Can’t think of a good band which had a string of hits in the 1970s heh. Think no further than 10cc and even after they split further hits followed for Kevin Godley (the bearded one) and Lol Crème (the high pitched voiced one).
Firstly the 10cc hits in chronological order. ‘Donna’ is a simple 1950s feel pop ballad delivered by co-write Lol Crème but with some added depth from the backing. ‘Rubber Bullets’ followed a year later in 1973 and is the first track on the album to cover matters judicial or penal. An odd song about a jail riot to be quelled by force after a dance descends into violence. Well you don’t get that in a Westlife song do you. Another year later and ‘The Wall Street Shuffle’ charted as an anthem to corporate greed and the quest for money. Although the subject matter was quasi-serious 10cc did at least have a good tune behind the meaningful lyrics.
Most songwriting on the album falls into a pattern of Godley and Crème or through Eric Stewart (the cherub faced piano player) with Graham Gouldman (the nondescript guitarist). A rare Godley/Stewart composition is ‘Life Is A Minestrone’ one of three 1975 hits. This is a food as love and life analogy song with a nice guitar feel running through it. The other 1975 hits were ‘Art For Art’s Sake’ and ‘I’m Not In Love’. The latter deservedly featured in the all-time great love songs list. It is a superb pop ballad which was well produced. Proof that simple love songs can’t be beaten.
The fairly standard and uninspiring ‘The Things We Do For Love’ and the airline passengers favourite ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ followed. ‘Mandy’ is an excellently constructed song. Like many 10cc songs it has lyrics which have a sense of purpose without being excessively meaningful. The song has a jangling pop guitar sound with solid drumming from Godley. In 1977 they released ‘Good Morning Judge’ a typically cheery song about a repeat offender in the judicial system. This typifies 10cc being unpredictable in choice of subject matter but then producing the song in a very pop standard fashion.
The following year saw them chart with ‘Dreadlock Holiday’ the anthem to their love of Jamaica, reggae and cricket despite the hostility of the natives. A very clever song in as you would have expected a reggae style. This proved to be the last of the 10cc group hits and the remainder of the album is taken up with Godley and Crème tracks. The first was ‘An Englishman In New York’ which is not the familiar Sting song but a rather uninspired hum-drum effort which was a very minor hit in 1979. Godley and Crème were more successful in 1981 with the ordinary ‘Snack Attack’ and 2 true pop standards ‘Under Your Thumb’ and ‘Wedding Bells’. ‘Under Your Thumb’ is a driving song about a wife who commits suicide after living in a loveless marriage whilst ‘Wedding Bells’ is a more standard love song.
The final track of the album chronologically is ‘Save A Mountain For Me’ which for all the world sounds like a traditional prison chaingang song. Like many of the songs of 10cc and later Godley and Crème this is produced to the highest standard.
10cc and Godley and Crème produced some lasting pop product. They were always new and inventive without being groundbreaking, smart without being too clever. To listen to 20 years on there is a lasting freshness in the songs. If you are over 40 this is an album well worth being in your collection.
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Donna Rubber Bullets Dean and I Wall Street Shuffle Silly Love Life Is a Minestrone Nuit a ... more
Paris: One Night in Paris/the Same Night in Paris/Late I'm Not in Love Art for Art's Sake I'm Mandy Fly Me Things We Do for Love Good Morning Judge Dreadlock Hol...
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