Thinks: School Stinks (Dig) (Mlps) [Import, Limited Edition]

Hotlegs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 10, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Limited Edition
• Label: Universal Japan
• ASIN: B000FDF2C8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,818 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Neanderthal Man

2. How Many Times

3. Desperate Dan

4. Take Me Back

5. Um Wah Um Woh

6. Suite F.A.

7. Fly Away

8. Run Baby Run

9. All God's Children

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Promising first album form 10cc(as Hotlegs), August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Thinks: School Stinks (Audio CD)

Hotlegs is the earlier incarnation of 10cc. The album features Lol Creme, Eric Stewart & Kevin Godley and the hit single "Neanderthal Man". While the album flopped(and in the process allowing for the creation of and fresh start for 10cc), it nonetheless has a number of promising moments that would point to the sucess of future 10cc albums.

Lacking the input of Gouldman(who was in America writing schlock pop for the "founders" and creators of "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy"--the Spice girls of their day), the band also lacked some of the songwriting polish that would be an earmarker of the great 10cc albums.

The production is superb. Stewart's fingerprints are all over the production & engineering of this album. "How many times", the great "Um wah, um woh" and "Fly away" all are strong enough to have been considered for the first offical 10cc album. "Suite F.A." points to the mini rock operas Godley & Creme would attempt on 10CC'S THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK and SHEET MUSIC.

Although not as good as the best even early 10cc, this album paved the way and has all the touches of later 10cc albums. In some respects, I guess, you could call this album 7cc. Well worth owning, although probably not for the casual first time fan.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't Hold A Candle To early 10cc, October 17, 2006

By 

allismile0 "allismile0" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thinks: School Stinks (Audio CD)

...But it does show bits of unfocused promise here and there.

In some ways the music is fairly straightforward- using acoustic guitar as the base instrument in every song, while occasionally inserting a bit of horns and strings. The harmonies are reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash, (less like the Beach Boys) and the song structures and performances sound a lot like what Stephen Stills and other American rock bands were doing around 1971.

F.A. Suite is probably the strongest song on the album, and it has that multi-songs in a song thing that the Beatles did on Abbey Road. The multi-parts don't always feel entirely connected as they would on later 10cc efforts like Une Nuit A Paris or Don't Hang Up, but the melodies are pretty.

Another good song is All God's Children which sounds like a mixture of early King Crimson (Cadence in Cascade) and Beach Boys idealism ("hey California")- it's a pretty song- but would have disappears in any 10cc album.

Um Wah, Um Woh has it's moments too, it has a good energy to it, but goes on a bit too long.

Everything else including, Neanderthal Man (complete with Neanderthal lyrics and Neanderthal melody and Neanderthal rhythm), has none of that amazing musical force that 10cc would start brewing roughly a years later.

If anything, this album shows a band with potential but lack of focus and vision; something Graham Gouldman gave them when they became 10cc. As the only successful song writer at that point, Gouldman's ability to create a concise pop song seemed to make all the difference in the world.

In summation, this is a pleasant album with moments of creativity, but is far from anything special.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seminal Release From 10cc, July 25, 2007

By 

All You Need Is Sushi "JFK" (California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Thinks: School Stinks (Dig) (Mlps) (Audio CD)

In 1971, I attended a Moody Blues Concert in London, and the opening act was called HOTLEGS. They did their big hit, NEANDRATHAL MAN, and a number of complex pop songs, and they seemed to use an accordion synth of some sort. Wondereing what became of them after returning to college in New Hampshire, I wrote to MELODY MAKER magazine (the hip UK music rag) and asked. I'm still surprised and pleased that they wrote back (would that ever happen today?) to alert me to the fact that HOTLEGS was now known as 10CC.

Given where all these fellows went, from 10cc, to Godley & Creme being pioneers in music video production, Eric Stewart playing with Paul McCartney, and Graham Gouldman recording with Andrew Gold, this LP (CD) is a cornerstone for any 10cc fan. Newcomers might start with one of the twenty odd "Best of 10cc" collections to get their feet wet. Then, if you join the rest of us unworthy fans, you will enjoy HOTLEGS.