Customer Reviews

10cc

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

 

 

i can't believe not much mention has been made of 'speed kills' in the other reviews. sure, tracks like 'rubber bullets' and 'fresh air for my mama' are excellent, but 'speed kills' has to be one of the greatest rock songs ever - fantastic riff, and a truly awesome solo from eric stewart. apart from the other songs, the album is worth it just for that

10CC were a group of four (and then two - see below) very talented musicians / singers / songwriters who came together in the early 70s to create distinctive, original music such as the classic single , "I'm Not In Love" and the epic musical-on-acid number, "Une Nuit A Paris". They excelled in collaboratively writing clever, witty pop songs, ultra-clean, inventive production and superb vocals.

This is 10CC's first album and is a relatively simple (for 10CC), upbeat pop album. "Rubber Bullets" craftily sets insightful, cutting lyrics (it was even banned at one point) to a bouncy sing-a-long tune; "The Dean and I" was an equally good follow-up. Tongue-in-cheek 50s pastiche style tracks include "Johnny Don't Do It" and the almost-deliberately irritating first single "Donna" ("...is that the telephone, dear?"!) whilst "Sand In My Face" is great fun. "Speed Kills" is an instrumental with a title for a message; "Headline Hustler" and "Ships Don't Disappear (Do They)" are vintage pop-rock from Stewart/Goldman while "The Hospital Song" starts to suggest at Godley/Creme's wonderful quirkiness.

It is the beautifully poignant "Fresh Air For My Mama", though, which I think points to 10CC's true greatness which shone through on the following three sophisticated, smoothly-produced, well-crafted albums - Sheet Music, The Original Soundtrack and How Dare You - before Godley and Creme left to produce extraordinary progressive art-music (for want of a better name) - in particular, "L", "Freeze Frame", and their highly underrated masterpiece, "Consequences", - leaving a more commercial but less interesting Stewart and Gouldman to continue on with the 10CC name.

This album is good-fun-with-a-10CC-twist with lots of sing-a-long value, but not in the same league as their best.

Just a note--you may notice this review is the same for the domestic version. Amazon mistakenly put this version (for the import) with that release. There are no bonus tracks here folks. Now to our regularly scheduled program.

These four wiseguys (not in the Sopranos sense)from the Uk had been bopping around in the music biz for sometime. They all knew one another and decided they were clever enough to be a band. They were way too clever for the US at first and pandering didn't become them. So, they made some hits in the UK signed with a major in the US (Mercury at the time) and struck gold with I'm Not In Love, I'm Mandy Fly Me, The Things We Do For Love, Good Morning Judge, Dreadlock Holiday.

In the meantime, we mortals had to settle for finding their two previous albums. They eventually did come to US shores and we've been grateful ever since. Well, mostly grateful after all the UK also gave us the Spice Girls.

Anyhow, Donna, the first song to hit it big in the UK would never have flown in the US. It just didn't have the...velocity. It needed to be less 50's patische and more guitar rock God sarcastic.Or they needed big hair and silver platform boots. You decide.

Anyhow, 10cc, their first "offical" album (they recorded one as Hotlegs before this one)is stocked with riffs, witty tunes (like Ships Don't Disappear in the Night, Rubber Bullets, etc.) The advantage of the CD age is that you can skip some of the weaker tracks. The other advantage is the great bonus tracks. 4% of Something and Waterfall (sounds like a parody of Hippiedom). I'd highly recommend this album if only for its sense of humor. Eric Idle and Monty Python would have been proud. So would the Beatles.

Great album but poor packaging. This edition is the American one and doesn't have the bonus tracks. Obivously someone at amazon goofed and listed the review below to the cheap seats version of this fine album.

Spend the extra money for the import from Germany. It has 5 bonus tracks although the liner notes could be more accurate and extensive.

These four wiseguys (not in the Sopranos sense)from the Uk had been bopping around in the music biz for sometime. They all knew one another and decided they were clever enough to be a band. They were way too clever for the US at first and pandering didn't become them. So, they made some hits in the UK signed with a major in the US (Mercury at the time) and struck gold with I'm Not In Love, I'm Mandy Fly Me, The Things We Do For Love, Good Morning Judge, Dreadlock Holiday.

In the meantime, we mortals had to settle for finding their two previous albums. They eventually did come to US shores and we've been grateful ever since. Well, mostly grateful after all the UK also gave us the Spice Girls.

Anyhow, Donna, the first song to hit it big in the UK would never have flown in the US. It just didn't have the...velocity. It needed to be less 50's patische and more guitar rock God sarcastic.Or they needed big hair and silver platform boots. You decide.

Anyhow, 10cc, their first "offical" album (they recorded one as Hotlegs before this one)is stocked with riffs, witty tunes (like Ships Don't Disappear in the Night, Rubber Bullets, etc.) The advantage of the CD age is that you can skip some of the weaker tracks. The other advantage is the great bonus tracks. 4% of Something and Waterfall (sounds like a parody of Hippiedom). I'd highly recommend this album if only for its sense of humor. Eric Idle and Monty Python would have been proud. So would the Beatles.

For whatever reason, the music of 10cc isn't being remembered today the same way other experimental albums from the 70's are. I can't really explain WHY. I mean, the music on 10cc's debut sounds just as creative to me as something like, oh I don't know, David Bowie's Heroes, Brian Eno's Here Comes the Warm Jets, any number of Frank Zappa albums, and even Gentle Giant (except 10cc *isn't* a progressive rock band, though they sometimes have prog rock tendencies).

I guess one possible reason for this album not going down as a major creative effort might have to do with the occasional dive into average typical 70's rock. Sometimes you can hear normal commercial 70's rock on this album, such as on the closer "Fresh Air for my Mama", which wouldn't sound entirely out of place on an album like Paul McCartney's Wings at the Speed of Sound. It's easily the only weak point on an otherwise pretty brilliantly crafted and diverse pop album. This album is certainly deserving of major praise, so hopefully one day it will catch on and be cool again.

To be honest, I can actually see a comedy movie in the future having some 10cc tunes as part of the soundtrack, and this *might* get people out there who like creative pop songwriting to check out 10cc's debut effort. Maybe then the album will finally get more credit. At one point in time however, this WAS a pretty popular album.

Maybe "Johnny, Don't Do It" with a very obvious doo-wop style is a huge turn-off for some people as well. It shouldn't be though, because this song is great. The rest of the album sounds *nothing* like that anyway. In fact, every song sounds very very different from the other ones, something other legendary rock bands such as the Beatles were quite good at as well- diversity.

"Sand in My Face" is definitely a fantastic pop song. Any fan of Frank Zappa will love this song, I guarantee it. "The Dean and I" is another song that focuses on whacky vocal melodies, played quite tastefully I might add, and perhaps even a bit challenging to get into. "The Hospital Song" is another example of complexity, and with repeated listens, becoming more memorable each time.

"Speed Kills" has a great rhythm, and the song is very melodic. It's quite hard to hate a song like this I believe. "Rubber Bullets" reminds me so much of "Smokin' in the Boys Room" during the verse melody, but some classic 10cc weirdness comes into play and elevates the melody to greater heights.

"Ships Don't Disappear in the Night" is, oddly enough, and instantly likeable song. A 10cc song that *doesn't* require numerous playthroughs to get into it? Say it ain't so, haha. I LOVE it.

"Donna" takes us back to the early 60's rock style, but it's NOT anything like that major popular 60's ballad "Donna". Two very different songs. Actually the more I think about it, this song sounds a lot like the Beatles "Oh Darling".

I don't get why more people aren't checking out this album. I really don't. This album seriously does everything right as far as challenging listeners with exciting pop music.

I don't like the track listing the way it is here. I have the UK version or whatever, and it makes more sense logically: I mean Johnny Don't Do It! opens wtih that dramatic fan fare, and the album closes with Fresh Air For My Mama the BIG SERIOUS song: it makes no sense to end it with HEADLINE HUSTLER. that's a great song but a HORRIBLE last song on an album.

Some people might be so surprised this album is so great but one must remember: these guys are seasoned pros. They know what they're doing, and they knew it from the start. This is their catchiest collection of music and some say it's their best. I appreciate the way they branched out, and became more serious and complex: here they're sometimes a little TOO light weight, or too silly. LIke on the ridiculously stupid Hospital Song, the only 10cc song that really really irritates me. Otherwise it's pop perfection from Johnny and Donna (a bit interchangeable perhaps...) Sand in My face's goofy, indescriable style, the relative complexity of the Dean And I, which approaches musical style, but in a good way, Headline Hustler's catchy riffs and melodies and rocking power (courtsey of Mr. Eric Stewart, under appreciated guitarist). Also hard rocoking is Speed Kills, and Rubber Bullets which is an amazing pop composition, an amazing piece of satire, and a great parody.

Thing plummet into stupidity with the hospital song. NOw, I could forgive a song such stupid lyrics if the music was good, but it's not very good either.

That brief crap pile goes, and in it's place is Ships Don't Just Disappear In The NIght (Do They?) which title aside, is the most complex song on the album. There are about 15 different hooks in the song, complex vocal harmonies that are still VERY catchy, strange parts that don't seem to go together but do, and very great lyrics. Classic 10cc.

Fresh Air For My Mama suddenly kicks your butt with seriousness. Slow song, the first really slow song they did, and it has really great singing on it, really great lyrics, and it builds up slowly till the ending where it has a rousing rock part. One of their first "serious" songs to end their albums, it's not their best, but it's still showing their talent that it's pretty great and emotionally hitting. The only album of the first four to not have the serious song at the end was Sheet Music which had Oh Effendi which is arguably not a good ending song. Somewhere in Hollywood would have been perfect! Oh well.

Buy the Uk Collection. It's worth it for the B-sides which are just as great as this stuff. Don't forget: Eric and Grahamn are just as great as Godley and Creme in their way!

the music is odd.....rubber bullets? donna gave me a head ache.the next album was a bit better.....are these guys still alive? it,s great to find them remastered.the extra tracks slow down the album with the exception of waterfall. let,s only hope eric stewart puts together a box set in the future.graham goldman had a song called ''monkey squeezen's'' that i heard was never released.