Classic Rock Bottom

Hidden Treasures - This playlist is brought to you by the number "10"

We don't get very much Art-Rock around here and its about time we at least let you hear some from the very best who have created it.

For the most part, 10cc featured two strong songwriting teams, one 'commercial' and one 'artistic', but both teams injected sharp wit into lyrically dextrous and musically varied songs. Stewart and Gouldman were predominantly pop-song-writers, who created most of the band's accessible songs. By way of contrast, Godley and Creme were the predominantly experimental half of 10cc, featuring an Art School sensibility and cinematic inspired writing. Every member was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and producer. Most of the band's albums were recorded at their own Strawberry Studios (North) in Stockport and Strawberry Studios (South) in Dorking, with most of those engineered by Stewart.

PLAYLIST --> http://snack.to/ahkm483n

The Original Soundtrack
1975

1 - Flying Junk

The album was the first to be released by Mercury Records after signing the band for $1 million in February 1975. The catalyst for the deal was the fact the record executives had heard one song – "I'm Not in Love". It was a critical and commercial success reaching No.3 in the UK and No.15 in the US, and featured distinctive cover art created by the Hipgnosis team and drawn by artist Humphrey Ocean. Their biggest success came with the song that sold the album, "I'm Not in Love", which gave the band their second UK #1 in June 1975. The song also provided them with their first US chart success when the song reached #2. A collaborative effort built around a simple title by Stewart, the song is notable for its innovative production, especially its richly overdubbed choral backing.

How Dare You!
1976

2 - Lazy Ways

Released in 1976, it included UK hit singles "I'm Mandy Fly Me" and "Art for Arts Sake". It was also the last 10cc album to feature the classic line-up of Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme, with the latter two departing to work on their own musical projects, and eventually becoming music video pioneers. The album was the band's second to feature cover artwork by the Hipgnosis creative team. In an interview at the time of its release, Gouldman told Melody Maker music newspaper: "It's as different as any album by the same band can be, and I think it's a progression from the last one. I think there's been a progression on every album and I think we've done it again. It's a strange mixture of songs. There's one about divorce, a song about schizophrenia, a song about wanting to rule the world, the inevitable money song, and an instrumental."

Deceptive Bends
1977

3 - Marriage Bureau Rendezvous

The departure of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme in 1976 to form Godley & Creme almost ended 10cc. However Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman kept the group alive as a duo. The cover design was provided by Hipgnosis. Stewart recalled: "I had a big challenge ahead of me to prove to the record world that we were not just 5cc, as some of the British media had graciously called us. The music was simpler than some of the previous 10cc albums, it was far more direct, streamlined and positive. The whole album was recorded very (in our terms) quickly. I was on a mission, and flying higher and faster than I had ever been before, and I knew by then that we had a very strong album. The new songs played a big part in the equation of course, I was out to prove also that we could write a hit album without Kevin and Lol ... we did!" Godley and Creme were still members of the group early in this album's history. The band's original line-up debuted a live version of "Good Morning Judge" at the Knebworth festival on 21 August 1976 and also did studio work on an early version of "People in Love" referred to as "Voodoo Boogie".

Bloody Tourists
1978

4 - Take These Chains

Bloody Tourists was the sixth studio album by 10cc and the second to be produced following the band's 1976 split. It yielded the singles "Dreadlock Holiday", which reached No.1 in the UK in August 1978, and "Reds in My Bed", which did not chart. "For You and I" was issued as a double a-side single with "I'm Not in Love" in the autumn of 1979 but also didn't chart. The band suffered a major setback in 1979 when Stewart was seriously injured in a car crash. He told the BBC: It flattened me completely. I damaged my left ear, I damaged my eye very badly. I couldn't go near music.

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Now I remember, but somehow I think Ive repressed my memory of them...  Thanks for the flashback!

I own  # 1 - 2 and  3 - How Dare You & Deceptive Bends has been fav's of mind since the birth of these LP's - I'm also glad you picked one of my favorites "Marriage Bureau Renddezvous".   Also you have to check out " Don't Hang Up "  ( How ) and "Feel the Benefit, Pt. 1–3"  from (Deceptive) . PLAY LOUD !!!

Those first three are top to bottom awesome. Bloody Tourists is just a so-so album for me, but I do love Deceptive Bends most. I recall you played Feel the Benefits in one of your shows you posted on here. Great tune! Always good to hear from you!

I've always loved that One Night In Paris on the 1st album.

Life Is A Minestrone too.

Mike

Always glad to find the time to be here.....

I really like 10cc. I remember them from the 70's, because they were played quite a lot on the radio, but only the hits. Several times, it's been close, that I purchased the classic 10cc-albums, but I "started" out, buying a live-album back in '90, I think, which wasn't very good. Probably some sort of bootleg. In '97, I bought a "Greatest hits"-album, and it was great. All the wellknown-hits plus some good tracks, that I hadn't really heard before. Last year I bought the new Box-set, and of course a lot of the same tracks from the "Greatest Hits"-album appears here, but I'm glad I bought the Box-set, because it a very nice Box-set with 4 CD's and one DVD. The first two tracks and the fourth track, that you have posted are on the box-set (not on the "Greatest Hits, obviously), so I've heard them before, but only just a couple of times. Great tracks, especially the first two, when it was still the original line-up, but they are not among the best 10cc-tracks. The third one, I can't really remember, if I've heard it before, but it sounds very much like an Eric Stewart-"solo"-track, meaning very much pop, and a little bit boring. At times, it's very difficult for me, to hear who is singing lead. I always thought, that it was Stewart who sings lead on "Dreadlock Holliday", but it's Gouldman, of course. I like the foruth track as well, and I really thought, that "Dreadlock Holliday" was the only good track on that album.

I love the fact, that the original band was so talented: all of them were good musicians, good singers and great song-writers and producers. That's more than you can say about the Beatles (Ringo?!).

I really enjoy what you have been posting lately, Scott. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Niels!  It means a lot to have this type of feedback from you! 

For now, I'm gonna side with Danno.  I've always wanted to peer into the 10CC library, but never have.  Didn't they do The Things You Do For Love?  Always liked that song.  

Having said that, I'm gonna listen to this again today.  See if it feels any different.

The Things We Do For Love is a 10cc tune from their Deceptive Bends release.  It was a #1 hit in the US and can still be heard fairly frequently on classic rock radio.  I suspect you would like Deceptive Bends. 

Okay, so a second listen bumps this up to 50/50.  The first song I liked.  I liked it yesterday, but it went off the rails after that.  I still don't really care for Lazy Ways or Marriage Bureau Rendezvous.  However, I have changed my mind on the last track, Take These Chains.  I think that's a pretty good tune.  

RJ....you're such a woman! hahaha!!!

That's dirty Danno!  Did I say I was glad you're back the other day?  Maybe I need to re-think that too? 

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