The Icicle Works, The Icicle Works (Beggar's Banquet-1984)
Liverpool in the 80s seemed to be engulfed in great music and bands that were all a part of the new wave of music coming out of the UK. The Icicle Works for me are one of the best bands and this one of the best albums.
The single "Love is a Wonderful Colour" managed to chart in the uk at number 15. back then that was such a big thing to do. Top 20 could make you overnight.
But it just did not happen for the band, the album went out and charted well but sales were far lower than what the record company would want. More singles and albums were released and in 1990 the band split.
Ian McNabbs voice on this album is fantastic, helped by his song writing, it is just so direct, no messing about with fancy harmonies here just his great voice and lyrics that seem to never age.
It is a guitar album but it does not take center stage and that is something I don't get, why was this not a big radio hit. "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" was a single demanding top ten but it did not happen. Well here it did not. The band had a hit in America where they would tour but again the next album was not even looked at in America.
The music here is fast with a kind of erratic drumming on many of the songs that feels like a dance beat to most. This is great music to dance to, try as hard as you can to not dance to 'Nirvana'. Try not to air drum to 'Chop the Tree' and all the time singing along.
For me ten tracks and ten singles that any fan of music would instantly get. Everybody get love song, but not every song can be seen as a love song to the untrained ear 'Out of Season' is to most a song about weather. But the fact people did not buy the album means they could not have had a chance to work out the songs here.
Call it new wave or post punk it really just did not fit neatly into any of them and that is why you need this album. How about 'catchy post punk pop rock'? No?, well I did try.
Every debut album is a bands best of album from the time they formed. This band could have done a double as the extra disc on the re issue is just as good. Seriously if you have £9 spare go get this album. You will thank me for it and even if it is for the top 20 single Love is a Wonderful Colour it would still be worth it.
Another four albums followed this one with each one changing the bands sound a bit that it made this just a little bit special. Ian McNabb would move onto a solo career and make many more albums and even help sing and write songs on the Lightning Seeds multi platinum Jollification album.
The Icicle Works is available on a 2CD reissue from 2006 on Beggars Banquet now.
I also recommend the book Mersybeast by Ian McNabb more for understanding what the music industry was like in the 80s.
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