•
Rating: Personal premise: I consider 10cc one of the top bands in a hypothetical list of the most underrated bands of the '70s, at least in relation to what they contributed, even though they did achieve a modicum of success. Formed in Manchester in 1972, they immediately released a series of works we can define as Meta-pop/rock or art-pop, which quickly caught the attention of critics, though less so the public.
Their period of brilliance extends from their first self-titled album in 1973 up to (in my opinion) “Deceptive Bends” in 1977. A long streak of five consecutive LPs in which the band skillfully mixed Frank Zappa's freakishness with the melodic genius of the Beatles, a touch of avant-garde eclecticism, and the sonic schizophrenia of Gentle Giant, giving their sound a distinctive surrealist trademark. Another one of their characteristics (shared by few groups) is that all four of their original members were songwriters. A first step towards decline was therefore the departure of Godley and Creme in 1976 after “How Dare You,” leaving the two remaining geniuses and main voices of the group, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. They chose other companions and managed to release the aforementioned excellent “Deceptive Bends” and the less dazzling yet still solid “Bloody Tourists” in 1978. However, it became clear and definitive that their creative vein was waning with the subsequent “Look Here?-Are you normal” in 1980, the subject of this review.
Released in March 1980, Look Here finds the band in a moment of creative impasse and stylistic doubts. Punk, but above all post-punk and new wave, have burst onto the scene for at least two or three years, and the landscape has changed radically. The typical quirks of their early sixties phase no longer gain traction in the market. But it’s not just that. It’s really the writing itself that’s missing in this album. We hear flat and weakened pieces like the naive reggae of “How’m I Ever Gonna Say Goodbye” along with “It Doesn’t Matter At All” and “Lovers Anonymous.” Or the unsuccessful Latin-flavored attempt of “Don’t Send We Back.” The production is consistently excellent with clear and chiseled sounds, but the rest doesn't work. Moreover, the ironic humor in the lyrics, which made 10CC so enjoyable in the past, is almost absent.
The gems of the album, in my opinion, remain Stewart's ballad “I Took You Home”, which, although slightly under par compared to his golden standards, delivers good moments and is not at all disdainful. I also particularly enjoyed “Dressed To Kill”, which, with its urban funky rhythm and disco vibe, seems to have come straight from the “Bloody Tourists” sessions. These two tracks wouldn't have been out of place on one of their more successful previous albums. Even “I Hate To Eat Alone” deserves a small chance; another Stewart ballad but more concise and sparse, as well as a bit less sappy than usual. With a not unfavorably Beatlesque melody, the track flows well and is more than appreciable.
A notch lower, the self-referential opener “One-Two-Five” and the subsequent “Welcome To The World” with its electronic opening and dry, synthetized bass keeping with the times, manage to scrape by. Also passable is the dark and energetic “Strange Lover”, while “L.A. Inflatable” is a standard rock tune with no big surprises; definitely enjoyable but nothing more.
“Only Child” instead closes the album in a very poor way, just to keep the average low. It aims to be as successful and quirky as before but ends up being clunky and weak, even in terms of vocal performance and production.
In short, almost nothing seems to work on this album; “magically” even the Hipgnosis cover art turns out to be one of their least successful. The only element still at the level of the past is the vocal harmonies, which remain strong, but embedded in a compositional context that neutralizes and renders them ineffective.
Fortunately, the band will manage to bounce back with the more convincing “Ten Out Of Ten” in 1981, an LP that, while not heralding a great comeback or masterpiece, presents a band in good form. The next and last album of the '80s “Windows In The Jungle” in 1983, though returning to lower levels, is still better than “Look Here,” just to put it into perspective.
In conclusion: to be avoided. A classic album for completists or die-hard fans only…like yours truly.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
04 Don't Send We Back (03:20)
We came across from Korea
We braved the wind and the rain
We came a thousand miles just to be here
And you want to send we back again
We crossed Malaysian waters
We sailed the South China Sea
We stopped at Singapore and Jakarta
And you want to send we back to sea
Don't send we back, have mercy upon us
We know you don't want us but we've got no one
Don't send we back, we've run out of water
We won't last the morning in the baking sun
The Indonesian Islands
We stopped at every one
As for the Philippines we tried 'em
And you want to turn our boat around
09 I Hate to Eat Alone (02:57)
I picked myself up in a downtown bar
You know the feelin' was lousy
But as I'd come this far
Well it's too easy to drink
When nobody's home
But I hate to eat alone
'N' frozen dinners don't do much for me
When you've got T.V. on the table
'N' T.V. on T.V.
All you do is chew your fingers
Down to the bone
I hate to eat alone
Like the actor who's forgotten his words
You stumble through the story line
Another place another time
When you were with me
They say the city's rotten to the core
There's no communication with each other anymore
But we stopped talkin' to each other a long time before
And I hate to eat alone
Hear it in my words
See it in my eyes
Since you went away
I wear a cheap disguise
Waitin' for the mornin'
Waitin' on the light
Hopin' for the sunshine
Before the night
I didn't tell you that I had to change
So you just took it for granted
That we'd remain the same
I know that nobody's guilty
No one's to blame so I end up on my own
God I hate to eat alone
I hate to eat alone
I hate to eat alone
I hate to eat alone
10 Strange Lover (03:40)
Baby Baby Baby don't hurry
You've got your finger on me
Don't let go, no no no
I know you love it
It's running through my veins
You drink me dry
You take so much of me
And when you touch me
I see the magic in your eyes
And I can't move (I'm going under)
One kiss, I know, that I'm with you
Forever
Baby Baby don't make me worry
You only live for the night
It's not right, no no no
But in the morning
You seem to disappear
Here come the night
You seem to reappear
Is this a warning?
I've got a feeling you're not
Telling me the truth (you cast no shadow)
One kiss, I know, that I'm with you
Forever
Strange Lover, pale as the moon
You've no shadow, no face in the mirror
No complection, no reflection
Baby Baby Baby you're freezing
You send a shiver through me
I'm so cold, no no no
The day is dawning
We're moving underground
I must go with you
I start to realise
Your touch is deadly
I wanna look away
But I can't look away
I'm in your power and I'm lost
11 L.A. Inflatable (04:25)
Oh well her skin it was softer than velvet
And her eyes were as bright as a child's
Her lips were a promising picture
Warm and celluloid
But her words had me thinkin' too deeply
The meaning be-lying her face
Made me look just a little bit closer
Between the lines
L.A. smiles to hide the frown
L.A. promises to follow you down
L.A. teeth, and L.A. hair
L.A. curves that shouldn't be there
They really shouldn't be there
She said you've got to be seen at the Roxy
The strippers will know who we are
But you've got to be seen to be happy
You're a Tinseltown Star
You're going upwards and downwards and sideways
Man you're really caught up in a dream
With your head burning under the starlight
From the studio scene
L.A. smiles to hide the frown
L.A. promises to follow you down
L.A. teeth, and L.A. hair
L.A. curves that shouldn't be there
They really shouldn't be there
L.A. inflatable, she never says no
L.A. insatiable, you don't have to go
L.A. charisma
Well she knows all the famous musicians
Sometimes she sees how they play
And when the back stage passes are going
She really knows how to pay
She's a product of rock 'n' roll livin'
She's a victim of Hollywood hate
She's a soul survivor
She's the midnight special
Gonna lay you to waste
L.A. smiles to hide the frown
L.A. promises to follow you down
L.A. teeth, and L.A. hair
L.A. curves that shouldn't be there
They really shouldn't be there
Loading comments slowly
