The Icicle Works - In the Cauldron of Love

In 1984 my brother, like a lot of people, bought the Icicle Works' self-titled debut album on the strength of the single "Birds Fly". Also like a lot of people, he hated the rest of the album. And so for a small fee (to allow him to buy the single instead) it found its way into my collection - where it could be properly appreciated and, indeed, cherished for the stunning work that it actually is.

I can see why the full album might not appeal to someone attracted by "Birds Fly"'s catchy chorus and general buoyancy. The rest of it is considerably more somber - autumnal to "Birds Fly"'s spring - and there's a literary thread running through it which might have been too much of an intellectual challenge for your average TOTP viewer (not my brother, I hasten to add, who of course is a genius albeit one with questionable musical taste). I wonder sometimes if the band don't regret releasing that as a single in the first place, as it set up expectations that the album wasn't designed to fill. They would have sold a lot fewer records, true, but I think the album would have been judged on its own considerable merits rather than as "Birds Fly"-plus-filler, which is so, so unfair.

As you might have worked out by now, I adore a lot of the tracks on this album but this one has always been the standout for me. It's just...exquisite.