Naming themselves after the metric total of semen that is ejaculated by the
average male, 10 cc was formed in 1972 by vocalist/guitarist Graham Gouldman
(who had worked with the later versions of Wayne Fontana's group the
Mindbenders and wrote such British and American top rock hits such as "For Your
Love" and "Heart Full Of Soul"-recorded by the Yardbirds and "Bus Stop" and
"Look Through Any Window," which were made famous by the Hollies) and fellow
singer/guitarist Eric Stewart as well as vocalists and multi-instrumentalists
Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.
In 1970, the fledgling group recorded a surprise number two UK hit called
"Neanderthal Man" (which also reached number twenty-two in America) as the band
Hotlegs, which would eventually evolve into 10 cc. The group recorded a cut
called "Donna" (number two in the UK), a sly satire of the late 50's doo wop
movement. This was the first in a string of hits focusing on the band's
tongue-in-cheek penchant for ironic and affectionate reclamations of old pop
singles. In 1973, they hit the number one spot in the UK with the tune "Rubber
Bullets" and number ten with both "Dean and I" and "Wall Street Shuffle," all
found on the lp by 10 cc called "Sheet Music" (1973).
In 1975, they again hit number one in the UK with the single "I'm Not In Love"
which also garnered their first American exposure (the song went to number two
on the Billboard Top 40). After this hit, Godley and Creme exited to record
together and work on other projects and Stewart and Gouldman released the album
"Deceptive Bends," a wonderfully energetic pop album that produced 10 cc's
biggest hit yet called "The Things We Do For Love"(1977).
After adding new members guitarist Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O'Malley and
drummer Stuart Tosh, the band released the album "Bloody Tourist," a fine
collection of pop tunes including the reggae hit "Dreadlock Holiday."
But the group could not manage any more hits and despite releasing several
albums they disbanded, as they could not recapture the magic and melodic pop
sounds that made them famous.
Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and
operates www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can secure your
copy of his
ebook called "The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting."
Robert can be contacted at robert@collectingvinylrecords.com.
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