The Wake (IQ album)

The Wake
Studio album by IQ
Released	1985
Recorded	March 1985 to April 1985
Genre	Neo-progressive rock
Label	Samurai, SPV
Producer	Tim Esau and Mike Holmes
IQ chronology
Tales from the Lush Attic (1983) The Wake (1985) Nomzamo (1987)

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Allmusic

The Wake is the third studio album by the British neo-progressive rock band IQ and was released in 1985. Its release was almost simultaneous with that of Marillion's Misplaced Childhood album. Reviewed in Kerrang! magazine, both albums were equally praised. It is the only album by IQ to enter the UK album chart, spending one week at 72.

An associated single release, "Barbell is In", was a "white reggae" song along the lines of Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er". The band were reportedly amused when the single reached no. 7 in the British heavy metal chart.^{[citation needed]}

The cover art is by lead singer Peter Nicholls. Most of the characters in the image are original, but the central character is based on Rae Dawn Chong wearing clay face (and body) paint as Ika in the film Quest for Fire (1981). However, according to Nicholls, many of the band's fans misinterpreted this as a self-portrait, since he wore extensive stage makeup at the time.

Track listing

1. "Outer Limits" – 8:15
2. "The Wake" – 4:12
3. "The Magic Roundabout" – 8:18
4. "Corners" – 6:20
5. "Widow's Peak" – 9:12
6. "The Thousand Days" – 5:12
7. "Headlong" – 7:25

Bonus tracks:

8. "Dans le Parc du Château Noir" – 7:37
9. "The Thousand Days" (demo) – 3:55
10. "The Magic Roundabout" (demo) – 6:27

Personnel

• Paul Cook – drums and percussion
• Tim Esau – bass guitar
• Mike Holmes – guitars and sitar
• Peter Nicholls – vocals and tambourine
• Martin Orford – flute, keyboards and backing vocals

Production

• Tim Esau – producer
• Mike Holmes – producer
• Harum Coombes – engineer
• Peter Nicholls – artwork

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1985	UK Album Chart	72