Customer Reviews

10cc - The Original Soundtrack

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mobile Fidelity does a great job of mastering classic cd's. Some of the outstanding examples include Building the Perfect Beast(Henley) and The Sky is crying. This album belongs in the same category due to the excellence in writing, engineering, performance and production.

10cc was first established in 1972, but all the participants knew each other before then performing in various bands together. Their first album 10cc had all the elements, but the songwriting hadn't matured to this level yet. Sheet Music is the band's first unqualified classic and this, their third album is the second.

One Night in Paris, although one of the funniest tracks(and musically challenging due to the variety of melodies that floats through it), hasn't aged as well as the other songs. I'm not in love can truthfully be called one of the great anti-love songs. Stewart and Gouldman do a terrific job of turning emotional cliches on their head in a song with an infectious melody. The middle eight of the song with the tape loops of backing vocals(yes, I, too thought for years it was a sythesizer)of the four members of the band singing harmonies is amazing. The second sitting for the last supper is another great song in a strong trio that includes Life is a Minestrone(one of the best--and funny--metaphors for describing life I've ever heard)and the beautiful Brand New Day. All the material is great, but these three stand out.

The engineering of the album(and production) is flawless for the time and still sounds terrific today(considering they were only using 16 track machines to make the album). The mastering job is uncredited(which I hate), but is superior. The only comparable version is the import cd released 2 years ago by Polydor. The dynamic range is similiar for both, but I'd give the edge to this disc based on sound and the Polydor disc based on content(it has 2 must have b side bonus tracks).

Altogether a great album(something that is said about too many albums now days) and one of the best from the 1970's.

This is the first album where it all came together. Great melodic hooks, strong songwriting, amazing harmonies and an ambitious, expanded musicial pallet that, while it featured all their influences on their sleeve(the Beatles, Cream, Frank Zappa), still managed to maintain and develop 10cc's identity.

Later artists like Squeeze and Elvis Costello were clearly influenced by both the sound of and witty, sarcastic songwriting of the band.

This album hasn't aged quite as well as the follow up, HOW DARE YOU!, but, like SGT. PEPPER and Queen's A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, represents the time when the album was recorded.

Although the mini-rock opera UNE NITE A PARIS is still fun and very interesting, it hasn't aged as well as the rest of the album and, like the Who's A QUICK ONE WHILE HE'S AWAY is, perhaps, a bit too coy and precious. Still, there's no denying that it is a fun track and a defining moment for establishing their unique style.

I'M NOT IN LOVE and THE SECOND SE! TTING FOR THE LAST SUPPER are both outstanding tracks but, the song that probably represents the album best is the comical, melodic LIFE IS A MINESTRONE--5 minutes of fun, with a tounge in cheek message.

This album is a terrific introduction to 10cc and should, along with HOW DARE YOU!, be in every record collection!

Simply said, the Godley-Creme-Gouldman-Stewart procreative combination of catchy hooks, tight harmonies, and witty lyrics make 1975's "The Original Soundtrack", recorded at their creative, artistic and literate peak, a truly classic album. Even though the absolutely fantastic, beautiful, my personal favorite of all-time "I'm Not In Love" primarily put 10cc on the commercial map, every track from top to bottom on this album is in a class of its own -FIRST. 10cc is indeed one of the classic supergroups in the world of art-rock. Simple - this is an essential album sounding even better on CD.

Note: This album is not a real Soundtrack album to any movie, play, etc. It is just the "witty " name 10cc gave this gem.

I saw 10cc during their "Original Soundtrack" tour (Beacon Theater, NYC) and they were incredible! (Any concert that opens with "Silly Love" and ends with "Film Of My Love" and a "Rubber Bullets" encore can't be all bad! ;) So I've got a soft spot in my heart (and maybe my head) for this CD. It's excellent! Of course we've all heard "I'm Not In Love", but overlooked tunes like "Brand New Day", "Blackmail", and "Flying Junk" are equally good! There's not a bad track on this CD! Every one is a winner! Must listening for all 10cc fans, and for those unfamiliar with the group. Deserves a spot in any CD collection. To paraphrase the opening song on this album: "One disc from these guys, is like a bunch from any other band" ;)

Simply said, the unique, superb combination of catchy hooks and tempos, polished musical textures and absolutely clever, witty lyrics into their music by these 4 great musicians, Godley-Creme-Gouldman-Stewart, prove that they are the one of the greatest bands of 70's art-rock that to this day stands the test of time making 10cc a great band for the ages. "Original Soundtrack", with the classic, simply beautiful, personal all-time favorite "I'm Not In Love" is truly a classic album in the history of rock music with the band at its artistic peak. No brainer - simply get this CD if you don't have it.

Note: This album is not a "Soundtrack" to any movie, play , etc., just the name the band gave this work.

A perfect pop record. The previous two reviews say it all, but it's worth repeating. This is an incredible display of great musicianship, brilliant production, flawless self-editing and arranging, gorgeous vocals, and witty, fun lyrics that will stay in your CD player. 10CC may be an acquired taste, but if I were you, I'd give this CD, How Dare You! and Sheet Music a good shot.

10cc got the short end of the stick. While Queen had a big hit with their good but inferior mock opera ( released around the same time) the more ambitious One Night In Paris was roundly ignored by radio. Luckily the equally good I'm Not in Love managed to seduce radio. Suddenly, the guys had a US Hit.

Anyway, didn't mean to digress. OS is one of the finest albums the band made. Every track shimmers with wit, wonderful production touches and great vocal flourishes. All that would be pretty useless if the songs weren't well crafted. I'd recommend this album along with Sheet Music and How Dare YOU! as first purchases for new time fans.

I wore the grooves off my original vinyl copy back when it first came out...I was a teenager and never heard anything like it. It still holds up...so different and out of the mainstream. Even the most famous track ("I'm Not In Love") is not a typical love song in any sense. If you have always liked that song, I encourage you to try the rest of the album. Even if it is not you cup of tea it will be something you will probably remember for a while.

10cc were a quirky 70's British quartet whose most notable song is likely the ballad "I'm Not in Love"; a haunting (and massively over-dubbed) song about a guy denying he is still in love with his ex-girl. The layers of synthesizers and vocals give it a truly unique sound. The song is included on this 1975 release; "The Original Soundtrack". Vocal harmonies are a 10 cc trade-mark and each song demonstrates that point. The centerpiece is "Une Nuit A Paris" (One Night in Paris) which is a sort of short operetta about a guy who gets caught up with an assortment Paris's seedy characters including con-men, pimps, hookers and eventually, the police. The song often gets credit for being the inspiration for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and there are similarities.
The rest of the album is less interesting by comparison to the one-two combination of these songs. "Life Is a Minestrone" is a great up-beat sing-a-long with a catchy chorus. While 10cc proves they can rock on "Blackmail" and "The Second Sitting of the Last Supper" their wheel house is the mid-tempo songs "Brand New Day" and "Flying Junk".
Original and difficult to categorize; 10cc turned out some very good music with an emphasis on interesting vocal arrangements and well produced songs.

This is definitely not 10cc's best album mainly because of the somewhat weak songwriting on the second side of the album, but about 75% of the Original Soundtrack is absolutely golden.

The opening track clocks in at just under 9 minutes. This song might give listeners the assumption that the band is taking a progressive rock direction for the rest of the album, but not necessarily- this is the only track that feels like a prog rock epic.

The song swerves and dives in all KINDS of vocal harmonies and melodies, and if you're someone who likes classic Queen, there's no doubt in my mind you'll instantly fall in love with this song. However, for me, it took a few listens of getting used to it before the many vocal sections finally clicked and became "right" so the same might apply to you as well.

Of course, that's nothing new- 10cc has been writing tricky vocal melodies ever since the debut, and it continues again with the Original Soundtrack. The band refused to be held back by the evergrowing commercial rock direction many bands were heading towards by the mid 70's, and for that, I respect them. 10cc must have felt they had more to prove.

"I'm Not in Love" might be considered a ballad... or it might not be. It's quite a unique song when you think about it. On one hand, the vocals *do* definitely sound quite romantic and give off a ballad vibe, but on the other hand, there's an astonishingly intense atmosphere in the background. That is one of the creepiest sounds ever. I don't know exactly WHAT it is I'm hearing behind the vocal melody- either other band members singing, perhaps a mellotron, or maybe something else entirely. Whatever it is, one thing's for sure- this song has been giving me the creeps for the 28 years I've been on this planet. It reminds me of spinning and spinning and getting dizzier and dizzier... or something in slow-motion. Weird song, but I love it.

"Blackmail" has fantastic lyrics about a model I believe, and the vocals are just terrific. Very melodic too. "The Second Sitting of the Last Supper" contains more great vocals, with a slight disco flavor thrown in. Hey, I guess 10cc couldn't avoid a music scene that was just beginning and catching on quickly, could they? No matter, the song is not dated or suffers in quality or anything like that.

What a start! The album now slowly gets worse I'm afraid.

"Brand New Day" is quite a good song. Another song that reminds me of Queen. This time a Queen ballad- no song in particular though, but you can imagine Freddie being an obvious influence here. I wouldn't be surprised if the two bands knew each other at one point in time and gave each other musical advice.

"Flying Junk" though... not one of the more memorable songs on the album I'm afraid. This song seriously feels like it's missing something. It's missing that quirky songwriting that we've come to expect from 10cc. Those vocals definitely need something to spice them up. It's not a bad song, and it's smooth sailing, but I don't know, I just expect more out of it.

Oh boy, "Life is a Minstrone" is definitely a severely dated song, haha. Reminds me of Jimmy Buffett, or that "If you like pina colada" song. Unfortunately, the very final track is perhaps the worst song I've ever heard 10cc create- "The Film of my Life". What in the WORLD was the band thinking here? A romantic French ballad? I guess going to France is the only way to truly understand the appeal of a song like this. It's overlong too, by a few minutes. Wow, I'm surprised 10cc thought this song was good enough to put on one of their albums. Maybe I'm missing something, but it honestly feels like a really weak song by typical 10cc standards.

Overall, the closer is the only weak point on the album, but the rest of the Original Soundtrack is sure to delight and satisfy fans of the band.