I first came across 10cc around 1973, not long after they'd had their first UK number one with the song Rubber Bullets. I thought they were American, judging by the lead vocalist's falsetto on that memorable hit, but soon discovered they were from Manchester in the north of England. I was re-acquainted with them when they were the subject of an ITV Schools Programme in 1974, when the recording session for the song The Dean And I was filmed.
A couple of years and albums later, I was a paid up fan and terribly saddened to hear of their split in 1976, soon after the release of How Dare You. Although they continued with two original members, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart, that intangible 10cc chemistry seemed to have evaporated once Kevin Godley and Lol Crème had committed themselves long-term to other ventures, including directing pop videos.
It is from these first four albums, boasting the classic 10cc line up, that I've selected my all time favourite 10cc songs.
*Silly Love - from the album Sheet Music, released in 1974, the single climbing to No. 24 in the UK. I remember hearing this song on BBC Radio 1, on one of the first mornings I had to leave to get a bus to my new secondary school. From then on, hearing the record's opening bars takes me right back to sitting on that bus, heading into the unknown. I often wondered if the lyric had been inspired by the BBC TV comedy Monty Python's Flying Circus?
*I'm Not In Love - from the album The Original Soundtrack, released in 1975. A multi-layered production with a gorgeous melody and an interesting spoken word section in the middle, delivered by the Strawberry Studios receptionist, it became a worldwide hit and a pop standard.
*Life Is A Minestrone - from side 2 of the album The Original Soundtrack, the song's title was allegedly part of some throwaway banter from a radio talk show. The band's lyrical sense of humour was much in evidence, in lines such as 'I'm leaning on the tower of Pisa; had an eyeful of the tower in France...'
*I'm Mandy Fly Me - from the 1976 album How Dare You. Another beautiful melody that turned into an unsuspecting journey. Almost prog rock in its approach, its inventiveness just about stays within the pop song format. A tour de force, reaching number 6 in the UK singles chart in April 1976.
A couple of years and albums later, I was a paid up fan and terribly saddened to hear of their split in 1976, soon after the release of How Dare You. Although they continued with two original members, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart, that intangible 10cc chemistry seemed to have evaporated once Kevin Godley and Lol Crème had committed themselves long-term to other ventures, including directing pop videos.
It is from these first four albums, boasting the classic 10cc line up, that I've selected my all time favourite 10cc songs.
*Silly Love - from the album Sheet Music, released in 1974, the single climbing to No. 24 in the UK. I remember hearing this song on BBC Radio 1, on one of the first mornings I had to leave to get a bus to my new secondary school. From then on, hearing the record's opening bars takes me right back to sitting on that bus, heading into the unknown. I often wondered if the lyric had been inspired by the BBC TV comedy Monty Python's Flying Circus?
*I'm Not In Love - from the album The Original Soundtrack, released in 1975. A multi-layered production with a gorgeous melody and an interesting spoken word section in the middle, delivered by the Strawberry Studios receptionist, it became a worldwide hit and a pop standard.
*Life Is A Minestrone - from side 2 of the album The Original Soundtrack, the song's title was allegedly part of some throwaway banter from a radio talk show. The band's lyrical sense of humour was much in evidence, in lines such as 'I'm leaning on the tower of Pisa; had an eyeful of the tower in France...'
*I'm Mandy Fly Me - from the 1976 album How Dare You. Another beautiful melody that turned into an unsuspecting journey. Almost prog rock in its approach, its inventiveness just about stays within the pop song format. A tour de force, reaching number 6 in the UK singles chart in April 1976.
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