THE BIG LAD IN THE WINDMILL

It Bites are one of those bands I'd never have thought of as prog, although I have to confess this is more due to ignorance of their work, not familiarity. They are perhaps best know to the masses for their hit single, "Calling all the heroes", which appears on this their first album.

There is no doubt that the band sit very much at the pop end of prog, in the territory occupied by band such as 10CC, STYX etc. The five 4 minute tracks a side, and the glamorous photo of the band on the inner sleeve leave little doubt that this album is intended to sell to those whose appetite for music rarely ventures beyond the superficial.

The first couple of tracks are sophisticated pop, the opening "I got you eating out of my hand" being marginally more intricate than the rest. By the time we get to "Whole new world" though, a horn section is added, giving an unfortunate Phil Collins (solo) feel to the track. "Wanna shout" suffers from the same infliction, the synthetic 80's pop and strong beat offering little in the way of substance.

The second side is notably the stronger. "Turn me loose" has a very odd mixture of melodic pop chorus and offbeat instrumental. "Calling all the heroes" is a sort of ASIA clone with a bit of "Owner of a Lonely heart" too. The song has strong melody and an infectious chorus, with a decent instrumental section. The lyrics tell a good tale from the wild west.

The album closes with the reflective "You'll never go to heaven", the longest track on the album, then the title track which is the shortest. "You'll never go to heaven" reminds me somewhat of Spandau Ballet's "True", but it does have a couple of decent guitar solos by Francis Dunnery.

In all, a very pop album which the band deliver in very accomplished fashion without ever really challenging themselves. While the music is enjoyable, there really is virtually nothing here to recommend to those seeking prog.

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