Graham Reid | | 1 min read
In critics' circles 10cc were revered for their exceptional album The Original Soundtrack in '75 (which featured the whispery sonic masterpiece I'm Not in Love) and then reviled for the faux-reggae of Dreadlock Holiday (which was a joke that people, radio programers among them, took too seriously).
They had hits -- Rubber Bullets, the classy Art for Art's Sake, the rather inane The Things We Do For Love, the remarkable Cry elevated by the even more exceptional and innovative video (below) -- and they were something of a supergroup.
In their ranks they had Graham Gouldman who had penned hits for Herman's Hermits, the Yardbirds and others (he is interviewed here), Eric Stewart (The Mindbenders), Kevin Godley (singer, drummer and video pioneer) and Lol Creme (guitar, keyboards, video).
The latter owned their own Strawberry Studios near Manchester so when 10cc formed they could simply indulge themselves (as Stewart, Godley and Creme had done as Hotlegs with their unexpected hit Neanderthal Man).
Listening across this collection you can hear how profligate with their gifts they could be, from the mock'n'roll of Rubber Bullets to those exquisitely crafted pieces like I'm Not in Love. And Dreadlock Holiday.
A better overview might be a double disc, and include the eight minute Une Nuit a Paris from The Original Soundtrack (which you really should check out anyway), but this 15 song collection is an excellent intro to a band which was hailed then hated.
And at just $9 from JB Hi-Fi stores here, that makes this a real Bargain Buy.
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