Once Around the World

Last updated

Once Around the World
It Bites - Once Around World.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1988
Recorded1986–88
StudioManor Studios, Oxfordshire
Genre Progressive rock
Length44:49 (LP version)
Label Virgin (UK), Geffen (US)
Producer Steve Hillage, It Bites, Mark Wallis
It Bites chronology
The Big Lad in the Windmill
(1986)
Once Around the World
(1988)
Eat Me in St. Louis
(1989)
Singles from Once Around the World
  1. "Old Man & the Angel"
    Released: May 1987
  2. "Kiss Like Judas"
    Released: February 1988
  3. "Midnight"
    Released: April 1988

Once Around the World is the second album by British progressive pop/rock band It Bites.

Contents

Released in 1988, Once Around the World was recorded at Manor Hill Studios in Oxfordshire. The first five of the album's nine tracks (on vinyl or cassette, the first side of the album) were produced by Steve Hillage and mostly feature the more single-driven pop approach preferred by the band's label, Virgin Records. One of these tracks, "Black December", was a re-recorded single b-side. The remaining tracks (including the almost fifteen-minute title track, the band's longest composition) were produced by It Bites with Mark Wallis and showcase their progressive rock influences.

The album produced three singles ("Kiss Like Judas", "Midnight" and a drastic edit of "Old Man and the Angel") and saw the band embark on a tour of the UK, US and Japan. [1] Though both "Kiss Like Judas" and "Old Man and the Angel" charted, they failed to achieve hit status, peaking at number 76 and number 72 respectively, and Once Around the World is the only one of the three album It Bites released during their original run which failed to crack the UK Top 40. [2]

Reception

According to Paul Stump's History of Progressive Rock, the album "would, in another epoch, have been seen as the album that broke [It Bites] as superstars. In 1988, it disappeared without a trace, lacking a suitable single to bolster it à la 'Calling All the Heroes'." He praised the album's combination of catchy melodies and intellectually stimulating rhythmic subtleties. [3]

Track listing

  1. "Midnight" (4:04)
  2. "Kiss Like Judas" (4:08)
  3. "Yellow Christian" (6:29)
  4. "Rose Marie" (3:33)
  5. "Black December" (3:50)
  6. "Old Man and the Angel" (9:21) The UK vinyl release had a shortened version of this track (3:59)
  7. "Hunting the Whale" (4:46) CD only
  8. "Plastic Dreamer" (3:53)
  9. "Once Around the World" (14:46)

Personnel

It Bites
Additional personnel

Charts

ChartsPeak
position
UK Albums Chart 43 [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Art of Drowning</i> (album) 2000 studio album by AFI

The Art of Drowning is the fifth studio album by American rock band AFI. It was released on September 19, 2000, through Nitro Records.

<i>Troublegum</i> 1994 studio album by Therapy?

Troublegum is the second major label album by the Northern Irish rock band Therapy? It was released on 7 February 1994 via A&M Records. The album features a more punk-oriented style compared to the likes of Stiff Little Fingers and the Undertones rather the band's previous noise rock-influenced works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond Head (British band)</span> British heavy metal band

Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in 1976. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement and are acknowledged by bands such as Metallica and Megadeth as a significant early influence.

<i>In the Court of the Crimson King</i> 1969 studio album by King Crimson

In the Court of the Crimson King is the debut studio album by English progressive rock band King Crimson, released on 10 October 1969, by Island Records. The album is one of the earliest and most influential of the progressive rock genre, with the band combining musical influences that rock music was founded upon with elements of jazz, classical, and symphonic music.

<i>Unleashed in the East</i> 1979 live album by Judas Priest

Unleashed in the East is the first live album by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in September 1979 on Columbia Records. It was recorded live over two nights in Tokyo during their Hell Bent for Leather Tour in February 1979. Upon release Unleashed became the band's best-selling album up to that point, reaching the US Top 100 and the UK Top Ten, eventually the album became one of the five Judas Priest albums to gain a RIAA platinum certification. It is the first Priest album to be produced by Tom Allom who would remain at the helm for the next decade for the band, and the last release to feature drummer Les Binks.

<i>Sad Wings of Destiny</i> 1976 studio album by Judas Priest

Sad Wings of Destiny is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 26 March 1976 by Gull Records. It is considered the album on which Judas Priest consolidated their sound and image, and songs from it such as "Victim of Changes" and "The Ripper" have since become live standards. It was the band's only album to feature drummer Alan Moore.

<i>On Parole</i> 1979 studio album by Motörhead

On Parole is a studio recording released by British rock band Motörhead. It was intended as their first album and left unreleased at the time of its completion in 1976, and it was not released until over three years later, in October 1979, after the commercial success of Overkill and Bomber that same year. It was released without the band's permission, and they consequently distanced themselves from it. As a result, it was not considered an official release by the band at the time and they did not want it released, as they had moved on, since then, first to Chiswick Records and then to Bronze Records. The LP entered the UK charts on 8 December, where it peaked at No. 65.

It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single "Calling All the Heroes", which gained them a Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit.

<i>Motörhead</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Motörhead

Motörhead is the debut studio album by English rock band Motörhead. It was released on 12 August 1977 by pub rock and early punk rock label Chiswick Records, one of the first for the label, and the band's only release under Chiswick. The album contains the "classic" Motörhead line-up of Lemmy Kilmister on bass and vocals, "Fast" Eddie Clarke on lead guitar, and Philthy Animal Taylor on drums. The sleeve artwork featured the debut of Snaggletooth, the War-Pig, the fanged face logo created by artist Joe Petagno that would become an icon of the band.

<i>Feline</i> (The Stranglers album) 1983 studio album by the Stranglers

Feline is the seventh studio album by the Stranglers and was released on 14 January 1983 on the Epic record label, their first for the label. The first edition came with a free one-sided 7" single "Aural Sculpture Manifesto". Feline drew heavily on two of the dominant musical influences in Europe of the time, by using primarily acoustic guitars and electronic drums as well as synthesizers. The American edition of the album included the British hit single "Golden Brown" as the closing track on side one of the original vinyl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Running Free</span> 1980 single by Iron Maiden

"Running Free" is the debut single by Iron Maiden, released on 8 February 1980 on the 7" 45 rpm vinyl record format. It was written by Steve Harris and Paul Di'Anno. The song appears as the third track on the band's debut album Iron Maiden. In 1985, a live version of the song was released as the first single from Live After Death. In 1990, the original single was reissued on CD and 12" vinyl as part of The First Ten Years box, in which it was combined with the band's next single, "Sanctuary". The 1985 live single was also released as part of this box set, combined with 1985's "Run to the Hills".

<i>Together Alone</i> 1993 studio album by Crowded House

Together Alone is the fourth studio album by New Zealand-Australian band Crowded House. It was released in October 1993 and was their first album to feature multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as a full band member. Unlike the band's first three albums, which were recorded in the US and Australia and produced by Mitchell Froom, Together Alone was recorded in New Zealand with producer Youth. Six singles were released from Together Alone, including "Distant Sun", which was a top 10 hit in New Zealand and Canada, and "Locked Out" which reached number 12 on the UK singles chart and number 8 on the US Modern Rock chart, the latter on the strength of the song's inclusion on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Reality Bites.

<i>Hero and Heroine</i> 1974 studio album by Strawbs

Hero and Heroine is the seventh studio album by English band Strawbs.

<i>The Big Lad in the Windmill</i> 1986 studio album by It Bites

The Big Lad in the Windmill is the debut album of British progressive pop/rock band It Bites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isn't It Midnight</span> 1988 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Isn't It Midnight" is a song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, from their 1987 studio album Tango in the Night. The song was co-written and sung by Christine McVie, with contributions from Lindsey Buckingham and McVie's then-husband Eddie Quintela. "Isn't It Midnight" was the sixth and final single to be released from Tango in the Night in 1988. The cover art for the single features the portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière. The verse is in E Aeolian with a i-bVII-i-i progression, while the bridge and chorus are in B Aeolian, with a i-bVI-bVII-i progression.

<i>Eat Me in St. Louis</i> 1989 studio album by It Bites

Eat Me in St. Louis is the third album by British progressive pop/rock band It Bites. The album title was also reused for a compilation album by the band, aimed at the US market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturday at Midnight</span> 1983 single by Cheap Trick

"Saturday at Midnight" is a song from the American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1983 as the fourth and final single from their sixth studio album One on One (1982). It was written by lead guitarist Rick Nielsen and vocalist Robin Zander, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Aimed at the club scene, the single reached No. 45 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles Chart, and remains the band's only appearance on the chart.

"Kiss Me Red" is a song written by the songwriting duo of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, and first released in 1984 for the soundtrack of the short-lived TV series Dreams, where it was performed on the show by the fictional title band. The song was notably covered by Cheap Trick in 1986 on their ninth album The Doctor, and by ELO Part II in 1990 for their album Electric Light Orchestra Part Two.

<i>Map of the Past</i> 2012 studio album by It Bites

Map of the Past is the fifth studio album by progressive rock band It Bites. It was released on March 26, 2012. This is the band's first concept album. It was written by singer/guitarist John Mitchell and keyboardist John Beck throughout 2011. This concept deals with the theme of the past, as seen through old photographs.

The Dead Daisies are an Australian-American hard rock band formed in 2012 in Sydney, Australia. The band has sometimes been referred to as a supergroup, as its membership has included a number of musicians who have performed with other highly notable acts, such as Guns N' Roses, Noiseworks, Rob Zombie, The Cult, The Rolling Stones, Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake. The band has had substantial changes of membership since its formation, having only its rhythm guitarist David Lowy as a continuing founding member since 2015.

References

  1. "official site band history 2008-04-20". Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  2. 1 2 "It Bites Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  3. Stump, Paul (1997). The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books Limited. p. 290. ISBN   0 7043 8036 6.