It Bites’ third studio album, Eat Me in St. Louis (1989), stands as a defiant pivot for the British prog-pop quartet, trading their earlier whimsical complexities for a raw, riff-driven hard rock edge. Fronted by the enigmatic Francis Dunnery on vocals and guitar, with Bob Dalton on drums, John Beck on keys, and Dick Nolan on bass, this was the original lineup’s final bow before Dunnery‘s departure. Produced by Mack (of Queen fame), the record crackles with urgency, clocking in at 11 tracks that blend blistering guitars, soaring melodies, and a darker lyrical undercurrent—far from the playful prog of The Big Lad in the Windmill (1986) or Once Around the World (1988).
