Are You Sitting Comfortably

IQ | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 26, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Inside Out U.S.
• ASIN: B0008G2ITM
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #273,647 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. War Heroes

2. Drive On

3. Nostalgia

4. Falling Apart At The Seams

5. Sold On You

6. Through My Fingers

7. Wurensh

8. Nothing At All

9. Nothing At All (live bonus track)

Editorial Reviews

With a career that spans nearly 25 years, IQ remains one of the biggest names in the world of Progressive Rock. Getting their start in Southhampton England back in 1981, IQ was often compared to two other great Prog bands from the UK, Marillion and Genesis. For years the band struggled to create their own identity. And they did so by outlasting the glory days of Fish’s Marillion and Gabriel’s Genesis. Here again is IQ with their classic line-up of Peter Nicholls, Martin Orford, Mike Holmes, John Jowitt and Paul Cook.

Originally released in 1989, Are You Sitting Comfortably? features Paul Menel on vocals, coalescing in Britain's foremost prog rock groups since the '80s. There is not a bad track on this album; lush soundscapes, thought provoking lyrics, brilliant musicianship, it's all here. Take a chance on this one, it is a classic and well worth investing in!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 80s Progressive Rock, July 15, 2005

By 

Kirk Lott "a strange and unusual person" (adrift on the seas of life) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Are You Sitting Comfortably (Audio CD)

IQ is one of the best post-70s progressive rock bands; if you like Genesis and Yes, you'll like IQ.

And "Are You Sitting Comfortably?" is a worthy addition to their catalogue. For starters, it's got 2 extended, kick-*ss prog tracks: the brooding, then exhilarating Nostalgia/Falling Apart at the Seams (clocking in at over 10 minutes) and the driving, multi-part suite Wurensh (9:37). War Heroes (6:26) is another atmospheric track similar to mid-period Genesis.

Then it's got the fun prog pop of Drive On and the romantic Through My Fingers. The only two weak tracks are the overly simplistic Sold On You and the forgettable Nothing At All.

Add in great production from Terry Brown of Rush fame, and you've got an excellent IQ album.

The album is usually underrated by IQ fans, but I feel it's better than Nomzamo (too commercial), Tales From the Lush Attic (poorly produced) and even The Seventh House (poorly written - I swear I can't remember a melody from that album!)

If you like post-70s prog, in particular mid-period Genesis and 80s Yes, you'll enjoy this album.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars IQ - Major Label Album One Of Their Weakest, May 24, 2007

By 

Steven Sly (Kalamazoo, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Are You Sitting Comfortably (Audio CD)

The IQ story is a strange one. One would have thought that if the band was going to be picked up by a major label that it would have happened after "The Wake". Instead the band changes lead singers, put out the moderately received "Nomzamo" album, and then get picked up by a major. However it happened, apparently IQ had made enough of a splash for PolyGram to take a shot at them for this album. Unfortunately record company pressure to have a "hit" would plague much of the material on this disc. The album is an obvious attempt at a more commercial sound and radio airplay. The album was produced by Terry Brown, best known for his work with Rush. Paul Menel is still on the vocal mike for this one along with the rest of the original band. To my ears this is IQ's weakest album. That being said I don't think IQ has ever made what I would consider a bad album, and there is some good stuff to be found here. The two long proggy tracks are both good ones with "Nostalgia / Falling Apart At the Seams" being the highlight. The other one "Wunensh" is good, but pales in comparison to some of the epics on other IQ discs. Of the shorter songs the opener "War Heroes" is great, and although it may be the most commercial song IQ has ever done, whenever I listen to "Sold On You' I can't get the chorus out of my head for days. The rest of the album is pretty weak. It is my least favorite IQ disc, but about half of it is worth a listen. Of the two Paul Menel albums I think that "Nomzamo" is by far the best.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, January 4, 2007

By 

J. M. Garwacki (Miami, FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Are You Sitting Comfortably (Audio CD)

This CD is an excellent sample of the high quality music IQ makes. It has all, excellent lyrics and the instrumentals are phenomenal. I recommend it very much.