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
wrote and recorded. Too bad, too, because his 13 songs are all top-notch tomfoolery of the patented
variety. [Rhino Handmade issued a limited-edition CD pressing of 4,500 in late 2001. The disc included the original album, plus an additional nine tunes (including the standard
"It's Only a Paper Moon"
). In 2009 Collectors' Choice released a version of the album with no extra tracks.] ~ Brian Beatty