The Icicle Works - Love Is A Wonderful Colour. Top Of The Pops 1984 video free download

Nice quality video recorded from Top Of The Pops 1984. The Icicle Works were an English alternative rock band of the 1980s. 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 in 1980 when bassist Chris Layhe (who had been in a couple of local rock bands including Elanor and Blind Owl) answered an advertisement for a musical collaborator placed by 20 year old Ian McNabb. The two got together and started writing. They quickly added drummer Chris Sharrock (who had previously drummed for the Cherry Boys), and began playing live shows as "The Icicle Works".

In 1981, the band recorded a six-song independently released cassette entitled Ascending. In 1982, they released the independent single "Nirvana", which made it to No.15 on the UK's indie charts. 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' released their biggest UK hit, 1983's "Love is a Wonderful Colour", which was a UK Top 15 single. Their debut eponymous album (1984) followed shortly thereafter, reached number 24 on the UK charts and entered 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 slightly remixed version of the band's Situation Two release of 1983.

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, World Party, and would also drum for Robbie Williams, Del Amitri, Eurythmics, Oasis and most recently joined Beady Eye. Layhe also departed at this time and Beggars Banquet dropped the group from their roster.

McNabb continued to perform under the name The Icicle Works for a while. Dave Green was promoted to official membership status, although he would leave the band within a year. Zak Starkey was added on drums for a time, and various keyboardists, bassists, and guitarists passed through before the band released their final album 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.

McNabb's solo career officially began in 1991 with the release of the single Great Dreams of Heaven.

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.

After having been a solo act for 15 years, in 2006 McNabb unexpectedly reactivated The Icicle Works name for a series of six UK concerts in October of that year. This version of the band consisted of McNabb, former 'second-generation' Icicle Works bassist Roy Corkill, and two new members: keyboard player Richard Naiff and ex-Dodgy drummer Matthew Priest, both of McNabb's long-time solo touring band. Original drummer Chris Sharrock had been invited to play with the revived group, but declined to participate.

The Icicle Works later appeared at GuilFest 2007 and played a nine-date UK tour in December 2007. However, certain shows on this tour were heavily criticized by fans on the Message Boards at www.ianmcnabb.com for their allegedly disorganised nature, especially with regards to McNabb's performance. Perhaps by way of an apology, McNabb and company played two free shows as 'The Icicle Works' in Liverpool in January 2008.

McNabb continued to play gigs as a solo artist throughout 2009 and 2010, but the McNabb/Corkhill/Naiff/Priest line-up played a series of 30th Anniversary gigs as The Icicle Works in 2011.

Band members:

Ian McNabb -- vocals, guitar, keyboards (1980--1990, 2006--present)

Chris Layhe -- backing vocals, bass (1980--1988)

Chris Sharrock -- drums (1981--1988)

Roy Corkhill -- bass (1988--1990, 2006-present)

Zak Starkey -- drums (1988)

Dave Green -- keyboards (1988)

Dave Baldwin -- keyboards (1989--1990)

Jed Lynch -- drums (1989)

Mark Revell -- backing vocals (1990)

Paul Burgess -- drums (1990)

Richard Naiff -- keyboards (2006--present)

Matthew Priest -- drums (2006--present)