10cc
Encyclopedia
10cc are an English art rock
band
who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman
, Eric Stewart
, Kevin Godley
, and Lol Creme
-- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name in 1972.
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.
area. As boys, Godley and Creme knew each other; Gouldman and Godley attended the same secondary school; their musical passion led to playing at the local Jewish Lads' Brigade.
.
In June 1967, Godley and Creme reunited and recorded a solitary single("Seeing Things Green"' b/w "Easy Life" on UK CBS) under the name "The Yellow Bellow Room Boom". In 1969, Gouldman took them to a Marmalade Records recording session. The boss Giorgio Gomelsky
was impressed with Godley's falsetto voice and offered them a recording contract. In September 1969, Godley & Creme recorded some basic tracks at Strawberry Studios
, with Stewart on guitar and Gouldman on bass. The song, "I'm Beside Myself" b/w "Animal Song", was published as a single, credited to Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon.
Gomelsky (an ex-manager of The Yardbirds
) planned to market Godley & Creme as a duo, in the vein of Simon and Garfunkel
. Plans for an album by Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon faltered, however, when Marmalade ran out of funds. Solo tracks by Godley and Gouldman, however—both involved Stewart and Creme—were released in a 1969 Marmalade Records music sample album, 100 Proof. Gouldman's track was "The Late Mr. Late"; a year later, Godley's song "To Fly Away" reappeared as "Fly Away", in the début Hotlegs
album, Thinks: School Stinks
.
Gouldman, meanwhile, had made a name for himself as a hit songwriter, penning "Heart Full of Soul
", "Evil Hearted You
" and "For Your Love
" for The Yardbirds
, "Look Through Any Window
" and "Bus Stop
" for The Hollies
and "No Milk Today
", "East West" and "Listen People" for Herman's Hermits
.
, with Stewart as their lead vocalist. The band scored a hit with "A Groovy Kind of Love" (released December 1965) and made an appearance in the 1967 film To Sir, With Love
with "It's Getting Harder All the Time" and "Off and Running."
In March 1968, Gouldman joined Stewart in The Mindbenders, replacing bassist Bob Lang and playing on some tour dates. Gouldman wrote two of the band's last three singles, "Schoolgirl" (released November 1967) and "Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man" (August 1968). Those singles did not chart and The Mindbenders broke up after a short tour of England in November.
and the Dakotas. In July 1968 Stewart joined Tattersall as a partner in the studio, where he could further hone his skills as a recording engineer. In October 1968, the studio was moved to bigger premises and renamed Strawberry Studios
, after The Beatles
' "Strawberry Fields Forever
".
In 1969 Gouldman, who had become much more in demand as a songwriter than as a performer, also began using Strawberry to record demos of songs he was writing for Marmalade. By the end of the year he too was a financial partner in the studios.
By 1969, all four members of the original 10cc line-up were working together regularly at Strawberry Studios. Around the same time, noted American bubblegum pop
writer-producers Jerry Kasenetz
and Jeff Katz
of Super K Productions
came to England and commissioned Gouldman to write and produce formula bubblegum songs, many of which were recorded at Strawberry Studios, and were either augmented or performed entirely by varying combinations of the future 10cc line-up.
Among the recordings from this period was "Sausalito", a No. 86 US hit credited to Ohio Express and released in July 1969. In fact the song featured Gouldman on lead vocal, and vocal and instrumental backing by the other three future 10cc members.
In December 1969 Kasenetz and Katz agreed to a proposal by Gouldman that he work solely at Strawberry, rather than move constantly between Stockport, London and New York. Gouldman convinced the pair that these throwaway two-minute songs could all be written, performed and produced by him and his three colleagues, Stewart, Godley and Creme, at a fraction of the cost of hiring outside session musicians. Kasenetz and Katz booked the studio for three months.
Kevin Godley recalled:
The three-month project resulted in a number of tracks that appeared under various band names owned by Kasenetz-Katz, including "There Ain't No Umbopo" by Crazy Elephant
, "When He Comes" by Fighter Squadron and "Come On Plane" by Silver Fleet (all three with lead vocals by Godley), and "Susan's Tuba" by Freddie and the Dreamers
(which was a monster hit in France and featured lead vocals by Freddie Garrity
, despite claims by some that it was Gouldman).
Lol Creme remembered: "Singles kept coming out under strange names that had really been recorded by us. I've no idea how many there were, or what happened to them all."
But Stewart described the Kasenetz-Katz deal as a breakthrough: "That allowed us to get the extra equipment to turn it into a real studio. To begin with they were interested in Graham's songwriting and when they heard that he was involved in a studio I think they thought the most economical thing for them to do would be to book his studio and then put him to work there -- but they ended up recording Graham's songs and then some of Kevin and Lol's songs, and we were all working together."
and the remaining three continued to dabble in the studio.
With Gouldman absent, Godley, Creme and Stewart continued recording singles. The first, "Neanderthal Man
", released under the name Hotlegs
, began life as a test of drum layering at the new Strawberry Studios mixing desk, but when released as a single by Fontana Records
in July 1970, climbed to No. 2 in the UK charts
and became a worldwide hit, selling more than two million copies. Around the same time, the trio released "Umbopo" under the name of Doctor Father
. The song, a slower, longer and more melancholic version of the track earlier released under the name of Crazy Elephant, failed to chart.
Reverting to the successful band name Hotlegs, in early 1971 Godley, Creme and Stewart recorded the album Thinks: School Stinks
, which included "Neanderthal Man". They then recalled Gouldman for a short tour supporting The Moody Blues
, before releasing a follow-up single "Lady Sadie" b/w "The Loser". Philips reworked their sole album, removed "Neanderthal Man" and added "Today" and issued it as Song. Stewart, Creme and Godley released another single in February 1971 under yet another name, The New Wave Band, this time with former Herman's Hermits
member Derek "Lek" Leckenby
on guitar. The song, a cover version of Paul Simon
's "Cecilia
", was one of the few tracks the band released that they had not written. It also failed to chart.
The band also continued outside production work at Strawberry, working with Dave Berry
, Wayne Fontana
, Peter Cowap and Herman's Hermits
, and doing original compositions for various UK football (soccer) teams. In 1971 they produced and played on Space Hymns, an album by New Age musician Ramases
; in 1972-73 they co-produced and played on two Neil Sedaka
albums, Solitaire and The Tra-La Days Are Over
.
The experience of working on Solitaire, which became a success for Sedaka, was enough to prompt the band to seek recognition on their own merits. Gouldman—who by 1972 was back at Strawberry Studios—said:
Stewart said the decision was made over a meal in a Chinese restaurant: "We asked ourselves whether we shouldn't pool our creative talents and try to do something with the songs that each of us was working on at the time."
Once again a four-piece, the group recorded a Stewart/Gouldman song, "Waterfall", in early 1972. Stewart offered the acetate to Apple Records
. He waited months before receiving a note from the label saying the song was not commercial enough to release as a single.
". The song was a Frank Zappa
-influenced '50s doo-wop
parody, a sharp mix of commercial pop and irony with a chorus sung in falsetto. Stewart said: "We knew it had something. We only knew of one person who was mad enough to release it, and that was Jonathan King
." Stewart called King, a flamboyant entrepreneur, producer and recording artist, who drove to Strawberry, listened to the track and "fell about laughing", declaring: "It's fabulous, it's a hit."
King signed the band to his UK Records
label in July 1972 and dubbed them 10cc. By his own account, King chose the name after having a dream in which he was standing in front of the Hammersmith Odeon in London where the boarding read "10cc The Best Band in the World". A widely repeated claim, disputed by King and Godley, but confirmed in a 1988 interview by Creme, and also on the webpage of Gouldman's current line-up, is that the band name represented a volume of semen
that was more than the average amount ejaculated by men, thus emphasising their potency or prowess.
"Donna", released as the first 10cc single, was chosen by BBC Radio 1
disc jockey Tony Blackburn
as his Record of the Week, helping to launch it into the Top 30. The song peaked at No. 2 in the UK in October 1972.
Although their second single, a similarly '50s-influenced song called "Johnny Don't Do It," was not a major chart success. "Rubber Bullets
", a catchy satirical take on the "Jailhouse Rock" concept, became a hit internationally and gave 10cc their first British No.1 single in June 1973. They consolidated their success a few months later with "The Dean and I
", which peaked at No.10 in September. They released two singles, "Headline Hustler" (in the US) and the self-mocking "The Worst Band In The World" (in the UK) and launched a UK tour on 26 August 1973, joined by second drummer Paul Burgess, before returning to Strawberry Studios in November to record the remainder of their second LP, Sheet Music
(1973), which included "The Worst Band In The World" along with other hits "The Wall Street Shuffle
" (No.10, 1974) and "Silly Love" (No.24, 1974).
"Sheet Music" became the band's breakthrough album, remaining on the UK charts for six months and paving the way for a US tour in February 1974.
In February 1975 the band announced they had signed with Mercury Records
for US$1 million. The catalyst for the deal was one song -- "I'm Not in Love
". Stewart recalled:
The Original Soundtrack
, which was already complete, was released just weeks later. It was both a critical and commercial success and featured distinctive cover art created by the Hipgnosis
team and drawn by musician and artist Humphrey Ocean, RA. It is also notable for its opening track, Godley & Creme's "Une Nuit A Paris
(One Night In Paris)", an eight-minute, multi-part "mini-operetta" that is thought to have been an influence on "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
. Its melody can also be heard in the overture to Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical "Phantom of the Opera".
Although it bore an unlikely title (picked up from a radio talk show), the jaunty single "Life Is A Minestrone" (1975) was another UK Top 10 placing, peaking at No.7. Their biggest success came with the dreamy "I'm Not in Love
", which gave the band their second UK No.1 in June 1975. The song also provided them with their first US chart success when the song reached No.2. A collaborative effort built around a title by Stewart, "I'm Not in Love" is notable for its innovative production, especially its richly overdubbed choral backing. Godley stated:
NME
-- February 1976
10cc would also do some production work for Justin Hayward
during this time on his single "Blue Guitar" for his "Blue Jays" project with John Lodge.
Their fourth LP, How Dare You!
(1976), featuring another Hipgnosis cover, furnished two more UK Top Ten hits—the witty "Art for Art's Sake
" (No.5 in January 1976) and "I'm Mandy, Fly Me" (No.6, April 1976). But by this time the once close personal and working relationships between the four members had begun to fray, and it was the last album with the original line-up.
10cc's success prompted the 1976 re-release of the Hotlegs album under the new title You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think Of It
with two additional tracks. The title track was the epic B-side of "Neanderthal Man", a section of which had been reworked as "Fresh Air For My Mama" on the 10cc
album.
and jazz legend Sarah Vaughan
.
The first of a series of albums by Godley & Creme
, Consequences began as a demonstration record for the "Gizmotron
", an electric guitar effect they had invented. The device, which fitted over the bridge of an electric guitar, contained six small motor-driven wheels attached to small keys (four wheels for electric basses); when the key was depressed, the Gizmotron wheels bowed the guitar strings, producing notes and chords
with endless sustain
. First used during the recording of the Sheet Music track "Old Wild Men", the device was designed to further cut their recording costs: by using it on an electric guitar with studio effects, they could effectively simulate strings and other sounds, enabling them to dispense with expensive orchestral overdubs.
In a 2007 interview with the ProGGnosis—Progressive Rock & Fusion website, Godley explained: "We left because we no longer liked what Gouldman and Stewart were writing. We left because 10cc was becoming safe and predictable and we felt trapped."
But speaking to Uncut magazine 10 years earlier, he expressed regret about the band breaking up as they embarked on the Consequences project:
In a BBC Radio Wales interview Stewart gave his side of the split:
Godley & Creme went on to achieve cult success as a songwriting and recording duo, scoring several hits and releasing a string of innovative LPs and singles. Having honed their skills on the equally innovative clips that they made to promote their own singles, they returned to their visual arts roots and became better-known as directors of music videos in the 1980s, creating acclaimed videos for chart-topping acts including George Harrison
("When We Was
Fab"), The Police
("Every Breath You Take"), Duran Duran
("Girls On Film"), Frankie Goes to Hollywood
("Two Tribes"), Peter Gabriel
's duet with Kate Bush
"Don't Give Up", and Herbie Hancock
("Rockit"). They also directed a video for Stewart and Gouldman's "Feel the Love". The video for their 1985 single "Cry
" is especially notable as one of the first mainstream uses of image morphing
technology.
(1977), named after a sign on the Mickleham
bends on the A24 between Leatherhead
and Dorking
in Surrey. The album, recorded at the newly-completed Strawberry South Studio in Dorking, Surrey, reached No. 3 in Britain and No. 31 in the US and also yielded three hit singles, "The Things We Do For Love" (UK No. 6, US No. 5), "Good Morning Judge" (UK No. 5, US No. 69) and "People In Love" (US No. 40). Stewart later said he and Gouldman felt vindicated by its success: "I was out to prove also that we could write a hit album without Kevin and Lol ... we did!" [18]
In 1977 10cc embarked on an international tour with guitarist Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O'Malley and an additional drummer Stuart Tosh (ex-Pilot) and recorded a live album, "Live and Let Live
" (1977), which mixed the hits with material from the previous three LPs.
Fenn, Tosh, Burgess and keyboardist Duncan Mackay (who in 1977 made a solo album entitled "Score") were now full members of the band and performed on 1978's Bloody Tourists
, which provided the band with their third UK No. 1 single, the reggae-styled "Dreadlock Holiday
". It was their last hit, with the second single "Reds In My Bed", featuring lead vocals by Stuart Tosh, failing to chart.
The band suffered a major setback in 1979 when Stewart was seriously injured in a car crash. He told the BBC:
Gouldman, too, considered the aftermath of Stewart's accident to be a turning point. In a 1995 BBC interview he said:
While Stewart recovered, Gouldman recorded the title track to the film Sunburn, which became a minor UK hit in 1979. The band also issued a greatest hits compilation in late 1979 Greatest Hits 1972-1978, and released a single, coupling "I'm Not in Love" with "For You and I", which failed to chart.
Both produced soundtrack albums in 1980 with the help of some of the 10cc band members: Gouldman recorded the soundtrack to the animated film Animalympics
, while Stewart produced the soundtrack to the film Girls. The band signed with Warner Bros. Records
, producing a new 10cc offering entitled Look Hear?
, featuring the single "One Two Five". All three albums featured musicians from 10cc's Bloody Tourists line-up, and all were released between February and April 1980. Only Look Hear? appeared on charts in the UK or US.
Gouldman and Stewart subsequently jettisoned most of the band before returning to the Mercury label to record Ten Out of 10
(1981). Neither the album nor its singles, "Les Nouveaux Riches" and "Don't Turn Me Away", charted.
In a bid to inject an American flavour to the album, Warner Bros. invited singer-songwriter Andrew Gold
to contribute, leading to an offer to join the band; an offer Gold declined because of other commitments. Gouldman later admitted greater involvement by Gold might have lifted the band's early 1980s output from its mediocrity. "We should either have tried to change direction, which we didn't, or got someone else in the band, which we almost did. The albums weren't really bad, there was always the integrity, and the production values, but in retrospect, I find them rather dour, rather lacklustre."
The band embarked on their 10th anniversary tour in early 1982, with Fenn, Burgess and Tosh joining Stewart and Gouldman, along with new keyboardist Vic Emerson. They released "The Power of Love", co-written with Andrew Gold, as a single, which did not chart. "Run Away", released as a single in June 1982, reached No.50 in the UK; "We've Heard it all Before" (October 1982) did not chart.
Stewart also released a 1982 solo album Frooty Rooties with participation from Gouldman on one track.
10cc began a U.K. tour in March 1983, coinciding with the release of the single "24 Hours". The song was made available both as a 7" and 10" single, with live versions of "Dreadlock Holiday" and "I'm Not in Love" on the b-sides. It failed to chart, as did a further single, "Feel The Love"/"She Gives Me Pain" issued in July 1983. The duo's next 10cc LP, Windows in the Jungle
, (October 1983) used session heavyweights including drummer Steve Gadd
, but the album was dominated by Stewart; Gouldman only performed partial lead vocals on one song. It reached No.70 on the U.K. charts. The band toured the U.K. in October, with drummer Jamie Lane in place of Paul Burgess (who was working with Jethro Tull
). This turned out to be their last tour until they reformed eight years later.
and Gouldman produced tracks for The Ramones before teaming up with Andrew Gold to form the synth-pop group Wax
.
Stewart continued an association with Paul McCartney
. He had already appeared on "Tug of War" in 1982 and "Pipes of Peace" in 1983. During 1984 he appeared in the video for the US single "So Bad" which also featured Ringo Starr
and the feature film/soundtrack for "Give My Regards To Broad Street
". He then co-wrote much of the Press to Play
album (1986). He also produced the album Eyes of a Woman
(1985) by Agnetha Fältskog
of ABBA
.
Gouldman, meanwhile, teamed with Andrew Gold
to form the duo Common Knowledge, which, after two unsuccessful singles changed their name to Wax
. The duo's albums included Magnetic Heaven
(1986), American English
(1987) and A Hundred Thousand In Fresh Notes. (1989). The duo scored some success including a Spanish No.1 single! Gouldman also assembled and produced the charity single "You'll Never Walk Alone
" by The Crowd
in aid of the Bradford City stadium fire. Released in 1985, the single reached No.1 in the UK charts.
A compilation album "Changing Faces - The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme
" was released in 1987 and gave the band their biggest hit album since 1978.
A four CD box set, Greatest Songs and More (Great Box)
was issued in Japan in 1991, which included many b-sides available on CD for the first time.
(1992), an album produced by Gary Katz
of Steely Dan
fame. Katz was suggested by the record label Polydor who wanted 10cc to enjoy success in America, and because of his links to Steely Dan—similar sounding '70s band. However, the album was not a "reunion" in the strict sense of the word. All the album's songs were written by Stewart and Gouldman (with the exception of one track which was co-written by Stewart and Paul McCartney
in the late '80s with additional writing from Gouldman). Creme and Godley agreed to guest on the album to fulfil their obligation to Polydor—both had owed Polydor one album when they split in the late '80s. Godley and Creme sang background vocals on several tracks on the album. Godley also sang the lead on one song, "The Stars Didn't Show". The record label did everything it could to make it appear that it was a genuine reunion album to generate publicity...to little effect.
...Meanwhile did not spawn any major hits, but was relatively well received in Japan and in Europe. It prominently featured session musicians Jeff Porcaro
of Toto
on drums, Freddie Washington on bass, Michael Landau
on lead and rhythm guitar, and Bashiri Johnson on percussion. Also appearing on the album were Dr. John
(Mac Rebennack) on piano, David Paich
(also of Toto fame) on keyboards, longtime 10cc collaborator Andrew Gold
on guitar and many other renowned session musicians and singers. ...Meanwhile is believed to be Porcaro's last session work before he died of a heart attack prompted by a reaction to insecticide. Dr. John
was recommended by producer Gary Katz and invited along to the sessions.
Gouldman, in a 1995 interview, was philosophical about the album: "When we finally did come back to record again, it was based on market research that our record company had done, that said a new 10cc album would do really, really well. And, ah, history has proved that wrong." Yet according to Stewart, both he and Gouldman had approached the album positively. "We wrote in a three-month period, 22 songs. Every day we were coming up with new ideas, and they were getting better and better, as far as we were concerned. And they sounded like 10cc songs again."
The album was followed by a tour in 1993, with former members Rick Fenn and Stuart Tosh returning alongside new players Steve Piggot(keyboards, synthesizers) and Gary Wallis(drum, percussion). This tour was captured on the live album and DVD Alive.
In 1995 the band released Mirror Mirror, produced by Gouldman, Stewart and Adrian Lee
of Mike + The Mechanics, and without participation from Godley or Creme. Despite initial objections by Gouldman, Mirror Mirror included an acoustic version of "I'm Not in Love
" which became a No.29 UK hit single, but overall the album did not fare very well. Gouldman has described Mirror Mirror as "almost like two halves of an album", largely a result of the fact that he and Stewart recorded in separate countries. "I don't like to say we hoodwinked the people, but you could say it's not quite what it appears to be, and anyone with any sense, who reads the credits, could see that," he told Goldmine magazine. Their recording arrangement also provided further evidence of a fractured relationship between Stewart and Gouldman: aside from "I'm Not in Love", Stewart did not appear on any of the tracks Gouldman played or sang on, while Gouldman did not appear on any of Stewart's tracks.
In the spring of 1995, the band toured Europe
and Japan
with a lineup of Stewart, Gouldman, Fenn, Tosh, Alan Park(keyboards, synthesizers) and Geoff Dunn(drums, percussion).
Stewart has since commented: "10cc is well and truly finished as far as I am concerned.."
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
who achieved their greatest commercial success in the 1970s. The band initially consisted of four musicians -- Graham Gouldman
Graham Gouldman
Graham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
, Eric Stewart
Eric Stewart
Eric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
, Kevin Godley
Kevin Godley
Kevin Godley is a British musician and music video director.He was born in a family of Jewish descent, and went to North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham....
, and Lol Creme
Lol Crème
Lol Creme is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings, plays guitar and keyboards.-Biography:...
-- who had written and recorded together for some three years, before assuming the "10cc" name in 1972.
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
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
and Strawberry Studios (South) in Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
, with most of those engineered by Stewart.
First collaborations, 1964-71
Three of the founding members of 10cc were childhood friends in the ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
area. As boys, Godley and Creme knew each other; Gouldman and Godley attended the same secondary school; their musical passion led to playing at the local Jewish Lads' Brigade.
Early bands, 1964-69
Their first recorded collaboration was in 1964, when Gouldman's band The Whirlwinds recorded the Lol Creme composition, "Baby Not Like You", as the B-side of their only single. The Whirlwinds then changed members and name, becoming The Mockingbirds (including singer-guitarist Gouldman, bassist Bernard Basso and drummer Kevin Godley [formerly of The Sabres with Creme]). The Mockingbirds recorded five singles in 1965-66 without any success, before dissolving. The guitarist in both The Whirlwinds and The Mockingbirds was Stephen Jacobson, brother of well-known writer Howard JacobsonHoward Jacobson
Howard Jacobson is a Man Booker Prize-winning British Jewish author and journalist. He is best known for writing comic novels that often revolve around the dilemmas of British Jewish characters.-Background:...
.
In June 1967, Godley and Creme reunited and recorded a solitary single("Seeing Things Green"' b/w "Easy Life" on UK CBS) under the name "The Yellow Bellow Room Boom". In 1969, Gouldman took them to a Marmalade Records recording session. The boss Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Gomelsky
Giorgio Gomelsky is a filmmaker, impresario, music manager, songwriter and record producer. He owned the Crawdaddy Club where The Rolling Stones were house band, and he was involved with their early management. He hired The Yardbirds as a replacement and managed them. He was also their...
was impressed with Godley's falsetto voice and offered them a recording contract. In September 1969, Godley & Creme recorded some basic tracks at Strawberry Studios
Strawberry Studios
-Formation:The facility was originally called Inner City Studios and located above a music store in the town centre. In early 1968 it was bought by Peter Tattersall, a former road manager for Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. Tattersall invited Eric Stewart – then lead guitarist and singer of...
, with Stewart on guitar and Gouldman on bass. The song, "I'm Beside Myself" b/w "Animal Song", was published as a single, credited to Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon.
Gomelsky (an ex-manager of The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
) planned to market Godley & Creme as a duo, in the vein of Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
. Plans for an album by Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon faltered, however, when Marmalade ran out of funds. Solo tracks by Godley and Gouldman, however—both involved Stewart and Creme—were released in a 1969 Marmalade Records music sample album, 100 Proof. Gouldman's track was "The Late Mr. Late"; a year later, Godley's song "To Fly Away" reappeared as "Fly Away", in the début Hotlegs
Hotlegs
Hotlegs was a short-lived English band best known for its hit single "Neanderthal Man" in 1970. The band consisted of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and – briefly – Graham Gouldman...
album, Thinks: School Stinks
Thinks: School Stinks
Thinks: School Stinks is the first album released by British pop band Hotlegs. The album, featuring the band's hit single "Neanderthal Man", was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport near Manchester and engineered by the studio's co-owners, Eric Stewart and Peter Tattersall...
.
Gouldman, meanwhile, had made a name for himself as a hit songwriter, penning "Heart Full of Soul
Heart Full of Soul
"Heart Full of Soul" is a 1965 single by the English rock band The Yardbirds. It was written by Graham Gouldman, who later had a lengthy career as a member of 10cc. It charted in the United States at number nine and at number two in the United Kingdom. The song makes an early use of the fuzz box by...
", "Evil Hearted You
Evil Hearted You
"Evil Hearted You" is a 1965 single by the British Invasion band The Yardbirds. It charted at #3 in the UK. The single was not released in the USA, but was featured on the compilation albums Having a Rave Up and Shapes of Things....
" and "For Your Love
For Your Love
-Album reissues:The Yardbirds' 2001 compilation album Ultimate! contains eight of the eleven tracks from the original album. For Your Love has been reissued by several record labels, including JVC, Castle, and Repertoire...
" for The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
, "Look Through Any Window
Look Through Any Window
"Look Through Any Window" is a song by British Beat group the Hollies. It was the first American Top-40 hit for them, peaking at #32 in January 1966. It reached #4 in their homeland...
" and "Bus Stop
Bus Stop (song)
"Bus Stop" is the title of a song recorded and released as a 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl single by the British pop band The Hollies. It became a hit in 1966, reaching #5 in the UK Singles Chart...
" for The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
and "No Milk Today
No Milk Today
"No Milk Today" is a song that was written by Graham Gouldman and originally recorded by British pop band Herman's Hermits. It was first released as a single by the Mancunian group in the UK in October 1966 and, with the B-side "My Reservation's Been Confirmed", enjoyed chart success, peaking at #7...
", "East West" and "Listen People" for Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
.
The Mindbenders (1965-68)
Meanwhile, the fourth future member of 10cc was also tasting significant pop music success: guitarist Eric Stewart was a member of Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, a group that hit No.1 with "The Game Of Love", and scored a number of other mid-1960s hits. When Fontana left the band in October 1965, the group became known simply as The MindbendersThe Mindbenders
The Mindbenders was a 1960s beat group from Manchester, England. They were part of the mid 1960s British Invasion with their chart-toppers "Game of Love" and "A Groovy Kind of Love"....
, with Stewart as their lead vocalist. The band scored a hit with "A Groovy Kind of Love" (released December 1965) and made an appearance in the 1967 film To Sir, With Love
To Sir, with Love
To Sir, With Love is a 1967 British drama film starring Sidney Poitier that deals with social and racial issues in an inner city school. James Clavell both directed and wrote the film's screenplay, based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by E. R. Braithwaite.The film's title song...
with "It's Getting Harder All the Time" and "Off and Running."
In March 1968, Gouldman joined Stewart in The Mindbenders, replacing bassist Bob Lang and playing on some tour dates. Gouldman wrote two of the band's last three singles, "Schoolgirl" (released November 1967) and "Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man" (August 1968). Those singles did not chart and The Mindbenders broke up after a short tour of England in November.
Birth of Strawberry Studios; the bubblegum era (1968-70)
In the dying days of The Mindbenders, Stewart began recording demos of new material at Inner City Studios, a Stockport studio then owned by Peter Tattersall, a former road manager for Billy J. KramerBilly J. Kramer
Billy J. Kramer is a British Invasion/Merseybeat singer. In the 1960s he was managed by Brian Epstein, who also managed The Beatles, and he recorded several original Lennon and McCartney compositions.-Early life and career:He grew up as the youngest of seven siblings and attended the St George of...
and the Dakotas. In July 1968 Stewart joined Tattersall as a partner in the studio, where he could further hone his skills as a recording engineer. In October 1968, the studio was moved to bigger premises and renamed Strawberry Studios
Strawberry Studios
-Formation:The facility was originally called Inner City Studios and located above a music store in the town centre. In early 1968 it was bought by Peter Tattersall, a former road manager for Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. Tattersall invited Eric Stewart – then lead guitarist and singer of...
, after The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Strawberry Fields Forever
Strawberry Fields Forever
"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...
".
In 1969 Gouldman, who had become much more in demand as a songwriter than as a performer, also began using Strawberry to record demos of songs he was writing for Marmalade. By the end of the year he too was a financial partner in the studios.
By 1969, all four members of the original 10cc line-up were working together regularly at Strawberry Studios. Around the same time, noted American bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
writer-producers Jerry Kasenetz
Jerry Kasenetz
Jerry Kasenetz is an American bubblegum pop producer who worked with Jeff Katz, the two working together as the Super K production company, to manufacture and produce bands like The Music Explosion, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant, and The Ohio Express....
and Jeff Katz
Jeff Katz
Jeffrey Katz is an American music producer, one of the first exponents of bubblegum pop.-Music career:He is one half of a hitmaking duo with Jerry Kasenetz, the two working together as the Super K production company...
of Super K Productions
Super K Productions
Super K Productions was a 1960s American recording production company under Buddah Records, headed by producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffrey Katz, whose groups specialized in bubblegum pop. Their biggest successes were The Ohio Express, The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant and The Music Explosion...
came to England and commissioned Gouldman to write and produce formula bubblegum songs, many of which were recorded at Strawberry Studios, and were either augmented or performed entirely by varying combinations of the future 10cc line-up.
Among the recordings from this period was "Sausalito", a No. 86 US hit credited to Ohio Express and released in July 1969. In fact the song featured Gouldman on lead vocal, and vocal and instrumental backing by the other three future 10cc members.
In December 1969 Kasenetz and Katz agreed to a proposal by Gouldman that he work solely at Strawberry, rather than move constantly between Stockport, London and New York. Gouldman convinced the pair that these throwaway two-minute songs could all be written, performed and produced by him and his three colleagues, Stewart, Godley and Creme, at a fraction of the cost of hiring outside session musicians. Kasenetz and Katz booked the studio for three months.
Kevin Godley recalled:
The three-month project resulted in a number of tracks that appeared under various band names owned by Kasenetz-Katz, including "There Ain't No Umbopo" by Crazy Elephant
Crazy Elephant
Crazy Elephant was a short-lived American bubblegum pop band noted for their 1969 hit single, "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'". Crazy Elephant was a studio concoction, created by Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz of Super K Productions...
, "When He Comes" by Fighter Squadron and "Come On Plane" by Silver Fleet (all three with lead vocals by Godley), and "Susan's Tuba" by Freddie and the Dreamers
Freddie and the Dreamers
Freddie and the Dreamers were an English band who had a number of hit records between May 1963 and November 1965. Their stage act was based around the comic antics of the 5-foot-3-inch-tall Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying. The group remained active...
(which was a monster hit in France and featured lead vocals by Freddie Garrity
Freddie Garrity
Freddie Garrity was a singer and actor who was frontman and comical element in the 1960s pop band, Freddie and the Dreamers.-Biography:...
, despite claims by some that it was Gouldman).
Lol Creme remembered: "Singles kept coming out under strange names that had really been recorded by us. I've no idea how many there were, or what happened to them all."
But Stewart described the Kasenetz-Katz deal as a breakthrough: "That allowed us to get the extra equipment to turn it into a real studio. To begin with they were interested in Graham's songwriting and when they heard that he was involved in a studio I think they thought the most economical thing for them to do would be to book his studio and then put him to work there -- but they ended up recording Graham's songs and then some of Kevin and Lol's songs, and we were all working together."
Hotlegs, Doctor Father, The New Wave Band (1970-71)
When the three-month production deal with Kasenetz-Katz ended, Gouldman returned to New York to work as a staff songwriter for Super K ProductionsSuper K Productions
Super K Productions was a 1960s American recording production company under Buddah Records, headed by producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffrey Katz, whose groups specialized in bubblegum pop. Their biggest successes were The Ohio Express, The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Crazy Elephant and The Music Explosion...
and the remaining three continued to dabble in the studio.
With Gouldman absent, Godley, Creme and Stewart continued recording singles. The first, "Neanderthal Man
Neanderthal Man (song)
"Neanderthal Man" is a song by Hotlegs, an English pop band that was later relaunched as 10cc. The song, initially created only as a studio exercise to test drum sounds on new recording equipment, sold over two million copies and reached No.2 in the UK and No. 22 in the US...
", released under the name Hotlegs
Hotlegs
Hotlegs was a short-lived English band best known for its hit single "Neanderthal Man" in 1970. The band consisted of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and – briefly – Graham Gouldman...
, began life as a test of drum layering at the new Strawberry Studios mixing desk, but when released as a single by Fontana Records
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
in July 1970, climbed to No. 2 in the UK charts
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and became a worldwide hit, selling more than two million copies. Around the same time, the trio released "Umbopo" under the name of Doctor Father
Doctor Father
Doctor Father was the band name used by British musicians Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – later of 10cc – for the release of a single, "Umbopo", in August 1970....
. The song, a slower, longer and more melancholic version of the track earlier released under the name of Crazy Elephant, failed to chart.
Reverting to the successful band name Hotlegs, in early 1971 Godley, Creme and Stewart recorded the album Thinks: School Stinks
Thinks: School Stinks
Thinks: School Stinks is the first album released by British pop band Hotlegs. The album, featuring the band's hit single "Neanderthal Man", was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport near Manchester and engineered by the studio's co-owners, Eric Stewart and Peter Tattersall...
, which included "Neanderthal Man". They then recalled Gouldman for a short tour supporting The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
, before releasing a follow-up single "Lady Sadie" b/w "The Loser". Philips reworked their sole album, removed "Neanderthal Man" and added "Today" and issued it as Song. Stewart, Creme and Godley released another single in February 1971 under yet another name, The New Wave Band, this time with former Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
member Derek "Lek" Leckenby
Derek Leckenby
Derek "Lek" Leckenby was an English musician and lead guitarist, most famous for his work with English pop group Herman's Hermits.-Early life:Leckenby was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire...
on guitar. The song, a cover version of Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
's "Cecilia
Cecilia (song)
"Cecilia" is a song written by US musician Paul Simon. It was first recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water. When released as a single, it reached #4 in the US charts...
", was one of the few tracks the band released that they had not written. It also failed to chart.
The band also continued outside production work at Strawberry, working with Dave Berry
Dave Berry (musician)
Not to be confused with English 1960s singer Mike Berry.Dave Berry is a British pop singer and former teen idol of the 1960s...
, Wayne Fontana
Wayne Fontana
Wayne Fontana is an English pop singer. In 1962, he formed his backing group, the Mindbenders and got a recording contract.-Biography:...
, Peter Cowap and Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
, and doing original compositions for various UK football (soccer) teams. In 1971 they produced and played on Space Hymns, an album by New Age musician Ramases
Ramases
Ramases was the creation and alter-ego of Martin Raphael , born in Sheffield, UK. Formerly an army PT instructor, whilst involved in a central heating business in Scotland, was inspired to assume the mantle of the Egyptian Pharaoh of whom he believed himself a reincarnation, and take up a musical...
; in 1972-73 they co-produced and played on two Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
albums, Solitaire and The Tra-La Days Are Over
The Tra-La Days Are Over
The Tra-La Days Are Over is a 1973 album by American singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka. The album was the second to be produced at Strawberry Studios in England in collaboration with Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme, Kevin Godley and Eric Stewart, who had formed the band 10cc since their first joint venture...
.
The experience of working on Solitaire, which became a success for Sedaka, was enough to prompt the band to seek recognition on their own merits. Gouldman—who by 1972 was back at Strawberry Studios—said:
Stewart said the decision was made over a meal in a Chinese restaurant: "We asked ourselves whether we shouldn't pool our creative talents and try to do something with the songs that each of us was working on at the time."
Once again a four-piece, the group recorded a Stewart/Gouldman song, "Waterfall", in early 1972. Stewart offered the acetate to Apple Records
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
. He waited months before receiving a note from the label saying the song was not commercial enough to release as a single.
Original line-up, 1972-76
Undeterred by Apple's rejection, the group decided to plug another song which had been written as a possible B-side to "Waterfall", a Godley/Creme composition entitled "DonnaDonna (10cc song)
Donna is the first single by British art rock/pop band 10cc. Released in 1972, it peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart.The song was written by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme....
". The song was a Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
-influenced '50s doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
parody, a sharp mix of commercial pop and irony with a chorus sung in falsetto. Stewart said: "We knew it had something. We only knew of one person who was mad enough to release it, and that was Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
." Stewart called King, a flamboyant entrepreneur, producer and recording artist, who drove to Strawberry, listened to the track and "fell about laughing", declaring: "It's fabulous, it's a hit."
UK Records
UK Records was launched in 1972 by Jonathan King to distribute his own releases and some other artists. The abbreviation UK stands for "United King". The label was distributed at first by Decca Records and, after 1976, by PolyGram...
label in July 1972 and dubbed them 10cc. By his own account, King chose the name after having a dream in which he was standing in front of the Hammersmith Odeon in London where the boarding read "10cc The Best Band in the World". A widely repeated claim, disputed by King and Godley, but confirmed in a 1988 interview by Creme, and also on the webpage of Gouldman's current line-up, is that the band name represented a volume of semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
that was more than the average amount ejaculated by men, thus emphasising their potency or prowess.
"Donna", released as the first 10cc single, was chosen by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
disc jockey Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
as his Record of the Week, helping to launch it into the Top 30. The song peaked at No. 2 in the UK in October 1972.
Although their second single, a similarly '50s-influenced song called "Johnny Don't Do It," was not a major chart success. "Rubber Bullets
Rubber Bullets
"Rubber Bullets" is a song by 10cc from their debut self-titled album.Written and sung by Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and Graham Gouldman and produced by 10cc, "Rubber Bullets" was the band's first number one single in the United Kingdom, spending a single week at the top in June 1973. It fared worse...
", a catchy satirical take on the "Jailhouse Rock" concept, became a hit internationally and gave 10cc their first British No.1 single in June 1973. They consolidated their success a few months later with "The Dean and I
The Dean and I
"The Dean and I" is a song by the art rock/pop band 10cc, from their 1973 eponymous debut album, written by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The song was released as the third single from the album in August 1973 and peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the lowest of the singles from the...
", which peaked at No.10 in September. They released two singles, "Headline Hustler" (in the US) and the self-mocking "The Worst Band In The World" (in the UK) and launched a UK tour on 26 August 1973, joined by second drummer Paul Burgess, before returning to Strawberry Studios in November to record the remainder of their second LP, Sheet Music
Sheet Music (album)
Sheet Music is the second album by Manchester rock band 10cc. It was released in 1974 and yielded the hit singles "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love". The album reached No.9 in the UK and No.81 in the United States....
(1973), which included "The Worst Band In The World" along with other hits "The Wall Street Shuffle
The Wall Street Shuffle
"The Wall Street Shuffle" is a single by the British pop/rock band 10cc released in 1974. The song originally appears on the band's 1974 album Sheet Music and was the second single to be released from the album after "The Worst Band in the World." It was also the most successful single to be...
" (No.10, 1974) and "Silly Love" (No.24, 1974).
"Sheet Music" became the band's breakthrough album, remaining on the UK charts for six months and paving the way for a US tour in February 1974.
In February 1975 the band announced they had signed with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
for US$1 million. The catalyst for the deal was one song -- "I'm Not in Love
I'm Not in Love
"I'm Not in Love" is a song written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman of the English group 10cc, from the album The Original Soundtrack. The lyric reveals a narrator in denial about the title's ostensible theme.-The 10cc version:...
". Stewart recalled:
The Original Soundtrack
The Original Soundtrack
The Original Soundtrack is a 1975 album by 10cc.-Overview: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 one song – "I'm Not in Love". Stewart recalled:The Original Soundtrack, which was already...
, which was already complete, was released just weeks later. It was both a critical and commercial success and featured distinctive cover art created by the Hipgnosis
Hipgnosis
Hipgnosis was a British art design group that specialized in creating cover art for the albums of rock musicians and bands, most notably Pink Floyd, T.Rex, The Pretty Things, UFO, 10cc, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Scorpions, Yes, The Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, ELO and XTC...
team and drawn by musician and artist Humphrey Ocean, RA. It is also notable for its opening track, Godley & Creme's "Une Nuit A Paris
Une Nuit A Paris
"Une Nuit A Paris" is a mini rock opera by the British rock band 10cc, originally taken from their 1975 album The Original Soundtrack. Despite never being released as a single, the song appears on several "best of" compilations from the band including The Very Best Of 10cc and Greatest Hits ......
(One Night In Paris)", an eight-minute, multi-part "mini-operetta" that is thought to have been an influence on "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
. Its melody can also be heard in the overture to Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical "Phantom of the Opera".
Although it bore an unlikely title (picked up from a radio talk show), the jaunty single "Life Is A Minestrone" (1975) was another UK Top 10 placing, peaking at No.7. Their biggest success came with the dreamy "I'm Not in Love
I'm Not in Love
"I'm Not in Love" is a song written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman of the English group 10cc, from the album The Original Soundtrack. The lyric reveals a narrator in denial about the title's ostensible theme.-The 10cc version:...
", which gave the band their second UK No.1 in June 1975. The song also provided them with their first US chart success when the song reached No.2. A collaborative effort built around a title by Stewart, "I'm Not in Love" is notable for its innovative production, especially its richly overdubbed choral backing. Godley stated:
NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
-- February 1976
10cc would also do some production work for Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
during this time on his single "Blue Guitar" for his "Blue Jays" project with John Lodge.
Their fourth LP, How Dare You!
How Dare You!
How Dare You! is the fourth album by British band 10cc. 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...
(1976), featuring another Hipgnosis cover, furnished two more UK Top Ten hits—the witty "Art for Art's Sake
Art for Art's Sake (10cc song)
"Art for Art's Sake" is a single by the British Pop/Rock band 10cc released in 1975. It was the first single released from the How Dare You! album. It was also the most successful single to be released from the album, making #5 on the British charts. The title of the song derives from a saying that...
" (No.5 in January 1976) and "I'm Mandy, Fly Me" (No.6, April 1976). But by this time the once close personal and working relationships between the four members had begun to fray, and it was the last album with the original line-up.
10cc's success prompted the 1976 re-release of the Hotlegs album under the new title You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think Of It
You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think Of It
You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think Of It is an album by British pop group Hotlegs.The album was released in 1976 after Hotlegs, a three-piece band from Stockport, near Manchester, had added a fourth member, Graham Gouldman, changed its name and achieved international chart success as...
with two additional tracks. The title track was the epic B-side of "Neanderthal Man", a section of which had been reworked as "Fresh Air For My Mama" on the 10cc
10cc (album)
10cc is the debut album by British rock band 10cc. It was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, which was part-owned by guitarist and engineer Eric Stewart, and released on Jonathan King's UK Records label. The album reached No.36 in the UK....
album.
Split, 1976
Soon after the release of How Dare You, Godley and Creme left 10cc to work on a project that eventually evolved into the triple LP set Consequences (1976), a sprawling concept album that featured contributions from satirist Peter CookPeter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
and jazz legend Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
.
The first of a series of albums by Godley & Creme
Godley & Creme
Godley & Creme were an English pop music duo composed of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing albums as a duo after splitting from the pop band 10cc. In 1979 they directed their first music video for their own single "An Englishman in New York"...
, Consequences began as a demonstration record for the "Gizmotron
The Gizmo
The Gizmo was an effects device for the electric guitar, invented ca. 1973 by the English rock musicians Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, whilst they were members of the British rock group 10cc....
", an electric guitar effect they had invented. The device, which fitted over the bridge of an electric guitar, contained six small motor-driven wheels attached to small keys (four wheels for electric basses); when the key was depressed, the Gizmotron wheels bowed the guitar strings, producing notes and chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
with endless sustain
Sustain
In music, sustain is a parameter of musical sound over time. As its name implies, it denotes the period of time during which the sound remains before it becomes inaudible, or silent.Additionally, sustain is the third of the four segments in an ADSR envelope...
. First used during the recording of the Sheet Music track "Old Wild Men", the device was designed to further cut their recording costs: by using it on an electric guitar with studio effects, they could effectively simulate strings and other sounds, enabling them to dispense with expensive orchestral overdubs.
In a 2007 interview with the ProGGnosis—Progressive Rock & Fusion website, Godley explained: "We left because we no longer liked what Gouldman and Stewart were writing. We left because 10cc was becoming safe and predictable and we felt trapped."
But speaking to Uncut magazine 10 years earlier, he expressed regret about the band breaking up as they embarked on the Consequences project:
In a BBC Radio Wales interview Stewart gave his side of the split:
Godley & Creme went on to achieve cult success as a songwriting and recording duo, scoring several hits and releasing a string of innovative LPs and singles. Having honed their skills on the equally innovative clips that they made to promote their own singles, they returned to their visual arts roots and became better-known as directors of music videos in the 1980s, creating acclaimed videos for chart-topping acts including George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
("When We Was
Fab"), The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
("Every Breath You Take"), Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
("Girls On Film"), Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
("Two Tribes"), Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's duet with Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
"Don't Give Up", and Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
("Rockit"). They also directed a video for Stewart and Gouldman's "Feel the Love". The video for their 1985 single "Cry
Cry (Godley & Creme song)
"Cry" is a song released by the British music duo Godley & Creme in 1985. It was included on the duo's album The History Mix Volume 1.The song peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Godley & Creme's lone Top 40 hit in the US apart from their former band, 10cc...
" is especially notable as one of the first mainstream uses of image morphing
Morphing
Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes one image into another through a seamless transition. Most often it is used to depict one person turning into another through technological means or as part of a fantasy or surreal sequence. Traditionally such a depiction...
technology.
After the split, 1977-1983
After the departure of Godley and Creme, Stewart and Gouldman opted to continue as 10cc, working with drummer Paul Burgess, who had up to that point been their tour backup drummer. Their first album as a three piece band was Deceptive BendsDeceptive Bends
Deceptive Bends is an album released in 1977 by rock band 10cc.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...
(1977), named after a sign on the Mickleham
Mickleham, Surrey
Mickleham is a village and civil parish between the towns of Dorking and Leatherhead in Surrey, England covering . The parish includes the hamlet of Fredley.-History:Mickleham lies near to the old Roman road known as Stane Street...
bends on the A24 between Leatherhead
Leatherhead
Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin...
and Dorking
Dorking
Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :...
in Surrey. The album, recorded at the newly-completed Strawberry South Studio in Dorking, Surrey, reached No. 3 in Britain and No. 31 in the US and also yielded three hit singles, "The Things We Do For Love" (UK No. 6, US No. 5), "Good Morning Judge" (UK No. 5, US No. 69) and "People In Love" (US No. 40). Stewart later said he and Gouldman felt vindicated by its success: "I was out to prove also that we could write a hit album without Kevin and Lol ... we did!" [18]
In 1977 10cc embarked on an international tour with guitarist Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O'Malley and an additional drummer Stuart Tosh (ex-Pilot) and recorded a live album, "Live and Let Live
Live and Let Live (10cc album)
Live and Let Live was 10cc's first live album, released in the Autumn of 1977. It was recorded at the Odeon Theatre in London between 18 and 20 June 1977 and the Apollo Theatre, Manchester between 16 and 17 July 1977. The album featured the new line-up of Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Rick Fenn,...
" (1977), which mixed the hits with material from the previous three LPs.
Fenn, Tosh, Burgess and keyboardist Duncan Mackay (who in 1977 made a solo album entitled "Score") were now full members of the band and performed on 1978's Bloody Tourists
Bloody Tourists
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...
, which provided the band with their third UK No. 1 single, the reggae-styled "Dreadlock Holiday
Dreadlock Holiday
-In popular culture:* The song is featured on the first episode, "Killeroo", of the first series of the British cult comedy The Mighty Boosh. Bob Fossil, head of the Zooniverse, dances to the first verse of the song while a confused Howard Moon looks on, before switching it off and explaining "And...
". It was their last hit, with the second single "Reds In My Bed", featuring lead vocals by Stuart Tosh, failing to chart.
The band suffered a major setback in 1979 when Stewart was seriously injured in a car crash. He told the BBC:
Gouldman, too, considered the aftermath of Stewart's accident to be a turning point. In a 1995 BBC interview he said:
While Stewart recovered, Gouldman recorded the title track to the film Sunburn, which became a minor UK hit in 1979. The band also issued a greatest hits compilation in late 1979 Greatest Hits 1972-1978, and released a single, coupling "I'm Not in Love" with "For You and I", which failed to chart.
Both produced soundtrack albums in 1980 with the help of some of the 10cc band members: Gouldman recorded the soundtrack to the animated film Animalympics
Animalympics
Animalympics is a 1980 animated film produced by Lisberger Studios and released by Warner Bros.. Originally commissioned by the NBC network as two separate specials, it spoofs the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and features the voices of Billy Crystal, Gilda Radner, Harry Shearer and Michael...
, while Stewart produced the soundtrack to the film Girls. The band signed with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, producing a new 10cc offering entitled Look Hear?
Look Hear?
Look Hear? is the seventh studio album by 10cc, released in 1980. It reached No.35 in the UK and No.180 in the United States. The album, recorded at the band's Strawberry Studios South in Dorking, Surrey, was the first by 10cc since its 1976 split to include songs written by neither Graham Gouldman...
, featuring the single "One Two Five". All three albums featured musicians from 10cc's Bloody Tourists line-up, and all were released between February and April 1980. Only Look Hear? appeared on charts in the UK or US.
Gouldman and Stewart subsequently jettisoned most of the band before returning to the Mercury label to record Ten Out of 10
Ten Out of 10
Ten Out of 10 is the eighth studio album by 10cc and was released in 1981. It failed to chart in the US or UK. The album marked the first involvement with the band by American singer-songwriter Andrew Gold, who was also invited to join the band, but declined because of other commitments.Gouldman...
(1981). Neither the album nor its singles, "Les Nouveaux Riches" and "Don't Turn Me Away", charted.
In a bid to inject an American flavour to the album, Warner Bros. invited singer-songwriter Andrew Gold
Andrew Gold
Andrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....
to contribute, leading to an offer to join the band; an offer Gold declined because of other commitments. Gouldman later admitted greater involvement by Gold might have lifted the band's early 1980s output from its mediocrity. "We should either have tried to change direction, which we didn't, or got someone else in the band, which we almost did. The albums weren't really bad, there was always the integrity, and the production values, but in retrospect, I find them rather dour, rather lacklustre."
The band embarked on their 10th anniversary tour in early 1982, with Fenn, Burgess and Tosh joining Stewart and Gouldman, along with new keyboardist Vic Emerson. They released "The Power of Love", co-written with Andrew Gold, as a single, which did not chart. "Run Away", released as a single in June 1982, reached No.50 in the UK; "We've Heard it all Before" (October 1982) did not chart.
Stewart also released a 1982 solo album Frooty Rooties with participation from Gouldman on one track.
10cc began a U.K. tour in March 1983, coinciding with the release of the single "24 Hours". The song was made available both as a 7" and 10" single, with live versions of "Dreadlock Holiday" and "I'm Not in Love" on the b-sides. It failed to chart, as did a further single, "Feel The Love"/"She Gives Me Pain" issued in July 1983. The duo's next 10cc LP, Windows in the Jungle
Windows in the Jungle
Windows in the Jungle is the ninth studio album by British pop band 10cc. It was released in October 1983 and was the last album by the band for nine years....
, (October 1983) used session heavyweights including drummer Steve Gadd
Steve Gadd
Steve Gadd is an American session and studio drummer, notable for his work with popular musicians from a wide range of genres.-Biography:...
, but the album was dominated by Stewart; Gouldman only performed partial lead vocals on one song. It reached No.70 on the U.K. charts. The band toured the U.K. in October, with drummer Jamie Lane in place of Paul Burgess (who was working with Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
). This turned out to be their last tour until they reformed eight years later.
Separate projects, 1984-1992
After 1983, the band went into recess as Stewart produced recordings for Sad CaféSad Café (band)
Sad Café were an English rock band, which formed in Manchester in 1976, as a result of the unification of the rock bands Mandala and Gyro. Sad Café are best known for their song "Every Day Hurts" which reached Number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979....
and Gouldman produced tracks for The Ramones before teaming up with Andrew Gold to form the synth-pop group Wax
Wax (pop band)
Wax was a 1980s pop rock group consisting of Andrew Gold and 10cc guitarist/bassist Graham Gouldman. In the US, they were listed as Wax UK. The band is best known for the hit singles "Right Between the Eyes" and "Bridge to Your Heart".-History:...
.
Stewart continued an association with Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. He had already appeared on "Tug of War" in 1982 and "Pipes of Peace" in 1983. During 1984 he appeared in the video for the US single "So Bad" which also featured Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
and the feature film/soundtrack for "Give My Regards To Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street
Give My Regards to Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Unlike the film, the album was successful, achieving #1 in the UK chart and its lead single "No More Lonely Nights" was BAFTA and Golden Globe award nominated....
". He then co-wrote much of the Press to Play
Press to Play
-Personnel:* Paul McCartney – bass, acoustic and electric guitars, lead vocals* Neil Jason – bass* Eric Stewart – acoustic and electric guitars* Pete Townshend – electric guitars* Carlos Alomar – acoustic and electric guitars* Eddie Rayner – keyboards...
album (1986). He also produced the album Eyes of a Woman
Eyes of a Woman
Eyes of a Woman is the second of Agnetha Fältskog's 1980s post-ABBA solo albums. Eric Stewart produced. It was Fältskog's second album to reach the UK Top 40, reaching No.38. In Sweden, the album peaked at No. 2. It also reached the Top 20 in Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium.The album was...
(1985) by Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Åse Fältskog is a Swedish recording artist. She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which to date has sold over 375 million records worldwide, making it the fourth...
of ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
.
Gouldman, meanwhile, teamed with Andrew Gold
Andrew Gold
Andrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....
to form the duo Common Knowledge, which, after two unsuccessful singles changed their name to Wax
Wax (pop band)
Wax was a 1980s pop rock group consisting of Andrew Gold and 10cc guitarist/bassist Graham Gouldman. In the US, they were listed as Wax UK. The band is best known for the hit singles "Right Between the Eyes" and "Bridge to Your Heart".-History:...
. The duo's albums included Magnetic Heaven
Magnetic Heaven
Magnetic Heaven is a 1986 album by Wax. The album cover, painted by Jason Bradley, shows the band members.-Track listing:All songs were written, arranged and performed by Andrew Gold and Graham Gouldman.-Side one:# "Right Between The Eyes" – 4:08...
(1986), American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
(1987) and A Hundred Thousand In Fresh Notes. (1989). The duo scored some success including a Spanish No.1 single! Gouldman also assembled and produced the charity single "You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone (song)
"You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.In the musical, in the second act, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the female protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and encourage Julie when her husband, Billy Bigelow, the...
" by The Crowd
The Crowd (music)
The Crowd was a charity group formed specifically to produce a charity record for the Bradford City stadium fire, in which 56 people died on 11 May 1985...
in aid of the Bradford City stadium fire. Released in 1985, the single reached No.1 in the UK charts.
A compilation album "Changing Faces - The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme
Changing Faces - The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme
Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme was the first compilation that included all the hits from 10cc and Godley & Creme. The album featured sixteen tracks including a remixed version of "Snack Attack" by Godley & Creme, that originally featured on their 1981 album Ismism...
" was released in 1987 and gave the band their biggest hit album since 1978.
A four CD box set, Greatest Songs and More (Great Box)
Greatest Songs and More (Great Box)
The Greatest Songs and More is a 4 CD box set by 10cc released in Japan in June 1991. The compilation includes singles, album tracks and rare b-sides recorded between 1972 and 1983. Many of the tracks included were unavailable on CD elsewhere until re-issues of their later albums were released -...
was issued in Japan in 1991, which included many b-sides available on CD for the first time.
10cc reunited, 1991-1995
In 1991 the original four members reunited to record ...Meanwhile...Meanwhile
...Meanwhile is the 10th studio album by British pop band 10cc. It was recorded at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, The Hit Factory, New York, River Sound Studios, New York, Bill Schner Studio, Los Angeles and Village Recorders, Los Angeles and released in 1992.The album was the band's...
(1992), an album produced by Gary Katz
Gary Katz
Gary Katz is an American music producer, best known for his work with Steely Dan.-Steely Dan:Katz is most famous for his work as a producer on every Steely Dan album recorded during the first run of their career, from Can't Buy A Thrill in 1972 to Gaucho in 1980, as well as the Donald Fagen solo...
of Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
fame. Katz was suggested by the record label Polydor who wanted 10cc to enjoy success in America, and because of his links to Steely Dan—similar sounding '70s band. However, the album was not a "reunion" in the strict sense of the word. All the album's songs were written by Stewart and Gouldman (with the exception of one track which was co-written by Stewart and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
in the late '80s with additional writing from Gouldman). Creme and Godley agreed to guest on the album to fulfil their obligation to Polydor—both had owed Polydor one album when they split in the late '80s. Godley and Creme sang background vocals on several tracks on the album. Godley also sang the lead on one song, "The Stars Didn't Show". The record label did everything it could to make it appear that it was a genuine reunion album to generate publicity...to little effect.
...Meanwhile did not spawn any major hits, but was relatively well received in Japan and in Europe. It prominently featured session musicians Jeff Porcaro
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
of Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
on drums, Freddie Washington on bass, Michael Landau
Michael Landau
Michael Landau is a prolific session musician and guitarist who has played on a large number of albums since the early 1980s with artists as varied as Seal, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd and Miles Davis...
on lead and rhythm guitar, and Bashiri Johnson on percussion. Also appearing on the album were Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
(Mac Rebennack) on piano, David Paich
David Paich
David Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
(also of Toto fame) on keyboards, longtime 10cc collaborator Andrew Gold
Andrew Gold
Andrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....
on guitar and many other renowned session musicians and singers. ...Meanwhile is believed to be Porcaro's last session work before he died of a heart attack prompted by a reaction to insecticide. Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
was recommended by producer Gary Katz and invited along to the sessions.
Gouldman, in a 1995 interview, was philosophical about the album: "When we finally did come back to record again, it was based on market research that our record company had done, that said a new 10cc album would do really, really well. And, ah, history has proved that wrong." Yet according to Stewart, both he and Gouldman had approached the album positively. "We wrote in a three-month period, 22 songs. Every day we were coming up with new ideas, and they were getting better and better, as far as we were concerned. And they sounded like 10cc songs again."
The album was followed by a tour in 1993, with former members Rick Fenn and Stuart Tosh returning alongside new players Steve Piggot(keyboards, synthesizers) and Gary Wallis(drum, percussion). This tour was captured on the live album and DVD Alive.
In 1995 the band released Mirror Mirror, produced by Gouldman, Stewart and Adrian Lee
Adrian Lee
Adrian Lee is an English musician, known especially for his brass instrumentation work with several well-known acts of the 1980s.-Career:...
of Mike + The Mechanics, and without participation from Godley or Creme. Despite initial objections by Gouldman, Mirror Mirror included an acoustic version of "I'm Not in Love
I'm Not in Love
"I'm Not in Love" is a song written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman of the English group 10cc, from the album The Original Soundtrack. The lyric reveals a narrator in denial about the title's ostensible theme.-The 10cc version:...
" which became a No.29 UK hit single, but overall the album did not fare very well. Gouldman has described Mirror Mirror as "almost like two halves of an album", largely a result of the fact that he and Stewart recorded in separate countries. "I don't like to say we hoodwinked the people, but you could say it's not quite what it appears to be, and anyone with any sense, who reads the credits, could see that," he told Goldmine magazine. Their recording arrangement also provided further evidence of a fractured relationship between Stewart and Gouldman: aside from "I'm Not in Love", Stewart did not appear on any of the tracks Gouldman played or sang on, while Gouldman did not appear on any of Stewart's tracks.
In the spring of 1995, the band toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with a lineup of Stewart, Gouldman, Fenn, Tosh, Alan Park(keyboards, synthesizers) and Geoff Dunn(drums, percussion).
Stewart has since commented: "10cc is well and truly finished as far as I am concerned.."
Recent work, 1999-present
- 1999: A 10cc lineup comprising Gouldman, Fenn, Paul Burgess, Mick Wilson, Mike Stevens and/or Keith Hayman began touring, with occasional guest appearances by Godley. The band embarked on several UK tours as well as various gigs overseas playing 10cc hits, plus a section of Gouldman's hits written for others. Their first gig was at Ronnie Scott's Jazz ClubRonnie Scott's Jazz ClubRonnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club which has operated in London since 1959.The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was managed by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King. In 1965 it moved to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street...
in BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
- 2001: Gouldman released his third solo album, And Another Thing.... (the title was a subtle reference to his first solo outing, The Graham Gouldman ThingThe Graham Gouldman ThingThe Graham Gouldman Thing was the debut album by singer and songwriter Graham Gouldman. Gouldman had already written hit singles for Herman's Hermits , the Yardbirds , the Hollies and Wayne Fontana and on this album Gouldman delivered his own versions of some of those songs as...
in 1968).
- 2002: An official box set of recordings and rarities was due to be released "30 years of 10cc", but was cancelled before its release.
- 2003: Stewart released his third solo album, Do Not BendDo Not BendDo Not Bend is the third solo album by British pop musician and songwriter Eric Stewart, a founding member of 10cc. Released in 2003, it did not chart in the UK or US....
..
- January 2004: Godley and Gouldman reconvened to write more songs. Godley explained: "In a nutshell ... unfinished business. In all the years we've known each other we've only written three pure, Godley-Gouldman songs. That, and a desire to find out if the music muscle still worked with someone I enjoyed and didn't have to spend weeks getting to know." Godley and Gouldman's website offered six downloadable tracks, "The Same Road", "Johnny Hurts", "Beautifulloser.com", "Hooligan Crane", "Son of Man" and "Barry's Shoes", described as the first of a group of songs they had worked on for three years.
- 2006: A 10cc compilation from UniversalUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, Greatest Hits ... And MoreGreatest Hits ... And MoreGreatest Hits ... And More is the name of a 2006 compilation of songs by English pop group 10cc as well as pre-10cc and post-10cc work by its founding members, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart and Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, performing as Godley & Creme...
, attracted criticism both from fans who complained about one track, "Feel the Benefit", running at a slow speed and from Stewart, who was upset at not being told of its release.
- 2008: Clever Clogs, a DVD of several recent performances by 10cc featuring Gouldman was released. The DVD also featured several tracks sung by Godley.
- 2009: Stewart released his fourth solo album, Viva La Difference. In early 2009 Gouldman's 10cc began touring the UK and launched its official website, 10ccworld.com. Another 10cc compilation from Universal Music GroupUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
/UMTV , Very Best of 10cc, was released and reached No.39 in the album chart.
- 2010: 10cc announced a 2011 tour of the UK, to run from February 24 to April 10. In May 2011, the Jerusalem Post reported that 10cc (consisting a Gouldman and band of other musicians) would embark on a foreign tour in the summer of 2011 covering for the first time, IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Members
- Original members are in bold.
- Only primary instruments are listed
10cc line-ups (by year) 10cc
(1972–1976)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Eric Stewart
Eric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Lol Creme
Lol CrèmeLol Creme is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings, plays guitar and keyboards.-Biography:...
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Kevin Godley
Kevin GodleyKevin Godley is a British musician and music video director.He was born in a family of Jewish descent, and went to North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham....
-- drums, vocals- Paul Burgess -- drums(added as touring drummer in 1973)
10cc
(1976–1977)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Eric Stewart
Eric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Paul Burgess -- drums
10cc
(1977–1978)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Eric Stewart
Eric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Rick Fenn
Rick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
-- guitar, vocals- Tony O'Malley
Tony O'Malley (musician)Tony O'Malley is a British composer, singer, arranger, and keyboard player. He was the keyboardist for Arrival who had a #8 UK hit with "Friends" in 1970, and the hit "I Will Survive", written and arranged by fellow Arrival member Frank Collins...
-- keyboards, vocals- Paul Burgess -- drums
- Stuart Tosh
Stuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
-- drums, vocals10cc
(1978–1981)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Eric Stewart
Eric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Rick Fenn
Rick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
-- guitar, vocals- Duncan Mackay
Duncan Mackay (musician)Duncan Mackay is a British composer, singer, arranger, and keyboard player.-External links:...
-- keyboards, vocals- Paul Burgess -- drums
- Stuart Tosh
Stuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
-- drums, vocals10cc
(1981–1983)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Eric Stewart
Eric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Rick Fenn
Rick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
-- guitar, vocals- Paul Burgess -- drums
- Stuart Tosh
Stuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
-- drums, vocals- Vic Emerson—keyboards
10cc
(1983)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Eric Stewart
Eric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Rick Fenn
Rick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
-- guitar, vocals- Stuart Tosh
Stuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
-- drums, vocals- Jamie Lane—drums
- Vic Emerson—keyboards
(1983–1991)
Band Split10cc
(1991–1993)- Graham GouldmanGraham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals - Eric StewartEric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals - Lol CremeLol CrèmeLol Creme is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings, plays guitar and keyboards.-Biography:...
-- vocals - Kevin GodleyKevin GodleyKevin Godley is a British musician and music video director.He was born in a family of Jewish descent, and went to North Cestrian Grammar School in Altrincham....
-- vocals
10cc
(1993–1995)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Eric Stewart
Eric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Rick Fenn
Rick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
-- guitar, vocals- Steve Piggot -- keyboards
- Stuart Tosh
Stuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
-- drums, vocals- Gary Wallis
Gary WallisGary Wallis is a drummer/percussionist trained at the London Symphony School of Music. He is known for having a massive percussion kit featuring many electronic drums and percussion. He is best known as the secondary percussionist for Pink Floyd in the post-Waters era for live performances...
-- drums10cc
(1995)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Eric Stewart
Eric StewartEric Stewart is an English musician, songwriter and record producer most known for his tenure with The Mindbenders in the 1960s, and 10cc from 1972 to 1995....
-- guitar, keyboards, vocals- Rick Fenn
Rick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
-- guitar, vocals- Alan Park—keyboards
- Stuart Tosh
Stuart ToshStuart MacIntosh is a drummer, songwriter and vocalist.Also known as Stuart Tosh, MacIntosh recorded and toured with a succession of well-known and respected bands during the 1970s and 1980s, including Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, 10cc and Camel. Stuart now lives in the Bridge of Don area of...
-- drums, vocals- Geoff Dunn—drums
(1995–1999)
Band Split10cc
(1999–2006)- Graham GouldmanGraham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals - Rick FennRick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
-- guitar, vocals - Mike StevensMike StevensMike Stevens is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 23 games in the National Hockey League...
-- keyboards, vocals - Paul Burgess -- drums
- Mick Wilson -- percussion, vocals
10cc
(2006–present)- Graham Gouldman
Graham GouldmanGraham Keith Gouldman is an English songwriter and musician who is a long-time member of British band 10cc.-Early life and 1960s pop career: 1946–1968:Gouldman was born in Broughton, Salford, England...
-- bass, vocals- Rick Fenn
Rick FennRichard 'Rick' Fenn is an English rock guitarist. He is best known for being a member of the band 10cc since 1976. He has also collaborated with Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Hollies singer Peter Howarth and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason....
-- guitar, vocals- Mike Stevens
Mike StevensMike Stevens is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 23 games in the National Hockey League...
-- keyboards, vocals- Keith Hayman -- keyboards, vocals
- Paul Burgess -- drums
- Mick Wilson -- percussion, vocals
- Graham Gouldman
Discography
- 1973: 10cc10cc (album)10cc is the debut album by British rock band 10cc. It was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, which was part-owned by guitarist and engineer Eric Stewart, and released on Jonathan King's UK Records label. The album reached No.36 in the UK....
- 1974: Sheet MusicSheet Music (album)Sheet Music is the second album by Manchester rock band 10cc. It was released in 1974 and yielded the hit singles "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love". The album reached No.9 in the UK and No.81 in the United States....
- 1975: The Original SoundtrackThe Original SoundtrackThe Original Soundtrack is a 1975 album by 10cc.-Overview: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 one song – "I'm Not in Love". Stewart recalled:The Original Soundtrack, which was already...
- 1976: How Dare You!How Dare You!How Dare You! is the fourth album by British band 10cc. 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...
- 1977: Deceptive BendsDeceptive BendsDeceptive Bends is an album released in 1977 by rock band 10cc.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...
- 1978: Bloody TouristsBloody TouristsBloody 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...
- 1980: Look Hear?Look Hear?Look Hear? is the seventh studio album by 10cc, released in 1980. It reached No.35 in the UK and No.180 in the United States. The album, recorded at the band's Strawberry Studios South in Dorking, Surrey, was the first by 10cc since its 1976 split to include songs written by neither Graham Gouldman...
- 1981: Ten Out of 10Ten Out of 10Ten Out of 10 is the eighth studio album by 10cc and was released in 1981. It failed to chart in the US or UK. The album marked the first involvement with the band by American singer-songwriter Andrew Gold, who was also invited to join the band, but declined because of other commitments.Gouldman...
- 1983: Windows in the JungleWindows in the JungleWindows in the Jungle is the ninth studio album by British pop band 10cc. It was released in October 1983 and was the last album by the band for nine years....
- 1992: …Meanwhile
- 1995: Mirror Mirror
External links
- Official 10cc Fan Club Website
- 10cc Myspace
- Official Eric Stewart Website
- Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman GG/06 website