The Very Best Of

by 10cc

Overview

Given the near-impossibility of compiling a 10cc collection that satisfies both the general fan's demand for hits and highlights and the collector's relentless search for a historical document, the U.K. configuration of The Very Best of 10cc turned up a fascinating selection of cuts, not only trawling through the headline band's own catalog, but reaching back to their earlier incarnation as Hotlegs and forward to former members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme's own career as sporadic hitmakers. The end result, while it will win few prizes for musical coherence, nevertheless offers a second-to-none illustration of the often-manic creativity that percolated within the original quartet. The gulf between the earliest inclusion, Hotlegs' percussive novelty "Neanderthal Man," and the latest, Godley/Creme's lush "Cry," is immeasurable, all the more so when one considers that in between times, the team detoured through the neo-hard rock boogie of "Rubber Bullets," the '50s-flavored "Donna," the cod-reggae "Dreadlock Holiday," the Motown pastiche "Wedding Bells," and the extraordinarily Zappa-esque "Une Nuit a Paris." The fact that the compilation hangs together as well as it does, then, is tribute as much to the timeless invention of its best tracks as it is to the songs themselves. It is notable indeed that the most dated tracks ("I'm Mandy, Fly Me," "Good Morning Judge," "People in Love") are those that really have no purpose beyond a toe-tapping tune, and one must thank the British public for not encouraging this side of the band any more than they did -- compare this version of the album with its lukewarm, 15-track American counterpart for further details. ~ Dave Thompson

Product Details

Release Date:	01/31/2006
Label:	Mercury / Universal
UPC:	0731453461222

Tracks

1. Donna
2. Rubber Bullets
3. The Dean and I
4. The Wall Street Shuffle
5. Silly Love
6. Life Is a Minestrone
7. Une Nuit a Paris, Pt. 1: One Night in Paris/Pt. 2: The Same Night in Paris
8. I'm Not in Love
9. Art for Art's Sake
10. I'm Mandy, Fly Me
11. The Things We Do for Love
12. Good Morning Judge
13. Dreadlock Holiday
14. People in Love
15. Under Your Thumb
16. Wedding Bells
17. Cry
18. Neanderthal Man

Album Credits

Performance Credits

10cc   Primary Artist
Lol Creme   Primary Artist,Keyboards,Vocals,Guitar
Kevin Godley   Primary Artist,Drums,Vocals,Percussion
Hotlegs   Primary Artist
Hotlegs Llc   Primary Artist
Godley & Creme   Primary Artist
Eric Stewart   Keyboards,Vocals,Guitar
Graham Gouldman   Guitar (Bass),Vocals,Guitar

Technical Credits

Trevor Horn   Producer
10cc   Producer
Lol Creme   Composer
Godley & Creme   Composer,Performer
Bill Levenson   Compilation Producer
Terri Tierney   Project Coordinator
Chris Herles   Remastering
Catherine Ladis   Project Assistant
Eileen Cleary   Project Assistant
Chris White   Liner Notes
Laurence Neil Creme   Composer
Kevin Godley   Composer
Eric Stewart   Composer
Graham Gouldman   Composer
Bas Hartong   Compilation Producer