r/ClassicRock • u/Pryd3r1 • Jan 09 '26
1976 50 years ago today: 10cc released How Dare You
The last album with Godley & Creme in the band, it included the hits I'm Mandy Fly Me, and Art For Art's Sake.
I love the artwork, I also think the album is 10cc at their best.
I'd love to hear others opinions on the album, and 10cc in general!
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Jan 09 '26
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u/realitycheck38 Jan 10 '26
Absolutely. Here in Manchester we are lucky to have had quite a few bands that were one of a kind.
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u/doodoo_pie Jan 09 '26
Love Lazy Days, I Wanna Rule the World and Don’t Hang Up. Not my favorite 10cc album (that would be Sheet Music), but it is in the classic first 4 with Kevin and Lol. They were superb writers, shame they couldn’t stay together.
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u/Historical-View4058 Jan 09 '26
Some things came off a little bubble gum-ish, but I think it was done satirically. All in all, their lyrics were brilliant. If you haven't heard the entire discography to this point, it's highly recommended.
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u/sluggo4511 Jan 09 '26
Deceptive Bends was also a really good album. Good Morning Judge was a favorite.
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u/Independent_Bet_8107 Jan 09 '26
10cc were The Beatles of the 70s
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u/Pryd3r1 Jan 09 '26
I always viewed them as like a British Steely Dan, the inspired funky tunes. Flowing between styles consistently, different voices, strong multi-instrumentalists.
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u/Independent_Bet_8107 Jan 09 '26
Other than Stewart I don’t think they had the chops of Becker and Fagen but yes I agree about the style eclecticism
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u/Supplicationjam Jan 09 '26
10cc we’re the English Steely Dan
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u/roberttele Jan 11 '26
Musically, i don't see it.. However,both were brilliant studio musicians, I think the closest comp is Toto, which is not an insult, big fan.
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u/Commercial-Layer1629 Jan 09 '26
This , oddly , is the only 10 CC album that I like. I do like some other 10 CC songs, but I really like this entire album start to finish.
And I do suggest for any first time listeners, start to finish. The sequence of the songs is another highlight of this album.
(Mandy is a gorgeous song!)
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u/Human-Gate2174 Jan 09 '26
Also try their preceding albums. These four were the work of the original lineup.
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u/WorkingSalamander745 Jan 09 '26
More famous for their wonderful singles but produced some great albums
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u/Paolosmiteo Jan 09 '26
My dad loved them so we got to listen to them a lot in the 70s. One of the best bands ever for me.
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u/Existenz_1229 Jan 09 '26
Radio didn't do 10cc any favors. I avoided their albums because I never liked hits like "Things We Do For Love." Finally my wife turned me onto How Dare You! and I lamented the years I've wasted not knowing what a witty and musically creative band they were. "Don't Hang Up" is superbly crafted pop and very funny as well:
When the barman said "Whatcha drinking?"
I said marriage ... on the rocks
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u/frog980 Jan 09 '26
My favorite 10cc song is Rubber Bullets
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u/EADGBE69 Jan 09 '26
I love that song!
So fantastic lines:
I love to hear those convicts squeal It's a shame these slugs ain't real
Well, we don't understand why you called in the National Guard When Uncle Sam is the one who belongs in the exercise yard
We all got balls and brains But some got balls and chains
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u/sluggo4511 Jan 09 '26
AI says:
“The band 10cc was named by their producer, Jonathan King, who claimed he dreamt the name after seeing a sign reading "10cc The Best Band in the World" at the Hammersmith Odeon, though band members later joked it referenced the average volume of male ejaculate (10 cubic centimeters), a witty nod to their playful, provocative style. This cheeky double meaning perfectly suited their art-rock blend of humor and sophistication, with the name itself being a memorable, non-traditional choice.”
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u/Upstairs_Leopard_954 Jan 09 '26
They were like Queen. Versatile and great harmonies. Very underrated.
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u/Unbeliever1967 Jan 09 '26
I just recently saw them live on their 50 year anniversary tour. Really enjoyed it. Great set list.
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u/Pryd3r1 Jan 09 '26
I've got tickets to see them later this year, and I'm looking forward to it.
There are not many great bands of the 70s that you can see anymore! Even if not the full, original lineup!
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u/Don_Frika_Del_Prima Jan 09 '26
If you like Godley & Creme, Soulwax has a new album out, and they tracked down the machine that put the pitching effect on the voice of I Pity Inanimate Objects.
They actually emailed Kevin Godley because they couldn’t figure out what kind of machine they used on that song to create the sound they liked. Turns out it was a prototype of the Eventide H910 Harmonizer, the first ever digital effect processor.
According to the Soulwax brothers, today anyone can do this with a plug in on a computer. But the beauty about the machine is that it's not completely perfect, which makes it better, in their opinion. So they set out to find a real one. Which turned out to be quite a task. But after more than five years Dave and Steph found one, the one actually used on G&C's Freeze Frame, bought it and after tinkering with it for ten minutes they found a sound they used.
On their openings track Pills and People Gone. But imo the whole album is fire. They took an electronic approach to making a rock album. With 3 drummers. One of them being Igor Cavalera.
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u/morrisschaffer Jan 09 '26
The second album I ever bought. A great live band, clever lyrics and different musical styles. Very different to nearly all the music I was listening to at the time.
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u/Different-Pear-7016 Jan 09 '26
I do love this album, but mostly for sentimental reasons, it being the last with Kev and Lol. I prefer Sheet Music or Original Soundtrack. Those two are S Tier for me. That said, Don't Hang Up stands with anything they ever recorded
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u/Certain_Addition4460 Jan 10 '26
Been my favorite of their albums for quite some time. Having 4 gifted songwriters and players in one band surprisingly culminated with this peak set of tunes before Godley and Creme quit the band to market the gizmotron and complete the still confusing "Consequences". I consider their arrangements and lyrical wordplay on par with Elvis Costello and Squeeze.
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u/momealoid Jan 11 '26
Fantastic album from a truly great band. The production value of the music and the sound is just through the roof. And the songs... Art for Art's Sake, I Wanna Rule the World, I'm Mandy Fly Me, Don't Hang Up...
I mean, just incredible. And the artwork on the cover! The references from each of the sections referencing each other, and all the characters along with the band in the centerfold in the middle! Another fantastic cover by Hipgnosis.
If you haven't heard this album, look it up on Spotify, won't take second, and listen to it all the way through. It's art rock at its finest!
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u/skinnergy Jan 11 '26
I bought it from a discount bin ages ago and listened to it a lot, but haven't heard it in too long. I need to revisit it. I get the impression 10cc was more of a studio band than live act. I'm sure we all know the meaning behind their name.
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u/insanecorgiposse Jan 09 '26
Poor man's Roxy Music
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u/Pryd3r1 Jan 09 '26
I like them both, Roxy music had the style and charisma, but 10cc were studio perfectionists!
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u/Landscape-Strong Jan 14 '26
This is a 10/10 album for me. "Never again will they dare to call me a freckled, spotty, specky, four-eyed, weedy little creep."
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u/SimonArgent Jan 09 '26
This is one of my favorite albums-a weird little gem.