It sounds like the whole band has taken stock after a couple of below-par albums, stopped trying to be something they are not, and asserted the collective personality, sound and approach that has served them well right up to this day.

Released in September 1997, Subterranea was quickly hailed by most progressive rock critics as a masterpiece and became one of the very few "classic" albums this style brought forth in 1990s. The two-CD, 103-minute concept album is indeed IQ's strongest effort and would even eclipse The Wake, if it weren't for the historical significance of the 1985 LP. An obscure story of subterranean beings, life-and-death chase, and initiatory quest packed with metaphorical implications, Subterranea, as a concept, is typical Peter Nicholls; all lyrics remain vague, only suggesting emotions and bits of plot, but to phenomenal results. The easy comparison would be Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and, yes, there is something of that in here, but the meaning of this album is even more cryptic…

This IQ album is a re-recorded version of their cassette-album debut "Seven Stories Into Eight" which was released back in 1982. Due to the poor sound quality of the original, they re-recorded this in 1998. When compared to their other work, this is less emotional and more complex progressive rock with less vocals. Usually IQ sounds more or less like Marillion and Genesis in their progressive rock years. But as this album is slightly different when compared to other IQ releases. Maybe you could have an idea how this sounds if you imagine a softer version of Dream Theater.

Subterranea: The Concert is exactly what the title says: a complete live rendition of IQ's masterpiece Subterranea. The track list is exactly the same as the studio album (there is not even an extra encore). Following Subterranea's release in September 1997, one question immediately arose: It's a fantastic album, but can the guys pull it off live? This document proves without a doubt they did. Actually, IQ performed the work a few times in 1998 and 1999, turning it into a full-fledged stage production with light show, projections, and an actor, getting very close to Genesis' historical production of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway in 1974-1975 (minus the outrageous costumes).

This debut album represents the rich history of the Sphinx Organization and the vibrant future of classical music by centering the artistry of extraordinary composers and artistic visionaries of color.

When considering the "strict" period of neo-prog (i.e., the 1980s), The Wake is definitely a classic. Together with Marillion's first LPs, it helped define what neo-progressive was and generated dozens of sound-alike albums by as many bands in the U.K. and worldwide. While IQ would top The Wake with the 1997 two-CD set Subterranea (stronger compositions, stronger musicianship), the former remains the band's true classic, a must-have for anyone remotely interested in progressive rock from the 1980s…

‘Ever’ the hugely popular IQ album that saw the return of Peter Nicholls to the fold in the early nineties is now 25 years young! To mark this occasion GEP are releasing a special ‘definitive’ 3 disc edition of the album with a 2018 remix by Mike Holmes. Presented in a 4 panel digipak format with a 40 page booklet, the package includes extra material on the first disc, along with newly recorded live versions of the whole album on disc 2. Disc 3 (DVD) contains a surround sound mix of the studio album plus a surround mix of the live material, along with over 2 hours of ‘further listening’ files comprising album demos, studio outtakes rehearsal tapes and unused ideas. All in all disc 3 contains nearly 4 hours of music. The 40 page booklet is packed with lots of contemporary photos, stories and memories from the time and features contributions from all the band members of 1992.