Named after the 1960 short story "The Day The Icicle Works Closed" by science fiction author Frederik Pohl, The Icicle Works joined Liverpool's early 1980s 'neo-psychedelia' wave, which also propelled Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes to stardom.
The band was founded in Liverpool by 18-year-old singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and frontman Ian McNabb. In 1980, McNabb joined up with drummer Chris Sharrock (who had been playing with McNabb on and off since he was nine) and bassist Chris Layhe (who had been recruited though a classified ad), and they began playing as The Icicle Works. By the end of 1981, the trio had recorded a six-song independently released cassette, and in 1982 they released the independent single "Nirvana". The following year, The Icicle Works were signed to the Beggars Banquet label, who issued the single Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) on their subsidiary label Situation Two.
Later that year, The Icicle Works' would release their biggest UK hit, 1983's Love Is a Wonderful Colour. Their debut eponymous album (1984) would follow shortly thereafter, reaching number 24 on the UK charts, and also hitting the U.S. top 40. Also appearing on the U.S. top 40 singles charts at around the same time (and hitting the Canadian top twenty) was Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly), a retitled and very slightly remixed version of The Icicle Works' Situation Two release of 1983.
However, commercial success for The Icicle Works after this point was minimal. Their second album, The Small Price of a Bicycle (1985) spun off no hit singles, and wasn't even released outside the UK. Later albums If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song (1987), and Blind (1988) were both issued in the UK and North America, and even spun off minor hits. Nevertheless, no post-1984 Icicle Works single would chart higher than 52 in the UK, and after "Whisper To A Scream", the band never again made the US Hot 100.
Some have attributed this unfortunate commercial decline to The Icicle Works' change in sound over the years, from an initial 'new wave' feel to a more straight-ahead rock sound inspired by Neil Young, The Doors, and the Ramones, amongst others. But whatever the cause, despite critical acclaim the band was unable to consistently record hit singles. As well, by the late 1980s, tensions within the group were increasing allegedly due to McNabb's controlling ways. By 1988, in addition to writing virtually all of The Icicle Works' material, as well as singing and playing guitar, McNabb was also producing the group's records.
Accordingly, shortly after Blind was issued, drummer Chris Sharrock departed to The La's. Sharrock would later be a member of The Lightning Seeds and World Party, and would also drum for Robbie Williams, Del Amitri and Eurythmics. Around this same time, Layhe also departed, and Beggars Banquet dropped the group from their roster.
Undaunted, McNabb soldiered on under The Icicle Works banner for a while. Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, briefly occupied the drumstool, while various keyboardists, bassists, and guitarists passed through before the band released Permanent Damage (1990), recorded for Epic/Sony. By that time, the band's lineup was McNabb, bassist Roy Corkill, former 10cc and Jethro Tull drummer Paul Burgess, keyboardist Dave Baldwin, and backing vocalist Mark Revell.
This 'second-generation' version of The Icicle Works quietly broke up after Permanent Damage failed to chart, and Epic dropped the band. Ian McNabb's solo career officially began in 1991 with the release of the single Great Dreams of Heaven; for further details on McNabb's solo career, please see the entry for Ian McNabb.
In 1992, a compilation called The Best of The Icicle Works was released, containing the best of their work from the Beggars Banquet years. Two years later, a live recording of a 1987 concert was issued.
On December 31, 2005, after having been a solo act for 15 years, McNabb announced he was reviving "The Icicle Works" name in 2006 for a series of concerts and an album. However, this version of the band would contain no original members other than McNabb.
As The Dragonfly Flies
The Icicle Works Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the sleeping streets of azure bend the fool
As the willow weeps, as the lizard peeps
Down tepid streams with dreams of passing through
You are what you are
You are what you are
You are what you are
As the hope expires, as the land conspires
As the lily-pads drift softly through a night
In the musty halls, where invention calls
With the voice of indecision filling fright
You are what you are
You are what you are
You are what you are
You are what you are
Watch it, feel it, hold me, thrill me
Give it, take it, as the dragonfly flies
You are what you are
You are what you are
You are what you are
You are what you are
"As The Dragonfly Flies" is a song by The Icicle Works that is filled with surreal and poetic imagery. The song is built around the metaphor of the dragonfly, a creature that flits back and forth between worlds, as a symbol of the transience of life and the fragility of the human experience. The opening lines suggest a peaceful and idyllic world, where flowers are blooming and streams are running gently. However, the imagery soon shifts to something more unsettling, with the "sleeping streets of azure" suggesting a sense of danger or impending doom.
Throughout the song, the lyrics continue to alternate between peaceful, idyllic imagery and darker, more foreboding images. The willow weeping and the lizard peeping through the tepid streams suggest a sense of loneliness and isolation, while the ideas of hope expiring and the land conspiring point to a world that is inhospitable and uncaring. The chorus repeats the line "You are what you are" over and over again, driving home the message that life is what it is, and there is little we can do to change it.
The final lines of the song are a call to action, urging the listener to "Watch it, feel it, hold me, thrill me/Give it, take it, as the dragonfly flies." This seems to suggest that, despite the adversities we may face in life, we should embrace them and live fully in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
As the dragonfly flies, as the flowers rise
In the natural world, the dragonfly flies and the flowers grow.
As the sleeping streets of azure bend the fool
The calm and peaceful atmosphere of the street can cause foolishness.
As the willow weeps, as the lizard peeps
The willow tree sheds tears and the lizard peeking symbolize the emotions of nature.
Down tepid streams with dreams of passing through
The gentle streams represent a desire to move forward in life.
You are what you are
Be true to yourself.
As the hope expires, as the land conspires
When hope fades, the land seems to plot against us.
As the lily-pads drift softly through a night
The peaceful scene of lily-pads drifting at night.
In the musty halls, where invention calls
The places where creativity sparks are not always glamorous.
With the voice of indecision filling fright
Being indecisive can lead to fearful situations.
Watch it, feel it, hold me, thrill me
Be fully present in the moment and enjoy life.
Give it, take it, as the dragonfly flies
Follow the natural rhythm of life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dunkiep
Amazing. A very youthfull mcnabb plays open chords on his guitar with one hand and keyboard parts with the other while singing. If he stuck a brush up his arse, he could have cleaned the stage at the same time!
InParticularNobody
...whilst playing in the wide open, fully electrified, in the merseyside rain..
The Ian Mcnabb story could have been a whole lot shorter if the gods had been feeling less kind :)
What a genius.
The Ramblings of Bry
fantastic band
Andrew Levy
Wow..Icicle Works live? Amazing!! Never seen this before! That first album was brilliant, one of my most favorite of the era..thanks for the post! Very cool..
Richard Hills
Playing synth whilst strummimg the guitar !!! What a hero !! One of my favourite bands ever !
Bloop
I can't stop listening to this song...Love it! I also love the way you can see the old pier head bus station in the background!!
Dave Williams
Quite a treasure. Loved this band -- never understood why they didn't chart better.
tetrahedron3100
Although the Icicle Works were never my favourite band, their first LP made a strong impression on me. One highlight was the lyrics from this track 'You are what you are.....you are what you know you are' just at the time in my life when I most needed to hear them.
clarence47a
You are indeed my new hero weirandstubbs. Thanks for these AWESOME videos. Legend...
Roy T Bone
Sharrock was a fantastic drummer.