10cc
The original soundtrack

THE REVIEW

In the cauldron of 1970s English rock, 10cc deserves a special place as champions of easy listening music that re-evaluates the song form and often uses irony and eclecticism as their delightfully winning weapons. Of course, they cannot be strictly classified as progressive rock, missing many of the characteristic elements of that type of music, but a band blossoming in the 70s couldn't ignore the era's happenings.
10cc is a band with a long history behind it. The first hit by Graham Gouldman (one of the four founding members of the group) is For your love, brought to success by the Yardbirds. Then, under the name Hotlegs, the group achieved unexpected and worldwide success with Neanderthal man, which contained, in its essence, some characteristics of 10cc's distinctive style. The albums we are dealing with (The original soundtrack from 1975 and How dare you from 1977) were released after a series of chart hits (which were particularly successful in England). In these tracks, 10cc stands out for its ironic pop, sometimes fiercely sarcastic, that generally finds its natural dimension in a three to four-minute song often reminiscent of the Beatles' late-period songwriting. The original soundtrack represents, compared to previous productions, a decisive step forward in terms of composition, arrangements, and lyrics. The irony is present right from the title since the album is not the soundtrack of a film. The title refers, rather, to the final track, The film of my love, which, in its deliberate and unrestrained kitsch, reaches the heights of the horribly sublime. Listening to the track, one seems to see the prim images of the perfect Anglo/American family (personally, when re-listening to the piece these days, the image of George W. Bush, his wife, and offspring flashed in my mind). But, of course, there's more to the album: the divertissement of Life is a minestrone, with “juicy” gastronomic citations (upon reflection, the music of 10cc in these two inspired albums is a delightful minestrone): "….life is a minestrone, served with savory spices, death is a cold lasagna", The second sitting for the last supper, a more animated and captivating episode (with lyrics that Communion and Liberation would not have liked), the famous I’m not in love, a song with a romantic feel whose lyrics mock all the commonplaces of love lyrics (this track, thanks to the ever-grinding music industry, is nonetheless regularly included in love song compilations). Noteworthy in this song is particularly refined production, undoubtedly innovative for the time. There's also a suite One night in Paris, a sort of small rock opera with a vaguely vaudeville style, which seems less memorable compared to other tracks on the album. The next album, the last with the original lineup (Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, and Lol Creme plus the mentioned Gouldman), accentuates the ironic, deliberately grotesque aspects of music and lyrics. It is worth noting that all four musicians provided a creative contribution to the composition of the tracks and that for this reason, the specialized press at the time compared 10cc to a historic Liverpool quartet… It ranges from the almost Renzi-like irrepressible egocentrism of I wanna rule the world, which expresses a geometrically ridiculous and, at the same time, worrying will to power of disturbed personalities, to the fetishism of Iceberg (“…I’m in love with an iceberg….”), to the amorous mawkishness of Don’t hang up, an ideal continuation of the swoon and amorous sweetness of The film of my love.