10cc – 10cc (1973)

The band members had all been trying to breakthrough for a few years under various combinations and were friends working in Strawberry Studios in Stockport.  Eric Stewart had been in ‘The Mindbenders’ and Graham Gouldman had written hits for ‘The Yardbirds’, ‘The Hollies’ and ‘Hermans Hermits’ while Godley and Crème had hits with ‘Neanderthal Man’ under the name ‘Hotlegs’.  Working together on cheap American releases under various names they finally settled on the name 10CC and having written and recorded a pastiche of 50’s doowop ‘Donna’ they approached various record companies.  Eventually the weird and self-promoting Jonathon King took them on and released it as a single on his UK records label.  It was an instant hit and went to number 1.  The album was written by all four members who were all exceptional writers as well as performers and had 3 hit singles on it.  It is varied and quite brilliant too with Beatles influences and is pure early Seventies ‘pop’, although the band would morph into a more Arty style before Godly and Crème split in 1976 to form their own highly successful duo.  Gouldman and Stewart continued the band through the Century and Gouldman still tours the band as the only founding member.  Best songs on this debut are ‘Rubber Bullets’, ‘Headline Hustler’ and my favourite ‘The Dean and I’.