10CC - "How Dare You" Review

Artist/ Band: 10CC
Title: How Dare You
Label: Mercury
Year of Release: 1976
Offical Artist/ Band Link

The Review:

How Dare You is a masterpiece of production and a firm testament to the fact that you do not have to “dumb down” your music to remain commercial. Members Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Lol Crème and Kevin Godley’s ability to play many different instruments and vocalize together as well as they do is amazing. 10CC is certainly odd but very cool. They are most definitely less prog than Art-Rock, but still retain some serious complexities, albeit in a British Music Hall manner rather than a Genesis/Yes way.

Especially with songs like “Iceberg” and “I Wanna Rule the World,” they run through a plethora of styles within the same song, changing motifs and time signatures with the best of the prog world. Sense of humor abounds on How Dare You as always with 10CC, especially on those two songs and “Head Room.” “Art For Art’s Sake” is one of my favorite cuts here. It’s a bit more straightforward than much of the rest of the album, but lyrically it is outstanding and conveys a great message. They can also pen a lovely ballad, as is confirmed by “I’m Mandy Fly Me” and “Don’t Hang Up.”

If you’re not afraid of some well played and produced pop, this is a stupendous album. It’s funny in a Zappa meets Monty Python kind of way. It’s complex like… well I don’t know. It’s just different. Not many people (including the band) have made music like this before or since. After this record the band split into two halves with Godley and Crème doing their own music in a similar but even more bizarre Zappa/Python manner (as well as a successful career as video producers) and Stewart and Gouldman carrying on the 10CC name towards a more pop direction with less prog elements.

Reviewed by Terry Jackson on April 7th, 2011

Tracks:

01. How Dare You (4:15)

02. Lazy Ways (4:23)

03. I Wanna Rule the World (3:59)

04. I'm Mandy, Fly Me (5:23)

05. Iceberg (3:43)

06. Art for Art's Sake (6:02)

07. Rock 'N' Roll Lullaby (4:00)

08. Head Room (4:24)

09. Don't Hang Up (6:19)

Bonus Track on CD:

10. Get It While You Can (2:55)