The Wake (IQ album)

The Wake is the second studio album by British neo-progressive rock 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.

The Wake
Studio album by
IQ
ReleasedJune 1985
RecordedMarch—April 1985
StudioFalconer Studios, London
GenreNeo-progressive rock
Length49:01
LabelSahara
Producer
  • Mike Holmes
  • Tim Esau
IQ chronology
Tales from the Lush Attic
(1983)		 The Wake
(1985)		 Living Proof
(1986)
Singles from The Wake
  1. "Corners" / "The Thousand Days"
    Released: 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

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.[2]

The Wake has been described by AllMusic 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."[1]

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 wearing clay face paint as Ika in the film Quest for Fire (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, a poster of The Wake is shown on the wall behind Thom Yorke at Abingdon School.[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mike Holmes, Martin Orford, Peter Nicholls, Tim Esau and Paul Cook.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Outer Limits"8:14
2."The Wake"4:12
3."The Magic Roundabout"8:19
4."Corners"6:21
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."Widow's Peak"9:13
6."The Thousand Days"5:12
7."Headlong"7:30
Total length:49:01
Original Cassette and CD bonus track
No.TitleLength
8."Dans le Parc du Château Noir"7:35
Total length:56:41
1994 Giant Electric Pea Records bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
8."Dans le Parc du Chateau Noir"7:40
9."The Thousand Days" (demo)3:58
10."The Magic Roundabout" (demo)6:28
Total length:67:09

Personnel

IQ

Technical personnel
  • Harun Coombes – engineer
  • George Bodnar – cover photography

Charts
Chart (1985) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[2] 72
gollark: I seem to still have the third or fourth one.
gollark: A "time machireworewkdsfen™️" does not sound useful.
gollark: If such a device is POSSIBLE, it will be developinated by some giant well-funded research team.
gollark: You're unlikely to get a time machine, though.
gollark: You are a random person in Serbia with few particularly relevant skills, yes?

References
  1. Couture, François. IQ: "The Wake" > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  2. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  3. "This Is What Radiohead Looked Like In The '80s". Buzzfeed. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
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