THE ICICLE WORKS – IF YOU WANT TO DEFEAT YOUR ENEMY SING HIS SONG LP – Nr MINT UK INDIE

The Icicle Works – If You Want To Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song
(Beggars Banquet Records  1987  BEGA78)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing

Sleeve in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
– a little ringwear rubbing at the top
Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are a few surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

The Icicle Works are an English alternative rock band. 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. They are best known in their home country for their only top 40 UK hit “Love Is A Wonderful Colour” (1983). In the US and Canada, they also had only one top 40 hit, but it was the 1984 single “Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)“.

Led by singer/songwriter Ian McNabb, the band released five albums from 1984 to 1990 before breaking up in 1991. McNabb later convened a revised line-up of the band in 2006 to play live shows; this revised Icicle Works line-up still plays sporadic live dates.

If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy Sing His Song is the third album by The Icicle Works. The album was released in 1987.

Track listing

Original release

LP version
All songs written by Ian McNabb.

1. “Hope Springs Eternal” – 4:06
2. “Travelling Chest” – 4:40
3. “Sweet Thursday” – 4:17
4. “Up Here in the North of England” – 5:12
5. “Who Do You Want for Your Love?” – 3:54
6. “When You Were Mine” – 4:37
7. “Evangeline” – 4:05
8. “Truck Driver’s Lament” – 5:18
9. “Understanding Jane” – 3:21
10. “Walking With a Mountain” – 4:44

Personnel

• Robert Ian “Boots” McNabb – guitar, vocals, keyboards, harmonica
• Chris Layhe – bass, vocals, keyboards
• Chris Sharrock – drums, percussion

with:

• Dave Green – keyboards
• Mike Timmoney – keyboards
• Ritchie Close – keyboards
• Ian Broudie – keyboards; guitar solo on “When You Were Mine”
• Alison Limerick – backing vocal on “Evangeline”