The Album Review Club - End of Round #9 Break (page 1904)

OB1 said:
They certainly remind me more of Steely Dan than the Beatles but aren't as good as either, which doesn't mean 10cc aren't a very good band.
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Agree. Good though they were they never feature in all time greatest artist or album lists.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
10cc Debut Album ‘10cc’.

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My choice for this nomination Stockport’s own 10cc, a band that I loved in the 70s and 80s and one that I still listen to, particularly their first three Albums. I could have chosen any of them for this review as they are all excellent but I have gone for their debut which first attracted to me to this unique band.

First a little background if you are not too familiar with the band.
From Wiki:

10cc are an English rock band, formed in Stockport, England, in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured two songwriting teams. Stewart and Gouldman were predominantly pop songwriters, who created most of the band's accessible songs. Godley and Creme were the predominantly experimental half of 10cc, featuring art and cinematically inspired writing.

Every member of 10cc was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and producer. Most of the band's records were recorded at their own Strawberry Studios (North) in Stockport and Strawberry Studios (South) in Dorking, with most of those engineered by Stewart.

From 1972 to 1978, 10cc had five consecutive UK top-ten albums: Sheet Music (1974), The Original Soundtrack (1975), How Dare You! (1976), Deceptive Bends (1977) and Bloody Tourists (1978). 10cc also had twelve singles reach the UK Top 40, three of which were the chart-toppers "Rubber Bullets" (1973), "I'm Not in Love" (1975) and "Dreadlock Holiday" (1978). "I'm Not in Love" was their breakthrough worldwide hit and is known for its innovative backing track. Godley and Creme quit the band in 1976 due to artistic disagreements and became a duo act. Stewart left the band in 1995. Since 1999, Gouldman has led a touring version of 10cc.

Their debut, 10cc, was released in 1973 when I was 16 and heavily into Prog rock, Zeppelin, And the usual suspects so a liking for what was without doubt a pop group was quite unusual for me. I was attracted by the clever writing, humour, impeccable playing and just the overall ‘smartness’ of the group (which in truth suited my smart Alec teenage self down to a tee). I road tested the album round my friend circle, parties and the like and to my surprise found that it was a massive hit, partly on the back of the singles ‘The Dean and I’ and ‘Rubber Bullets’ but really every track is a kick .I think I was responsible for converting half of East Lothian to 10cc fandom.

Nothing is out of place, there is no filler here.

it continues to amaze me the lack of credit 10cc get when the great Manchester bands are talked about. They are certainly my favourite Manchester band and would always feature high in my all time favourite Bands.

The album introduces themes that 10cc were to run with and develop in subsequent albums such as the lush vocal arrangements, the overdubbing, Eric Stewart’s speed guitars, the deeply cynical lyrics sung angelically over a sumptuous melody. In fact the band were as literate as any I have come across, the references, puns, double entendres were exquisite and became a trademark on subsequent albums. The songwriting is exceptional throughout.
10cc albums were always well produced, Eric Stewart built Strawberry Studios with his bare hands and the four members would spend ions finessing until it sounded ‘just right’ to them. Sadly, some of you may feel it lacks ‘grit’ ;-).



When you pick a version of the album to listen to, best to go with this running list (the original) as more recent versions have shuffled the tracks to bring ‘the hits’ together.

1. Johnny, Don’t Do It (Kevin Godley/Lol Creme/Graham Gouldman)
One of the finest first tracks on any debut album a brilliant parody of Franki Valli doo wop with brilliant Rythm guitar by Eric Stewart

2. Sand In My Face (Kevin Godley/Lol Creme/Graham Gouldman)
An every day tale of Charles Atlas, dynamic tension and kicking sand in some motherfucker bullies face.

Where else would you find a lyric like this:

‘I looked in the magazine
What did you see?

I saw Mr France
What did he have?

A girl on each shoulder
What else?

And one in his pants’

With a nod to the Beach Boys harmonies, one of my very favourite tracks. It is complete genius.

3. Donna (Kevin Godley/Lol Creme)
Good joke as a single, not my favourite track on the album but nicely executed and an amazing falsetto vocal from Lol Creme

4. The Dean And I (Kevin Godley/Lol Creme) another single and maybe the best. Tells an upbeat story from courtship to marriage and material wealth in three minutes or so. Wonderful lyrics again

‘Church bells, three swells, the Dean, his daughter and me’

5. Headline Hustler (Graham Gouldman/Eric Stewart)

Exploring themes later developed in ‘somewhere in Hollywood’ on Sheet Music, a song about intrusive media and paparazzi. Some nice slide guitar from Eric Stewart (do I hear shades of Harrison?).

6. Speed Kills (Eric Stewart/Kevin Godley/Lol Creme/Graham I love this track. it builds steadily, features superb four part harmonies and some more scorching guitar work.

7. Rubber Bullets (Kevin Godley/Lol Creme/Graham Gouldman) another single and maybe their best. A Jailhouse rock story with again fantastic writing, joyful vocals which feature the line:

‘ we’ve all got balls and brains, but some got balls and chains’

8. The Hospital Song (Kevin Godley/Lol Creme) For me shades of Zappa and some wonderfully strange lyrics.

9. Ships Don’t Disappear In The Night (Do They?) (Graham Gouldman/Eric Stewart) a clever ditty about the supernatural

10. Fresh Air For My Momma (Kevin Godley/Lol Creme/Eric Stewart) the album is high energy but finishes with this gorgeous ballad which indicates a direction of travel for the band (I’m not in love) and features one of my favourite Godley vocals. A superb closing track to a simply brilliant album.


I see many of you have posted reviews already :-). Hope that’s a good sign. For those that don’t know the album, I really hope it gives you some of the pleasure it has given me over the years. Upbeat, clever, sly, joyful. It’s got the lot :-).
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Great review. I enjoy the passion and insight that you put into writing about an album that clearly means a lot to you. Haven't listed yet but will do this week.

Saddleworth2 said:
They did mate. I thought long and hard about putting this album of theirs forward. It means a lot to me for a whole bunch of reasons which will never be replicated in anyone else. I'm not trying to say it was the best 10cc album but it is my favourite. :-)
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This is probably true for a lot of us, but as OB1 said early on, the scoring is in some ways incidental. It's great to see people putting forward records that have meant a lot to them for a good chunk of their lives. It would be nigh-on impossible for somebody to hear something for the first time on here and then elevate it to anywhere near the level of greatness that the original poster feels about it.

Regardless of whether I enjoy what is being nominated in any given week, I am enjoying the fact that everybody is willing to dig deep and come up with something unexpected that we can all discuss in the same time frame. It's far more refreshing than if we all just picked the usual suspects.
 
Well, it isn't Beatle-esque, but you can hear these guys using their brains. I got a kick out of the creative invention in this record, despite not necessarily loving the music generally nor every song specifically. What's interesting about it is the smattering of bands I know that I heard, like the Beach Boys, Sparks, Steely Dan, ELO, Squeeze, and The Tubes, among others, along with almost a musical theatre feel. I know a few mentioned my beloved FoW, but the closest comp I heard was Todd Rundgren's early stuff -- which is contemporary to this and I think is better personally (rockier and prettier, but simpler. And less whimsical than 10cc). If those of you who liked this haven't sat in a comfy chair with a joint and put on "Something/Anything?", Rundgren's masterpiece IMO, I think you’d find it time well spent. Anyhow, lyrically, 10cc is remarkably clever, and I also liked listening to these guys switch up tempos and styles, as if showing off their chops but also playing it cheeky and off the cuff.

I too am no fan of 50s doo-wop, period-accurate or otherwise, which made "Johnny Don't Do It", "Sand In My Face" and "Donna" a pretty challenging start. I appreciate them, but I can't get into them. After that, once the early 70s guitar kicks in on "The Dean and I" and the time signature runs all over the place, I found a groove I could stick with more. I was a little surprised by the view that "Headline Hustler" is a throwaway -- that became my favo(u)rite tune after a few plays and the one I'll come back to. "Speed Kills" has a terrific rhythm backbone and those schlocky carousel keys that for some reason appeal to me in a way inconsistent with my regular desire for songs with guitar crunchiness. I know "Rubber Bullets" was the hit, and like so many other tunes, the lyrics are a snarky kick, but I found a little too much derivative musically (on purpose, surely) which makes it more a novelty tune. Being a fan of a few bands known more for their "novelty" tunes more than the rest of their far-superior catalog (Chumbawumba and The Screaming Blue Messiahs being the examples I think of right away), I don't want to read too much into this, but I just thought "Headline" and "Speed" were more original. "The Hospital Song" was a tough listen vocally, cute as it is, but I did like "Ships Don't Disappear (Do They?)" a lot -- that little slide guitar is a great touch. I wasn't as fond of "Fresh Air For Mama" -- a bit pedestrian as a closer for a record as bouncy and quirky as this.

I will say it's nice to hear an album that's a lot of fun. I listened to this quite a few times, I think because you have to pay attention to get the right amount out of it. It's nothing like dull. Intellectually I can understand completely how someone could fall in love with this, even though only half the tunes really rang my chimes and half didn't. As such it's a 5 if I want to be strict, but because the lyrics are so precocious, the tempos keep you on your toes, and the best tunes are a good example of smart pop cotton candy, I'll go with 6/10, maybe even leaning 7. Really terrific selection @Saddleworth2!
 
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FogBlueInSanFran said:
Well, it isn't Beatle-esque, but you can hear these guys using their brains.
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Can I just clarify, I mentioned they were like the Beatle's, but I said ...in that they had 4 singers and songwriters. And they could write songs about anything in completely different styles. The Beatles wrote a song about a box of chocolates and another about a circus and another about a lane. 10cc also did this type of thing.

I've noticed a couple of reviews stating they didn't sound like the Beatles. I agree and I never said they did.
 
Bill Walker said:
Can I just clarify, I mentioned they were like the Beatle's, but I said ...in that they had 4 singers and songwriters. And they could write songs about anything in completely different styles. The Beatles wrote a song about a box of chocolates and another about a circus and another about a lane. 10cc also did this type of thing.

I've noticed a couple of reviews stating they didn't sound like the Beatles. I agree and I never said they did.
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Sorry Bill — I wasn’t actually referring to your comment!! I too was thinking of the varied topics of the tunes and instrumentation and the brainpower required — not the music itself. I should have provided more context there. I heard a lot of other bands as I mentioned but not really the Beatles. At the time (the early 70s), I think the success of the late Beatles allowed precisely this kind of variability to be acceptable and popular. Let’s face it: the Beatles taught a lot of bands what a studio could be.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Well, it isn't Beatle-esque, but you can hear these guys using their brains. I got a kick out of the creative invention in this record, despite not necessarily loving the music generally nor every song specifically. What's interesting about it is the smattering of bands I know that I heard, like the Beach Boys, Sparks, Steely Dan, ELO, Squeeze, and The Tubes, among others, along with almost a musical theatre feel. I know a few mentioned my beloved FoW, but the closest comp I heard was Todd Rundgren's early stuff -- which is contemporary to this and I think is better personally (rockier and prettier, but simpler. And less whimsical than 10cc). If those of you who liked this haven't sat in a comfy chair with a joint and put on "Something/Anything?", Rundgren's masterpiece IMO, I think you’d find it time well spent. Anyhow, lyrically, 10cc is remarkably clever, and I also liked listening to these guys switch up tempos and styles, as if showing off their chops but also playing it cheeky and off the cuff.

I too am no fan of 50s doo-wop, period-accurate or otherwise, which made "Johnny Don't Do It", "Sand In My Face" and "Donna" a pretty challenging start. I appreciate them, but I can't get into them. After that, once the early 70s guitar kicks in on "The Dean and I" and the time signature runs all over the place, I found a groove I could stick with more. I was a little surprised by the view that "Headline Hustler" is a throwaway -- that became my favo(u)rite tune after a few plays and the one I'll come back to. "Speed Kills" has a terrific rhythm backbone and those schlocky carousel keys that for some reason appeal to me in a way inconsistent with my regular desire for songs with guitar crunchiness. I know "Rubber Bullets" was the hit, and like so many other tunes, the lyrics are a snarky kick, but I found a little too much derivative musically (on purpose, surely) which makes it more a novelty tune. Being a fan of a few bands known more for their "novelty" tunes more than the rest of their far-superior catalog (Chumbawumba and The Screaming Blue Messiahs being the examples I think of right away), I don't want to read too much into this, but I just thought "Headline" and "Speed" were more original. "The Hospital Song" was a tough listen vocally, cute as it is, but I did like "Ships Don't Disappear (Do They?)" a lot -- that little slide guitar is a great touch. I wasn't as fond of "Fresh Air For Mama" -- a bit pedestrian as a closer for a record as bouncy and quirky as this.

I will say it's nice to hear an album that's a lot of fun. I listened to this quite a few times, I think because you have to pay attention to get the right amount out of it. It's nothing like dull. Intellectually I can understand completely how someone could fall in love with this, even though only half the tunes really rang my chimes and half didn't. As such it's a 5 if I want to be strict, but because the lyrics are so precocious, the tempos keep you on your toes, and the best tunes are a good example of smart pop cotton candy, I'll go with 6/10, maybe even leaning 7. Really terrific selection @Saddleworth2!
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Good review mate. Thought you would like them lyrically. If you get time, have a listen to the Original Soundtrack which drops the doo-wop in favour of a 9 minute operetta, 'One night in Paris'. Sheet Music is also worth a listen for 'Somewhere in Hollywood', which displays their lyrical brilliance nicely.

'Down on the casting couch
A star is gonna be born
A star with the stature of a Harlow
Who's doomed
And groomed to enrapture
All her co-stars, and stuntmen, the co-stars
Oh, let there be lights, action, sound
Lights, action, sound - Roll 'em!

Out in the mezzanine
On the arm of a dumb marine
Her beauty looks out like a trailer
Norman Mailer
Waits to nail her
He's under the bed
And he's waiting for her to be dead
He's out on the patio
With his polaroid and scenario
And he's armed and he's dangerously

Close was the weather
When I was a kid
She gave me a feather from her gown
To cool me down, to cool me down
And I was the galley slave
Who lost his heart when the ship went down
Lights, action, sound
Roll 'em

I had a part in the talkies
When you were a little girl
I've taken Lassie for walkies
When she was the pup that Vaudeville threw up
And destiny lead her
Hand in paw to somewhere
In Hollywood
That's crazy, a dog up in Beverly Hills
Crazy, crazy
La, la, la, la, la (You better lie low)'
 
I quite enjoyed this one. There's some filler there and the standout tracks were the singles that I was already familiar with but it was overall an enjoyable listen. I'm not sure it was quite enough to make me seek out more of their work but there was plenty to like about it. I have the feeling they're probably more of a singles band than an album band though.

6 for me.
 
10cc – 10cc

An interesting listen, for sure. The start of the album was not what I expected from 10cc, although having read all the “do-wop” comments, I was ready for it. Very odd for a 70s band, the first three tracks pass along pleasantly enough without piquing my interest (although there’s some nice slide guitar in “Sand In My Face”, just not enough of it). Sounds like one of the Muppets is singing lead vocals on “Donna”.

Things improve on “The Dean and I”, a catchy number with a real 70s feel that sounds like it fell out of some stage show. “Headline Hustler” is also a good song, I like the dynamic change from verse to chorus, perhaps reflecting the lyrics as the earlier claim that “Everybody there thinks I’m nice” changes to reveal the more sinister elements later on. Best of all is “Speed Kills” – not many words but a great rhythm, harmony vocals (reminiscent of “Horse With No Name” or “Don’t Fear The Reaper”) and some infectious keyboard riffs.

“Rubber Bullets” takes us back to 60s pastiche territory and it sounds like The Beach Boys, which is not a bad thing. Maybe they should have had Val Kilmer singing this one in Top Secret! After this, the album peters out with a few tracks that are listenable enough but nothing special.

I wasn’t listening to music in the 70s, but I have since bought some albums from that decade. However, whilst it’s pleasant enough to listen to, and there are handful of decent tracks, if somebody threw me 100 albums from the 70s and said, “fill yer boots”, I don’t think that this album would stand out. 6/10.
 
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