322) The Ice — “Ice Man”
Well, I guess today is the perfect day for this song, the second A-side (’68) by the band from Sussex University. Jo-Ann Greene calls it “a wonderful piece of psychedelia whimsy” in All Music Guide. She goes on to say that:
Some bands are deservedly obscure, some fall from grace into that state, and some just never really had the opportunity to be anything but; Ice fall into that latter category. This late-60s Brit band received a leg-up from the BBC, and even made the occasional TV appearance, but lack of label support brought Ice’s spread to an abrupt halt. . . . [T]he group were also equally adept at vocal-drenched pop, delicate rock ballads delivered in a very English fashion, and more emotive R&B/soul-fired numbers. . . . [Y]ou begin to see their label’s problem, for how do you package a psychedelic pop/rock-R&B-soul band for the mass market, even if the group did boast a superb singer, phenomenally intricate arrangements, and a totally unique musical vision? They couldn’t. Easier to just let them melt away . . . .
Wait, ice man comes, the ice man comes, the ice man cometh — I have an idea for a play here!
Here’s the band performing on the John Peel show:
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations 