The release of the third
Altered Images album
Bite came after a time of reassessment for the group. After having released two albums of cute and bubbly new wave-y pop, they decided it was time to grow up a little. They changed their look to one of sleek sophistication and did much the same to their music. While it was impossible to remove all the sweetness and light from
Clare Grogan's vocals, they chose to surround her with a richer, more adult sound that often featured real strings and lush backing vocals. One of the record's producers
Tony Visconti was old hand at crafting fancy and dramatic pop; the other was
Mike Chapman who focused
Blondie's sound into laser sharp new wave nuggets. They each worked on four songs on the album and this split gives it a pleasing variety. The
Visconti-helmed tracks like the swooning ballad "Now That You're Here" surround
Grogan's desperate croon with grand piano, sweeping strings, thundering drums and swarm of backing vocals. It's a big change from the band's earlier work, but it works.
Grogan's voice fits perfectly in the elevated surroundings and the rest of the band lock in with the producer's vision. The other
Visconti tracks have a similarly upholstered sound; "Bring Me Closer" is a disco dream right down to the
Nile Rodgers-style guitar, "Stand So Quiet" is a romantic tango that pairs
Grogan's chirp with echoing guitar tabs and swooning accordions, and "Thinking About You" ends the album on a glittering wave of soothing drum machines, deluxe strings, and
Grogan's pleading vocals. The
Chapman-produced songs strip away some of the gloss of the others, leaving room for more energy and bounce. Much closer to the sound of
Pinky Blue, in other words, but still one step closer to adulthood. "Another Lost Look" features some fine
Peter Hook-style bass and a huge chorus, "Change of Heart" is a wonderfully rich new wave rocker where
Grogan shows how much more nuanced her vocal delivery has become, and "Love to Stay" is a truly lovely ballad with a perfect mix of machines and guitars, topped off with some wandering trumpet lines. Best of the batch is the single "Don't Talk to Me About Love," which pairs a nice sequencer part with the band's catchiest, most emotionally resonant song yet. It, and the album, represent the culmination of all the promise
Altered Images' first two albums exhibited, taking the youthful outlook of their early work and adding just enough extra experience and skill to give the songs just that extra bit of magic to make them timeless. The 2023 reissue of the album features a bright new remastering job to go along with the same bonus tracks that have shown up on previous editions. Single and dance mixes are nice but the three non-Lp songs -- "Surprise Me," "I Don't Want to Know," and "Last Goodbye" -- are strong enough that if they had been added to the album they would have pushed Bite to all-time great status.] ~ Tim Sendra
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