IQ - Tales From The Lush Attic (1984) {2013 Remix 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition} EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 439 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 156 Mb
DVD5 -> 3.37 Gb | All Regions | PAL 16:9 | English (Dolby AC3, 2 ch) | ~ 58 min | ISO Image
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 159 Mb | 5% repair rar © 2013 Giant Electric Pea | GEPCD DVD2002
Rock / Neo-Prog / Prog-Rock The 30th anniversary special edition of ‘Tales’ is a double disc hard back 32
page book with lots of extras, including the complete remix of the album
and a DVD featuring live video footage of material from ‘Tales’ along
with a host of MP3 files, original mixes, audio commentary and
previously unreleased writing/rehearsal/demo material. GEP are set to
release the 2013 remix of ‘Tales from the Lush Attic’ on 21st January
2013 (surprisingly enough) in both a double disc CD/DVD format and on
vinyl.
Producer Mike
Holmes: “When we did the 25th anniversary edition of The Wake we took
the finished stereo mix and re-mastered it. It made a big difference to
the overall sound, but we weren’t able to give it a complete remix
because the multi track tapes had been lost in the mists of time.
However with ‘Tales’ we could go right back to the beginning, using the
original 24 track tapes to build the mix from scratch.”
“It was great to finally give this album the mix it deserved. I’ve spent
years avoiding the studio release of Tales, just because I knew it
could be so much better. It is now”.
As progressive
rock entered its revival stage in the early '80s, IQ was right in the
middle of it. Without any emphasis on one particular instrument, Tales
From the Lush Attic is an album that offers a balanced portion of
hurried guitar and enveloping keyboards. Specks of prog-era Genesis
glisten with every note sung by lead singer Peter Nicholls, who sounds
eerily like Peter Gabriel. Even the structure of some of the songs
resemble bits of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but there's an air to
this album that gathers attention, especially on the synth-ridden
passages. Quick interchanges of 12-string guitar and Mellotron create an
instrumental seesaw effect, peaking in the longer tracks like the
20-minute "Last Human Gateway" or "The Enemy Smacks." Changes of tempo
sneak up throughout the whole of the album, either head manned by
dominant keyboard staccatos or winding electric string solos. The flow
is energetic, never lagging, and the songs allot enough time to focus on
what is being played. The layered synth pieces don't fully overlap Mike
Holmes' guitar playing, so that the music can be appreciated by way of
isolation. IQ may have missed progressive rock's glory days, but they
hold their own on this release from early in their career.
This is no
attempt to make a few extra bucks by rehashing older material, on the
contrary, this is as good as it gets. The package is beautiful,
completely new artwork which captures the essence of the original
release and takes it one step further and lots of interviews and
impressions from the 80s by former and current band members plus some
impressions from Mike Holmes who was the man behind this reissue.
The album itself sounds completely enhanced and it is such a joy to
listen to it in all its glory. All instruments have been remixed (and
some even re-recorded) but they still sound faithful to the original
spirit of the album. The drums sounds much much better than the original
and all the intricacies come across wonderfully proving what a great
drummer Paul Cook is. The Bass is also much improved and many
arrangements that were not noticeable in the original mix are back and
they sound amazing. At times the bass sound is reminiscent of Chris
Squire and Geddy Lee and that speaks volumes by itself. Keyboards sound
gigantic and more atmospheric than we were used to. Besides there are
some riffs and solos that were erased by mistake from the original 1983
mix but are recovered here adding more depth and beauty to the music.
Guitars were given the same treatment and they're amazing, too!
The only element which is retained from the original mix were the vocals
by Peter Nicholls which were originally recorded in one or two takes
max. Therefore a re-recorded vocals would have been a good addition to
this project. However, that's a minor complaint considering what
incredible and surprising reissue this is. I thoroughy recommend this
reissue to every IQ fan.
Personnel: Paul Cook / drums
Tim Essau / bass
Mike Holmes / guitar
Peter Nicholls / voice
Martin Orford / keyboards
tracklist:
CD 01. The Last Human Gateway
02. Through The Corridors (Oh! Shit Me)
03. Awake And Nervous
04. My Baby Treats Me Right 'Cos I'm A Hard Lovin' Man All Night Long
05. The Enemy Smacks
2013 remix by Michael Holmes, engineered by Rob Aubrey Bonus tracks: 06. Wintertell (2012 recording)
07. The Last Human Gateway (End section, alternative vocals)
08. Just Changing Hands (Unfinished demo)
09. Dans Le Parc du Château Noir (Unfinished demo)
DVD - Live at De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Holland: October 23, 2011 01. The Last Human Gateway
02. Through The Corridors (Oh! Shit Me)
03. About Lake Five / Awake And Nervous
04. The Enemy Smacks
The DVD also includes: 01. Photo Gallery (Contemporary photos and artwork)
02. DIY Mix of 'Through The Corridors' : multi-track audio files and mixing software
03. MP3 files:
a. Tales From The Lush Attic (Original mix: August 1983)
b. Seven Stories into Eight (Original cassette album)
c. Tales from the Lush Attic - audio commentary by Peter and Mike
d. Further listening:
- The Enemy Smacks (First attempts: November 1982)
- The Last Human Gateway (Writing session: February 1983)
- Just Changing Hands (Instrumental demo: February 1983)
- Just Changing Hands (Rehearsal: February 11, 1983)
- Wintertell (Demo: July 1983)
- The Last Human Gateway (First complete version - rehearsal: July 27, 1983)
- Untitled version 1 (Rehearsal: August 1983)
- Untitled version 2 (Rehearsal: August 1983)
- Hollow Afternoon (Demo, original lyrics: 1983)
- Just Changing Hands (Cava demo: 1984)
- The Last Human Gateway (Middle section: 1991 recording)
All thanks goes to the original releaser! Disponible sólo a los usuarios