The Icicle Works
THE SMALL PRICE OF A BICYCLE
3xCD REISSUE, [Rumoured to be] REMASTERED from the ORIGINAL ANALOGUE SOURCE TAPES
NOTES
"We did Hollow Horse at Strawberry North studios in Stockport and it came out and flopped. Major blow. Reconvened at Studios De Miraval in La Val France a month later. It was like being at Colditz. Lots of arguments with the producer. A mistake which cost us dearly. Good songs, wrong vibes. Arista in the U.S. heard it and promptly dropped us labelling what they heard as 'Punk rock demos.' A disappointment. No hits. It was a shock to all of us." IMc
There's actually nothing small about the Icicle Works' second album. Like early U2, Big Country, and Simple Minds, the Icicle Works paint with a large canvas; on The Small Price of a Bicycle, the Icicle Works don't stray from their formula of mammoth guitar riffs and epic choruses.The galloping bass and sweeping vocals of Hollow Horse should've been as successful in the U.S. as the band's only American hit, Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) . "We'll be as we are/When all the fools who doubt us fade away," McNabb bellows defiantly on Hollow Horse , lyrics that are as catchy as the "We are, we are/We are but your children" sing-along of Birds Fly . Filled with high drama and a ceaselessly driving beat, Hollow Horse nearly stomps the rest of the album into mashed potatoes. Perambulator exposes the Icicle Works' more aggressive side, one that McNabb would explore further on his Head Like a Rock LP, while Seven Horses is more of the same, McNabb's throaty voice riding on a wave of colossal guitars and thumping basslines.
This reissue in conjunction with Beggars Banquet contains two bonus discs of rare and unreleased material, together with informative notes by long time Icicle Works champion Jerry Ewing who has talked to Ian McNabb about the making of the album.
IMAGES [UK 3CD Re-Issue] Cherry Red Records CDBRED 487 
| DETAILS [UK 3CD Re-Issue] Cherry Red Records CDBRED 487 Disc 1 | Original Album
CREDITS Producer | Wally Brill Engineer | Richard Manwaring, assisted by Jacques de Jacques * Producer | Hugh Jones ** Producer | Geoff Muir and The Icicle Works. NOTES
Issued in a digipak sleeve, one side holding the booklet, the other housing the 3 CD's. |
Disc 2 | B-Sides and Rarities
| Track | Title | Composer | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hollow Horse | Chris Layhe Ian McNabb |
5:01 | Long Version. B-Side of Hollow Horse. |
| 2 | Book Of Reason | Ian McNabb | 4:36 | USA Long Version. Canadian Vertigo Sampler. |
| 3 | All The Daughter's (Of Her Father's House) | Ian McNabb | 6:01 | Long Version. B-Side of All The Daughter's (Of Her Father's House) |
| 4 | A Pocketful Of Nothing | Ian McNabb | 3:55 | B-Side of All The Daughter's (Of Her Father's House) |
| 5 | Mr. Soul | Neil Young | 3:16 | B-Side of All The Daughter's (Of Her Father's House) |
| 6 | When You Hear The Mission Bells | Ian McNabb | 4:00 | Previously Unreleased |
| 7 | Seven Horses | Ian McNabb | 4:48 | American Version. B-Side of Seven Horses. |
| 8 | Slingshot | Ian McNabb | 4:22 | B-Side of Seven Horses. |
| 9 | Beggars Legacy | Ian McNabb | 3:47 | B-Side of Seven Horses. |
| 10 | Goin' Back | Jerry Goffin, Carole King |
3:56 | B-Side of Seven Horses. |
| 11 | When It All Comes Down | Ian McNabb | 6:33 | Unabridged Version. |
| 12 | (Let's Go) Down To The River | Ian McNabb | 4:00 | B-Side of When It All Comes Down. |
| 13 | Cold Turkey | John Lennon | 4:30 | B-Side of When It All Comes Down. |
| 14 | Seven Horses | Ian McNabb | 4:50 | Early Recoding taken from Lost Icicles Volume 1. |
| 15 | Perambulator | Chris Layhe, Ian McNabb |
4:02 | Early Recoding taken from Lost Icicles Volume 1. |
| 16 | Assumed Sundown | Ian McNabb | 5:27 | Early Recoding taken from Lost Icicles Volume 1. |
| 17 | Beggars Legacy | Ian McNabb | 3:36 | Early Recoding taken from Lost Icicles Volume 1. |
Disc 3 | Radio Sessions and Live
| Track | Title | Composer | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | When It All Comes Down | Ian McNabb | 4:20 | Abridged Version |
| 2 | Saint's Sojourn | Ian McNabb | 4:46 | Demo Version |
| 3 | Hollow Horse | Chris Layhe Ian McNabb |
4:11 | Radio 1 John Peel Session 15/08/1984 |
| 4 | Deep In The Woods | Ian McNabb | 4:14 | Radio 1 John Peel Session 15/08/1984 |
| 5 | Conscience Of Kings | Ian McNabb | 5:16 | Radio 1 John Peel Session 15/08/1984 |
| 6 | When You Hear The Mission Bells | Ian McNabb | 4:24 | Radio 1 John Peel Session 15/08/1984 |
| 7 | Perambulator | Chris Layhe, Ian McNabb |
4:02 | Radio 1 Janice Long Session 24/04/1985 |
| 8 | All The Daughter's (Of Her Father's House) | Ian McNabb | 4:31 | Radio 1 Janice Long Session 24/04/1985 |
| 9 | Diamond In The Rough | Ian McNabb | 4:46 | Radio 1 Janice Long Session 24/04/1985 |
| 10 | Impossibly Three Lovers | Ian McNabb | 4:33 | Radio 1 Janice Long Session 24/04/1985 |
| 11 | Seven Horses | Ian McNabb | 4:19 | Live Recording from BBC Radio Merseyside "Streetlife" programme. Previously released on Understanding Jane cassette single, - BEG 160C Remixed by Geoff Muir and Pete Coleman. |
| 12 | Perambulator | Chris Layhe, Ian McNabb |
4:14 | Live Recording from BBC Radio Merseyside "Streetlife" programme. Previously released on Understanding Jane cassette single, - BEG 160C Remixed by Geoff Muir and Pete Coleman. |
| 13 | Rapids | Ian McNabb | 4:29 | Live Recording from BBC Radio Merseyside "Streetlife" programme. Previously released on Understanding Jane cassette single. Remixed by Geoff Muir and Pete Coleman. |
| 14 | Hollow Horse | Chris Layhe Ian McNabb |
4:35 | Live Recording from BBC Radio Merseyside "Streetlife" programme. Previously released on Understanding Jane FREE single, - The Icicle Works, Live at The Albert, Lark Lane. [ICE 1] Remixed by Geoff Muir and Pete Coleman. |
| 15 | You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet | Randy Bachman, Turner |
3:28 | Live Recording from BBC Radio Merseyside "Streetlife" programme. Previously released on Understanding Jane FREE single, - The Icicle Works, Live at The Albert, Lark Lane. [ICE 1] Remixed by Geoff Muir and Pete Coleman. |
