Deriving their name from the metric total of semen ejaculated by the average male, the tongue-in-cheek British art-pop band 10cc comprised an all-star roster of Manchester-based musicians: vocalist/guitarist Graham Gouldman was a former member of the Mockingbirds and the author of hits for the Yardbirds, the Hollies, Herman's Hermits and Jeff Beck; singer/guitarist Eric Stewart was an alum of Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders; and vocalists/multi-instrumentalists Kevin Godley and Lol Creme were both highly regarded studio players.

Formed in 1970, 10cc began as a session unit dubbed Hotlegs; after establishing residence at Stewart's Strawberry Studios, Hotlegs scored a surprise U.K. smash with the single "Neanderthal Man," subsequently issuing an LP, Thinks: School Times and touring with the Moody Blues. After signing to Jonathan King's U.K. label and rechristening themselves 10cc (a name suggested by King himself), the group backed Neil Sedaka before recording 1972's "Donna," a sly satire of late-'50s doo wop.

The single reached the number two position on the British charts, establishing not only a long-running string of major hits, but also the quartet's fondness for ironic and affectionate reclamations of musty pop styles. The follow-up, "Rubber Bullets," topped the charts in 1973, and both the subsequent single "The Dean and I" (a nostalgic look at academia recalling Jerry Lee Lewis’ "High School Confidential") and an eponymously titled debut LP further solidified 10cc as a major force in British pop.

While 1974's Sheet Music and singles, including the Brian Wilson-esque "Wall Street Shuffle," "Silly Love" and "Life Is a Minestrone" continued 10cc's dominance of the U.K. charts, they found the American market virtually impenetrable prior to the release of 1975's "I'm Not in Love," which topped the charts at home and climbed as high as number two in the States.

After 1975's Original Soundtrack and the next year's How Dare You!, Godley and Creme exited to focus on video production as well as developing the Gizmo, a guitar modification device the duo invented. In the wake of their departure, Gouldman and Stewart continued on alone, enlisting the aid of session men to record 1977's Deceptive Bends, highlighted by the perennial "The Things We Do for Love."

After recruiting guitarist Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O’Malley and drummer Stuart Tosh as full-time members, 10cc returned in 1978 with Bloody Tourists, which yielded the number one reggae nod "Dreadlock Holiday." Following a series of unsuccessful efforts, including 1980s Look Hear?, 1981's 10 Out of 10 and 1983's Window in the Jungle, the group disbanded; while Stewart produced Sad Cafe and worked with Paul McCartney, Gouldman supervised recordings for the Ramones and Gilbert O’Sullivan before joining Andrew Gold in the duo Wax.

In 1992, the original line-up of 10cc reunited for the LP Meanwhile, while only Gouldman and Stewart remained for 1993's Mirror Mirror. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

For The Record

Members include Paul Burgess (unofficially joined group as tour drummer, 1973), drums; LolCrème (born Lawrence Crème on September 19, 1947, in Manchester, England; left group, 1976), guitar, vocals; Rick Fenn (joined group, 1977), guitar;Kevin Godley (born on October 7, 1945; left group, 1976), drums, vocals; Graham Gouldman (born on May 10, 1945, in Manchester, England), bass, vocals; Tony O'Malley (joined group, 1977), keyboards; Duncan Mackay (joined group, 1978), keyboards; Stephen Pigott (joined group for tour, 1993), keyboards; Eric Stewart (born January 20, 1945, in Manchester, England), guitar, vocals; Stuart Tosh (joined group, 1977), drums, vocals; Gary Wallis (joined group for tour, 1993), drums.

Stewart and Gouldman became members of Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, 1966; Stewart, Godley, and Crème form band Hotlegs and record number-two U.K. single "Neanderthal Man" on Fontana Label, 1970; Gouldman joined Hotlegs for tour supporting Moody Blues, 1970; Hotlegs used as studio and backup band for Neil Sedaka's Solitaire album and subsequent tour, 1971; 10cc signed by Jonathon King's U.K. label, 1972; first single, "Donna," charted at number two in U.K., 1972; released debut album, 10cc, 1973; "Rubber Bullets" single reached number one in U.K., 1973; released Sheet Music, 1974; released Original Soundtrack on Mercury label, 1975; released How Dare You!, 1976; Crème and Godley left group to pursue career as musical duo and market Gizmo musical instrument, 1976; Stewart and Gouldman recorded Deceptive Bends with hit single "The Things We Do for Love," 1977; Stewart and Gouldman hired Paul Burgess, Rick Fenn, Tony O'Malley, and Stuart Tosh, 1977; Duncan Mackay hired as keyboardist, 1978; released Bloody Tourist, 1978; original lineup of Crème, Godley, Stewart, and Gouldman reunite for album …Meanwhile, 1992; Stewart and Gouldman re-formed 10cc without Godley and Crème for album Mirror Mirror and Japanese tour, 1993.

The singles were collected on the group's 1973 self-titled first album, a recording that, according to Jonathon King in the liner notes for the reissue of their first two albums, "made many converts. They were literate, witty, tongue in cheek but musically superb. At that stage they reflected the past magic of groups like the Beach Boys yet added a whole new lyrical dimension of their own." 10cc toured to support the first album, appearing at the Isle of Man in August of 1973 with drum support from Paul Burgess.

10cc's second album, Sheet Music, was considered another step forward for the group in terms of artistic growth. Singles such as "Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love" increased the band's popularity, while the song "Worst Band in the World" was refused airplay for its cynical portrayal of rock stardom and its hedonistic urges. The album is often considered a classic of the early 1970s in terms of production and songwriting. According to King: "This album was, and is, I still believe, a pop classic. It contains incredible brightness and sparkle which emerged effortlessly, almost without trying."

Following the first two albums, 10cc failed to capitalize on the overwhelming positive reviews they had received from the American rock press. They abandoned UK Records and signed with Mercury/Phonogram, releasing Original Soundtrack in 1975. Featuring the Stewart and Gouldman composition "I'm Not in Love," the album became a major American hit. According to Stewart, the song involved 16 recordings each of three different voices, creating an eerie production quality that serves as an ironic commentary on the lyrics.

The group's fourth album, How Dare You!, contained the modestly successful singles "I'm Mandy Fly Me" and "Art for Art's Sake." Declaring that the "music is so blazingly bright, the songs so brashly witty, and the effect so cumulative" in a Phonograph Record review, critic Bud Scoppa noted: "Every song on How Dare You! is gem-hard, multi-faceted, and informed by some delicious irony…. The group is all the more impressive because—unlike Beefheart or Steely Dan—it holds itself rigidly within the stylistic parameters of pop."

Source: artistdirect

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Also Check Out:

Bad Company

Cream

Electric Light Orchestra

Free

Rod Stewart

Often referred to as the first Punk group, The Ramones, an American rock band, was formed in Forest Hills, New York by lead singer Joey Ramone, guitarist Johnny Ramone and bassist Dee Dee Ramone.

The Ramones recorded their first album “Ramones,” a collection of fast and short songs, on a budget of just $6400. The albums had little commercial success and it was their live shows in the UK and Toronto that helped them become a popular live act on the punk scene. Their next two albums “Leave Home” and “Rocket to Russia” released in 1977 were well received by the critics but did badly commercially.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE THE RAMONES VIDEOS

After 1978, the band’s music started to included news sounds like the acoustic guitar and even some ballads and in 1980, Phil Spector produced the Album “End of the Century” which gave them their highest charts positions both in the US and the UK. Johnny Ramone made it clear that he always favoured the bands more aggressive punk style.

After releasing several more albums, the band toured, who had toured for 22 years, playing 2,263 concerts disbanded after a farewell show with the Lollapalooza music festival in 1996.

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT THE RAMONES MERCHANDISE HERE

Albums: (All albums are released under the label Sire, unless otherwise noted)

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Cardiacs

Michael Monroe

The Almighty

Rock Stars Dead Before Their Time

The Stranglers are an English rock music group with a long and successful career. The Stranglers, originally called the Guildford Stranglers, were formed on September 11th 1974 in Guildford, Surrey. The original band members included singer and guitarist Hugh Cornwell, keyboardist Dave Greenfield, bass guitarist Jean-Jacques Burnel and drummer Jet Black (Brian Duffy).

The Stranglers originally built a following in the pub rock scene during the mid 1970s but soon branched out into other music styles. They became one of the main bands associated with the beginning of the punk rock scene because of their black humour and confrontational attitude. This has been attributed partly to the fact that they supported The Ramones on their first British tour. The Stranglers are difficult to classify as part of one music genre having explored a variety of music styles including new wave, gothic rock and pop.

In 1990, one of the founding members, Hugh Cornwell, left the band to pursue a solo career. The remaining band members continued touring and maintained their live profile.

The Stranglers are the longest- surviving band that originated in the UK in the mid to late 1970s as part of the punk scene. They have continued to be successful for more than three decades. During which they have had more than 32 UK top 40 hits. Their Greatest Hits CD has sold more than a million copies and their songs have been featured in films. Golden Brown was featured in the film Snatch.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE THE STRANGLERS VIDEOS

The Stranglers have recently returned to a four piece band. Band members include keyboardist Dave Greenfield, bass guitarist and singer Jean-Jacques Burnel, drummer Jet Black and singer and guitarist Baz Warne who joined The Stranglers in 2001. The Stranglers released their latest album, Suite XVI in January 2007.

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

The Doors

Patti Smith

The Ramones

The 10 Unluckiest Rock Stars

Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store 

Scottish heavy metal is a rarity, yet Glaswegian hard-rockers The Almighty transformed all this in 1988. The four members; vocalist Ricky Warwick, guitarist Tantrum, bassist Floyd London and drummer Stump Monroe, all came from a punk-rock background, taking their main influences from bands such as The Ramones and The Cult.

They were signed by Polydor in 1989, through which they released their first album, Blood Fire and Love. A live version of the album was released a year later, after the group embarked on a European club tour, following their failed attempt to break the USA. This was soon followed by a live mini-album, which included a cover version of the Bachman-Turner Overdrive's standard, 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet'. Shortly after, tensions between band members, left to, funnily enough, the departure of Tantrum. He was replaced by Peter Friessen, former guitarist for Alice Cooper’s backing band.

CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE SELECTION OF THE ALMIGHTY VIDEOS

In 1992, The Almighty performed at Donnington’s Download Festival, and their aggressive performance lead to comparisons between the band and rock greats such as Metallica and Soundgarden. It was from this festival appearance where The Almighty really began to live up to their name. They were asked to support Iron Maiden across Europe, and played multiple stadium dates with Metallica.

In 1993, the band split from their Polydor manager Tommy Tee, and signed to Crysalis in 1994, a record label which the band claimed were ‘less demanding’. This attitude still lead to the band releasing two top 30 UK singles, Despite this, singer Warwick left the band in 1996, and the band split shortly after. They may not be together anymore, but the bands music still lives on as some of the best British metal ever made.

Albums:

Blood, Fire and Love, Polydor, 1989.

Blood, Fire and Live, Polydor, 1990.

Soul Destruction, Polydor, 1991.

Powertrippin', Polydor, 1993.

Crank, Chrysalis, 1994.

Crank and Deceit: Live in Japan [Japan only release], 1995.

Just Add Life, Chrysalis, 1996.

The Almighty, Sanctuary Records Group, 2000.

Psycho-Narco, Sanctuary Records Group, 2001.

Wild and Wonderful – compilation, 2002.

Anth'f**ing'ology – compilation, 2007.

All Proud, All Live, All Mighty – live, 2008.

Source: Carly Page

HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT THE ALMIGHTY MERCHANDISE HERE

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

Why Not Check Out:

Metallica

Alice Cooper

The Ramones

Aerosmith - The Greatest Hard Rock Band Of All Time?