10cc – The Original Soundtrack

Of course, "I'm not in love" is the big hit, but the rest of 10cc's The Original Soundtrack, while certainly more obscure, is an adventure in eclectic soundscapes. The quality of this 1975 pressing is surprisingly good, and the mastering is clean and clear. Many of the tracks feature highs that are recorded with a great deal of clarity which I found quite pleasant. While I doubt The Original Soundtrack is going to be everyone's cup of tea, I found it to be fun and weirdly enjoyable.

Probably the biggest problems, if one can call it a problem is that there were no less then two really strong writing teams within the ranks of 10CC ... those being Kevin Godley and Lol Creme [and] Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. The first half of the team took a very artsy, and as I said, cinematic view of the music, while latter were more straight forward in their approach to pop music. Non of these people could be considered a ‘flash in the pan’ in any manner ... Eric Stewart had been a member and writer for Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders and had a super hit with “The Game Of Love,” “A Groovy Kind Of Love” and several other songs. Gouldman succeeded in knocking out the world by writing both “For Your Love” and “Heart Full Of Soul” for the Yardbirds [ Eric Claption and Jimmy Page], the songs “Bus Stop” and “Look Through Any Window” for The Hollies [and of course you Graham Nash from CS&N] and he even wrote two hits for the group Herman’s Hermits. They were also part of, if I may put it this way, a music factory, who turned out one hit after bubble gum and pop hit after another. The point being, that individually, these guys had tremendous street credits, all it took was for them to merge their talents and take the world by storm.

The stage has been set, the chemistry is perfect, and the timing leaves nothing to be desired ... “The Original Soundtrack” is a brilliantly fun album and sets the stage for nearly all of the work by 10 CC.

The group leaves nothing to chance, considerations have been weighed and judgments ed ... and with that amount of effort how could they possibly not have a success. I have been accused of being an elitist because I dig 10 CC, and I’m not going to tell you that there is not a certain amount of acquired taste ... but if there is any wait at all in your musical decision, and you come to love this band as much as I, it will all have been worth your while.

Review by Jenell Kesler