Subterranea (album)
Encyclopedia
Subterranea is a double album
by British neo-progressive rock
band IQ
, which was released in 1997.
, throughout his whole life and he doesn't have any contact with the outside world (Provider). At the end of Provider, a grating sound is heard, which represents where he escapes or is let loose.
It's not clear if he really escapes or is let out on purpose, as part of the experiment. Band members have given various explanations. Martin Orford
explained, "As part of the experiment after all the sensory deprivation, he's let loose in the outside world. So he goes of into the outside world, all the time being monitored by these people.". Either way, what happens is the central character doesn't know why he is imprisoned. He doesn't know why he's released and he is exposed to all this sensory overload, all these sights and sounds and smells that he's never experienced before. He has to digest all these things (cars, buildings, television, etc) in one overwhelming sensation (Subterranea).
After some hard times among the homeless and hobos (Sleepless Incidental) he gets involved with a religious cult who try to take him in, because they see him as being easy prey. They try to give his life meaning because he doesn't know what is going on, but he refuses to be converted by them (Failsafe).
He meets a girl - her name probably being 'Maya', who is mentioned several times at the end of the album - and falls in love with her. He has a deep friendship and romance with this person (Speak My Name) but in the end she is taken away from him (Tunnel Vision). According to some explanations, she is killed by the people who held him prisoner.
There's a lot of anger at that point and then he realises that he's being followed. All the time he's being watched and he manages to get hold of the person watching him. The experimentee kills him out of anger, but not before forcing the stalker to reveal the name of the man who is responsible for his misery (Mockenrue) (Infernal Chorus).
Not being able to handle his situation, the central character retreats into his own mind, which is basically what King of Fools explains. Then there's a period of quiet reflection, The Sense in Sanity, where he tries to work out what's happening, followed by a rush back to reality with State of Mine.
On the second disc of the album he comes to realise that he's part of some form of experiment and that he's been kept away for some reason, so he needs to know why that happened. At a certain point he takes on a 'disguise' to be able to find out what's behind all of this (Capricorn). Along the way he also realises that life in the outside world is much harder than his earlier, controlled life (Unsolid Ground). As the story moves on, he realises that he's not the only victim of the experiment (Somewhere in Time); there are others who all carry the same mark, the strange symbol which is a recurring theme on the CD sleeve (the square IQ logo which is the tattoo on the arm of the man on the Sleepless Incidental page in the Subterranea notebook).
Mockenrue's victims decide to band together and take revenge (High Waters), but their captors are too clever for them herd the experimentees all into an old building and set fire to it in an attempt to destroy the experiment's evidence (The Narrow Margin). In a dramatic confrontation, the main character meets the person responsible for locking him away. In the final scene, the central character is the only survivor and he, in a different sense, resigns himself to going back into the same isolation where he started, making the album's story go full circle. The album starts with him being on his own and not knowing why he's there or what's going on and ends with him at peace with himself because he's experienced, himself, so many terrible things and he wants to be alone again. So he returns to a place of isolation, which isn't specified.
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
by British neo-progressive rock
Neo-progressive rock
Neo-progressive rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock, developed in the UK and popular in the 1980s, although it lives on today....
band IQ
IQ (band)
IQ are a British neo-progressive rock band founded by Mike Holmes and Martin Orford in 1981 following the dissolution of their original band The Lens...
, which was released in 1997.
Story
Subterranea is about a man who's been the subject of an experiment. He's been held captive, almost like sensory deprivationSensory deprivation
Sensory deprivation or perceptual isolation is the deliberate reduction or removal of stimuli from one or more of the senses. Simple devices such as blindfolds or hoods and earmuffs can cut off sight and hearing respectively, while more complex devices can also cut off the sense of smell, touch,...
, throughout his whole life and he doesn't have any contact with the outside world (Provider). At the end of Provider, a grating sound is heard, which represents where he escapes or is let loose.
It's not clear if he really escapes or is let out on purpose, as part of the experiment. Band members have given various explanations. Martin Orford
Martin Orford
Martin Orford is an English keyboard player best known as the keyboardist and founder member of progressive rock bands IQ and Jadis. He also worked with former King Crimson, UK and Asia bassist John Wetton, and released a solo album, Classical Music and Popular Songs in 2000...
explained, "As part of the experiment after all the sensory deprivation, he's let loose in the outside world. So he goes of into the outside world, all the time being monitored by these people.". Either way, what happens is the central character doesn't know why he is imprisoned. He doesn't know why he's released and he is exposed to all this sensory overload, all these sights and sounds and smells that he's never experienced before. He has to digest all these things (cars, buildings, television, etc) in one overwhelming sensation (Subterranea).
After some hard times among the homeless and hobos (Sleepless Incidental) he gets involved with a religious cult who try to take him in, because they see him as being easy prey. They try to give his life meaning because he doesn't know what is going on, but he refuses to be converted by them (Failsafe).
He meets a girl - her name probably being 'Maya', who is mentioned several times at the end of the album - and falls in love with her. He has a deep friendship and romance with this person (Speak My Name) but in the end she is taken away from him (Tunnel Vision). According to some explanations, she is killed by the people who held him prisoner.
There's a lot of anger at that point and then he realises that he's being followed. All the time he's being watched and he manages to get hold of the person watching him. The experimentee kills him out of anger, but not before forcing the stalker to reveal the name of the man who is responsible for his misery (Mockenrue) (Infernal Chorus).
Not being able to handle his situation, the central character retreats into his own mind, which is basically what King of Fools explains. Then there's a period of quiet reflection, The Sense in Sanity, where he tries to work out what's happening, followed by a rush back to reality with State of Mine.
On the second disc of the album he comes to realise that he's part of some form of experiment and that he's been kept away for some reason, so he needs to know why that happened. At a certain point he takes on a 'disguise' to be able to find out what's behind all of this (Capricorn). Along the way he also realises that life in the outside world is much harder than his earlier, controlled life (Unsolid Ground). As the story moves on, he realises that he's not the only victim of the experiment (Somewhere in Time); there are others who all carry the same mark, the strange symbol which is a recurring theme on the CD sleeve (the square IQ logo which is the tattoo on the arm of the man on the Sleepless Incidental page in the Subterranea notebook).
Mockenrue's victims decide to band together and take revenge (High Waters), but their captors are too clever for them herd the experimentees all into an old building and set fire to it in an attempt to destroy the experiment's evidence (The Narrow Margin). In a dramatic confrontation, the main character meets the person responsible for locking him away. In the final scene, the central character is the only survivor and he, in a different sense, resigns himself to going back into the same isolation where he started, making the album's story go full circle. The album starts with him being on his own and not knowing why he's there or what's going on and ends with him at peace with himself because he's experienced, himself, so many terrible things and he wants to be alone again. So he returns to a place of isolation, which isn't specified.
Disc 1
- "Overture" – 4:38
- "Provider" – 1:36
- "Subterranea" – 5:53
- "Sleepless Incidental" – 6:23
- "Failsafe" – 8:57
- "Speak My Name" – 3:35
- "Tunnel Vision" – 7:24
- "Infernal Chorus" – 5:10
- "King of Fools" – 2:02
- "The Sense in Sanity" – 4:48
- "State of Mine" – 1:59
Disc 2
- "Laid Low" – 1:29
- "Breathtaker" – 6:04
- "Capricorn" – 5:16
- "The Other Side" – 2:22
- "Unsolid Ground" – 5:04
- "Somewhere in Time" – 7:11
- "High Waters" – 2:43
- "The Narrow Margin" – 20:00
Personnel
- Peter NichollsPeter Nicholls (musician)Peter Nicholls is the lead singer of the progressive rock band IQ. Nicholls left the band briefly in the late 1980s to form the alternative rock band Niadem's Ghost but returned in 1991...
– lead and backing vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Mike Holmes – guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and guitar synth - John JowittJohn JowittJohn Jowitt is a bass guitarist known for his work with UK progressive bands Ark, IQ, Arena and Frost*. He has been awarded the British Classic Rock Society's award for best bass player ten times, each year between 1993 and 1998 and again between 2002 and 2004, and again in 2010 and 2011.-References:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and backing vocals - Martin OrfordMartin OrfordMartin Orford is an English keyboard player best known as the keyboardist and founder member of progressive rock bands IQ and Jadis. He also worked with former King Crimson, UK and Asia bassist John Wetton, and released a solo album, Classical Music and Popular Songs in 2000...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and backing vocals - Paul Cook – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...