Customer Reviews

How Dare You

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With your 1st stop being SHEET MUSIC, your 2nd stop being The Original Soundtrack, you should now have arrived at stop no.3, "How Dare You". Can you hear it yet? Can you hear how influential 10cc were on 7o's music, and what was to come in the 8o's? By this time, even ABBA & The Carpenters started to sound like them, whether that made 10cc happy or not no one knows.

Unfortunately the partnership of Creme/Godley/Stewart/Gouldman came to a close on this album. This is a frustrating thing. What could have come after this album no one knows, but something tells me it would have absolutely put 10cc through the roof. But alas it was not to be. So what you get is 10cc in "change mode". Of the three albums mentioned, "How Dare You!" is the weakest. This does not mean that 10cc forgot how to write great songs. It just means there focus grew a little wavery, and the split between the two creative forces Godley/Creme and Stewart/Gouldman became a little more defined on HDY!.

But what you will find are some absolutely gorgeous pieces of music on this album. "I'm Mandy Fly Me" should have convinced you by now that Eric Stewart has one of the nicest voices you've ever heard, and that in 4.00 many things can happen in a song. The beautiful "Lazy Ways" goes further along this point. I find "I Wanna Rule The World" absolutely hilarious and a definite precursor to acts like They Might Be Giants. "Iceberg" is absolutely demented, and fun, and a whole load of other things you wouldn't associate with schizophrenia. "Don't Hang Up" takes you on the wedding night, the honeymoon, the fallout with no reconciliation all in 6 minutes. "Art For Art's Sake" - why it hasn't been used in a rap song I don't know, the opening into the main riff is absolutely classic.
10cc albums should be given the DVD treatment. They should be in total surround sound, so you actually "feel" how visual there songs were, and how much thought they put into them.

3rd stop --- How Dare You! (1976)

Reading a couple of these reviews reminds me of a comment the Emperor of Austria once made about Mozart, "too many notes." Well we don't know if that's exactly what he said (although how ironic if he had). History has demonstrated that the Emperor was wrong about Mozart. Sure the guy had his musical flaws but inventiveness wasn't one of them. We do know, however, that some folks consider this talented quartet to be too clever by half with too many notes for their liking. Personally, I'd take the criticism as a compliment.

Perhaps they are too clever. How boring the world would be without the daring shown here on their last album as a four piece. Lazy Ways and I'm Mandy Fly Me feature melodies filled to the brim with wit and as rich as anything the Beatles or Beach Boys dreamed up. I Wanna Rule The World reminds you why these guys were held in such high esteem by their peers (like the late Frank Zappa, John Lennon and still breathing Paul McCartney); it's a twisted turn down paranoia street that manages to entertain as it informs.

The second part of the CD (or what used to be side 2 on vinyl) beings with the strong track Art for Art's Sake. It was originally written around the time of their previous album The Original Soundtrack but unrecorded. AFAS manages to satirize the art world in the same fashion as the band's Worst Band in The World (from Sheet Music) did the music biz. The songs that follow AFAS prevents this fine album from taking on any water and sinking beneath the waves of mediocrity. "Don't Hang Up" plays like a mini rock opera (much the same as One Night in Paris) in the tradition of the Who's "A Quick One While He's Away". Kevin Godley's angelic voice provides an ironic counterpoint to the possesiveness that clearly drives the character singing the song.

I've changed my mind about the bonus track. After the involved closer, Get it While You Can manages to close the album on a simple and elegant note. It actually sums up most of the themes on the album well and provides perfect closure to a fine album.

How Dare You is flawed but those flaws don't undermind this compelling, funny and melodic rock album. It's also clear listening to it that from here the original quartet didn't have any place else to go so it made sense for Godley & Creme to leave the band. Stewart and Gouldman continued to develop the 10cc sound and add more accomplishments to their achievements.

Be aware that the remaster has some alternate takes included that differ slightly from the original vinyl and CD's released by Mercury. That said although this isn't a perfect edition, it sounds much, much better than the original U.S. CD release which was sourced from an inferior copy of the original master tapes.

By the time they recorded this album it was clear that the democracy wouldn't work as well as before. How Dare You! allowed the original line up to perform a fine encore and take a bow before the final curtain dropped.

I first bought this as a cassette tape in the mid-70's as a result of hearing their songs, "I'm Not in Love" and "Art for Art's Sake." I immediately fell in love with the tape even though I didn't quite know how to take it. The songs could be funny, sentimental, bitingly satirical, great Rock and Roll or out-and-out farcical. Sometimes within one song! I'm Mandy Fly Me, for example, is at once affecting and completely ridiculous - and one of my favorite songs of all time.

Some of the songs deal with twisted mental states (Iceberg, I Wanna Rule the World, and Don't Hang Up) and exhibit perfectly fitting changes in key, tempo, and meter. Others (Lazy Ways, Rock and Roll Lullaby) keep grooving throughout more subtle changes. But despite the terrain covered, they are always consistent with intelligent lyrics, great hooks, luscious vocals, deceptively complex tonal movement, and excellent arranging and execution.

This remains one of my favorite releases of all time.

This album was conceived, written, performed, produced, and engineered by four of the best musicians to ever record pop music (after the Beatles, obviously, but even they didn't produce their best work). This album is a gold mine of pop hooks, melodies, clever lyrics, and good music in the British tongue-in-cheek tradition. This was the culmination of 6-7 years work between these four, Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme, and Kevin Godley, and it is a fine recording that, if you enjoy quality pop music, you must add to your collection. Everything here from the wistful to the bizarre, and I can't think of a better representation of '70s art rock (save maybe The Tubes 'Remote Control') available. One of my top ten favorite records of all time, all styles.

At first, I didn't think this album had much to offer. I'm Mandy, and Art For Art's Sake were all I loved. Later when going to visit my parents on a four and a half hour drive, I listened to this and Original Soundtrack (AMAZING ALBUM) over and over, and the variable charms of the songs make themselves apparent, and the album is not only one of 10cc's most serious, layered, and mature albums, it's also one of their best, and a great way for Godley and Creme to exit.

The title track instrumental kind of gets things off to a strange start. It's not really all that interesting in some ways: it has a lot of strange instrumentation and ideas, but I don't think it is very cohesive. However, using the melody from the next track, in a piano arrangment, was a great idea.

Because Lazy Days is a wonderful track! It really lacks the strange, sometimes jarring, genre cuts of earlier material: the instrumentation is mostly pretty normal, and the lyrics are good, but not haha funny. But it's absolutely a beauty of a song, especially the "never get up if you don't get up, always be down if you sit around" section. No comedy, no goofiness, no overt experimentation: just crafting an immaculate song.

I Wanna Rule The World follows and it was another that just passed me by at first. It is a very odd collection of riffs, musical ideas, and strange chanting, ranting, and childlike blathering. The ideas musically are STILL brilliant, even if it has no cohesion really, and the singing is funny enough to give it a thumbs up.

I'm Mandy is brilliant, but obviously not what Godley and Creme were interested in. THe melody, the arrangements, the lyrics, the singing, even sampling one of their old songs: all of this helps create one of their most amazing songs, though words barely do it justice.

Next is Iceberg, which is more typical of their older material. An all over the map collage of ideas, barely held together sometimes (could be on Sheet Music!) with strange lyrics that seem not to relate to anything. It is a strong track, pretty in parts, strange in others.

Art For Art's Sake has one of those "so simple and perfect why wasn't it written before" riffs, and lyrics that are BIT transparent, but it also has that beautiful ambient section at the beginning and the middle. Genius in a way I can't describe.

Rock'N Roll Lullaby is a bit of a drag, I'll admit. It's okay, but I don't really understand the point of the song. It doesn't really do anything lyrically or musically, even if it is solid. Oops!

Head Room is a strange blues like excursion with a slightly dumb play on words "just give me some head.........room" blah... it's okay, but another of the weakest tracks.

Don't Hang Up is one of the most heart breaking, brilliant songs the band, or any band, ever recorded. Hard to explain, it has to be experienced.

All in all, a great album hampered by a few tracks that while good just aren't that WOW as the rest. Definitely a buy! Especially if you can get the version i have which has Original Soundtrack on the same cd!

There are some albums that are just greater than the sum of their parts. Paul McCartney's RAM, Todd Rundgren's Hermit of Mink Hollow, and this album are three of my favorites in the genre.

This is not a singles-packed album, and only a couple of the tracks really send me by themselves. But when you put them all together, this is just a great piece of listening-- hooky, catchy and always interesting. Like the cover, the more you look at it, the more it gives you.

Because I've always listened to this as an album, the bonus track idea is jarring at first, but it does grow on you.

It seemes a bit strange that there is only one review prior to mine. For Gods sake, this is a masterpiece. This album is one of the most unique albums I know about. It's so brilliantly put together. First time I heard it was -75 when I was 10 and still had an undestroyed mind(!). That's maybe why I love this album. But I judge music for it's melody and harmony and I promise that you'll see colours and waters when you become familiar to the sound of this album! This album is my first 10cc choice. The main reason is because here all of the four play together. Stewart, Creme, Gouldman and Godley. After this album they split.

HOW DARE YOU! continues to show the growth of 10cc. Unfortunately, it was the last studio album produced by all four members. Shortly after recording the album, Creme and Godley left the band. The album is full of melodic, rocking music that represents the best of 70's rock music.

If any band continued the tradition of the Beatles, it was 10cc. This album is brimming with strong hooks, great playing and a production sound that has aged extremely well.

In many respects bands like FASTBALL, XTC and SQUEEZE would be influenced and use 10cc's extension of the Beatles sound as a blueprint for their music.

In many respects this album is 10cc's REVOLVER--it represents their songwriting at its peak. While Stewart and Gouldman would carry on their later albums, although as accomplished, never surpassed the quality of writing and production of this album.

As often as I enjoyed 10cc in the 70s, and regardless how many of their albums I purchased on vinyl, they appear to have been somewhat overlooked in the frenzy of group reunions and even to some extent on classic rock stations. I still hear "The Things We Do for Love" from "Deceptive Bends" and "I'm Not in Love" from "The Original Soundtrack," but nothing otherwise; more the pity, because 10cc was innovative and creative. Even in the creative and musically explosive 70s they were one of the most interesting and unusual groups.

The title track starts off with a Samba flavor that introduces additional elements one at a time, keeping the Samba beat in the background until suddenly the lead guitar changes the musical flavor to a harder edge. My only complaint is that this instrumental could have been much longer.

The next song is "Lazy Ways," which combines Eric Stewart's vocal talents the phenomenal instrumental talents of 10cc. Particularly interesting are the Moog synthesizer and clavinet played by Lol Creme. Lol uses the Moog like an organ, which generates a unique sound for this song. The lyrics match the song, and the result is a perfect example of a nicely crafted rock song.

While the next song has its silly moments, musically it is fun and interesting. Furthermore, "I Wanna Rule the World" also has incredible lyrics. How many songs contain lines such as:

A brave new world will rise from the ashes
And there upon a rock titanic, I'll cast a giant
Shadow on the face of the deep
And never again will they dare to call me
A freckled, spotty, specky, four-eyed
Weedy little creep

Next is one of the gems on this CD. "I'm Mandy Fly Me" has a humorous title based on a series of television commercials from a bygone era. However, the music is serious and wonderful, with a combination of vocals and instrumentals that require you listen to the song with your full attention to appreciate it. My mere words are incapable of explaining how wonderful this song is. In addition to Eric Stewart's vocals, this song also features a long bridge that musically describes the crash of a plane. The pace of the song has several changes throughout that will keep you focused on this song from beginning to end.

Lyrically 10cc is creative and almost surreal. The members of the group often juxtapose elements that appear to be unrelated. The lyrics of "Iceberg" fall into this category. Though lyrics can be interpreted in many ways, I think these lyrics deal with a woman, and how her significant other perceives her. All the lyrical elements are pieces of how the singer thinks about his relationship with her; of course their relationship is rocky and his thoughts are in turmoil. The music is similar tumultuous and mixed, with the end result being an unusual and uniquely 10cc song.

The next song is incredible, and should be one of the all time best rock songs. "Art for Art's Sake" seems simple, but of course it is not. The elements range from progressive to rock, with smatters of other genres thrown in for seasoning. The bass parts of this song are outstanding with good speakers. The ethereal portions contrast well with the heavy rock beat. More than a dozen instruments were used on this song, which helps explain why I think it is complex, and also explains why this song is difficult to describe.

Consistent with 10cc's eclectic nature is "Rock `n' Roll Lullaby." The lyrics are typically interesting, but the slow, mellow music is the interest in this song. This song also features a glockenspiel, which is a very unusual instrument for a nominally rock song. The lead guitar in this song has places where it sets itself well away from the other instruments. The bass is also heavily featured in a few places. A Dobro, more properly called a resonator guitar, can also be readily heard in places. Often these guitars are played with a slide, and so they are sometimes called slide guitars, but Graham Gouldman seems to be plucking the strings, creating the unique sound on this song.

The double entendre and pun-filled song "Head Room" follows. The music is pretty average, though the lyrics have moments of interest. There are times when I enjoy this song, and other times when I find it slightly annoying. The song has a slight blues flavor from time to time that makes it different from the other songs on this CD.

The final song is one of the most brilliant songs in music. "Don't Hang Up" is a song that begins sadly, as the singer laments the separation between him and his wife. The song then flashes back to the earlier days, the romance, the marriage and the honeymoon. The song also indicates that others thought their marriage was doomed from the beginning. It is when the song explains that he is immature, leading into his heartbreak and love for her that the emotions can become powerful for an empathetic listener. The ending of this song is fantastically heartfelt and emotional, and makes this song a must have for those who fancy themselves experts on excellent rock.

This CD includes a bonus song, "Get It While You Can," but I think the bonus song detracts from the power of "Don't Hang Up."

This combination of members of 10cc brought to life too few albums, each with their own charm and experimentation. Unfortunately, this kind of eclectic arty rock found few fans, and 10cc is now remembered by few people, and by nearly none in the most recent generation. However, the CDs are there if you want to listen to something different, and fun, and powerful, with little intent for commercial success, though for a time they were. I also recommend earlier albums "The Original Soundtrack" and "Sheet Music" by 10cc.

YES! 10cc brought back the humor, sophisticated songwriting, and clever lyrics of the first two albums! I have the belief that the Original Soundtrack was a slight... not necessarily a mistake, but just a slightly weak effort thanks to a couple songs.

How DARE You! is such a solid listening experience from beginning to end, and I'm happy 10cc delivered with a classic.

The title song is an instrumental. An odd choice to open the album with a song like this, but by THIS point, oddness is something that just comes with the territory whenever anyone mentions 10cc. It's a rather fantastic instrumental too, and it takes a few close listens to appreciate.

"Lazy Ways" kind of reminds me of... me, haha. Actually the vocals feel a bit like Paul McCartney in spots, and even some Eletric Light Orchestra in other areas (such as the middle instrumental part, which is great). These lyrics are really great and actually make the vocal melody better when you pay attention to them.

The NEXT song is why I love 10cc so much- "I Wanna Rule the World" is the weirdest song ever, haha. I hear too many musical ideas for my brain to comprehend all of them at once! A song like this definitely takes at least four or five listens to fully understand. I hear vocals that resemble Paul Simon one moment, and the Bee Gees a quick moment later! This is seriously a great example of clever songwriting.

"I'm Mandy, Fly Me" was the big hit, but come to think of it, I've *never* heard classic rock radio play it ever. Not even once. This song feels serious but I don't think it's meant to be. Clever humor perhaps? Sort of like "I'm Not in Love" sounds serious but who knows if it really was meant to be taken seriously or not. Anyway, the vocal melody is terrific once again.

"Iceberg" is exactly like "I Wanna Rule the World" in that there must be at LEAST 20 different amazing things about the song that absolutely rule. The lyrics about being an orphan, and being in trouble ever since being in a basket on the freeway cracks me up every time. What an underrated band and album.

Looking for a break with a normal pop song? "Art for Art's Sake" fits the bill there. You will love that chorus because it's immediately memorable. I don't know what to make of the rest of the album. "Rock 'n Roll Lullaby" is just... weird, haha. Talking about the sandman coming to get you, but played like an old fashioned ballad. It's cool.

10cc really delivered with this underrated classic. Awesome band, awesome songs, awesome albums- 10cc should be talked about among the very best pop bands of the 70's.