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Album cover
Artist: IQ
Title: Subterranea The Concert
Label: Giant Electric Pea GEPCD 1027
Length(s): 101 minutes
Year(s) of release: 2000
Month of review: 10/2000

Line up

Peter Nicholls - lead and backing vocals
Martin Orford - keyboards, flute, backing vocals
Mike Holmes - guitars
John Jowitt - bass, backing vocals
Paul Cook - drums

Tracks

Disc 1:
1) Overture 4.34
2) Provider 1.36
3) Subterranea 5.29
4) Sleepless Incidental 6.04
5) Failsafe 8.37
6) Speak My Name 3.37
7) Tunnel Vision 7.17
8) Infernal Chorus 4.38
9) King Of Fools 2.15
10) The Sense In Sanity 4.38
11) State Of Mine 2.29

Disc 2:
1) Laid low 1.35
2) Breathtaker 5.26
3) Capricorn 5.36
4) The other side 2.32
6) Somewhere in time 6.38
7) High waters 2.47
8) The narrow margin 20.00

Summary

The final rendition of IQ's Subterranea, their very succesful double concept album was given in 013 in Tilburg in the Netherlands. Browsing through a concert review (Wilco Barg in iO Pages) I gathered that they did play a bit more than just the concept album, but none of those other tracks have made it onto the double disc, which has also appeared as a video. Because I have reviewed the disc elsewhere in detailed fashion, I'll list some things that struck me while listening to this double album.

The music

It might be my stereo set, but there seems to be quite a bit of high in the opening track when we hear the audience shouting. Later on I did not spot this anymore. The Overture is as varied and powerful as ever and after the quiet Provider we come to the rocking anthem Subterranea. Enthusiastic drumming by Cook and plenty of variation added to the song by Orford's sinister keyboards in the middle part. Sleepless Incidental is a powerful, somwhat rowdy piece with plenty of aggressive bass playing and dito guitarwork. Something that comes almost automatic with live albums (compared to studio albums) is that the music does in fact sound more alive, more energetic and more powerful. This is particularly felt in the heavier passages, naturally, such as occur here. Sleepless Incidental is to me a surprising track, because I do not remember it as being one of the better tracks on the album, which it now turns out to be. Having played this live album earlier now the music starts to become a bit less interesting. However, it seems that during this play session, this is not the case. Okay some of the melodies are a bit too obvious in Failsafe, but it does turn out that playing this album LOUD helps me to appreciate it more. Time for a a bit of quiet with Speak My Name and its slow moving bass and restful piano playing. After the ballad of the first disc we return full force with the heavy guitars of Tunnel Vision. The track does have its more quiet melodious moments, which I like, but one of the vocal melodies is a bit below standard (Something happened inside...). Better is Infernal Chorus with its menacing drive. After the short recapitulation King Of Fools with well sung hasty vocals. The closing instrumental State Of Mine is one of the most driven instrumentals in existence. Laid Low starts the second disc with the melodies of State Of Mine, but in a more restful, but wailing fashion. Breathtaker returns us to the rock side of this album with now well-known melodies. I am not fond of the plodding vocal part, but towards the end the music becomes more interesting. The me the bets song in its way is Capricorn, especially the final vocal parts give me goosebumps. This is the ballad of this part of the album, but the end has an impressive guitar solo and the sax in the first part of the track give it plenty of energy. The same holds for Unsolid Ground that has a high singalong factor, but is brought energetically. Somewhere In Time has some strong work from the rhythm section. The closer Narrow Margin is the great final track in which all emotions evoked in the previous are re-evoked ending with the tranquil recapitulation of Provider.

Conclusion

The quality of the music on this album is guaranteed (yet I do have my favourites), but still I am in two minds about this one. On the one hand we have the complete rendition here artistically intact, because no other music is present. On the other hand, what does it add to the studio version? Not overly much in my opinion, although it can be rougher and louder in places making the songs that are louder to begin with easier to appreciate. Although I do not happen to have a video, the video seems more interesting, because there also the visual effects are reproduced adding something to studio album. If you do not happen to own Subterranea, this one will do as well. Being one of the essential releases of the nineties, it is obvious you could do worse. Still, I would have hoped that they could have added the other live tracks of the concert for instance as a hidden bonustrack.
© Jurriaan Hage