Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: It Bites
Label: EMI Records
Released: 1989
Length: 55:34
Rating: 4/5
“Eat Me In St. Louis” was the third album from the one-of-a-kind British prog-pop fusionists It Bites. It was their last studio outing with the charismatic, smooth-as-silk singer and guitarist Francis Dunnery, and for a long time their last studio move altogether (until 2008, when “The Tall Ships” came out with new singer and guitarist John Mitchell).
From day one, It Bites stood out for blending two seemingly incompatible genres, progressive rock and pop rock, in a brilliant and harmonious way. They weren’t the first to do it, of course, since plenty of legendary prog rock bands of the 60s and 70s started bringing pop elements into their music in the 80s, but they were the first to do it from the moment they were born, which makes them the leading names in this kind of experimentation. Even so, “Eat Me In St. Louis” didn’t bring them a bigger commercial breakthrough either, and they stayed a cult band with an extremely loyal fan base.
On “Eat Me In St. Louis,” It Bites tried to crack the American market (the title alone gives that away), so they went for a somewhat harder rock approach, which, at a time when hair metal had already peaked, was definitely not the smartest move. Dunnery’s riffing is much more upfront in the production, while Dalton on drums had never been anywhere near this busy before. Beck’s keyboards are mostly in the background this time, there are fewer symphonic arrangements than usual, while the synth textures are, as always, subtly woven through the individual guitar passages and solos. They pulled this new direction off and wove it into their trademark blend of prog rock and pop finesse.
Every composition radiates the sheer virtuosity of the individual members, especially the phenomenal Dunnery, who is at least as good a guitarist as he is a thrilling singer. The album has superb variety, from hard rock stompers and charming power ballads to arena rock anthems. The high melodic content of the arrangements is spiced with complex playing and bouncy rhythms. In that respect, they always had more in common with the prog rock titans who wandered into pop in the 80s, like Peter Gabriel and the Genesis of the day, than with the neo-prog movement some like to lump them into. Despite the unusual cover, rather atypical for them, painted by the legendary Roger Dean (over his long career he made covers for bands like Yes, Uriah Heep, Asia and a whole bunch of other acts), “Eat Me In St. Louis” has the fewest flirtations with 70s progressive rock of any of their albums.
Dunnery’s lyrics are, as ever, loaded with playful sarcasm. They poke plenty of fun at various social problems and love troubles. There was always a bit of a “cocky” swagger to It Bites’ music. On one hand, in both music and lyrics they always smartly made fun of romantic clichés, on the other, the passionate, bouncy mood of most of the songs works like a made-to-order magnet for women (a lovely example of this dual nature is the excellent “Underneath Your Pillow”).
Across the album, It Bites prove that besides their exceptional knack for fusing complexity and melody, they also had a real streak for writing (potential) hits. The standout here is “Still Too Young To Remember,” with its hypnotic multi-voiced chorus, charming central riff and wonderfully sarcastic lyrics that even Supertramp wouldn’t be ashamed of. Dunnery’s virtuosity is worthy of any 80s guitar hero, while his theatrical, tongue-in-cheek singing is a chapter all its own. It has to be said that he had a big role model in Peter Gabriel, which you can especially feel on the opener “Positively Animal,” packed with vocal nods to Gabriel’s classic “Shock The Monkey.”
“Underneath Your Pillow,” spiced with plenty of humorous sexual innuendo, the AOR favorite “People Of America” and the potential hit single “Sister Sarah” are also vivid examples of their refined sense for crafting first-rate melodies with clever rhythmic twists and rich instrumental sections. On tracks like the anthemic “Murder Of The Planet Earth,” where hard rock and pop elements go hand in hand, they deliver top-notch satire on social problems. And with great power ballads like “Ice Melts Into The Water,” Dunnery proves that besides his mischievous humor, he’s got a big heart too when it comes to expressing the most sincere emotions.
Just when it seemed they would finally get their commercial breakthrough, the album flopped completely. After a long tour came the inevitable breakup, since Dunnery could no longer find common ground with the rest of the band. While he set off on a solo career, the others carried on without him for a while, even releasing a live album, “Thank You And Goodnight-Live” (1991), finding a short-lived new singer in Lee Knott and then changing the band’s name twice (Navajo Kiss and Sister Sarah). All these attempts to rekindle wider interest in their music fell flat at a time when grunge was ruling the charts, and a years-long hiatus followed.
Even though it doesn’t reach the creative depth and wit of their best work, “Once Around The World” (1988), “Eat Me In St. Louis” is another very solid record that serves up all their trademark ingredients, and as such it remains interesting to this day for all art rock connoisseurs. As with all their albums, there are only two possible extremes: either its unusual prog-pop rock nature will win you over completely, or it will leave you totally cold. If you like bands such as Supertramp, Steely Dan, Queen, Blue Oyster Cult and Electric Light Orchestra, the second option shouldn’t happen.
As it later turned out, this wasn’t their last studio move after all, since almost twenty years later they came back in very convincing fashion with John Mitchell in the lineup (Arena and a whole slew of other bands and projects) . Dunnery’s announced return to progressive rock can be expected in 2009, when his new solo album “New Progressivenes Project” comes out, featuring the legendary John Wetton, one of his main role models.
Lineup
Francis Dunnery – vocals, guitar
John Beck – keyboards, backing vocals
Dick Nolan – bass guitar, backing vocals
Bob Dalton – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Production
It Bites
Tracklist
1. Positively Animal
2. Underneath Your Pillow
3. Let Us All Go
4. Still Too Young to Rememb
5. Murder of Planet Earth
6. People of America
7. Sister Sarah
8. Leaving Without You
9. Til the End of Time
10. Ice Melts Into Water
11. Charlie
