The general public were given a bit of a false impression of It Bites with the success of their second single Calling All The Heroes. With it being such a huge hit they were mistaken for a pop band of the time and they were lumped in with all the other frilly shirts and haircuts. In fact, they were anything but a pop band. They were the next in a long line of great Prog bands that Britain did so well. Yes, they had a great sense of melody and boy could they write a catchy hook and chorus, but then again so could Genesis.
The first track I Got You Eating Out Of My Hand lays it all in the table with the very catchy hook and chorus, and then the middle section goes all Prog with hints of fusion. It’s a great track! Just to show you how record companies have no idea how to market the bands they have, Virgin released All In Red as the lead single. Now, it’s a great song but was it a lead single? The answer is no it wasn’t, and it bombed. It’s a good thing they got it right with Calling All The Heroes or else It Bites could have died before they started.
Everything sort of revolved around frontman and guitarist Francis Dunnery, who has such a distinctive voice and was such a presence live, plus he is great guitar player. Mixed in with their brand of quirky pop/prog fusion are some epic tracks like You’ll Never Go To Heaven, and my favourite tune Screaming On The Beaches. Which is a wonderful song with a great hook and a quirky groove, but the chorus is so good. They would strike gold with their next album Once Around The World, but this is a great stepping stone for that one.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
