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 The Albums Of 10cc, Ranked from worst to best |
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 23rd October 2022, 01:42 PM
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#1
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 BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961 
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 It's fifty years ago this week that 10cc's debut single, Donna, was at number 2 on the singles chart so what better time for a 10cc thread? I am going to review their eleven studio albums and rank them from worst to best. The first one will appear tomorrow. In the meantime, here is the unexpected number 2 hit that three quarters of 10cc had in 1970 under the name Hotlegs (I have never seen the video for it before). |
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24th October 2022, 08:27 AM
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#2
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
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fab! 7.5 C.C. then on Hotlegs
 Before they broke through they were involved in helping other acts get hits, not least Neil Sedaka's 70's singer-songwriter hitmaking comeback who recorded at their studio, they played and sang on the albums.
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24th October 2022, 06:37 PM
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#3
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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11. ...Meanwhile (1992)
 ...Meanwhile marked a comeback for 10cc in 1992 after their split nine years earlier. The compilation album 'Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme' had reached number 4 on the album chart in 1987, prompting Polydor to encourage them to reform and start writing new music. They eventually did so and this album is the result. Kevin Godley sings lead vocal on one track and backing vocals on two more while Lol Creme contributes backing vocals on six of the ten songs but they weren't involved in any of the writing so this is still essentially a Gouldman/Stewart album. With the American market in mind, Polydor asked Gary Katz, best known for his work with Steely Dan, to produce the album. He brought in musicians he knew to play on the record which results in it having more of a guitar heavy rock sound than you would expect for a 10cc album. Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart have both since expressed their dissatisfaction with the way the production turned out. They are both producers as well as musicians so the whole project should have been left to them without this meddling by the record company. By the time the album was completed, there had been changes at Polydor and it didn't even get released in the US and they did little to promote it in Europe. The 90 second intro to the opening track, Woman In Love, is certainly an encouraging start to the album and the rest of the song is very good and it was the first single to be released but wasn't a hit. The highlight is the second single, Welcome To Paradise, which recaptures the Caribbean sound of Dreadlock Holiday. Every time I hear about a coup on the news, this song comes into my head with its repeated line "there's a coup coming on". Kevin Godley sings lead vocal on The Stars Didn't Show, reminding us what a great singer he is. Eric sings the lead on all the other songs which is quite unusual considering Graham had his fair share of vocals on previous albums. There is only one ballad, quite a good one, Don't Break The Promises, which was co-written by Paul McCartney and was left over from the sessions for his Press To Play album on which he had co-written several songs with Eric. Three tracks, Fill Her Up, Charity Begins At Home and Shine A Light In The Dark do nothing for me so I didn't have much hesitation in putting this album in last place. Overall, it's not an awful album and it was great to have them back in the 90s with new music but it's not one I play too much now. Best track - Welcome To Paradise: |
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24th October 2022, 07:21 PM
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#4
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 BuzzJack Enthusiast
Joined: 15 March 2006
Posts: 1,642 User: 232
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I say, I don't like 10cc I love them!
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25th October 2022, 04:55 PM
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#5
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 24,111 User: 17,376
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Never bought this one! Have to say I barely noticed the lead single coming out at the time and dont recall the follow-up at all
 Too right about Kevin Godley, such an under-rated singer, he can do pathos and emotion as well as anyone. One of the original band's strengths was the mix of very different vocal styles suiting the eclectic mix of genres and styles. But why did they not just self-produce!!! Not as if they need anyone else
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28th October 2022, 06:09 PM
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#6
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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10. Look Hear? (1980)
 10cc had released one album per year from 1973 to 1978 but Eric Stewart's serious car accident in January 1979, which affected his sight and his hearing, delayed their seventh album to 1980. By that time, punk and new wave had established themselves and in their own words, they had "missed the bus". The album cover above is from the US release. The UK album had the words "ARE YOU NORMAL" extending over the whole front cover, leading people to think that was the name of the album. The opening track, One-Two-Five, was also the first single to be released but it wasn't a hit in the UK. With a title referring to the beats per minute of disco songs, it's one of the better tracks with plenty going on and a nice tempo change at 2.50. There are two songs with no writing involvement from Stewart or Gouldman, the best of which is the Rick Fenn penned Don't Send We Back, one of the earlier songs about the plight of refugees. Lovers Anonymous is one of the best tracks with many of the hallmarks of early 10cc recordings. I particularly like the harmonies and piano in the middle section. I also like the organ solo on Strange Lover, a song which also has a great fade out which maybe could have been extended further. The album's undoubted highlight is I Took You Home, the only track to be written solely by Eric Stewart. It starts out fairly quietly but opens out with electric guitars, tubular bells and various keyboard sounds. Many of the other tracks not mentioned have little of merit so I'm rating this album as the second worst. Best track - I Took You Home: |
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29th October 2022, 09:36 AM
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#7
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 24,111 User: 17,376
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This def got lost in the 1980 music scene! The UK scene was manic and varied and electric (literally and figuratively) at the time and you had to be special to stand out, and 1-2-5 wasn't. I charted it, but it barely registered amongst the records of the time (and not to mention Godley & Creme were setting themselves up for being part of the new music scene, which was where my affections went, leaving poor Eric and Graham looking a bit lost and plodding instead of shiny and new and exciting). So sadly I never got round to buying this one either, I ought to try streaming it on youtube when I get a mo! (December probably
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31st October 2022, 07:50 PM
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#8
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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9. Mirror Mirror (1995)
 10cc were dropped by Polydor after the commercial failure of Meanwhile and this album was released on the Japanese label 'Avex'. It would turn out to be their final studio album. It's really two solo albums put together. The two songs co-written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman were written during the Meanwhile writing sessions. Eric recorded the remaining songs he wrote in France while Graham recorded his own efforts in London. The end result still sounds like a 10cc album and is a big improvement on Meanwhile with the production duties back with the duo, helped by Adrian Lee from Mike & the Mechanics. The albums starts brightly with Yvonne's The One, co-written by Eric Stewart with Paul McCartney, who also plays the rhythm guitar. I like the steel drums on that one. Track 2, Code Of Silence, has always been my favourite but I've changed my mind now which I'll explain in a moment. It's a lush Eric Stewart written ballad with Paul McCartney playing "strings, electric piano, frogs, crickets and percussion". The other good Stewart track is the catchy Margo Wants The Mustard. Turning to Graham Gouldman's songs, Bluebird is a nice ballad while The Monkey And The Onion, co-written with Tim Rice, has a beautiful string accompaniment. Now that I've found out the story behind Ready To Go Home, I'm choosing it as my favourite track. Graham wrote it after the death of his father in 1991 and listening to the lyrics closely, it's quite moving. His Wax bandmate, Andrew Gold, contributes to the vocals, leading to some wonderful harmonies. It was released as the album's second single and has been covered by other artists. The other highlight is one of the Stewart/Gouldman songs left over from Meanwhile. Why Did I Break Your Heart is a fine sad ballad. The album closes with an acoustic version of I'm Not In Love which reached number 29 on the singles chart, giving 10cc their first top 40 hit since 1978. Mirror Mirror has a warmer sound to it than Meanwhile and was a much better album to bow out with. Eric left after the subsequent tour but Graham has kept 10cc going as a live group with long time members Rick Fenn and Paul Burgess. Best track - Ready To Go Home: |
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3rd November 2022, 07:09 PM
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#9
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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8. Ten Out Of 10 (1981)
 Ten Out Of 10 was the first 10cc album not to reach the top 75 on the albums chart. The US version has three songs co-written with Andrew Gold, including Run Away which reached number 50 on the UK singles chart, but it's the European version that I have and that's the one I'm reviewing. The album gets off to a solid start with Don't Ask and the reggae sounding Overdraft In Overdrive, both sung by Graham Gouldman. Then comes Don't Turn Me Away, a fine mid-tempo Eric Stewart song with a notable saxophone solo. Memories is another good one with slow verses and faster paced choruses. Notell Hotel is interesting lyrically with some mysterious and chaotic events in a hotel while Les Nouveaux Riches, the first single to be released from the album, has a good guitar solo. Action Man In Motown Suit and Listen With Your Eyes are the only two weak tracks on the album. The final two songs are the best ones here. Lying Here With You, sung by Eric but written by Graham, is a beautiful piano and (synthesised) strings ballad. Survivor is my favourite. Jointly written, it has Graham on lead vocal, he sings it very well. It's like a mini Feel The Benefit, with a similar intro, a tempo and melody change in the middle and walls of guitars and strings at the end. Like the previous three albums on my countdown, this is not a classic 10cc album but it has plenty of good moments. Andrew Gold was asked to join the group afterwards but he declined, wanting to concentrate on his solo career. Best track - Survivor: |
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3rd November 2022, 07:58 PM
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#10
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 24,111 User: 17,376
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If I was ever aware of the 1995 album I've forgotten all about it!
The credits on it are pretty impressive, drafting in Macca and others. Must admit I'm curious to hear it now! I'm not sure if Graham did that tribute track to his father in concert the other year, sounds like he might have from your description.By 1981, as mentioned before, I was sniffily seeing Godley & Creme as the real inheritors of the 10CC crown with jewels in the crown Under Your Thumb and Wedding Bells - very much overshadowed Stewart & Gouldman!! Interseting Andrew Gold was asked to join as early as 1981, shame he didn't as the Wax era was pretty fine too, Bridge To Your Heart & Right Between The Eyes especially fab. 10CC might had an immediate boost and his solo career was pretty done by then anyway... |
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7th November 2022, 07:09 PM
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#11
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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7. Bloody Tourists (1978)
 10cc's sixth album was the first to feature the full touring line-up of the group. Drummer Paul Burgess, who had played on the previous 'Deceptive Bends' album, was joined by Rick Fenn, Stuart Tosh and Duncan Mackay. Though not really a concept album, there is a general travel theme running through it. Bloody Tourists starts with the lead single, Dreadlock Holiday, which was already in the top 5 when the album was released, and on its way to becoming the group's third number 1 single. Based on separate trips that Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman had made to Barbados and Jamaica respectively, it's probably behind only I'm Not In Love as their most enduring song. Just having a look at Spotify plays, I see it's in 2nd place with about half of I'm Not In Love's 244 million. I do like the song myself, but don't love it. Track 2 is a fine ballad, For You And I, with Eric on vocals but there's a dip in quality over the next four songs. The quirky, six minute Anonymous Alcoholic has its moments and Shock On The Tube (Don't Want Love) is an OK rocker but here's not much to say about the other two, Take These Chains and Last Night. Things pick up on side two. With a rare lead vocal by Stuart Tosh, Reds In My Bed has a great chorus and was rightly chosen as the second single release but wasn't a hit. Lifeline is a good Graham Gouldman ballad about being a long way from home, a subject also covered in the more uptempo, calypso sounding From Rochdale To Ocho Rios. Old Mister Time, about a tramp, goes in lots of interesting musical directions while the final track, Everything You've Wanted to Know About!!! doesn't live up to its promising title. The group seem to be big in Japan and my favourite track from the album is Eric's tribute to its capital city, Tokyo, with its fabulous production and a great lead vocal. Helped by the success of Dreadlock Holiday, Bloody Tourists reached number 3 on the album chart, the third 10cc album to do so. Best track - Tokyo: |
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8th November 2022, 04:50 PM
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#12
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 24,111 User: 17,376
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Ah, now we're more into my era. I bought this after-the-event and didn't play it that much, I was a bit disappointed after the early stuff, and I thought the obvious single follow-up to the brilliant Dreadlock Holiday should have been Ochdale to Ocho Rios, a fun song for a very fun year musically (and for me). I remember being on a coach taking us Uni students on a day out to Bronte-area, I think, from Lincoln and trying to entertain on the dull trip with Charades. I tried to do Dreadlock Holiday and had got the Holiday part found. "Summer Holiday!" shouted out all the trainee Primary School teachers. No! Looks of puzzlement, pause, a bit of declining interest as no-one had a clue and I had to say "Dreadlock Holiday!" aghast that people of 20 or so couldn't possibly not know a recent huge number one that I'd played to death. It was then I learnt that not all young people are into current pop music, and also that the fond recollections of a double-decker bus with Cliff on it looms large in the collective memory of people of a certain age (Those born between 1955 and 1970)....
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9th November 2022, 12:25 AM
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#13
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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Yes, From Rochdale To Ocho Rios might have done better as the second single. It's not the only song I know with Rochdale in the title. Elbow did one called 'Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl'.
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10th November 2022, 07:02 PM
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#14
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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6. Deceptive Bends (1977)
 Deceptive Bends was the first 10cc album to be released after the departure of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme who had become frustrated at the disparity between the experimental music they were coming up with and the more pop leaning songs that Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman were writing. The title came from a road sign on the A24 between Leatherhead and Dorking, near to their recording studio. All nine tracks were jointly written by Stewart and Gouldman. Two singles had been big hits before the album was released, helping it to number 3 on the album chart. It opens with the guitar driven pop song, Good Morning Judge, which reached number 5, followed by The Things We Do For Love which has some great vocal harmonies. That one got to number 6 and was also a top five hit in the US. Marriage Bureau Rendezvous is a reminder that before the internet and mobile phone apps, some people would go to an office and fill out forms to find a partner. The third single, a top 40 hit in America, is the wonderful ballad, People In Love, which combines the strings so well with the guitars. Modern Man Blues lives up to its title with a raw, bluesy sound while the quirky Honeymoon With B Troop would have gained the approval of Godley & Creme if they were still in the group. The two minute I Bought A Flat Guitar Tutor is full of musical notation puns while matters of health are covered in You've Got A Cold. The album closes with the 12 minute epic, Feel The Benefit, which some of you might recall is my favourite all time 10cc song. Part 1 has some wonderful vocals from Eric, backed by those strings, while part 2 has Graham's trademark calypso sound. Then we have the brilliant merging of guitars and strings in part 3. Deceptive Bends is like a valley. The first four tracks are very good, there's a dip in the middle, and then you have the masterpiece at the end. Often while listening to it, once I get beyond track 4, I'm just waiting for Feel The Benefit to come round so I think sixth place out of eleven is the right placing for this album. Best track - Feel The Benefit: |
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11th November 2022, 10:59 AM
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#15
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 24,111 User: 17,376
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The 3 singles were all charting in my personal charts of the time, the first two both top 5's, and Feel The Benefit is a goodie. I don't know the other tracks, sadly, but in a reversal of the early 80's it was Godley & Creme that were a bit more challenging to love post-break-up, they were interesting but lacked the pop sparkle of Things We Do For Love & Good Morning Judge. I was still very sad they'd broken up though, they seemed to work better as a team during the 70's.
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14th November 2022, 07:36 PM
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#16
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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5. 10cc (1973)
 By the time 10cc released their debut album in July 1973, they already had two big hits to their name, with Donna reaching number 2 the previous year and Rubber Bullets going all the way to number 1 in June, so it's perhaps a surprise that it only got to number 36 on the album chart. Released on Jonathan King's UK Records label, it was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport which was already part owned by Eric Stewart and would later be owned by him and Graham Gouldman together. Listening to this again today, after the later Gouldman/Stewart albums, made we realise how different the group sounded in the early 70s compared to the late 70s/early 80s. The album starts with two Godley/Creme/Gouldman compositions. Johnny Don't Do It (released as a single after Donna but not charting) is in the style of the 60s 'death discs', with its story of Johnny Angel being killed in a motorbike accident while Sand In My Face is about a 'nine stone weakling' using something called 'Dynamic Tension' with its money back guarantee to gain some muscles. We then have two Godley & Creme written hit singles. Donna uses Lol Creme's falsetto vocal style very well and has a doo-wop sound to it while The Dean And I (a number 10 hit) is a father telling his children how he met their mother, daughter of The Dean. Eric Stewart makes his first contribution on Headline Hustler, with its view of the scandal seeking media. Side 2 starts with the mostly instrumental Speed Kills, a Singerpurear BJSC entry in 2015. It's the only track written by all four members. I would have given it 12 points if I was here at that time. Rubber Bullets, about a prison riot, is my second favourite song from the album with the lead vocal parts shared around and a double-speed guitar solo. The Hospital Song is one of the lyrical highlights, showing the humour that Godley & Creme brought in while they were part of the group. The rockier Ships Don't Disappear (Do They?) is probably the weakest song. The album closes with my favourite track, Fresh Air For My Mama. A wonderful ballad written by Godley/Creme/Gouldman, it has a fantastic lead vocal by Kevin Godley. It was only when I listened to the Hotlegs 1970/71 compilation album on Spotify a few years ago that I found out that the song's chorus had already been used on the track 'You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think Of It' which was the B side to their hit single, Neanderthal Man. With an emphasis on lyrics and melodies, this was a very good debut album. It's not as musically adventurous as the next three albums so I'm placing it below them. Best track - Fresh Air For My Mama: |
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14th November 2022, 07:49 PM
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 24,111 User: 17,376
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A fair assessment of the tracks
 It's my fave 10CC album, I played it to death in 1976 when a friend loaned me his copy to tape, then I bought it anyway. I can see it's too quirky/amusing to ever get rated as an all-time classic overall, but I still love the pastiches, and especially the awesome Speed Kills, fab Rubber Bullets and fun Dean And I. Fresh Air For My Mama was more like a touching signpost for the road ahead as opposed to the more witty songs. Still love it, one of my all-time fave albums 
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15th November 2022, 08:00 PM
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#18
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BuzzJack Enthusiast
Joined: 15 March 2006
Posts: 1,642 User: 232
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Love The Dean & I one of my favourites of theirs.
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18th November 2022, 07:46 PM
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#19
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 11,050 User: 23,961
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4. Sheet Music (1974)
 10cc's second album was released just ten months after their first one. It starts with the excellent top 10 single, The Wall Street Shuffle, sung by Eric Stewart, with quite a heavy guitar sound. This is followed by the lead single, The Worst Band In The World, which didn't chart at all. I'm not sure if they had a particular group in mind when they wrote lyrics to that one or maybe it's just aimed at themselves. The third track, Hotel, brings in the Latin/Caribbean sound that they will use a lot on later albums. The fantastic ballad Old Wild Men was the first song to use the 'Gizmotron' which was a device invented by Godley and Creme. While attached to the bridge of an electric guitar, it could simulate strings and other sounds, reducing the overall recording costs. I've known this song for almost 40 years now but it still gets better every time I hear it. It's definitely their best track under four minutes long with wonderful vocals by Stewart and Godley. Clockwork Creep is a dialogue between a plane and the ticking bomb that's been placed in its cargo hold. It was only after I bought this album in the 1980s that I discovered that a small section of this song is heard in the 1976 hit single 'I'm Mandy Fly Me' being played towards the start on the plane's in-flight entertainment system. Every 10cc single has reached the top 10 or has missed the top 40. The only exception is the next track, Silly Love, which got to number 24. It's about someone who keeps making up silly rhyming poems to try to attract the object of his affections. It's followed by my favourite track on the album, the ambitious, seven minute, Somewhere In Hollywood. Written and sung by Godley and Creme about the golden age of Hollywood, the musicianship as well as the lyrics really stand out. I've only put this album in 4th place as the last three out of the ten tracks are a bit of a let down. Baron Samedi is about an African spirit, The Sacro-Iliac is aimed at people who would rather prop up the bar than move onto the dancefloor and Oh Effendi is about a man who wants to build a pleasure resort in the middle of the desert. Sheet Music is a real group effort with each song being written by two members and all six possible combinations of co-writing duos being utilised. The lead vocals are all shared around as well. When interviewed years later, Kevin Godley, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart have all said it's the group's finest album. It got to number 9 on the album chart. Best track - Somewhere In Hollywood: |
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19th November 2022, 09:52 AM
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#20
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BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 18 July 2012
Posts: 24,111 User: 17,376
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My second-fave album, and I'd also agree it's prob their best album. Sheer variety on show, from the opening venomous riffs and lyrics - Wall Street Shuffle is possibly my 2nd fave 10CC track and ever-relevant. I always thought Worst band In The World was self-deprecating and intentional given they chose it as a first single when it's not remotely obviously a single, quirky and amusing. Loved Hotel. Should have been the third single, would have been bigger than Silly Love.
Old Wild men gets better with the years, as does Somewhere In Hollywood, just lovely songs. Clockwork Creep is one of the most bizarre songs ever - a song sung by a bomb on an aeroplane waiting to go off! Oddly funny. I always loved that it morphed into I'm Mandy Fly Me, that song really is the dream version of the aftermath of the bomb going off. I still the love dark tribal Baron Samedi. Sacro-Iliac gets points for inventing a dance that gives you back problems and naming it after it  Oh Effendi is the least memorable track, maybe Gizmo My Way B side would have been more appropriate instead to end on?
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