It Bites
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| It Bites | |
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 Cover of Eat me in St. Louis (1989)
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| Background information | |
| Origin | UK |
| Genre(s) | Progressive Rock/Pop Rock |
| Years active | 1984–1990, 2006- |
| Label(s) | Virgin Records, Geffen Records |
| Members | |
| John Mitchell John Beck Dick Nolan Bob Dalton |
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| Former members | |
| Francis Dunnery Lee Knott |
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It Bites are a progressive rock and pop fusion band formed in Egremont, Cumbria, England, in 1982. Despite a healthy fan-base around the world, It Bites were one of the many progressive pop rock bands to suffer the great cull of the early 1990s, when major record labels consolidated their assets, to weather the economic downturn by dropping musicians in favour of cheaper pop stars.
Contents |
[edit] The Dunnery Years (1984-1990)
It Bites moved to London in 1984 and signed a record contract with Virgin Records soon after. They released their first album The Big Lad In The Windmill in 1986 which contained the hit single Calling All The Heroes, which reached #6 in the UK chart. The album itself enjoyed only moderate commercial success. The group's second album Once Around The World followed in 1988. The album was notable in that it signalled a departure from the more pop-oriented sound of the first album and contained the group's 14 minute 'magnum opus' Once Around The World. The album also provided some minor hits in Midnight and Kiss Like Judas. Eat Me In St. Louis, the group's third and final studio album with the original line-up followed in 1989 and contained a harder-edged, more guitar-based sound than previously. The album also spawned the hit single Still Too Young To Remember.
Dunnery left the band in 1990 to pursue a solo career. For a brief period only, ex-Innocence Lost frontman, Lee Knott, was advertised as the new singer of It Bites. Soon after though, the band would change their name to Navajo Kiss and then Sister Sarah before It Bites would go on indefinite hiatus.
A live set Thank You and Goodnight was released in 1991 featuring material recorded during the band's Eat Me In St. Louis tour.
[edit] The Union Chapel 2003
On the 30th August 2003 Francis Dunnery was joined onstage during one of his solo concerts, for the first time since 1990, by his old It Bites band-mates at the Union Chapel in London. Following this, it was announced that It Bites would be getting back together to write and record a new album followed by a tour. This never materialised due to Francis' hectic schedule back in the U.S.
[edit] Reformation
The band has since reformed with Arena/Kino guitarist John Mitchell taking Dunnery's place. A live album When The Lights Go Down has been compiled from material recorded during the Winter 2006 tour and was released in 2007.
The band have been writing for a new album since 2007 - with the recording process due to be completed in May 2008. The new album The Tall Ships is due for release sometime in the summer of 2008 - and a tour is now announced starting in London on the 26th September 2008 and finishing in Brighton on the 6th October, with support from Touchstone.
[edit] Sound
The group was a mix of post Peter Gabriel Genesis and 10cc with Van Halen like vocals and guitar histrionics.
The band's natural territory was the album charts and on the road, where their healthy fanbase would turn out in their thousands to show support for a band who never really found a mainstream audience.
[edit] Line up
[edit] Current
- John Mitchell (vocals, guitar)
- John Beck (keyboards)
- Dick Nolan (bass)
- Bob Dalton (drums)
[edit] Past members
- Francis Dunnery (vocals, guitar)
- Lee Knott (vocals)
[edit] Discography
- The Big Lad In The Windmill (Virgin/Geffen 1986)
- Once Around The World (Virgin/Geffen 1988)
- Eat Me In St Louis (Virgin/Geffen 1989)
- The It Bites Album (Virgin Japan 1990)
- Thank You And Goodnight - Live (Virgin 1991)
- Best Of - Calling All the Heroes (EMI 2003)
- Live in Montreux (2003)
- Live in Tokyo (DVD 2003)
- When The Lights Go Down (Live CD 2007)
- The Tall Ships (TBA)
