In the words of former 10cc man Kevin Godley: “People like their rock stars to live like rock stars. 10cc didn’t wear make-up, kill anyone, do smack… or commit suicide. No dysfunctional mythology equals unmemorable. That’s how it is.”
10cc didn’t live the clichéd rock-star life, and this 14-disc, 145-track collection shows that, musically, they dealt in clichés only for the sake of parody. Otherwise their arty, progressive and beautifully produced English pop-rock was richly diverse, melodically/lyrically imaginative and vividly memorable.
20 Years: 1972-1992 covers all their album releases from the self-titled debut to …Meanwhile, their damp-squib reunion record from ’92. Completists may whine that their final LP Mirror Mirror, released three years later, isn’t here. But two discs of single edits, alternative mixes and B-sides are.
10cc’s catalogue is fresh, inventive, delightful, given context here through an insightful essay by Liam Newton, author of the acclaimed biography Newton covers a lot of ground: Eric Stewart’s time with The Mindbenders; Graham Gouldman knocking out hits for The Yardbirds and more, and the pair, along with Godley and Lol Creme,
