Everything about 10cc totally explained
10cc was an
English pop band that achieved its greatest commercial success during the
1970s.
The band initially comprised four members,
Graham Gouldman,
Eric Stewart,
Kevin Godley and
Lol Creme, who had written and recorded together for about three years before taking on the name of 10cc in 1972. The lineup featured two strong songwriting teams who injected their songs with sharp wit and lyrical dexterity. The more "commercial" team of Stewart and Gouldman were generally fairly straightforward "pop" songwriters, who created some of the group's most accessible material. The experimental half of 10cc was Godley and Creme, who brought a distinctive "art school" sensibility and a more "cinematic" writing style to the group. All four members were skilled multi-instrumentalists, vocalists, writers and producers and each could perform convincingly as lead singers.
The original line-up recorded four albums and a string of Top 10 singles. The band suffered a split in 1976, when Godley and Creme left to form
Godley & Creme, leaving Gouldman and Stewart to continue touring and recording as 10cc with a variety of musicians including
Rick Fenn,
Stuart Tosh,
Andrew Gold and
Paul McCartney enlisted for each album.
The band experienced a nine-year hiatus from 1983, before releasing two more albums. There have been no albums since 1995 and Stewart has declared the band is defunct.. Since about 2004, however, Gouldman has toured sporadically with several peripheral band members, billing themselves as "10cc featuring Graham Gouldman and Friends".
History
First collaborations, 1964-1971
Links between three of the band's founding members began in childhood in
Manchester, where they grew up. Godley and Creme knew each other as children and Gouldman and Godley went on to attend the same secondary school. Their shared passion for music meant the three would often be playing at their local
Jewish Lads' Brigade in their teens.
The Whirlwinds, The Sabres, The Mockingbirds,
The Yellow Bellow Boom Room, Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon (1964-1969)
The first collaboration on record of future 10cc members occurred in 1964, when Graham Gouldman's beat-group band The Whirlwinds recorded a Lol Creme composition, "Baby Not Like You", as the B-side of their only single. The Whirlwinds then changed both their line-up and name, becoming a quartet known as The Mockingbirds, with Gouldman on vocals and guitar and Kevin Godley – who had been in The Sabres with Lol Creme – recruited as drummer. The Mockingbirds issued five non-charting singles in 1965 and '66 before dissolving.
In June 1967 Godley and Creme reunited and issued a single as The Yellow Bellow Boom Room ("Seeing Things Green" b/w "Still Life" on UK CBS).
In 1969 Gouldman took Godley and Creme to a Marmalade label recording session. Label boss
Giorgio Gomelsky was sufficiently impressed by Godley's falsetto to offer him and Creme a recording deal. Godley & Creme recorded a number of basic tracks at
Strawberry Studios in September 1969 with Stewart on guitar and Gouldman on bass. One song, "I'm Beside Myself" b/w "Animal Song", was released as a single credited to Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon.
Gomelsky, a former manager of
The Yardbirds, planned to market the team 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.
The birth of Strawberry Studios; the bubblegum era (1968-1970)
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. Kramer 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 relocated 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.
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).
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 and 1973 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." and Godley, but confirmed in a 1988 interview by Creme, 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 Pick of the Week, helping to launch it into the Top 30. The song peaked at No.2 in the UK in September 1972.
Although their second single, a similarly '50s-influenced song called "Johnny Don't Do It", wasn't 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 May 1973. They consolidated their success a few months later with "The Dean And I", which peaked at No.10 in August. 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 August 26, 1973 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'd 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's 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 May 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.
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 December 1975) and "I'm Mandy, Fly Me" (No.7, 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 lineup.
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.
The 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 Cook 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'd 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 1977 10cc embarked on an international tour with guitarist
Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O'Malley and 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 were now full members of the band and performed on 1978's
Bloody Tourists, which provided the band with another UK No. 1 single, the reggae-styled "
Dreadlock Holiday".
The band suffered a major setback in 1979 when Stewart was seriously injured in a car crash. He told the BBC:
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 lineup, and all were released between February and April of 1980. Only
Look Hear? appeared on charts in the UK or US.
Gouldman and Stewart subsequently jettisoned the rest of the band before returning to the Mercury label to record
Ten Out of 10 (1981). In a bid to inject an American flavour to the album, Warners 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."
Ten Out of 10 failed to make a major impression with audiences. The UK and US versions of the albums differ, with the UK version substituting Gold's three contributions – and another Gouldman song – with four tracks written by Gouldman and Stewart.
Stewart then recorded a 1982 solo album with participation from Gouldman on one track. The duo's next 10cc LP,
Windows in the Jungle, (1983) used session heavyweights including drummer
Steve Gadd, but the album was dominated by Stewart; Gouldman performed no lead vocals.
The hiatus: 1984-1992
After 1983, the band went into recess as Stewart produced recordings for
Sad Café and Gouldman produced tracks for
The Ramones before teaming up with Andrew Gold to form the synth-pop group
Wax. Stewart also worked on three
Paul McCartney albums, co-writing
Press to Play (1986), and also produced the album
Eyes of a Woman (1985) by
Agnetha Fältskog of
ABBA.
10cc reunited: 1992-1995
In 1992 the original four members reunited to record
…Meanwhile, an album produced by
Gary Katz of
Steely Dan fame. The album didn't spawn any major hits, but was relatively well received in Japan and in Europe. It featured session musicians
Jeff Porcaro on drums and
Michael Landau on guitars, along with
Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) on piano and
Andrew Gold on guitar. All the album's songs were written by Stewart and Gouldman, with the exception of one track which was co-written by Stewart, Gouldman, and
Paul McCartney.
The album wasn't a "reunion" in the strict sense of the word. 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".
Gouldman, in a 1995 interview,
The album followed a world tour in 1993 with members Rick Fenn, Steve Piggot, Stuart Tosh and Gary Wallace returning to the frame. This tour was the last involving Eric Stewart and was captured on the live album
Alive.
In 1995 the band released
Mirror Mirror, produced by Gouldman, Stewart and
Adrian Lee of
Mike and 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 #29 UK hit single, but overall the album didn't 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 didn't appear on any of the tracks Gouldman played or sang on, while Gouldman didn't appear on any of Stewart's tracks. After the album's release Stewart and Gouldman parted ways again.
Stewart has since commented:}}
By December 2007,
Godley and Gouldman's website
was offering six downloadable tracks, "The Same Road", "Johnny Hurts", "Beautifulloser.com", "Hooligan Crane", "Son of Man" and "Barry's Shoes". The songs are the initial "offering" of a group of songs they've worked on over the past three years.
In 2008, a DVD was compiled of several recent 10CC featuring Gouldman concerts entitled "Clever Clogs". The DVD also features several tracks sung by Godley.
In 2006 Lol Creme joined producers
Trevor Horn and
Stephen Lipson and musicians
Chris Braide and
Ash Soan to form
The Producers. The band began recording its debut album in late 2006 and a single, "Barking Up The Right Tree" (backed with "Freeway") will be released in August 2007. Both tracks, along with an animated video by Lol Creme, have been released on
MySpace.
A 2006 10cc compilation from
Universal,
Greatest Hits ... And More, attracted criticism both from fans who complained about one track, "Feel the Benefit", running at a slow speed and from Eric Stewart, who noted the inclusion of a disproportionately high number of Gouldman tracks at the expense of his post-10cc work. Stewart observed: "Anyone initially reading the track list could be forgiven for thinking that it should really have been called "A History of Graham Gouldman's Musical Associations"!"
Cover versions
- In 2006, hip hop producer J Dilla sampled 10cc's songs "Johnny Don't Do It" and "The Worst Band in the World" on his songs "Waves" and "Workinonit" on his Donuts album.
Discography
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Peak Chart Position |
| UK |
US |
CAN |
| 1972 |
"Donna" |
#2 |
- |
- |
| 1972 |
"Johnny Don't Do It" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1973 |
"Rubber Bullets" |
#1 |
#73 |
#76 |
| 1973 |
"The Dean and I" |
#10 |
- |
- |
| 1974 |
"Headline Hustler" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1974 |
"The Worst Band In The World" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1974 |
"The Wall Street Shuffle" |
#10 |
#103 |
#87 |
| 1974 |
"Silly Love" |
#24 |
- |
- |
| 1975 |
"Life Is A Minestrone" / "Lazy Ways" |
#7 |
#104 |
- |
| 1975 |
"I'm Not in Love" |
#1 |
#2 |
#1 |
| 1975 |
"Art For Art's Sake" |
#5 |
#83 |
#69 |
| 1976 |
"I'm Mandy, Fly Me" |
#6 |
#60 |
#62 |
| 1977 |
"The Things We Do For Love" |
#6 |
#5 |
#1 |
| 1977 |
"Good Morning Judge" |
#5 |
#69 |
- |
| 1977 |
"People In Love" |
- |
#40 |
#90 |
| 1978 |
"Dreadlock Holiday" |
#1 |
#44 |
#30 |
| 1978 |
"For You And I" |
- |
#85 |
#82 |
| 1980 |
"One Two Five" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1980 |
"It Doesn't Matter At All" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1981 |
"Les Nouveaux Riches" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1981 |
"Don't Turn Me Away" |
- |
- |
#38 |
| 1981 |
"The Power Of Love" |
- |
- |
- |
| 1982 |
"Run Away" |
#50 |
- |
- |
| 1983 |
"Feel The Love" |
#87 |
- |
- |
| 1983 |
"24 Hours" |
#78 |
- |
- |
| 1995 |
"I'm Not in Love" (Acoustic re-recording) |
#29 |
- |
- |
Studio albums
Live albums
1977 Live and Let Live (UK #14, US #146)
1981 10cc in Concert (live in UK, 1977)
1993 10cc Alive (double CD, live in Japan, 1993. Released in US in 1995 as two single albums, Live in Concert Vols 1 and 2 and again as an edited single album in US, Greatest Hits in Concert in 1996)
1996 King Biscuit Flower Hour (live in US, 1975)
2000 Live
2002 Alive: The Classic Hits Tour
Compilation albums
1975 100cc: The Greatest Hits of 10cc (UK #9)
1979 Tropical and Love Songs
1979 Greatest Hits 1972-1978 (UK #5)
1979 The Things We Do for Love: Best of '76–'83
1980 Best Of 10cc
1987 Changing Faces: The Very Best of 10cc and Godley and Creme (UK #4)
1987 The Collection (compilation of first two albums)
1990 A Decade of Hits
1990 Hits (early singles and B-sides)
1993 The Early Years
1993 Food For Thought (Compilation of later material)
1997 The Very Best of 10cc (UK #37)
1998 The Singles
2000 Best of the Seventies
2001 Two from Ten (first two albums re-released together)
2001 Good News: An Introduction to 10cc (singles and B-sides)
2002 Singles
2002 Best Of The Early Years
2002 Dressed To Kill (singles and B-sides compilation)
2002 20th Century Masters: The Best Of 10cc
2003 Ultimate Collection (three-disc best-of compilation)
2003 Strawberry Bubblegum (collection of pre-10cc output at Strawberry Studios)
2004 Complete UK Recordings 1972-1974
2006 Greatest Hits ... And More
2007 UK Records Singles Collection (Every A & B side from UK label days. Cherry Red label)
DVDs and videos
1985 Live in Concert (Video)
1988 Changing Faces (Video)
2006 Greatest Hits & More (DVD)
2008 clever Clogs (DVD) - Released by New Wave Pictures and Distributed by Eureka Entertainment
UK album sales certifications
Platinum (300,000 sales): Greatest Hits 1972-1978, Changing Faces
Gold (100,000 sales): Sheet Music, The Original Soundtrack, How Dare You, 100cc - Greatest Hits of 10cc, Deceptive Bends, Live and Let Live, Bloody Tourists
Silver (60,000 sales): 10ccFurther Information
Get more info on '10cc'.
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