Search - 10cc :: Collected (Dig)

Low expectations, quite pleasant outcome

Kevin D. Rathert | Carbondale, IL | 07/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"10cc never have gotten much respect from critics, and probably for good reason. These guys obviously had a lot of fun, wrote some fun ditties, played some real gritty rock and roll on occasion, and made a lot of money along the way. First off, I never thought I'd purchase, let alone review a 3 cd set of 10cc! Never imagined they could compile even a decent double anthology. Oops, my bad. While this set is fleshed out with the 1969 one off "Neanderthal Man" the often covered, just plain old gun pop song done under the pseudonym Hotlegs in 1969 and some post-10cc recordings by Graham Gouldman and Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, this vast majority of this quite enjoyable piece of the "Collected" series from the Netherlands consists of 10cc work. From the opening notes of "Wall Street Shuffle" Gouldman (well known for his tunes written for others, especially the Yardbirds) and crew let the listener know that they are not merely pop fluffers as we all suspected due to the constant airplay of hits like "I'm Not In Love" and "The Things We Do For Love" both huge smashes. But "Wall Street Shuffle" lets you know that Eric Stewart, least famous of the quartet, can pull off some pretty heavy lead guitar riffs and has some tasty solos in his repertoire. Hey "I"m Mandy Fly Me" is not Beethoven's Fifth Symphony by any means, but its a well crafted, well executed 6 minute charmer. The band anticipated the indulgent 80s years earlier as witnessed by the reference to Howard Hughes' vast wealth and the power of money in the above mentioned "WSS." Tongue in cheek it may be, but there's more to the song than meets the eye. The reference to Hughes' money making him feel better, and his ability to screw them (us) at any moment because money equalled/equals power as learned repeatedly by we, the humble masses. "Dreadlock Holiday" is a real 4 and a half minute slab of hit written all over it pop, that never quite hit, but still withstands the test of time. These guys have a lot more game than I ever imagined, and I gotta admit I only picked this set up on a lark. Being deadly serious about my music, I was ready to chastise the band as sell outs, money hungry vultures, etc. What a pleasant surprise to find that they really didn't take themselves so seriously, did have a short run of hits, and then quietly retired into obscurity. Obviously they didn't need the money, so something had to give them drive. I give Gouldman way too much credit to be mere money leach. Eric Stewart fooled me with his guitar prowess, and Godley and Creme were there all along, adding tasty tidbits to the band's body of work. These guys could have continued to sell tons of records if they'd cared to, but only stuck around for 7 or 8 years and took lots of time between releases. Obviously a lot better musicians and songwriters than I ever dreamed. And coming when they did, the height over self-indulgent, cocaine driven glam rock, what a breath of fresh air. My hats off to Universal (Netherlands) for a great series (collected) which includes JJ Cale, Cat Stevens, and others. As regards this collection, keep an open mind, search out a bargain from a drop shipper, drop a few dollars (or quid) and give it an open minded, open eared listen. You might just be pleasantly surprised. Hey, it is Graham Gouldman Of "For Your Love" "Heartfull of Soul" etc. fame. Do you realy think he'd have spent all those years with a bunch of cheap commercial chaps? Wrong. Pick up this set and let him (them) prove you wrong."