Back in 1976 when albums were huge, big productions and singles were fashionable to be 6 minutes long, well…until they were edited for radio anyway. That tradition came back in fashion thanks to Queen and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Formed in Stockport back in the late sixties, 10CC always had a knack for penning quirky singles that attracted my attention. Anyone remember Rubber Bullets or Life Is A Minestrone? They were great pop tunes but had something different to make them that made them stand out from the crowd. The big single from this record was I’m Mandy Fly Me, which seemed to be at #1 forever, and it was a great song. It had all the elements to make it a success, and it had great crossover appeal. Pop fans loved it, rock fans loved it, and Prog fans loved it for the big arrangements. The band denied that this was a concept album, although they did admit to all the songs being connected. Art For Arts Sake is also on this record, but gets somewhat forgotten because of Mandy, but I really like that song and it’s superbly written.
Unfortunately, this would be the last album that the classic line up would record as they would split into two. Godley & Creme would break away and do their own thing – ultimately they would be super successful at doing pop videos. This is a great record and the band never gets mentioned as one of the greats, but I love them and this a fantastic record.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
