On This Day 24/03/1975 10cc

On this day, 24 March 1975, rock band 10cc played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre.

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. Godley and Creme’s songwriting has been said to be inspired by art and cinema.

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.

In March 1975 they released their third studio album The Original Soundtrack which peaked at number 3 in the UK album charts.

The Original Soundtrack was a critical and commercial success reaching No. 3 in the UK[5] and No. 15 in the US.

Ken Barnes gave the album a rave review in Rolling Stone, commenting, "Musically there's more going on than in ten Yes albums, yet it's generally as accessible as a straight pop band (though less so than the two preceding 10cc LPs)." He particularly praised the album for being ambitious without being excessive or pretentious, and for its lyrical content.

Village Voice critic Robert Christgau panned the album, remarking of the song "I'm Not in Love": "stretching your only decent melody (a non-satirical love song) over six tedious minutes, is that a joke?"

The first single "Life Is a Minestrone" was another UK Top 10 for the band, peaking at No. 7. Their biggest success came with the song that sold the album, "I'm Not in Love", which gave the band their second UK No. 1 in June 1975, staying there for two weeks. The song also provided them with their first major US chart success when the song reached No. 2.

On This Day 30/10/1974 10cc

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On this day, 30 October 1974, Manchester rock/pop band 10cc played Cardiff University, playing Swansea University a day later.

On this day, 30 October 1974, pop/rockers 10cc played Cardiff University.

A few months earlier the band had released their second album Sheet Music, which yielded the hit singles "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love". The album reached No. 9 in the UK and No. 81 in the United States.

It is thought by many to be the group’s best offering with impeccable writing and musicianship.

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 playing at the local Jewish Lads' Brigade.

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Live the band included drummer Paul Burgess supplementing the group’s drummer Kevin Godly, whose vocals were a key element to the group’s live performances.

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.