THE LOST ATTIC - A COLLECTION OF RARITIES (1983-1999)

While the next couple of years IQ focused on promoting ''Subterranea'' via live performances, they did not stay away from regular appearances on music stores' shelves.First comes the 98' re-recording and release of their 82' premature ''Seven stories into eight'' album, which was a trully exciting trip to the past, and then, in 1999, comes a nice collection, entitled ''The lost attic''.This albums contains recordings spanning from mid-80's to the millenium and includes alternates versions of some of IQ's most well-known numbers, live sessions, covers, demo executions of studio pieces and even some leftovers.

Part of the album offers pieces, originally included in singles heading for the fan club of the band: A lovely performance on the middle section of ''The last human gateway'', a surprising execution of the Folk-oriented ''The bold grenadier'' with beautiful orchestral synths and synthetic vibes in a MIKE OLDFIELD-like enviroment, a version of ''Fascination'' with Paul Menel on vocals, and one of IQ's rarest cuts, ''Hollow afternoon'', which features a big symphonic sound with powerful keyboards and excellent guitar soloing, not far from the sound of ''Fascination''.

The cover presented is ''Apathetic and here, I...'', originally written by Geoff Mann for his album ''Second chants'' and this version comes from the 94' tribute album ''Mannerisms''.It's got a weird New Wave vibe over an atmosphere of acoustic lines with a discreet Neo Prog feel.''N.T.O.C. (Resistance)'' was originally part of the 93' SI compilation ''Disc too'' and here the group exhibits a style reminiscent of the Paul Menel era, featuring a somewhat rockin'/poppy vibe on vocals but also an impressive instrumental depth with full-blown synths and sampled organs as well as some great guitar runs.

''Awake and nervous'', Just changing hands'' and ''Widow's peak'' are the three pieces coming from an 84' BBC session, no more to add, fantastic songs, arrangements and live capturing by the band in three classic cuts of IQ's endless, succesful repertoire.

The ''Subterranea'' outtakes are represented here by ''Eyes for the blind'' and ''The universal scam'', which work as complementary tracks and are up there with the album's atmosphere.Starting with the first, the atmosphere is melancholic, laid-back and lyrical with only bass and keyboards in the forefront, while the second one is bombastic Neo Prog with a rich and dynamic style with the sign of IQ all over the place.

Other tracks include a 1999 re-recording of the lost-in-time ''Hollow afternoon'', the excellent acoustic ballad ''Wintertell'' with its amazing British flavor, the humoristic, almost cartoon-like ''My legs'' with the vocal distortions and the following effects and a rather pale, Reggae-like edition of ''Barbell is in'', which could be a nice listening, while drinking a mojito at a beach bar.

All in all a pretty cool compilation of archival and more recent recordings by IQ, which varies from Pop Rock to bombastic Neo Prog and scans different periods of the band's history.Great addition for all IQ fans, but also a nice purchase for lovers of diverse music discoveries, always surrounded by a proggy background.Recommended.