10cc's Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums

Feature Photo: AVRO, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/nl/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our “10cc’s Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums” list presents our picks for the best song from each individual album. The original four-member lineup of 10cc released four studio albums together, which may be a shock to some people who are not familiar with the history of the band. After the group’s fourth album, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme left, while Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman continued on as 10cc for almost another 20 years. Still, this was a group that released some fantastic music in the early ’70s that has become a major part of classic rock history. We love all their albums, even those released in the 1990s, because they were still filled with such well-written songs and brilliant musical performances. This may be a very interesting article for people who are not familiar with the band’s later music.

10cc (1973) – “Sand in My Face”

The brilliance of 10cc shines so wonderfully on this track. It’s like Frank Zappa meets the Beatles. The band’s debut album introduced the world to the music of 10cc. So many great cuts on their first record, including “Rubber Bullets,” “Donna,” “Johnny, Don’t Do It,” and many more.

Sheet Music (1974) – “The Worst Band in the World”

Ask most 10cc fans to choose their favorite 10cc album, and many will select Sheet Music. The sarcasm in the track “The Worst Band in the World” would define much of the band’s work during the 1970s. This is such good stuff. I love the video for this track, no matter how dated the technology in it was.

The Original Soundtrack (1975) – “I’m Not in Love”

There is no doubt what would be the pick here. The track “I’m Not in Love” turned out to be one of the biggest singles of the 1970s. It is an outlier in their catalog, as 10cc was not typically a conventional commercial band. Still, a great song is a great song, and this is one of the best ever written and recorded. Check out Diana Krall’s version of the song, which is a bare-bones piano vocal that shows just how brilliant this song still is, minus all the special effects.

How Dare You! (1976) – “Don’t Hang Up”

This song blew my mind the first time I heard it. 10cc had a tough test following up The Original Soundtrack, which featured their massive hit “I’m Not in Love.” The follow-up album, How Dare You!, was a great album that I believe is the best album they ever released. It didn’t have a major hit like “I’m Not in Love,” but overall, every track was just fantastic. The album’s closer, “Don’t Hang Up,” was just stunning!

Deceptive Bends (1977) – “Good Morning Judge”

The original four-member 10cc lineup split after the group’s fourth studio album. From this point on, original members Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart remained at the core of 10cc after Kevin Godley and Lol Creme left the band. Godley and Creme would make limited appearances again when 10cc revisited the original lineup in the 1990s, but Gouldman and Stewart remained the central partnership. They achieved a significant hit from the Deceptive Bends album with “The Things We Do for Love.” Nonetheless, the standout track here is the album’s opening song, “Good Morning Judge.”

Bloody Tourists (1978) – “Dreadlock Holiday”

The pick here is also the album’s hit single, “Dreadlock Holiday.” In my opinion, it is by far the best track on the album. The group now includes Rick Fenn, Paul Burgess, Stuart Tosh, and Duncan Mackay.

Look Hear? (1980) – “I Hate to Eat Alone”

Graham Gouldman displayed his enormous songwriting talents on the very personal song he wrote during the period of his divorce called “I Hate to Eat Alone.”

Ten Out of 10 (1981) – “The Power of Love”

10cc got a little boost of adrenaline through their collaboration with Andrew Gold. Our pick, “The Power of Love,” was written by Andrew Gold, Eric Stewart, and Graham Gouldman and appeared on the revised U.S. edition of Ten Out of 10 released in 1982.

Windows in the Jungle (1983) – “Feel the Love (Oomachasaooma)”

The standout track, “Feel the Love (Oomachasaooma),” featured legendary drummer Steve Gadd on the recording. Interestingly, the song celebrated a sort of reunion of the original 10cc as Godley and Creme directed the video for the song.

…Meanwhile (1992) – “The Stars Didn’t Show”

It had been almost ten years since 10cc had released a studio album. This release also brought all four original members back onto a 10cc studio album for the first time since 1976, although the return of Lol Creme and Kevin Godley was limited. Godley performed lead vocals on “The Stars Didn’t Show,” while both Godley and Creme contributed backing vocals elsewhere on the record. The standout track here is “The Stars Didn’t Show.”

Mirror Mirror (1995) – “Yvonne’s the One”

The final 10cc studio album was a mixed bag of mostly separate recordings by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman brought together under the 10cc name. Nonetheless, it was quite special for fans to be presented with a song co-written by Paul McCartney and Eric Stewart called “Yvonne’s the One.” McCartney also played rhythm guitar on the recording.