Photo: AVRO, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
Our 10cc albums ranked list looks back at the recordings released by one of the most creative bands in classic rock history. 10cc released their first album in 1973, entitled 10cc. At the time, the group consisted of original members Eric Stewart, Lol Creme, Graham Gouldman, and Kevin Godley. The brilliant quartet released four albums together between 1973 and 1976. The band became a household name when their 1975 single, “I’m Not In Love,” became a worldwide hit single.
The band split in half in 1976, with Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman continuing as 10cc as a duo with other musicians. After the split, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman had a colossal hit entitled “The Things We Do For Love” on their first 10cc album. From that point on Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman released six more 10cc albums over the next 17 years that never really had much commercial success. While there’s more to their individual stories, especially Graham Gouldman, who has written many famous songs for bands such as the Hollies, Yardbirds, and many others, this article focuses on the 10cc album releases.
# 11 – Mirror Mirror
10cc’s Mirror Mirror album stands as the final 10cc album ever released. The album was issued in 1995. This is not really a 10cc album, but rather the combination of separate tracks recorded by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman mixed into what was called a 10cc album. After the album was released, Graham Gouldman continued to tour as 10cc without any of the other three original members. It’s all in a name.
# 10 –Ten Out of 10
We open our 10cc albums ranked list with the group’s Ten Out of 10 album. This is one you might not have ever heard of. The album failed to chart on both the UK album charts and the US album charts. There were no hit singles, although five singles were released. The only single to put a dent in the charts was the song “Don’t Turn Me Away,” which was a minor hit in Canada. Still, a really good song. The album was released in 1981. The album only featured Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart as Lol Cream and Kevin Godley had left the band a few years earlier. The rest of the band was just filled in with studio musicians.
# 9 – …Meanwhile
We move eleven years ahead to 1991 for the album …Meanwhile. This would be the first time all four original members of 10cc would play together on a 10cc album since the 1978 album How Dare You. Although it was only on a few tracks. The legendary drummer Jeff Porcaro played drums on the album with contributions from Dr. John and Andrew Gold. Check out “Woman In Love” and “Welcome To Paradise.”
# 8 – Windows in the Jungle
The 10cc album Windows in the Jungle was the band’s ninth studio album and once again only featured Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. The second single from the album, “Feel The Love,” became a top 10 hit in the Netherlands, but that’s about it as far as successful singles released from the record.
# 7 – Look Here!
In 1980, 10cc released the album Look Here! The album spawned the single “One-Two-Five.” The album was successful in Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands but only reached number 180 on the Billboard charts in the United States and number 35 in the United Kingdom. Both Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart said they were disappointed with what they released on this album
# 6 – 10cc
We finally get to a real 10cc album on our 10 10cc albums ranked list. By saying real 10cc, we mean a 10cc album that featured all four original members: Eric Stewart, Lol Creme, Graham Gouldman, and Kevin Godley. The 10cc album was released in 1973. It stands as the band’s great debut album. Many fans did not at first know how to take the band. The album is filled with sarcasm, humor, and many creative references to pop culture, surrounded by beautiful melodies and brilliant musicianship. One thing we did know for sure was that these guys would do something special.
# 5 – Sheet Music
Sheet Music was the follow-up album to 10cc’s debut. It is a much stronger record than their first one. The vocal arrangements were stunning on this one. 10cc were very creative in a Frank Zappa sort of way, yet their melodies were much sweeter and their vocals more appealing. But the genius and depth of the music were there if you listened closely. This is the album where it all comes together for the first time. Some standout tracks included “The Worst Band In The World,” “The Wall Street Shuffle,” and “Silly Love.”
# 4 – Bloody Tourist
Bloody Tourist was released in 1978 as the follow-up to the very successful Deceptive Bends album. It is a really good 10cc album. The band no longer sounds like the original group, but the songs are well-written, and the musicianship aided by the new members is top-notch. The standout track is the hit single “Dreadlock Holiday.”
# 3 – How Dare You!
The fantastic and underrated 10cc album How Dare You was released as the follow-up to 10cc’s groundbreaking, earth-shattering, successful album The Original Soundtrack. It is also the last album to feature all four members of the original 10cc: Eric Stewart, Lol Creme, Graham Gouldman, and Kevin Godley. This is an excellent album that, for whatever reason, was ignored by commercial radio and just about everyone else in the US when it was first released. However, it was warmly met with open arms in the UK, where the lead single, “Art For Art’s Sake,” hit number five on the UK Pop Charts. The second single, “I’m Mandy Fly Me,” hit number six in the UK. Both singles did not break the top 50 in the US. “Don’t Hang Up” stands as one of our favorite 10cc songs of all time.
# 2 – Deceptive Bends
In 1977, the band 10cc released the very successful Deceptive Bends album. The album featured only half of the band. Lol Creme and Kevin Godley left the band to work on other projects, which were supposed to be just for a temporary basis but turned into a permanent split. So this version of 10cc just featured Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. It would be a very successful version as the album’s lead single, entitled “The Things We Do For Love,” hit number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song also hit number one on the Canadian top singles charts and number six in the United Kingdom. The album itself hit number three on the UK album charts and broke the US Billboard Top 200’s Top 40, peaking at number 31
# 1 – The Original Soundtrack
We close out our 10cc album list with our favorite 10cc album, The Original Soundtrack. The album was released in 1975. It was one of the top 20 albums in the United States. It was much more popular in the United Kingdom, where it reached up to the number three spot on the UK Album Charts. The album featured the band’s biggest hit of their career in the song “I’m Not In Love.” It was one of the most unique, original pop singles ever released. Everyone loved it, and you couldn’t go a day without hearing it on the radio in 1975. The core legendary 10cc lineup of Eric Stewart, Lol Creme, Graham Gouldman, and Kevin Godley were still together when they released this album. It was the band’s career highlight. Other noted tracks included the grand suite “One Night In Paris” and “Life Is A Minestrone.”
Read More: Top 10cc Songs
Updated May 23, 2024
10cc Albums Ranked article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2024
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10cc were a delightfully quirky and massively talented band. My favorite is “Bloody Tourists” but all their albums are treats for the ears. What I think about here is how different the world of “pop” rock and roll, or “pop” music for short, is from Top 40 music.
At the time of Elton John, 10cc, The Eagles, too many bands and performers to count, the “most popular” songs were indeed a varied list. For every single from a Top 40 boy band or similar type like The Bay City Rollers, Elton John would be delighting listeners with some of the most tasteful and sometimes beautiful pop music ever recorded. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – that’s Beatle quality stuff, GOOD Beatle stuff.
But I hate to say that because today’s music has been splintered into such absurd degrees that the odds of a truly great single perhaps from 10cc like the gorgeous “I’m Not In Love” or Billy Joel’s “My Life” appearing alongside some of the most predictable and manufactured “songs” is almost non-existent. This is not good because for bands today who can and do write really great pop rock, exactly where to market them can be a very difficult challenge because people are increasingly locked in to their own “favorite” music, usually the same stuff over and over again.
So keeping the bands featured here for example is important to raise awareness among young listeners who some of the performers were, and hopefully, those of us who grew up around these bands might, in return, give a listen to some really good recent music, too. It’s out there, but oh so hard to track down!