Big Wheel (Icehouse album) explained

Big Wheel
Type:	Studio
Artist:	Icehouse
Cover:	BigWheel01.jpg
Released:	25 October 1993
Recorded:	DIVA Studios, Whale Beach, Australia
Genre:	Rock
Label:	dIVA/Massive
Producer:	Iva Davies
Prev Title:	Spin One
Prev Year:	1993
Next Title:	Full Circle
Next Year:	1994

Big Wheel is the seventh and final studio album by the Australian rock synthpop band, Icehouse, released on 25 October 1993 in Australia by dIVA Records – founder Iva Davies' own label – and Massive Records. It was recorded at Davies' home in Whale Beach during 1993 with Davies on vocals, guitar, bass guitar and keyboards, David Chapman on guitar, keyboards and backing vocals, and Paul Wheeler on drums, percussion and backing vocals.^{[1] [2]} Big Wheel peaked at #44 and was their first studio album not to reach the Top Ten on the Australian album charts.^[3] The album was digitally remastered by Davies and Ryan Scott with five bonus tracks added for the 2002 re-release by Warner Music Australia.^[2]

Reception

Reviewed in Rolling Stone Australia at the time of release, Big Wheel was described as tougher-sounding and less commercial than the band's previous releases, and arguably their best recording to date. The reviewer noted the "early-Seventies glam and Enoesque atmospherics" and praised the "sonic immediacy" of the "largely live performances".^[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Iva Davies, David Chapman and Paul Wheeler except where noted. Songwriters according to Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).^[5]

Personnel

Credited to:^[2]

Icehouse

• Iva Davies – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards
• David Chapman – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Paul Wheeler – drums, percussion, backing vocals.

Additional musicians

• Ben Nightingale – guitar on "Sam the Man".

Production

• Producer – Iva Davies
• Studios – dIVA Studios at Whale Beach, Australia. Additional recordings by Simon Leadley at Trackdown Studios assisted by James Cadsky, Richard Mould, Michelle Barry.
• Mix, editing and mastering – David Lord with Iva Davies, David Chapman, Paul Wheeler at Trackdown
• Mix, editing and mastering engineered by Simon Leadley at Trackdown.

Design

• Cover concept – Iva Davies
• Artwork and computer graphics – Patti Gaines for Genki.
• Photography – Tony Mott.

Notes and References

1. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20130929120725/http://hem.passagen.se/honga/database/i/icehouse.html . The Flowers / Icehouse . Holmgren . Magnus . . 29 September 2013 . 21 March 2014 .
2. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r621881/credits|pure_url=yes}} ''Big Wheel'' (bonus tracks) credits]. allmusic. 7 July 2008.
3. Book: Kent, David. Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book. St Ives, NSW. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
   - Web site: Search results for:Icehouse. australian-charts.com. 5 July 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081202120317/http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Icehouse . 2 December 2008.
4. Big Wheel . St John . Ed . . 489. 82. Tilmond Pty Ltd . November 1993. Sydney, NSW.
5. Web site: Australasian Performing Right Association . . 5 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080705104050/http://www.apra.com.au/site/public/searchworks.stm . 5 July 2008 . dead . Note: requires user to input song title e.g. BIG WHEEL