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{{short description|English art rock band}}
{{About|the band|their eponymous album|10cc (album)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = 10cc
| image             = 10CC - TopPop 1974 2.png
| caption           = 10cc appearing on ''[[TopPop]]'' in [[Hilversum, Netherlands]], 1974:<br />(clockwise from top left) [[Eric Stewart]], [[Kevin Godley]], [[Graham Gouldman]], [[Lol Creme]]
| landscape         = yes
| alias             = 
| spinoff_of        = [[Hotlegs]]
| spinoffs          = [[Godley & Creme]], [[GG/06]]
| origin            = [[Stockport]], England
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Art rock]]<ref name="10cc_reviews">{{cite web|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/10883-10cc-tenology-review|title=The Quietus - Reviews - 10cc|work=[[The Quietus]]|date=4 December 2012 |access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref>|[[art pop]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Stannard|first1=Joseph|title=Are You Normal? 10cc's Graham Gouldman Interviewed|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/05095-10cc-interview-graham-gouldman|website=[[The Quietus]]|date=13 October 2010|access-date=24 July 2016|archive-date=17 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317120740/http://thequietus.com/articles/05095-10cc-interview-graham-gouldman|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[progressive pop]]<ref>{{citation|last1=Breithaupt|first1=Don|last2=Breithaupt|first2=Jeff|title=Night Moves: Pop Music in the Late '70s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mw1jAwAAQBAJ|year=2000|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-0-312-19821-3|page=71|access-date=24 July 2016|archive-date=13 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113133402/https://books.google.com/books?id=mw1jAwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[soft rock]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.notinhalloffame.com/rock-and-roll/item/377-435-10cc|title=Not in Hall of Fame - 466. 10cc|work=notinhalloffame.com|access-date=2 December 2015|archive-date=8 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208094645/http://www.notinhalloffame.com/rock-and-roll/item/377-435-10cc|url-status=live}}</ref> |[[pop rock]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Gaunt |first=Jeremy |title=10cc still exploring darker side of human nature, pop-style |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-10cc-idUKBRE97B0IK20130812 |publisher=[[Reuters]] |access-date=23 June 2023 |date=12 August 2013}}</ref>}}
| years_active      = {{hlist|1972–1983|1991–1995|1999–present}}
| label             = {{hlist|[[UK Records]]|[[Mercury Records]]|[[Polydor]]|[[Avex Group|Avex]]}}
| website           = {{URL|10cc.world}}
| current_members   = * [[Graham Gouldman]]
* [[Rick Fenn]]
* Keith Hayman
* Iain Hornal
* Andy Park
* Ben Stone
| past_members      = * [[Eric Stewart]]
* [[Lol Creme]]
* [[Kevin Godley]]
* [[Paul Burgess (musician)|Paul Burgess]]
* [[Stuart Tosh]]
* [[Tony O'Malley (musician)|Tony O'Malley]]
* [[Duncan Mackay (musician)|Duncan Mackay]]
* [[Vic Emerson]]
* Steve Piggot
* [[Gary Wallis]]
* Mick Wilson
* [[Mike Stevens (saxophonist)|Mike Stevens]]
}}

'''10cc''' are <!-- not "is"; British English is used for this article. See WP:ENGVAR for more info. --> an English [[rock music|rock]] band formed in [[Stockport]], southeast of [[Manchester]], in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians, [[Graham Gouldman]], [[Eric Stewart]], [[Kevin Godley]] and [[Lol Creme]], who had written and recorded together since 1968. The four members contributed to songwriting, working together in various permutations.<ref name=Erlewine>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/10cc-mn0000502163#biography|work=[[AllMusic]]|title=10cc biography|author=[[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]]}}</ref> Godley and Creme’s songwriting has been said to be inspired by [[Art pop|art]] and cinema.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://50connect.co.uk/index.asp?main=http://www.50connect.co.uk/50c/articlepages/entertainment_index.asp?sc%3Dmusic%26aID%3D15566 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071017093923/http://50connect.co.uk/index.asp?main=http://www.50connect.co.uk/50c/articlepages/entertainment_index.asp%3Fsc=music&aID=15566 |title=50 connect.co.uk - The leading website for the over 50's |archive-date=17 October 2007 |work=50connect.co.uk |access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref> The four members were multi-instrumentalists, singers, writers and producers. Most of the band's records were recorded at their own [[Strawberry Studios]] (North) in Stockport and Strawberry Studios (South) in [[Dorking]], with most of those engineered by Stewart.

From 1972 to 1978, 10cc had five consecutive UK top-ten albums: ''[[Sheet Music (10cc album)|Sheet Music]]'' (1974), ''[[The Original Soundtrack]]'' (1975), ''[[How Dare You! (album)|How Dare You!]]'' (1976), ''[[Deceptive Bends]]'' (1977), and ''[[Bloody Tourists]]'' (1978). 10cc also had twelve singles reach the UK Top 40, three of which were the chart-toppers "[[Rubber Bullets]]" (1973), "[[I'm Not in Love]]" (1975), and "[[Dreadlock Holiday]]" (1978). "I'm Not in Love" was their breakthrough worldwide hit, and is known for its innovative backing track. 

In 1976, Godley and Creme quit the band to concentrate on developing an electronic music device, "[[The Gizmo]]", and being in video production and music as [[Godley & Creme]].<ref name=Erlewine/> Stewart left the band in 1995. Since 1999, Gouldman has led a touring version of 10cc.

==First collaborations==
Three of the founding members of 10cc were childhood friends in the [[Manchester]] area. As boys, Godley and Creme knew each other; Gouldman and Godley attended the same secondary school, and their musical enthusiasm led to their playing at the local [[JLGB|Jewish Lads' Brigade]].<ref>Lester, Paul. "Heirs to The Beatles: The story of 10cc", ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]''</ref>

==1964–1969: Early bands==
Their first recorded collaboration was in 1964, when Gouldman's band The Whirlwinds recorded the Lol Creme composition "Baby Not Like You", as the B-side of their only single, "Look At Me". The Whirlwinds then changed members and name, becoming The Mockingbirds (including singer-guitarist Gouldman, bassist Bernard Basso and drummer Kevin Godley, formerly of The Sabres with Creme). The Mockingbirds recorded five singles in 1965–66 without any success, before dissolving.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tencc.fan-site.net/ggearly.html |title=Complete Mockingbirds discography at 10cc fan club website |publisher=Tencc.fan-site.net |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-date=5 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205203618/http://tencc.fan-site.net/ggearly.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The guitarist in both The Whirlwinds and The Mockingbirds was Stephen Jacobson, brother of writer [[Howard Jacobson]].<ref>Egan, Shaun (2004), ''The Guys Who Wrote 'em: Songwriting Geniuses of Rock and Pop'', Askill Publishing, {{ISBN|978-0-9545750-1-4}}, Graham Gouldman.</ref>

In June 1967, Godley and Creme reunited and recorded a solitary single ("Seeing Things Green" b/w "Easy Life" on UK CBS) under the name "The Yellow Bellow Room Boom".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tencc.fan-site.net/premarma.html#yellowbellow |title=See |publisher=Tencc.fan-site.net |access-date=23 August 2012 |archive-date=24 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324213419/http://tencc.fan-site.net/premarma.html#yellowbellow |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1969, Gouldman took them to a [[Marmalade Records]] recording session. The boss of Marmalade Records, [[Giorgio Gomelsky]], was impressed with Godley's falsetto voice and offered them a recording contract. In September 1969, Godley & Creme recorded some basic tracks at [[Strawberry Studios]], with Stewart on guitar and Gouldman on bass.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/injection004.htm |title=10cc : A Pure Injection of Pop, chapter 4, by Dave Thompson |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |work=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]] magazine, 11 April 1997|access-date=10 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100803002653/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/injection004.htm| archive-date= 3 August 2010 }}</ref> The song, "I'm Beside Myself" b/w "Animal Song", was released as a single, credited to Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon.

Gomelsky (an ex-manager of [[The Yardbirds]]) planned to market Godley & Creme as a duo, in the vein of [[Simon & Garfunkel]].<ref name="Strawberry">Liner notes to ''[[Strawberry Bubblegum]]'' CD, written by David Wells, June 2003</ref> Plans for an album by Frabjoy and Runcible Spoon faltered, however, when Marmalade ran out of funds.<ref name="Strawberry" /> Solo tracks by Godley and Gouldman, however–both involved Stewart and Creme–were released on a 1969 Marmalade Records compilation album, ''100 Proof''. Gouldman's track was "The Late Mr. Late"; a year later, Godley's song "To Fly Away" reappeared as "Fly Away", in the debut [[Hotlegs]] album, ''[[Thinks: School Stinks]]''.

Gouldman, meanwhile, had made a name for himself as a hit songwriter, penning "[[Heart Full of Soul]]", "[[Evil Hearted You]]" and "[[For Your Love]]" for [[The Yardbirds]], "[[Look Through Any Window]]," and "[[Bus Stop (song)|Bus Stop]]" for [[The Hollies]] as well as "[[No Milk Today]]", "East West," and "[[Listen People]]" for [[Herman's Hermits]].

==1965–1968: The Mindbenders==
Guitarist Eric Stewart was a member of [[Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders]], a group that hit No.&nbsp;1 with "[[The Game of Love (Wayne Fontana song)|The Game of Love]]", and scored a number of other mid-1960s hits. When Fontana left the band in October 1965, the group became known simply as [[the Mindbenders]], with Stewart as their lead vocalist. The band scored a hit with "[[A Groovy Kind of Love]]" (released December 1965) and made an appearance in the 1967 film ''[[To Sir, with Love]]'' with "It's Getting Harder All the Time" and "Off and Running".

In March 1968, Gouldman joined Stewart in the Mindbenders, replacing bassist Bob Lang and playing on some tour dates. Gouldman wrote two of the band's last three singles, "Schoolgirl" (released November 1967) and "Uncle Joe the Ice Cream Man" (August 1968). Those singles did not chart, and the Mindbenders broke up after a short tour of England in November.<ref name="Tremlett">{{cite book |last=Tremlett |first=George |title=The 10cc Story |publisher=Futura |year=1976 |isbn=978-0-86007-378-9}}</ref>

==1968–1970: Birth of Strawberry Studios; the bubblegum era==
In the dying days of the Mindbenders, Stewart began recording demos of new material at Inner City Studios, a Stockport studio then owned by Peter Tattersall, a former road manager for [[Billy J. Kramer]] and [[The Dakotas (band)|the Dakotas]]. In July 1968, Stewart joined Tattersall as a partner in the studio, where he could further hone his skills as a recording engineer.<ref name="band dead">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ericstewart.uk.com/questions4.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207015146/http://www.ericstewart.uk.com/questions4.htm |url-status=usurped |title=Questions and answers, page 4|archive-date=7 December 2008|website=ericstewart.uk.com}}</ref> In October 1968, the studio was moved to bigger premises and renamed [[Strawberry Studios]], after [[the Beatles]]' "[[Strawberry Fields Forever]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ericstewart.uk.com/questions9.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207015211/http://www.ericstewart.uk.com/questions9.htm|url-status=usurped|title=Questions and answers, page 9|archive-date=7 December 2008|website=ericstewart.uk.com}}</ref>

In 1969, Gouldman also began using Strawberry to record demos of songs he was writing for [[Marmalade (band)|Marmalade]]. He had become much more in demand as a songwriter than as a performer. By the end of the year, he too was a financial partner in the studios.<ref name="Strawberry" />

By 1969, all four members of the original 10cc line-up were working together regularly at Strawberry Studios. Around the same time, American [[bubblegum pop]] writer-producers [[Jerry Kasenetz]] and [[Jeffry Katz]] of [[Super K Productions]] came to England and commissioned Gouldman to write and produce formulaic bubblegum songs, many of which were recorded at Strawberry Studios, and were either augmented or performed entirely by varying combinations of the future 10cc line-up. Among the recordings from this period was "Sausalito", a No.&nbsp;86 US hit credited to [[Ohio Express]] and released in July 1969. In fact the song featured Gouldman on lead vocal, and vocal and instrumental backing by the other three future 10cc members.

In December 1969, Kasenetz and Katz agreed to a proposal by Gouldman that he work solely at Strawberry, rather than move constantly between Stockport, London and New York. Gouldman convinced the pair that these throwaway two-minute songs could all be written, performed and produced by him and his three colleagues, Stewart, Godley and Creme, at a fraction of the cost of hiring outside session musicians. Kasenetz and Katz booked the studio for three months.

Godley recalled:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minestrone.org/zigzag44.htm |title="Zigzag" magazine, January&nbsp;1975 |publisher=Minestrone.org |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828065835/http://www.minestrone.org/zigzag44.htm |archive-date=28 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><blockquote>We did a lot of tracks in a very short time – it was really like a machine. Twenty tracks in about two weeks – a lot of crap really – really shit. We used to do the voices, everything – it saved 'em money. We even did the female backing vocals.</blockquote>
The three-month project resulted in a number of tracks that appeared under various band names owned by Kasenetz-Katz, including "There Ain't No Umbopo" by [[Crazy Elephant]], "When He Comes" by Fighter Squadron and "Come on Plane" by Silver Fleet (all three with lead vocals by Godley), and "Susan's Tuba" by [[Freddie and the Dreamers]] (which was a hit in France and featured lead vocals by [[Freddie Garrity]], despite claims by some that it was Gouldman).<ref name="Strawberry" /> Lol Creme remembered: "Singles kept coming out under strange names that had really been recorded by us. I've no idea how many there were, or what happened to them all."

But Stewart described the Kasenetz-Katz deal as a breakthrough: "That allowed us to get the extra equipment to turn it into a real studio. To begin with they were interested in Graham's songwriting and when they heard that he was involved in a studio I think they thought the most economical thing for them to do would be to book his studio and then put him to work there – but they ended up recording Graham's songs and then some of Kevin and Lol's songs, and we were all working together."<ref name="Tremlett" />

==1970–1971: Hotlegs; Doctor Father; The New Wave Band; Festival==
When the three-month production deal with Kasenetz-Katz ended, Gouldman returned to New York to work as a staff songwriter for [[Super K Productions]] and the remaining three continued to dabble in the studio.

With Gouldman absent, Godley, Creme and Stewart continued recording singles. The first, "[[Neanderthal Man (song)|Neanderthal Man]]", released under the name [[Hotlegs]], began life as a test of drum layering at the new Strawberry Studios mixing desk,<ref name="Tremlett" /> but when released as a single by [[Fontana Records]] in July 1970, climbed to No.&nbsp;2 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and became a worldwide hit, selling more than two million copies. Around the same time, the trio released "Umbopo" under the name of [[Doctor Father]]. The song, a slower, longer and more melancholic version of the track earlier released under the name of Crazy Elephant, failed to chart.

Reverting to the successful band name Hotlegs, in early 1971 Godley, Creme and Stewart recorded the album ''[[Thinks: School Stinks]]'', which included "Neanderthal Man". They then recalled Gouldman for a short tour supporting [[the Moody Blues]], before releasing a follow-up single "Lady Sadie" b/w (Backed With) "The Loser". [[Philips Records]] reworked their sole album, removing "Neanderthal Man" and adding "Today", and issued it as ''Song''. Stewart, Creme and Godley released another single in February 1971 under yet another name, The New Wave Band, this time with former [[Herman's Hermits]] member [[Derek Leckenby|Derek "Lek" Leckenby]] on guitar. The song, a cover version of [[Paul Simon]]'s "[[Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel song)|Cecilia]]", was one of the few tracks the band released that they had not written. It also failed to chart.<ref>[http://www.manchesterbeat.com/bands/newwaveband/newwaveband.php "Manchester Beat" website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115060858/http://www.manchesterbeat.com/bands/newwaveband/newwaveband.php |date=15 January 2009}}</ref>

The band also continued outside production work at Strawberry, working with [[Dave Berry (musician)|Dave Berry]], [[Wayne Fontana]], Peter Cowap and Herman's Hermits, and doing original compositions for various UK football (soccer) teams. In 1971 they produced and played on ''Space Hymns'', an album by New Age musician [[Ramases]]; in 1972–73 they co-produced and played on two [[Neil Sedaka]] albums, ''[[Solitaire (Neil Sedaka album)|Solitaire]]'' and ''[[The Tra-La Days Are Over]]''. The experience of working on ''Solitaire'', which became a success for Sedaka, was enough to prompt the band to seek recognition on their own merits. Gouldman—who by 1972 was back at Strawberry Studios—said:

{{quote|text=It was Neil Sedaka's success that did it, I think. We'd just been accepting any job we were offered and were getting really frustrated. We knew that we were worth more than that, but it needed something to prod us into facing that. We were a bit choked to think that we'd done the whole of Neil's first album with him just for flat session fees when we could have been recording our own material.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minestrone.org/rc_04_84.htm |title=Graham Gouldman interview |work=[[Record Collector]] |year=1984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625193653/http://www.minestrone.org/rc_04_84.htm |archive-date=25 June 2008 |url-status=dead |access-date=2019-12-27}}</ref>}}

Stewart said the decision was made over a meal in a Chinese restaurant: "We asked ourselves whether we shouldn't pool our creative talents and try to do something with the songs that each of us was working on at the time."<ref name="Tremlett" /> Once again a four-piece, the group re-recorded the Hotlegs track "Today" (b/w a new Stewart/Gouldman song "Warm Me"), which was released under the name Festival.<ref>{{cite web |title=Festival |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/673871-Festival-3 |url-status=live |publisher=discogs.com |access-date=7 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819163038/https://www.discogs.com/artist/673871-Festival-3 |archive-date=19 August 2020}}</ref> The single failed to chart, and the band moved on to record a Stewart/Gouldman song, "Waterfall", in early 1972. Stewart offered the [[Acetate disc|acetate]] to [[Apple Records]]. He waited months before receiving a note from the label saying the song was not commercial enough to release as a single.

==1972–1976: Original line-up==
Undeterred by Apple's rejection, the group decided to plug another song which had been written as a possible B-side to "Waterfall", a Godley/Creme composition titled "[[Donna (10cc song)|Donna]]". The song was a [[Frank Zappa]]-influenced 1950s [[doo-wop]] parody, a sharp mix of commercial pop and irony with a chorus sung in falsetto. Stewart said: "We knew it had something. We only knew of one person who was mad enough to release it, and that was [[Jonathan King]]." Stewart called King, who drove to Strawberry, listened to the track and "fell about laughing", declaring: "It's fabulous, it's a hit."<ref name="Tremlett" />

[[File:Tencca.jpg|thumb|10cc in 1973 (l–r): Gouldman, Godley, Stewart, Creme (from the''[[10cc (album)|10cc]]'' album press-kit)]]

King signed the band to his [[UK Records]] label in July 1972 and dubbed them 10cc. By his own account, King chose the name after having a dream in which he was standing in front of the [[Hammersmith Odeon]] in London where the boarding read "10cc The Best Band in the World". A widely repeated claim, disputed by King<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/10cc.asp |title=Snopes.com, "10cc" |date=14 February 2000 |publisher=Snopes.com |access-date=10 August 2010}}</ref> and Godley,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rocknrolluniverse.com/rocknrolluniverse_456.htm |title=Interview with Kevin Godley, Rock N Roll Universe online interview, April&nbsp;2007 |publisher=Rocknrolluniverse.com |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721225957/http://rocknrolluniverse.com/rocknrolluniverse_456.htm |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> but confirmed in a 1988 interview with Creme,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minestrone.org/pulse.htm |title=Godley & Creme interviewed in ''Pulse'' magazine, April&nbsp;1988 |publisher=Minestrone.org |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120165059/http://www.minestrone.org/pulse.htm |archive-date=20 November 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> is that the band name represented ten [[cubic centimetre]]s, a volume of [[semen]] that was the average amount ejaculated (according to Creme), thus emphasizing their potency or prowess.

However, in a 2025 interview, Gouldman stated: "We got bored with giving the long-winded reason for how we got the name, then someone told us the average male ejaculation was 9cc. Since we were 1cc more, we started saying it was the average male ejaculation. Is it a real fact? I have no idea! But it is now."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jan/23/10ccs-graham-gouldman-every-west-indian-person-ive-spoken-to-loves-dreadlock-holiday-but-i-wouldnt-write-certain-lines-now |title=10cc's Graham Gouldman: 'Every West Indian person I've spoken to loves Dreadlock Holiday – but I wouldn't write certain lines now' |work=The Guardian |date=7 February 2025 |access-date=7 February 2025}}</ref> "Donna", released as the first 10cc single, was chosen by [[BBC Radio 1]] disc jockey [[Tony Blackburn]] as his Record of the Week, helping to launch it into the Top 30. The song peaked at No.&nbsp;2 in the UK in October 1972.

Although their second single, a similarly 1950s-influenced song called "Johnny Don't Do It", was not a major chart success, "[[Rubber Bullets]]", a catchy satirical take on the "[[Jailhouse Rock (song)|Jailhouse Rock]]" concept, became a hit internationally and gave 10cc their first British No.&nbsp;1 single in June 1973. They consolidated their success a few months later with "[[The Dean and I]]", which peaked at No.&nbsp;10 in September. They released two singles, "Headline Hustler" (in the US) and the self-mocking "The Worst Band in the World" (in the UK) and launched a UK tour on 26 August 1973, joined by second drummer [[Paul Burgess (musician)|Paul Burgess]], before returning to Strawberry Studios in November to record the remainder of their second LP, ''[[Sheet Music (10cc album)|Sheet Music]]'' (1974), which included "The Worst Band in the World" along with other hits "[[The Wall Street Shuffle]]" (No.&nbsp;10, 1974) and "[[Silly Love]]" (No.&nbsp;24, 1974). ''Sheet Music'' became the band's breakthrough album, remaining on the UK charts for six months and paving the way for a US tour in February 1974.

In February 1975, the band announced they were splitting with [[Jonathan King]] and that they had signed with [[Mercury Records]] for US$1&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite book|author=Dave Thompson|title=The Music Lover's Guide to Record Collecting|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tVVMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT465+ |year=2002 |publisher=Backbeat Books |isbn=978-1-61713-202-5|page=465}}</ref> The catalyst for the deal was one song–"[[I'm Not in Love]]". Stewart recalled:<blockquote>At that point in time we were still on Jonathan King's label, but struggling. We were absolutely skint, the lot of us, we were really struggling seriously, and [[Phonogram Inc.|Philips Phonogram]] wanted to do a deal with us. They wanted to buy Jonathan's contract. Our manager Ric Dixon invited them to listen to what we've done. Head of A & R [[Ensign Records|Nigel Grainge]] came up to our Strawberry Studio, heard the album and freaked. He said "This is a masterpiece, it's a done deal!". We did a five-year deal with them for five albums and they paid us a serious amount of money. It was Grainge's idea to release 'Life Is A Minestrone' as the first single holding back the big one to give us more longevity for the album.<ref name="Wales">{{cite web |title=Eric Stewart interview, Radio Wales, "I Write the Songs" |url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416190846/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Speaking in the [[BBC Four]] documentary ''I'm Not in Love: The Story of 10cc'' in 2015, Stewart expanded on the background, explaining that their royalty returns under the contract with King were a mere 4%.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} Creme therefore planned to sign with [[Richard Branson]]'s new [[Virgin Records|Virgin]] label. Stewart and Creme gave [[power of attorney]] to their manager [[Harvey Lisberg]] to finalise the deal, as they were both to go on holiday. Contrary to their instructions, Lisberg then accepted a revised offer from Phonogram. Creme said that he felt "horrified, embarrassed and disgusted – to this day I still am".<ref name=story />

''[[The Original Soundtrack]]'', which was already complete, was released just weeks later. It was both a critical and commercial success, and featured distinctive cover art created by the [[Hipgnosis]] team and drawn by musician and artist [[Humphrey Ocean]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/academicians/painters/humphrey-ocean-ra,195,AR.html |title=Humphrey Ocean biography at Royal Academy website |publisher=Royalacademy.org.uk |date=22 June 1951 |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128000118/http://royalacademy.org.uk/academicians/painters/humphrey-ocean-ra,195,AR.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is also notable for its opening track, Godley and Creme's "Une Nuit A Paris (One Night in Paris)", an eight-minute, multi-part "mini-operetta" that is thought to have been an influence on "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" by [[Queen (band)|Queen]].<ref name="10cc_reviews" />

[[File:Crowd at Knebworth House - Rolling Stones 1976.jpg|thumb|left|10cc crowd at a concert in [[Knebworth]], England, southwest of [[Cambridge]] with an attendance of 120,000, 1976]]

Although it bore an unlikely title (picked up from a radio talk show), "[[Life Is a Minestrone]]" (1975) was another UK Top 10 placing, peaking at No.&nbsp;7. Their biggest success came with the dreamy "I'm Not in Love", which gave the band their second UK No.&nbsp;1 in June 1975. The song provided them with their first US chart success when the song reached No.&nbsp;2. A collaborative effort built around a title by Stewart, "I'm Not in Love" is notable for its innovative production, especially its richly overdubbed choral backing. Godley said:<blockquote>If I was to pick one track from everything we've done, "I'm Not in Love" would be my favourite. It's got something that none of our other tracks have at all. It's not clever in a conscious way but it says it all so simply in, what, six minutes. – ''[[NME]]'', February 1976<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years 2">{{citation |first=John |last=Tobler |year=1992 |title=NME Rock 'N' Roll Years |edition=1 |publisher=Reed International Books Ltd |location=London |page=285 |id=CN 5585}}</ref></blockquote>

During that time, 10cc also collaborated with [[Justin Hayward]] on the single "Blue Guitar", being a backing band and doing production work. The song was also released on later reissues of the ''[[Blue Jays (album)|Blue Jays]]'' album by Hayward and [[John Lodge (musician)|John Lodge]].

[[File:Eric-Stewart 1976.jpg|thumb|Eric Stewart performing with 10cc in [[Mannheim]], Germany, April 1976]]

10cc's fourth LP, ''[[How Dare You! (album)|How Dare You!]]'' (1976), featuring another Hipgnosis cover, furnished two more UK Top Ten hits—the witty "[[Art for Art's Sake (10cc song)|Art for Art's Sake]]" (No.&nbsp;5 in January 1976) and "[[I'm Mandy, Fly Me]]" (No.&nbsp;6, April 1976). However, by this time the once close personal and working relationships between the four members had begun to fray, and it was the last album with the original line-up. 10cc's success prompted the 1976 re-release of the Hotlegs album under the new title ''[[You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think of It]]'' with two additional tracks. The title track was the epic B-side of "Neanderthal Man", a section of which had been reworked as "Fresh Air for My Mama" on the ''[[10cc (album)|10cc]]'' album.

==1976: Split==
Frictions mounted between the group's two creative teams during the recording of ''How Dare You'', with each pair realising how far apart their ideas had become.<ref name="pop">''Pop Scene – Australia's International Pop Magazine'', issue No 2, Gordon and Gotch, 1977.</ref> At the beginning of the sessions for the band's fifth album, further creative differences occurred; and Godley and Creme left 10cc to work on a project that eventually evolved into the triple-LP set ''[[Consequences (Godley & Creme album)|Consequences]]'' (1977), a sprawling concept album that featured contributions from satirist [[Peter Cook]] and jazz vocalist [[Sarah Vaughan]].

The first of a series of albums by [[Godley & Creme]], ''Consequences'' began as a demonstration record for the "[[The Gizmo|Gizmotron]]", an electric guitar effect they had invented. The device, which fitted over the bridge of an electric guitar, contained six small motor-driven wheels attached to small keys (four wheels for electric basses); when the key was depressed, the Gizmotron wheels bowed the guitar strings, producing notes and [[Chord (music)|chords]] with endless [[sustain]]. First used during the recording of the ''Sheet Music'' track "Old Wild Men", the device was designed to further cut their recording costs: by using it on an electric guitar with studio effects, they could effectively simulate strings and other sounds, enabling them to dispense with expensive orchestral overdubs.

In a 2007 interview with the ProGGnosis—Progressive Rock & Fusion website,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.proggnosis.com/interview.asp?theInterview=23|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017021830/http://www.proggnosis.com/interview.asp?theInterview=23|url-status=dead|title=ProgGnosis website interview with Kevin Godley, 23 June 2007|archive-date=17 October 2007}}</ref> Godley said: "We left because we no longer liked what Gouldman and Stewart were writing. We left because 10cc was becoming safe and predictable and we felt trapped." But speaking to ''Uncut'' magazine 10 years earlier,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.othermachines.org/blint/kev.shtml |title=Kevin Godley interview, "Uncut", 1997 |publisher=Othermachines.org |date=15 December 1997 |access-date=10 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820154425/http://www.othermachines.org/blint/kev.shtml |archive-date=20 August 2008}}</ref> he expressed regret about the band breaking up as they embarked on the ''Consequences'' project:{{quote|text=We'd reached a certain crossroads with 10cc and already spent three weeks on the genesis of what turned out to be ''Consequences''&nbsp;... The stuff that we were coming up with didn't have any home, we couldn't import it into 10cc. And we were kind of constrained by 10cc live&nbsp;... We felt like creative people who should give ourselves the opportunity to be as creative as possible and leaving seemed to be the right thing to do at that moment.

Unfortunately, the band wasn't democratic or smart enough at that time to allow us the freedom to go ahead and do this project and we were placed in the unfortunate position of having to leave to do it. Looking back, it was a very northern work ethic being applied to the group, all for one and one for all. If we'd been a little more free in our thinking with regard to our work practices, the band as a corporate and creative entity could have realised that it could have been useful rather than detrimental for two members to spend some time developing and then bring whatever they'd learned back to the corporate party. Unfortunately, that wasn't to be.

Our contemporaries were people like [[Roxy Music]] who allowed that to happen and they gained from that&nbsp;... Had we been allowed to get it out of our system and come back home, who knows what would have happened.}}

In a BBC Radio Wales interview<ref name="Wales" /> Stewart gave his side of the split:
{{quote|text=I was sorry to see them go. But we certainly did fall out at the time. I thought they were crazy. They were just walking away from something so big and successful. We'd had great success around the world and I thought we were just breaking in a very, very big way. The collective dynamite of those four people, four people who could all write, who could all sing a hit song. In one band.

(Yet) I think it becomes claustrophobic, in the fact that you're trying to perfect things and you're looking at each other and eventually you maybe say this relationship is a little too tight for me now, and I need to break away. And that's what in retrospect, I found out long after because I still speak to Godley and Creme who – Lol is my brother-in-law, so I've got to see him – but for quite a while we didn't talk. I just said you're out of your minds for leaving this band. We were on such a winning curve, Graham Gouldman and I had to decide, are we going to be 5cc? Are we gonna scrap the name completely? Well, we thought we, no, we'd better carry on because we, this is 10cc, we are 10cc, this band. Two of our members are leaving us and that's not our problem, but we've got to carry it on.}}

Stewart said that there were immediate benefits in the absence of Godley and Creme. "It became clear things went much smoother and the atmosphere was much more pleasant than with Lol and Kevin," he said.<ref name="pop" />

Godley & Creme went on to achieve success as a songwriting and recording duo, scoring several hits and releasing a string of LPs and singles. Having honed their skills on the clips that they made to promote their own singles (e.g. their 1985 single "[[Cry (Godley & Creme song)|Cry]]") they returned to their visual arts roots and became directors of music videos in the 1980s, creating videos for acts including [[George Harrison]] ("[[When We Was Fab]]"), [[Asia (band)|Asia]] ("[[Heat of the Moment (Asia song)|Heat of the Moment]]", "[[Only Time Will Tell (song)|Only Time Will Tell]]") [[The Police]] ("[[Every Breath You Take]]"), [[Duran Duran]] ("[[Girls on Film]]"), [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]] ("[[Two Tribes]]"), [[Peter Gabriel]]'s duet with [[Kate Bush]] ("[[Don't Give Up (Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush song)|Don't Give Up]]"), Yes’ “Leave It,” and [[Herbie Hancock]] ("[[Rockit (song)|Rockit]]"). They also directed a video for Stewart and Gouldman's "Feel the Love".

==1977–1983: Second era==
After the departure of Godley and Creme, Stewart and Gouldman opted to continue as 10cc, working with drummer [[Paul Burgess (musician)|Paul Burgess]], who had up to that point been their tour backup drummer. Their first album as a three-piece band was ''[[Deceptive Bends]]'' (1977), named after a sign on the [[Mickleham, Surrey|Mickleham]] bends on the [[A24 road (England)|A24]] between [[Leatherhead]] and [[Dorking]] in Surrey.<ref>{{cite web |title=10cc Deceptive Bends Print Signed by Aubrey Powell - ST. Pauls Gallery |url=https://stpaulsgallery.com/product/10cc-deceptive-bends-print-signed-by-aubrey-powell/ |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=stpaulsgallery.com |language=en-US |archive-date=6 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206140054/https://stpaulsgallery.com/product/10cc-deceptive-bends-print-signed-by-aubrey-powell/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The album, recorded at the newly completed Strawberry South Studio in Dorking, Surrey, reached No.&nbsp;3 in Britain and No.&nbsp;31 in the US and also yielded three hit singles, "[[The Things We Do for Love (song)|The Things We Do for Love]]" (UK No.&nbsp;6, US No.&nbsp;5), "[[Good Morning Judge]]" (UK No.&nbsp;5, US No.&nbsp;69) and "[[People in Love]]" (US No.&nbsp;40). Stewart later said he and Gouldman felt vindicated by its success: "I was out to prove also that we could write a hit album without Kevin and Lol&nbsp;... we did!"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ericstewart.uk.com/questions12.htm |title=Questions and Answers |first=Eric |last=Stewart |author-link=Eric Stewart |work=ericstewart.uk.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525074543/http://www.ericstewart.uk.com/questions12.htm |archive-date=25 May 2006 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

In 1977, 10cc embarked on an international tour with guitarist [[Rick Fenn]], keyboardist [[Tony O'Malley (musician)|Tony O'Malley]] ([[Kokomo (band)|Kokomo]]) and an additional drummer [[Stuart Tosh]] (ex-[[Pilot (Scottish band)|Pilot]]) and recorded a live album, "[[Live and Let Live (10cc album)|Live and Let Live]]" (1977), which mixed the hits with material by Stewart and Gouldman from 10cc's career (alongside two songs written with Godley and Creme). Fenn, Tosh, Burgess and keyboardist [[Duncan Mackay (musician)|Duncan Mackay]], who replaced Tony O'Malley after the tour, were now full members of the band and performed on 1978's ''[[Bloody Tourists]]'', which provided the band with their international No.&nbsp;1 single, the reggae-styled "[[Dreadlock Holiday]]", also their third UK No.&nbsp;1. Both ''Bloody Tourists'' and "Dreadlock Holiday" were very successful around the world; however, additional songs released as singles became only minor hits, with the second UK single "Reds in My Bed", featuring lead vocals by Tosh, failing to chart.

The band suffered a major setback in January 1979 when Stewart was seriously injured in a car crash. Due to his injuries he was unable to work on music, and 10cc had to be put on hold. This led to the cancellation of part of a tour, and to other band members working on solo projects. Stewart later told the BBC:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |title=Stewart's BBC Radio Wales interview |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416190846/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{quote|text=It flattened me completely. I damaged my left ear, I damaged my eye very badly. I couldn't go near music. I couldn't go near anything loud and I love music and motor-racing. I had to stay away from both things for a long time, for about six months. And the momentum of this big machine that we'd had rolling slowed and slowed and slowed. And on the music scene, the punk thing had come in a big way. [[The Sex Pistols]], [[The Clash]], lots of things like that. So by the time I was fit again to play, I think we'd just missed the bus. It'd gone. And whatever we did after that, we got a few tickles here and there and we could continue touring forever on the strength of the past hits, but it didn't feel right again, we just didn't have that public with us.}}

Gouldman, too, considered the aftermath of Stewart's accident to be a turning point. In a 1995 BBC interview<ref name="Hayward">{{cite web |url=http://www.minestrone.org/wellabove.htm |title=Graham Gouldman interviewed by Justin Hayward, BBC2, 1995 |publisher=Minestrone.org |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312004538/http://www.minestrone.org/wellabove.htm |archive-date=12 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> he said:
{{quote|text=Really, after '78 things went downhill for us. I don't know what it was. We'd been doing it for so long, maybe we should have had a break then, rather than in '83 when we did have a break, or brought new blood in or done something. And even as the things were getting bad, we thought, 'Ah, it's gonna be all right, don't worry about it, it'll be great'.}}

While Stewart recovered, Gouldman recorded the title track to the film ''[[Sunburn (1979 film)|Sunburn]]'' with the help of some of the 10cc band members, which became a minor UK hit in 1979. Gouldman also recorded [[Animalympics (soundtrack)|the soundtrack]] to the animated film ''[[Animalympics]]'', which was originally intended as a 10cc project. Rick Fenn had great success touring with [[Mike Oldfield]] and recording with [[Nick Mason]], after being introduced to them by Eric Stewart, while Duncan Mackay took part in recording of the [[Kate Bush]] album ''[[Never for Ever]]''.

Filling the gap between 10cc releases, a greatest-hits compilation (''[[Greatest Hits 1972–1978]]'') was issued in late 1979, a single came out coupling "I'm Not in Love" with "For You and I", which failed to chart. As Stewart recovered, he recorded [[Girls (Eric Stewart album)|the soundtrack]] to the film ''[[Girls (1980 film)|Girls]]'', mainly working with Duncan Mackay, with other 10cc band members making guest appearances. The band signed with [[Warner Bros. Records]], producing a new 10cc offering entitled ''[[Look Hear?]]'' The lead single "One-Two-Five" failed to chart in their native UK, and the album proved to be less successful than previous 10cc albums. In the aftermath of the tour in support of it, Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman and the rest of the band members again embarked on a number of side projects.

Gouldman and Stewart then decided to continue 10cc as a duo with other members becoming session and touring musicians. The band returned to the Mercury label to record ''[[Ten Out of 10]]'' (1981) featuring Fenn and Burgess on a number of tracks. The UK release of the album (and its associated singles "Les Nouveaux Riches" and "Don't Turn Me Away") failed to chart. In a bid to inject an American flavour to the album and bolster its commercial appeal, Warner Bros. invited singer-songwriter [[Andrew Gold]] to contribute to a revised North American version of the LP. Gold wound up co-writing and playing on three new tracks which appeared on the North American release of ''[[Ten Out of 10]]''. This ultimately led to an offer from Gouldman and Stewart to officially join 10cc, an offer that Gold declined because of other commitments. Gouldman later admitted greater involvement by Gold might have lifted the band's early 1980s output from its mediocrity:

{{quote|text=We should either have tried to change direction, which we didn't, or got someone else in the band, which we almost did. The albums weren't really bad, there was always the integrity, and the production values, but in retrospect, I find them rather dour, rather lacklustre.<ref name="Goldmine10">{{cite web |url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/injection004.htm |title=10cc: A Pure Injection of Pop, chapter 10 |author=Dave Thompson |author-link1=Dave Thompson (author) |work=Goldmine magazine |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |date=11 April 1997 |access-date=10 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100803002653/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/injection004.htm| archive-date= 3 August 2010 <!--Added by DASHBot-->}}</ref>}}

Though revisions were made to the album for the North American market, ''[[Ten Out of 10]]'' did not chart in US, nor did any singles pulled from the LP. However, the single "Don't Turn Me Away" was a minor hit in Canada, reaching No.&nbsp;38. Ironically, this track was one that appeared on the original "less commercial" UK version of the LP, and was ''not'' one of the tracks that had been specially added to the North American release.

The band embarked on their 10th anniversary tour in early 1982, with Fenn, Burgess and Tosh joining Stewart and Gouldman, along with new keyboardist [[Vic Emerson]] of [[Sad Café]]. They released "The Power of Love", co-written with Andrew Gold, as a single, which did not chart. "Run Away", released as a single in June 1982, reached No.&nbsp;50 in the UK; "We've Heard it all Before" (October 1982) did not chart. All three of the singles were tracks from the revised North American version of ''Ten Out of 10'', and had not previously been issued in the UK. Stewart also released a 1982 solo album, ''[[Frooty Rooties]]'', with Burgess as a drummer and participation from Gouldman and Fenn on one track.

10cc began a UK tour in March 1983, coinciding with the release of the single "24 Hours". The song was made available both as a 7" and 10" single, with live versions of "Dreadlock Holiday" and "I'm Not in Love" on the B-sides. It failed to chart, as did a further single, "Feel The Love (Oomachasaooma)"/"She Gives Me Pain", issued in July 1983. "Feel The Love (Oomachasaooma)" was promoted by a tennis-themed video clip, directed by former 10cc members Godley and Creme, by now well into their joint careers as music video pioneers. The next 10cc LP, ''[[Windows in the Jungle]]'' (October 1983), used session heavyweights including drummer [[Steve Gadd]], but the album was dominated by Stewart; Gouldman only performed partial lead vocals on one song. It reached No.&nbsp;70 on the UK chart. The band toured the UK in October, with drummer Jamie Lane in place of Paul Burgess (who was working with [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]]). This turned out to be their last tour until they reformed eight years later.

==1984–1991: Separate projects==
After 1983, the band went into recess as Stewart produced recordings for [[Sad Café (band)|Sad Café]] and Gouldman produced tracks for the [[Ramones]].<ref>The Ramones namechecked 10cc on the Gouldman-produced song "It's Not My Place (in the 9 to 5 World)", a track on the ''[[Pleasant Dreams]]'' album.</ref> Stewart continued his association with [[Paul McCartney]]; he had already appeared on ''[[Tug of War (Paul McCartney album)|Tug of War]]'' in 1982 and ''[[Pipes of Peace]]'' in 1983. During 1984, he appeared in the video for the US single "So Bad" which also featured [[Ringo Starr]] and the feature film/soundtrack for ''[[Give My Regards to Broad Street]]''. He then co-wrote much of the ''[[Press to Play]]'' album (1986), though he was critical of the album's production.<ref name=superdeluxeedition>{{cite web |title=Eric Stewart on 10cc, Paul McCartney and his new two-disc Anthology |work=Super Deluxe Edition |date=3 December 2018 |access-date=5 December 2018 |url=http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/interview/eric-stewart-on-10cc-paul-mccartney-and-his-new-two-disc-anthology/// |archive-date=9 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209212608/http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/interview/eric-stewart-on-10cc-paul-mccartney-and-his-new-two-disc-anthology/ |url-status=live}}</ref> He also produced the album ''[[Eyes of a Woman]]'' (1985) by [[Agnetha Fältskog]] of [[ABBA]].

Gouldman, meanwhile, teamed with [[Andrew Gold]] to form the duo Common Knowledge, which after two unsuccessful singles changed their name to [[Wax (UK band)|Wax]]. The duo's albums included ''[[Magnetic Heaven]]'' (1986), ''[[American_English_(album)|American English]]'' (1987) and ''[[A Hundred Thousand in Fresh Notes]]'' (1989). The duo scored some success, including a Spanish No.&nbsp;1 single and their only British hit, "[[Bridge to Your Heart]]" (1987), which reached No.&nbsp;12.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book |last=Roberts |first=David |title=British Hit Singles & Albums |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |location=London |edition=19th |year=2006 |page=593 |isbn=1-904994-10-5}}</ref> Gouldman also assembled and produced the charity single "[[You'll Never Walk Alone]]" by [[The Crowd (band)|The Crowd]] in aid of the [[Bradford City stadium fire]]. Released in 1985, the single reached No.&nbsp;1 on the UK chart. A compilation album, ''[[Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme]]'', was released in 1987 and gave the band their biggest hit album since 1978. A four CD box set, ''[[Greatest Songs and More (Great Box)|Greatest Songs and More]]'', was issued in Japan in 1991, which included many b-sides available on CD for the first time.

==1991–1995: 10cc reunited==
In 1991, the original four members reunited to record ''[[...Meanwhile]]'' (1992), an album produced by [[Gary Katz]] of [[Steely Dan]] fame. Katz was suggested by the record label Polydor who wanted 10cc to enjoy success in America, and because of his links to Steely Dan—a similar-sounding 1970s band. All the album's songs were written by Stewart and Gouldman (with the exception of one track which was co-written by Stewart and [[Paul McCartney]] in the late 1980s with additional writing from Gouldman). Creme and Godley agreed to guest on the album to fulfil their obligation to Polydor—both had owed Polydor one album when they split in the late 1980s.{{fact|date=October 2024}} Godley and Creme sang background vocals on several tracks on the album. Godley also sang the lead on one song, "The Stars Didn't Show".{{fact|date=October 2024}}

''...Meanwhile'' did not spawn any major hits, but was relatively well received in Japan and in Europe. It prominently featured session musicians [[Jeff Porcaro]] of [[Toto (band)|Toto]] on drums, Freddie Washington on bass, [[Michael Landau]] on lead and rhythm guitar, and Bashiri Johnson on percussion. Also appearing on the album were [[Dr. John]] (Mac Rebennack) on piano, [[David Paich]] (also of Toto fame) on keyboards, longtime 10cc collaborator [[Andrew Gold]] on guitar and many other renowned session musicians and singers.{{fact|date=October 2024}} ''...Meanwhile'' is believed to be Porcaro's last session work before he died of a heart attack.{{fact|date=October 2024}} [[Dr. John]] was recommended by producer Gary Katz and invited along to the sessions.{{fact|date=October 2024}}

Gouldman, in a 1995 interview,<ref name="Hayward" /> was philosophical about the album: "When we finally did come back to record again, it was based on market research that our record company had done, that said a new 10cc album would do really, really well. And, ah, history has proved that wrong." Yet according to Stewart, both he and Gouldman had approached the album positively. "We wrote in a three-month period, 22 songs. Every day we were coming up with new ideas, and they were getting better and better, as far as we were concerned. And they sounded like 10cc songs again."

A tour in 1993 followed the album, with former members Rick Fenn and Stuart Tosh returning alongside new players Steve Piggot (keyboards, synthesisers) and Gary Wallis (drum, percussion). This tour was captured on the live album and DVD ''[[Alive (10cc album)|Alive]]''.

In 1995, the band released ''[[Mirror Mirror (10cc album)|Mirror Mirror]]'', produced by Gouldman, Stewart and [[Adrian Lee (musician)|Adrian Lee]] of [[Mike + The Mechanics]], and without participation from Godley or Creme. Despite initial objections by Gouldman,<ref name="Inject12">{{cite web|url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/injection012.htm |title=10cc: A Pure Injection Of Pop by Dave Thompson, Goldmine magazine, 11&nbsp;April 1997 |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |date=11 April 1997 |access-date=10 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100801214459/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/injection012.htm| archive-date= 1 August 2010}}</ref> ''Mirror Mirror'' included an acoustic version of "[[I'm Not in Love]]" which became a No.&nbsp;29 UK hit single, but overall the album did not fare very well. Gouldman has described ''Mirror Mirror'' as "almost like two-halves of an album", largely a result of the fact that he and Stewart recorded in separate countries. "I don't like to say we hoodwinked the people, but you could say it's not quite what it appears to be, and anyone with any sense, who reads the credits, could see that," he told ''Goldmine'' magazine.<ref name="Inject12" /> Their recording arrangement also provided further evidence of a fractured relationship between Stewart and Gouldman: aside from "I'm Not in Love", Stewart did not appear on any of the tracks Gouldman played or sang on, while Gouldman did not appear on any of Stewart's tracks.{{fact|date=October 2024}} In the spring of 1995, the band toured Europe and Japan with a line-up of Stewart, Gouldman, Fenn, Tosh, Alan Park (keyboards, synthesisers) and Geoff Dunn (drums, percussion).{{fact|date=October 2024}}

Stewart left the band after this tour, and has since commented:<ref name="band dead"/> "10cc is well and truly finished as far as I am concerned." Married to a pair of sisters, Stewart and Creme have kept in touch.<ref name="LesterGuardianNov2012">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/nov/22/10cc-tragedy-didnt-stay-together|title=10cc: 'It was a tragedy we didn't stay together'|last=Lester|first=Paul|date=22 November 2012|work=The Guardian|access-date=11 July 2021|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711221034/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/nov/22/10cc-tragedy-didnt-stay-together|url-status=live}}</ref>

==1999–present: 10cc touring band, GG/06==
[[File:10cc2010.jpg|thumb|10cc on the Swedish show on ''[[Bingolotto]]'' on [[TV4 (Swedish TV channel)|TV4]], September 2010]]

In 1999, Gouldman convened a 10cc line-up consisting of himself, Fenn, [[Paul Burgess (musician)|Paul Burgess]], and new recruits Mick Wilson (vocals, guitar) and [[Mike Stevens (saxophonist)|Mike Stevens]] (vocals, keyboards, sax, guitar). This version of the band played their first gig at [[Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club]] in Birmingham and then began touring regularly in 2002. This iteration of the group toured both the UK and overseas, playing 10cc hits plus a section of songs from Gouldman's songwriting career Wax. Wilson handled the majority of the lead vocals, taking over from Eric Stewart on that front.  Founding guitarist Lol Creme, discussing his newest live act in 2012, opined:
{{quote|author=Lol Creme|text=I understand Graham's need and want to go on the road and tour but maybe he could call the show, 'Graham Gouldman of 10cc' instead of just 10cc. I feel that as things are, the name is quite misleading to the fans. I know that Eric still gets emails from fans who were disappointed that he wasn't at these "10cc" shows. It really gets under his skin. I've still got a lot of respect for Graham and he was certainly an integral part of 10cc."<ref>{{cite web |title=Man on the Moon |work=Low Down: The definitive Liverpool Listings Guide |url=http://www.thelowdownmagazine.com/Man_on_the_Moon-4918.html |access-date=6 February 2019 |archive-date=7 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015334/http://www.thelowdownmagazine.com/Man_on_the_Moon-4918.html |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

In January 2004, Godley and Gouldman reconvened to write more songs. The band started offering the new songs through their website in 2006 and eventually released the EP ''[[GG/06: EP – 1]]''. A few of the songs were added to the 10cc live set, while the song "Son of Man" later became the opening theme for 10cc shows with Godley providing the video.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAHeXMWaBKs&t=52s|title=#SonOfMan #GG/06 film for #10cc stage intro|date=4 March 2019 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=10 August 2019|archive-date=17 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217190944/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAHeXMWaBKs&t=52s|url-status=live}}</ref>  Kevin Godley also joined 10cc live on several occasions.

A new 10cc touring member, Keith Hayman (keyboards), switched with Mike Stevens in 2006 and continued to do so until 2011.{{fact|date=October 2024}} The band released a live album and DVD titled ''[[Clever Clogs]]'' in 2008 featuring Kevin Godley on several songs, including GG/06's "BeautifulLoser.com".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/framsne.htm |title=The Official 10cc Fan Club/Latest News |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-date=13 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513001243/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/framsne.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> In early 2009, Gouldman's 10cc launched its website, 10ccworld.com (now 10cc.world). Since the release, the website offered various live recordings of the shows through its online store. Regarding new 10cc studio releases, Gouldman has said that without Stewart, Creme or Godley, there will never be another 10cc album, though he is happy to play past albums in concert.<ref>Graham Gouldman interview on ''Loose Women'' (07.04.09)</ref> Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band's formation, 10cc performed a concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 10 May 2012 with Kevin Godley performing several songs with the band. Universal Music also issued two box sets for this occasion. The first one titled ''Tenology'', a four-CD/one-DVD retrospective, was released on 19 November 2012. All four original members helped choose the track listing and gave interviews to [[Paul Lester]] as part of the project.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ericstewart.uk.com/ |title=Comments on Eric Stewart website, June 2012 |publisher=Ericstewart.uk.com |access-date=23 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010222080952/http://www.ericstewart.uk.com/ |archive-date=22 February 2001 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> The second box set titled ''Classic Album Selection'' featured albums from ''The Original Soundtrack'' to ''Live and Let Live'' along with bonus tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/10cc-classic-album-selection-box/|title=10cc / Classic Album Selection box|date=5 November 2012 |publisher=superdeluxeedition.com|access-date=10 August 2019|archive-date=26 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526145808/http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/10cc-classic-album-selection-box/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2015, [[BBC Four]] released the hour-long documentary titled ''I'm Not in Love: The Story of 10cc''.<ref name="story">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06r14pr |title=I'm Not in Love: The Story of 10cc – BBC Four |publisher=BBC |access-date=1 January 2017 |archive-date=5 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170105091736/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06r14pr |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016 Godley recorded a video performance of "Somewhere in Hollywood" for 10cc's live performance of the album ''Sheet Music'' during that year.<ref>Hall, Duncan (2015). "10cc's Graham Gouldman on recreating the Sheet Music album on tour", ''The Argus''</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEkdHZI8bwc|title=Somewhere in Hollywood|date=21 March 2019 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=10 August 2019|archive-date=23 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423074505/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEkdHZI8bwc&gl=US&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, Keith Hayman again replaced Mike Stevens on keyboards.

In July 2017, a box set titled ''Before, During and After: The Story of 10cc'' was released. The four-disc set contains 10cc material as well as material from the late 1960s and early 1970s that the band recorded under various names and material from various projects that band members were involved in after leaving the band. Eric Stewart also released a solo boxset through Cherry Records while promoting his autobiography.<ref>{{cite web |last=Schee |first=Stephen |title=ERIC STEWART: An EXCLUSIVE interview with the former 10cc member and Rock icon!". |url=https://www.ampeddistribution.com/2017/10/eric-stewart-an-exclusive-interview-with-the-former-10cc-member-and-rock-icon |publisher=Discussions.com |access-date=19 January 2019 |archive-date=20 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120050303/https://www.ampeddistribution.com/2017/10/eric-stewart-an-exclusive-interview-with-the-former-10cc-member-and-rock-icon |url-status=live}}</ref> In late 2017, the 10cc concert line-up changed with Iain Hornal taking Wilson's place permanently as vocalist, after filling in regularly since 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://10cc.world/biography/iain-hornal |title=Ian Hornal Biography |publisher=10cc.world |access-date=10 August 2019 |archive-date=10 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810211259/https://10cc.world/biography/iain-hornal |url-status=dead}}</ref> And Paul Canning subbed for Hornal briefly during 2018, then once again in November of 2023.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=https://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/framsne.htm |title=The Official 10cc Fan Club/Latest News |access-date=18 April 2024 |archive-date=15 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240415004852/https://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/framsne.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2020–2021, guitarist Nick Kendall subbed for Rick Fenn.<ref name="auto" /> On 19 July 2023 Graham and the group appeared on ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'', a UK breakfast TV show, performing "The Things We Do for Love", with Nick Kendall once again standing in for Rick Fenn.<ref name="auto" /> Keyboardist Ciaran Jeremiah accompanied the group on a November 2023 European tour filling in for Keith Hayman, who was touring with [[Cliff Richard]].<ref name="auto" />

On March 11, 2024, the band announced their first North American tour in forty six years, The Ultimate, Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour, due to commence on July 24, 2024, at the [[Wellmont Theater]] in [[Montclair, New Jersey]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Best Classic Bands |date=2024-03-20 |title=10cc Expands 2024 Tour, With First U.S. Shows in Over 30 Years |url=https://bestclassicbands.com/10cc-2024-tour-us-graham-gouldman-3-20-24/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=Best Classic Bands |language=en-GB}}</ref> Andy Park (vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, mandolin, keyboards) was brought in to sub for Iain Hornal, who was out performing with [[Electric Light Orchestra|Jeff Lynne's ELO]].<ref name=":0" />

In 2025, [[Kevin Godley]] reunited with [[Graham Gouldman]] for a special performance as 10cc for an edition of ''BBC Radio 2's  Piano Room'' with the [[BBC Concert Orchestra]] conducted by [[Anne Dudley]]. Three songs were performed including "[[I'm Not in Love]]", new composition "I Don't Want To Go To Heaven", and a cover version of "[[All I Have to Do Is Dream]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Radio 2's Piano Room |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0027lm0 |website=BBC Sounds |access-date=20 February 2025 |date=13 February 2025}}</ref> Gouldman has suggested that he might work with Godley again, but discounts a reunion with Stewart as the pair have not met up "in decades."<ref>{{cite web|title="A 10cc reunion? It's a hard no to that, I'm afraid": Why Graham Gouldman is one of Britain's greatest songwriters – even if people don't know it|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/graham-gouldman-10cc-heart-full-of-song-interview-2025|website=loudersound|date=5 March 2025|publisher=Louder Sound}}</ref> Godley and Gouldman confirmed in 2025 that neither have kept in touch with Creme.<ref>{{cite web|title=10cc: 'One guy told me that I'm Not in Love destroyed his marriage'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interviews/10cc-im-not-in-love/?msockid=28e37fdb10656faa25406b83111a6e3a|website=The Telegraph|date=14 February 2025}}</ref>

==Personnel==
{{main|List of 10cc band members}}
'''Current members'''
* [[Graham Gouldman]] – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion <small>(1972–1983, 1991–1995, 1999–present)</small>
* [[Rick Fenn]] – lead guitar, backing and lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards <small>(1976–1983, 1993–1995, 1999–present)</small>
* Keith Hayman – keyboards, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals <small>(2006–2011, 2016–present)</small>
* Iain Hornal – lead and backing vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboards, mandolin <small>(2017–present; substitute 2014–2017)</small>
* Ben Stone – drums, percussion <small>(2025–present)</small>

== Discography ==
{{Main|10cc discography}}

{{div col}}
* ''[[10cc (album)|10cc]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Sheet Music (10cc album)|Sheet Music]]'' (1974)
* ''[[The Original Soundtrack]]'' (1975)
* ''[[How Dare You! (album)|How Dare You!]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Deceptive Bends]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Bloody Tourists]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Look Hear?]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Ten Out of 10]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Windows in the Jungle]]'' (1983)
* ''[[...Meanwhile]]'' (1992)
* ''[[Mirror Mirror (10cc album)|Mirror Mirror]]'' (1995)
{{div col end}}

== Filmography ==
'''Concert films'''

* Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour (2022) – Recorded at the New Theatre Oxford on 27 October 2022, the ''Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour'' concert film was released as a live concert stream on 1 December 2022.<ref>{{cite web |date=1 December 2022 |title=Stream 10cc The Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour {{!}} On Air |url=https://onair.events/10cc-the-ultimate-greatest-hits-tour |website=On Air}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* [[Dave Thompson (author)|Thompson, Dave]]: ''The Cost of Living in Dreams – The 10cc Story''. Create Space, 2012 {{ISBN|153692816X}}
* Newton, Liam: ''The Worst Band In The World'' (2020) {{ISBN|9781910978450}}

==External links==
{{external links|date=August 2024}}
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.10cc.world/ Official website] of the current{{when|date=July 2020}} 10cc touring band
* [http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/ Official 10cc fan club website]
* [https://www.myspace.com/tencc 10cc Myspace]
* [https://10ccfromthewarnerbrosyears.webstarts.com/ 10cc from the Warner Bros. years at Webstarts]
* [https://10cc.video.blog/ 10cc at WordPress]
* [http://tencc.fan-site.net/ 10cc fan collector website]
* [https://www.rockerzine.com/2017/04/9463/ Reviewed: 10cc Live in Birmingham UK at Rocker Magazine]
* [https://consequences.podbean.com/ The 'Consequences 10cc Podcast' dedicated to 10cc and Godley & Creme, with particular focus on their album 'Consequences']

{{10cc}}
{{Godley & Creme}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:10cc| ]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1972]]
[[Category:English art rock groups]]
[[Category:English soft rock music groups]]
[[Category:Ivor Novello Award winners]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from Cheshire]]
[[Category:Music in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport]]
[[Category:Art pop groups]]
[[Category:Progressive pop groups]]
[[Category:1972 establishments in England]]