Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great album and now, great sounding on cd, too., August 23, 1998
By A Customer
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
10cc develops their own voice on an outstanding album!, August 1, 1998
By A Customer
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!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SIMPLY STATED - A MASTERPIECE, March 22, 2004
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.
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