How Dare You! - 10cc (1976)

One of my favorite albums (and an album cover that just says it all ). Though their biggest hit, I'm Not in Love, came from their previous album, this is their strongest album. To me, they're one of only a good handful of acts that were able to combine the eccentric with strong music sensibilities and studio mastery. They were particularly smart around their use of overdubbed vocals. Unlike a lot of contemporary performers they used it to create a mood, not to bolster weak vocals.

Frequently they remind me of Rundgren: artful and experimental but not without pop sensibilities. They're able to craft these beautiful, dreamy melodies and harmonies, but they're often used as a hook to reel you into some of their wilder tangents.


I Wanna Rule the World (the bridge at the 0:45 mark is insanely catchy)


I'm Mandy, Fly Me (promotional clip)

Beautiful, overdubbed vocals on this one. Just as dreamy sounding as I'm Not in Love. This, their second song about airplanes. Clockwork Creep from their previous album is about a plane with a bomb onboard.

Eric Stewart on the origins of the song - "National Airlines used to have this beautiful poster that they displayed of this gorgeous stewardess inviting you onto the plane. Now her name wasn't Mandy actually, it was something like, er, oh gosh knows, "I'm Cindy", a very American name. "I'm Cindy, fly me" which was a quite sexual connotation as well, but I remember seeing in Manchester this beautiful poster and just below it was this tramp, I mean a serious tramp, quite a raggedy guy, looking up at this girl, and I thought God, do you know, there's a song there. Look at that guy looking up at Cindy-fly-me and I know he's never gonna get on an aeroplane, I don't think, except in his dreams."


Art for Art's Sake (embedding disabled...drives me bonkers)


Head Room - another catchy one

http://www.dailymotion.co...g-up_music
Don't Hang Up - likely my favorite tune from this set about the end of a relationship. Beautiful but not without a sense of humor.
[Edited 2/19/10 12:44pm]

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Kool tracks -- I've always enjoyed 10cc's stuff--and now that you mention it, Yeah, I could see Todd himself singing these songs...




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paligap said:

Of these it's mostly I Wanna Rule the World that reminds me of him. I can see him performing it in his moonman suit.

I've come to appreciate some of their stuff. "Art for art sake" is OK from that list but "Good Morning Judge" is my cut. Love playing it on my guitar LOL.