Critic's Review
Brian Beatty, All Music Guide
A cherished rarity among even his most die-hard fans, It Happened One Bite finds Dan Hicks and company -- not exactly his Hot Licks, but close enough for hipster folk swing -- providing the soundtrack for a 1978 animated film set during the gangster '50s. Unfortunately, the cartoon in question, at least with Hicks' exceptional soundtrack for it, was shelved. A reworked version of the film eventually released in 1982 featured none of the tunes Hicks wrote and recorded. Too bad, too, because his 13 songs are all top-notch tomfoolery of the patented Hicks variety. Though a Warner Brothers album made a brief appearance on store shelves back in the days of vinyl records, U.S. consumers looking for it on CD had only the choice of a pricey Japanese import or going without. Enter Rhino Handmade. The reissue label remedied the dilemma with a widescreen limited-edition CD pressing of 4,500 in late 2001. This disc includes the original album, plus an additional nine tunes (including the standard "It's Only a Paper Moon"). Available only from the Rhino Handmade Internet site.
