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The Big Lad in the Windmill

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The Big Lad in the Windmill
Studio album by
It Bites
Released25 August 1986
GenreProgressive rock
Length43:07
LabelVirgin (UK), Geffen (US)
ProducerAlan Shacklock
It Bites chronology
The Big Lad in the Windmill
(1986) 		Once Around the World
(1988)
Singles from The Big Lad in the Windmill
  1. "All in Red"
    Released: 10 March 1986
  2. "Calling All the Heroes"
    Released: 23 June 1986
  3. "Whole New World"
    Released: 29 September 1986

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

The album reached No. 35 in the UK album charts and produced three singles - "All in Red", "Calling All the Heroes" and "Whole New World". All three of these charted, although "Calling All the Heroes" was by far the most successful, reaching No. 6 in the UK charts and remaining the band's biggest (and only significant hit). "All in Red" was the band's modestly-charting debut single: "Whole New World" was the follow-up to "Calling All the Heroes" but did not repeat its success. (Keyboard player John Beck has subsequently suggested that its use of a guest horn section, the Kick Horns, was a mistake.)

Although marketed as a 1980s pop album, The Big Lad in the Windmill featured an unusual mix of musical styles including pop, hard rock, Prince-style funk, power balladry and progressive rock (with the band often making multiple stylistic switches within the same song). The album also showcased the band's musical virtuosity, featuring multiple changes of dynamics and tempo plus prominent guitar and keyboard solos. The version of "Calling All the Heroes" included on the album is the full-length version rather than the better-known single edit (and features additional musical sections plus several false endings).

Track listing

UK/European version

  1. "I Got You Eating Out of My Hand" (5:36)
  2. "All in Red" (3:31)
  3. "Whole New World" (4:25)
  4. "Screaming on the Beaches" (3:45)
  5. "Wanna Shout" (3:13)
  6. "Turn Me Loose" (4:11)
  7. "Cold, Tired and Hungry" (4:16)
  8. "Calling All the Heroes" (5:33)
  9. "You'll Never Go to Heaven" (7:12)
  10. "The Big Lad in the Windmill" (0:47)

North American version

  1. "All in Red" (3:31)
  2. "Turn Me Loose" (4:11)
  3. "Calling All the Heroes" (5:33)
  4. "Whole New World" (4:25)
  5. "I Got You Eating Out Of My Hand" (6:07)
  6. "You'll Never Go to Heaven" (7:12)
  7. "Screaming on the Beaches" (3:45)
  8. "Cold, Tired and Hungry" (4:17)
  9. "Wanna Shout" (3:13)
  10. "The Big Lad in the Windmill" (0:47)

Personnel

  • Francis Dunnery - guitars, lead vocals
  • John Beck - keyboards, backing vocals, 5th harmony vocals
  • Dick Nolan - bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Bob Dalton - drums, backing vocals

Additional personnel

Charts

Charts Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 35

References

"The Big Lad in the Windmill - It Bites". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-12-09.

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