The Big Lad in the Windmill By IT Bites

This is an album from 1986. I am sure you remember 'Calling all the Heroes' - that's on here, and I'll talk about it later. But does it still stand up as a good album?

Firstly, the production is very 80s. In places it is abrasively so - for example, the instrumental section most of the way through the first track. At times it's like someone is smacking you round the head with Phil Collins' snare. The drums are really over the top, and some of the synth sounds are extremely dated. At times (track 3) I thought I was listening to that dreadful track on Abacab with the horn section.

I'm also not a big fan of the vocal. I find it a bit contrived, like someone trying a little too hard.

Having got those gripes out of the way, let's talk about the good stuff. The melodies are terrific. All In Red, the second track, has a fabulous hook line. Whole New World has a great chorus. First and foremost, you can see that IT Bites put a lot of work into crafting catchy tunes.

It's all very pop. There's clearly a prog sensibility somewhere in there, but I'm not sure where it is. I don't think IT Bites were primarily progressive rock, and if you're looking for something which is more classically prog this is not going to tick your box. But I can't think of anyone else who has quite done this sort of thing. The Buggles I guess are the closest.

I skipped several tracks here and moved on to 'Calling all the Heroes', since that made such an impression on me at the time. You can't help but smile at the audacity of this song. Again, the vocals are a bit problematic in places, but the sheer joy of the piece carries it through. I absolutely love the lead-in to the chorus. Halfway through, there's a piano break and you can hear the prog influence, but primarily this is pop. There's a lovely synth section, but a bit restrained if anything. Not a word you would normally associate with this band.

You'll Never Get to Heaven follows, and the intro is very reminiscent of Carpet Crawlers, but it soon moves far away into late night soft jazz territory, and not in a good way. The vocals are strained and the song unconvincing.

Overall, this is an interesting album, and worth listening to, but not repeatedly I would say.

Reasons to listen:

  • Great melodies
  • The idea of progressive pop appeals
Reasons not to listen:
  • If you hear that gated snare sound one more time you'll write a very strongly worded letter to Phil Collins expressing your displeasure
  • You can't get past that vocal

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