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.
Reaping The Rich Harvest
The Icicle Works Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When day is done, wind in my sails,
With confidence, how could we fail,
Fingers can pass through fire,
And somehow not get burned,
Hang your hopes upon, all you've learned,
Will I use your lines for guidance,
Will I subsequently fumble,
Through the reasons to be gained,
Bind me up with promises, lend me to the wisdom of your ways,
Will you find it in yourself,
To reap the richest harvest then...
Those aisles are long,
With wisdom worn,
And it was here,
Our love was born...
Repeat Chorus
Reap the richest harvest once again
The Icicle Works's song Reaping The Rich Harvest is a song about finding guidance and wisdom from someone else's experiences. The lyrics are written from the perspective of someone who is seeking advice and support to achieve success in life. The first verse talks about the confidence that comes from knowing you have someone to lean on. The line "Fingers can pass through fire, and somehow not get burned" suggests the power of the person's support to protect the singer from harm. The next line, "Hang your hopes upon, all you've learned," emphasizes the importance of learning from others' experiences.
The chorus encourages the listener to seek the advice and guidance of others, with the line "Only when I find you, will I use your lines for guidance." The following line, "Will I subsequently fumble, through the reasons to be gained," implies the difficulty of navigating life's challenges and the need for support. The chorus concludes with the plea to "bind me up with promises" and to lend the singer to the "wisdom of your ways."
The second verse reflects on how the relationship between the singer and the person giving advice developed. The line "Those aisles are long, with wisdom worn" suggests a long history of shared experience. The concluding line, "And it was here, our love was born," implies that the relationship has deepened into a sort of platonic love.
Line by Line Meaning
When day is done, wind in my sails,
After a long day, with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment,
With confidence, how could we fail,
Feeling self-assured and optimistic about the future,
Fingers can pass through fire,
Being able to endure and overcome challenges,
And somehow not get burned,
Without being negatively affected by those challenges,
Hang your hopes upon, all you've learned,
Believe in your knowledge and experience to achieve your goals,
Those aisles are long,
The journey to success is often difficult and takes time,
With wisdom worn,
Having gained knowledge and experience through life's challenges,
And it was here,
Referring to a significant place or moment in the past,
Our love was born...
Describing the beginning of a relationship or emotional connection,
Only when I find you,
The importance of finding personal guidance and inspiration,
Will I use your lines for guidance,
Taking advice and wisdom from others to achieve success,
Will I subsequently fumble,
Making mistakes and experiencing setbacks despite best efforts,
Through the reasons to be gained,
Enduring obstacles in order to reap the rewards of success,
Bind me up with promises, lend me to the wisdom of your ways,
Asking for support and guidance from someone else in order to achieve success,
Will you find it in yourself,
Asking someone else to dig deep and provide support and guidance,
To reap the richest harvest then...
To achieve the greatest success and rewards possible.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: IAN MCNABB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Terry Richardson
Great music and one of the few bands I revisited live a long time after, who still put on a great show like they meant it, with everything they had (admittedly not the original line up, but McNabb still packed a hell of a punch). Remains timeless.
Chet Tennant
The lyrics are amazing. The voice. The arrangement.
slewisedwards
Crikey ! I had forgotten just how good these guys were ! Brings back fab memories of their live gig I went to 25 years ago. Just off to Amazon to order their first CD - my vinyl copy is long since lost.
D M
Hugh Jones.......met him in the studio in 92 mixing Kitchens of Distinction and told him his production on The icicle Works debut album was amazing!
11kirky
This is a beautiful track, for me the best on the album. Everything about it is spot on, seen them live at middlesbrough town hall, absolute class. The bastards wouldn't play this when mr.mcnab asked what we'd like them to play. But i forgive him, very underrated band for me. Album of the eighties as far as i'm concerned.
Marcus
A golden nugget from the 80's. A song I missed back in the 80's.
Raynald Etienne
Que sont elles devenues nos superbes années new wave ? Quelle bouffée de nostalgie que je me prends en réécoutant ce morceau de bravoure !!!
gata sucia
love this song, but judging from recent attempts to play it, its clearly become a challenge to perform live
darkage5
thanks for posting this! Did you find this on cd, or have it converted from the original vinyl? I have the version of the album with this song on it but have no way to convert it over. :(
António Batista
@11kirky Yes it's available on Amazon or Ebay remastered with extra tracks at a bargain.