Robert Ian McNabb is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Liverpool, England. Although known best for his work as leader and songwriter-in-chief of The Icicle Works in the 1980s, he has also led a critically acclaimed solo career. This article documents his solo releases, followed by a more detailed description of a selection of his releases.
Video Ian McNabb discography
Albums
Maps Ian McNabb discography
Side albums
- Waifs and Strays (2001)
- Boots (2003)
- People Don't Stop Believin' (2005)
- Krugerrands (2015)
- Respectfully Yours (2016)
Compilation albums
- My Own Way: The Words & Music of Ian McNabb (1997)
- Potency: The Best of Ian McNabb (2004)
Live albums
- Live at Life (2000)
- How We Live: At the Philharmonic (2007)
Singles
Promotional singles
- Still Got the Fever from the album Head Like a Rock (Autumn 1993)
- Livin' Proof (Miracles Can Happen) from the album Ian McNabb (April 2001)
- New Light from the album Great Things (released digitally on iTunes) (2009)
- She Don't Let Nobody, later included on the album Eclectic Warrior (2011)
Other appearances
Songs
See also List of songs recorded by Ian McNabb
- Slough from 'Words/Music - Sir John Betjeman and Mike Read' (2006)
- Working Class Hero (cover of a John Lennon song) from the Dutch CD 'HET BESTE UIT 10 JAAR 2 METER SESSIES' (1997)
- Woman (cover of a John Lennon song) from Liverpool - The Number Ones Album (2008)
- Music Is Love (cover of a David Crosby song) from the free CD with the JAN/FEB 2013 issue of Maverick Magazine
- All I've Got to Do (cover of a Beatles song) from the free CD with the August 2013 issue of Mojo magazine with Thomas McConnell
Albums
- Space Flower with The Wild Swans (Guitar and Backing Vocals)
- Cloudcuckooland, Sense, and Jollification with The Lightning Seeds (Backing vocals, Co-writer of Sense and Jollification). (1990-1994)
- The Journey (2005) with Amsterdam (Guitar only)
- Songs for Everyday Use (2006) with Gary Cooke. (Guitar only)
- Ian was part of the short lived ensemble band Sandhill Mob (2010)
- Hold On (Charity single for Alder Hay children's hospital) (2012) (Guitar and Backing Vocals)
- Rude Beggar (2014) with Nash Albert. (Producer (with Ciaron Bell), Guitar, Backing Vocals)
- Our Friend (Charity single as part of ensemble, released in support of 'Statue 4 Eppy') (2015)
Featured Works
Some selected works are featured below;
I'm Game
"I'm Game" is the fourth single released by Ian McNabb after disbanding the Icicle Works. The song was the first to be released after publication of Ian's first album Truth and Beauty, rather than to promote it. It failed to chart.
Track listing
7" record
- I'm Game (4:32)
- A Pirate Looks At Forty (4:09)
CD
- I'm Game (4:32)
- What's It All About? (4:25)
- A Pirate Looks At Forty (4:09)
I Go My Own Way
"(I Go) My Own Way" is the fifth single released by Ian McNabb after disbanding the Icicle Works. The song was the last to be released from Ian's first album Truth and Beauty. It failed to chart.
Track listings
7" Record, Cassette, & CD
- (I Go) My Own Way (5:20)
- Play The Hand They Deal You (5:38)
CD & 10" Record
- (I Go) My Own Way (5:20)
- Play The Hand They Deal You (5:38)
- If My Daddy Could See Me Now (3:06)
- For You, Angel (7:46)
Little Princess
"Little Princess" is the tenth single released by Ian McNabb after disbanding the Icicle Works. The song was the sole single release from the album A Party Political Broadcast on Behalf of the Emotional Party. The single failed to chart on the official UK charts.
Critical reception
Paul Cole of the Birmingham Evening Mail, called Little Princess 'the single the fans asked for', claiming that 'Rarely has McNabb been in better vocal form'.
Track listings
CD
- Little princess (Edit) (3:46)
- Beautiful old mystery (demo March 95) (4:15)
- Loveless age (demo October 96) (4:17)
- Out of season (June 98) (5:22)
Live at Life
Live at Life is the title of Ian McNabb's first live album. It was recorded from a pair of Christmas gigs at the Voodoo Room, Life Cafe, Liverpool in 1999, hence the title of the album. Ian said he 'Couldn't resist doing a live album at a place called life as [he] knew the title was brilliant'. The album included one newly written track, "Why Are the Beautiful So Sad".
Critical reception
Rudyard Kennedy, writing for allmusic.com said the album was "a well-thought-out, well-produced niche product" but that "featuring no hits and lacking the raw energy one normally associates with a live release - is probably the least-essential item in McNabb's catalog. Which is not to say that Live at Life is a bad album - just a curious one to put into general release."
Track listing
- Live at life [UK, US]
- Hollow Horse [4:42]
- Sex With Someone You Love [5:18]
- Great Dreams of Heaven [4:54]
- Permanent Damage [3:20]
- Little Girl Lost [4:15]
- I'm a Genius [4:13]
- One True Love [2:44]
- Why Are The Beautiful So Sad? [4:12]
- When It All Comes Down [4:10]
- A Guy Like Me (And A Girl Like You) [4:51]
- Fire Inside My Soul [7:18]
- What She Did to My Mind [6:41]
- Merseybeast [6:02]
- Camaraderie [4:31]
- Reaping The Rich Harvest [4:25]
Potency: The Best of Ian McNabb
Potency: The Best of Ian McNabb is the title of Ian McNabb's second 'Greatest Hits' style compilation album. It came in a 2-CD package along with 'Potency+'; a compilation of 'B-sides, remixes and rarities' according to the cover notes.
Critical reception
The magazine Uncut commented that "As Potency proves, over more than a decade [Ian McNabb has] been making quality pop characterised by lyrical maturity and an old-fashioned respect for melody", but gave the album a low rating of 3/10.
Track listing
- Potency
- (Disc 1)
- Liverpool Girl
- Camaraderie
- Livin' Proof (Miracles Can Happen)
- All Things To Everyone
- Great Dreams Of Heaven
- Potency
- If Love Was Like Guitars
- Man Who Can Make A Women Laugh
- You Must Be Prepared To Dream
- German Soldier's Helmet Circa 1943
- You Stone My Soul
- I'm A Genius
- Friend Of My Enemy
- Lady By Degrees
- Merseybeast
- Potency+
- (Disc 2)
- Play The Hand They Deal You
- I Go My Own Way
- If My Daddy Could See Me Now
- For You Angel
- Time You Were In Love
- Don't Patronize Me
- Trams In Amsterdam
- Woo Yer
- Salt Of The Earth
- Great Dreams Of Heaven
- Rock
- Sometimes I Think About You
- What's It All About
- Slider
- Go Into The Light (celestial dub mix)
Boots
Boots is the title of an Ian McNabb album of previously unreleased archival material recorded between 1991 and 2000. The title refers to both McNabb's nickname (after his penchant for wearing Beatles-style boots in the mid-80s while with The Icicle Works), and a reference to the 'official bootleg' nature of the release. The double disc set includes some very hard to find items, demos, and alternative versions. It was available by mail only and limited to 1000 copies each numbered on the spine. According to Ian, the album is 'Very Rare'. The cover was designed by Ged Doyle at Plast-c.
Critical reception
Jerry Ewing reviewed Boots in the magazine Classic Rock saying it was "a double CD full of rarities and out-takes from across McNabb's excellent solo career." He concluded by saying it "is sad that Boots is available only from... McNabb's website"
Track listing
- Disc 1
- Merseybeast (demo w/original lyrics-March '95) [6:59]
- Friend of My Enemy (demo-October '96) [5:07]
- Beautiful Old Mystery (demo-March '95) [4:13]
- You Must Be Prepared To Dream (acoustic radio session w/Crazy Horse-June '94)[5:26]
- Sing (demo-March '95) [4:42]
- You Only Get What You Deserve (demo-March '95) [4:33]
- Liverpool Girl (demo w/original lyrics-October '96) [4:49]
- Love's Young Dream (demo-March '95) [4:28]
- Hollywood Tears (alternate vocal version-March '00) [4:10]
- Rollin' On (The Things We Gave Away) (demo-February '99) [5:41]
- Livin' Proof (Miracles Can Happen) (live-December '99) [3:20]
- Glory Be (demo-October '96) [6:16]
- Disc 2
- Heydays (demo-March '95) [5:44]
- Right on Time (demo-October '96) [3:58]
- Growing Younger (demo-March '95) [5:17]
- May You Always (home demo-August '93) [5:01]
- Somebody Tell Rebecca (outtake-September '01) [4:15]
- Something Wonderful (demo-January '00) [4:44]
- These Are The Days (acoustic radio session w/Crazy Horse-June '94) [4:38]
- Love, Where Are You? (demo-March '95) [4:33]
- Sometimes I Think About You (live-November '93) [5:01]
- Don't Patronize Me (demo-March '95) [4:16]
- Available Light (demo-March '95) [6:23]
- Won't Get Fooled Again (outtake-April '91) [8:31]
Krugerrands
Krugerrands is an Ian McNabb album, primarily containing re-recordings of previously released tracks, that according to McNabb 'were either previously stripped to basics for their original recordings or done using drum machines and other such toys'. The album was released on 3 August 2015, after having been made available for pre-order on McNabb's website in June. The album was a limited release of 1000 copies, and also included a cover of the Sly Fox song Let's Go All the Way and two versions of a new track, 'Gravy'. The album was a collaboration with Liverpudlian band Cold Shoulder, as with previous album Eclectic Warrior.
According to McNabb's liner notes to the album, the album is an attempt to improve on 'a bunch of tunes from [his] catalogue [he] felt, although not uhappy[sic] with in their previous incarnations, had a lot of room to grow'.
Track listing
- Gravy (Intro) [1:49]
- Hurricane Elaine [8:03] - Originally released on The Gentleman Adventurer
- Rider (The Heartless Mare) [4:53] - Originally released on Before All of This
- All About A Woman [5:09] - Originally released on Great Things
- Gulf Coast Rockin' [4:46] - Originally released on The Gentleman Adventurer
- A Guy Like Me (And A Girl Like You) [4:12] - Originally released on A Party Political Broadcast on Behalf of the Emotional Party
- Little Princess [5:40] - Originally released on A Party Political Broadcast on Behalf of the Emotional Party
- High On a Hill [7:32] - Originally released on Little Episodes
- Let's Go All The Way [4:08] - Cover version of the Sly Fox song Let's Go All the Way
- Ain't No Way To Behave [4:42] - Originally released on The Gentleman Adventurer
- Misty Meadows [5:07] - Originally released on Waifs and Strays
- Believer Of Me [4:16] - Originally released as a live track on How We Live: At the Philharmonic
- Stood Before St. Peter [4:08] - Originally released on The Icicle Works' album Blind
- Gravy [5:10]
Respectfully Yours
Respectfully Yours is an Ian McNabb album, comprising covers of songs originally recorded by other artists, and McNabb's first covers album.
Track listing
- Changes - Cover version of a Black Sabbath song
- Pocahontas - Cover version of a Neil Young song
- Run To Me - Cover version of a Bee Gees song
- Baltimore - Cover version of a Randy Newman song, from the album Little Criminals
- Life On Mars? - Cover version of a David Bowie song
- The Killing Moon - Cover version of an Echo & the Bunnymen song
- Montague Terrace In Blue - Cover version of a Scott Walker song, from the album Scott
- Memory Motel - Cover version of a Rolling Stones song
- The Crystal Ship - Cover version of a Doors song
- Time Ain't Nothin' - Cover version of a Green on Red song, from the album No Free Lunch
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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