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Open Frequency

When drummer Paul Cook announced his unexpected retirement from IQ early in 2005, many feared that his departure might signal the beginning of the end for the band. After all, he had been a longstanding and integral member of IQ since 1982. “I certainly had my doubts and reservations about trying to replace Cookie,” remembers singer Peter Nicholls, “but we felt we owed it to ourselves to at least look for someone else. As it turned out, the audition process was much easier than we'd anticipated. We tried out three drummers and knew straight away that Andy would be great.”

Andy Edwards' debut appearance with IQ came in July that year at Le Medley in Montreal. His impressive musicianship and relaxed professionalism earned him the immediate respect of every fan in the hall that night. His two follow-up performances, at Nearfest in the USA and the Burg Herzberg festival in Germany (both captured on film and later released on the 'Stage' DVD) would show the world that he was more than just an adequate replacement, bringing his own distinctive style to IQ's live songbook.

Early the following year, IQ set about writing new music for the follow-up to 2004's 'Dark Matter' album. While the new material was being developed and refined, the band continued touring and, with the 'Dark Matter' tour behind them, they could now afford to shake up the set list. In fact, most of the band's concerts between the end of 2005 and the release of their new album in 2009 saw many changes in the live set. IQ have always been keen to surprise their fans with unexpected tracks on stage and this great show recorded in Bury, Lancashire, England, on September 9th 2006 was no exception to that unwritten rule.

On this short European tour, IQ had dropped most of the 'Dark Matter' material ('Sacred Sound' being the sole survivor) and replaced it with various gems from a more distant past, including such songs as 'Breathtaker', 'Wurensh' and 'Erosion'. They also played a few surprise cards by throwing in two scarcely performed tracks: 'Further Away' and the classic 'The Enemy Smacks'. The former's complex structure has always made it a very demanding song to perform live, while the latter's amazing theatrics ensure that this song is always a welcome, if rare, addition to any set. “'The Enemy' is an effective and memorable live track,” Peter explains, “but if we were to play it too often, it would lose some of its impact so it's good to bring it out every now and then when no-one's expecting it.”

IQ have always felt very much at home at The Met in Bury, a venue that saw both the premiere and the final British performances of the band's highly acclaimed 'Subterranea' stage show. An IQ touring schedule would not be complete without a stop there. On this night in 2006, the band delivered a top notch performance, an impressive blend of material, old and new, from perennial stage favourites to the rarer tracks.

Once again on this tour, IQ retained their long tradition of playing new material while it was still being written. In the past, these early drafts were often presented without finished titles and they were invariably introduced as 'Newie' or even 'Newie 2'. This time, however, the two new tracks included in the set were given titles, 'Frequency' and 'Already Gone'. The second of these new tracks would not make it to the final version of the new album, appearing instead on one of two limited edition tour CDs. No-one knew that 'Frequency' was destined to become the title track of the band's next album, or that another major line-up change would occur within IQ before this album would see the light of day. But that is a story for another time...

Notes from the Re-Master

Remaster

1. Correct tonality.
2. Correct extraneous peaks and clap suppressions.
3. Dynamic adjustments.
4. Remove digi-noise.
5. Re-track.

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