My Legends of Pop Music – Part Sixteen – 10cc
If I get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be the best, but there is nothing like watching a real talent live.
So, in a sort of chronological order, my sixteenth legends are 10cc.
10cc are an English rock band, formed in Stockport, England, in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured two song writing teams. Stewart and Gouldman were predominantly pop songwriters, who created most of the band’s accessible songs. Godley and Creme were the predominantly experimental half of 10cc, featuring art and cinematically-inspired writing.
Every member of 10cc was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and producer. Most of the band’s records were recorded at their own Strawberry Studios (North) in Stockport and Strawberry Studios (South) in Dorking, with most of those engineered by Stewart.
From 1972 to 1978, 10cc had five consecutive UK top-ten albums: Sheet Music (1974), The Original Soundtrack (1975), How Dare You! (1976), Deceptive Bends (1977) and Bloody Tourists (1978). They also had twelve singles reach the UK Top 40, three of which were the chart-toppers “Rubber Bullets” (1973), “I’m Not in Love” (1975) and “Dreadlock Holiday” (1978). “I’m Not in Love” was their breakthrough worldwide hit and is known for its innovative backing track. Godley and Creme quit the band in 1976 due to artistic disagreements and became a duo act. Stewart left the band in 1995. Since 1999, Gouldman has led a touring version of 10cc.
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 Mindbenders, 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.[
Gouldman continues to tour in a revised 10cc line up.
A full list of his songs is here: Discography – 10CC
Whilst Rubber Bullets is my featured track, their first hit as 10cc was:
Donna – ToTP from 1972 – terrific tune.
The Dean and I – 1973 rock concert.
Wall Street Shuffle – Hammersmith Odeon concert from 1977
Silly Love – 1974 ToTP
Life Is a Minestrone – Live in Ottawa in 2014.
Art For Art’s Sake – 2017 performance on the Jools Holland show.
I’m Mandy, Fly Me – A 1982 Wembley concert.
The Things We do For Love – From a concert in Malmö Live in January 2020.
Good Morning Judge – 1977 version.
Dreadlock Holiday – 1978, not sure were from though.
My favourite ballad, possibly of all time is this of course:
I’m not in love – Several live versions over the years are available, but as this song needs quality recording, this is there 1975 ToTP performance.
Singalong, enjoy and be happy!
Links to previous Legend articles:
Featured Image: “10cc” by beanmunster is licensed under CC BY 2.0
© Phil the ex test manager 2021
