I remember when I first put this album on and the first chords of 'RubberBullets' echoed through the room, I was really glad. I thought, 'hey, theymessed up my CD and put on some Beach Boys instead'. (You don't know howhard it was at that time to get some Beach Boys in goddamn Russia). Imaginemy amazement (I even forgot to feel disappointed) when I found out thatthe song was indeed from the 10cc debut album. Yes: these guys pulloff an absolutely perfect, note-for-note authentic imitation of the classicBeach Boys sound when they want to, down to the vocal harmonies and imitationof Mike Lowe's and Brian Wilson's voices. And not only on 'Rubber Bullets',mind you. But that is, of course, not their only forte.
Lyrics Take These Chains – 10cc
This album is not as creative as usual (but remember that half the band quit some two years before). There will be some nice and Beatles-esque ballads ("For You And I") but their incredible and incomparable style is partially gone, I'm afraid. 1978 not being very much favourable for this type of bands either."Shock In The Tube" is a more classical 10CC song. Varied, complex and mini-opera oriented. One of the most creative of this album (which won't hold a lot of this type, unfortunately). Not that "Bloody Tourists" is a bad album but too middle of the road. 10CC have taken care to offer to their fans some popish songs, some good vocal arrangements of course (but this is the absolute trade mark of the band). My least favourite song (not by its theme but by its genre) is the bluesy/funky "Anonymous Alcoholic". Only lyrics are exhilarant.Let's face the truth : this is the weakest 10CC album so far. Great inspiration is gone and a song as "Reds In My Bed" is almost a highlight on this album but frankly it is only a good one. As "Life Line" which takes up with their classical repertoire.I like the Fab Four oriented "Tokyo" as well. The last part of this album is catchier. 10CC - ier. Just listen to the burlesque "From Rochdale To Ocho Rios". Not a great song but so pastiche. So 10CC.This album will chart at the third spot in the UK. This is the highest rank of any 10CC albums (on par with "Deceptive Bends"). "The Original soundtrack" reaching the fourth spot. But on my scale, this album deserves only five out of ten.Being a fan of the band, I will upgrade it to three stars, but as soon as the half star rating will be available (which should be a matter of days now...), I will come back to it and rate it accordingly. social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Saturday, December 1, 2007 Review this album Report (Review #153341)
"Bloody Tourists" was the last 10CC album I purchased right when it was released (later albums I either bought used, or received promos). At the time, I listened to it a few times, and then filed it away. It really did nothing for me. A new round of listening now reveals that the album isn't the complete waste that I thought it was at the time.When "Deceptive Bends", the band's previous album, was released, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman proved that they could carry on the group's tradition of humor and fun arrangements. The lyrical cleverness was there, even though there was a slight trend toward maudiln ballads. "Bloody Tourists" take another step away from the cleverness and fun.Dreadlock Holiday is the most famous track on the album. It, for obvious reasons is a reggae laden pop song that displays the dark side of visiting the Carribbean island. It has some humor, excellent production, but it somehow lacks the allure of earlier songs. But the 10CC sound does appear throughout the album. The highly compressed guitar sound, the spacious harmonies, instruments and sound effects emphasizing lyrics. It just isn't consistent.Shock On The Tube is a dream encounter with a girl on a subway. It has a similarities to I'm Mandy, Fly Me, but unfortunately give away the punch line at the beginning of the song. Anonymous Alcoholic is actually a very good portrait of an addicted drinker. Tokyo has some cool fretless bass, and a sort of proggy middle section. abd Everything You Wanted To Know About!! has a classic 10CC feel.I certainly wouldn't recommend this to the 10CC newbie, but it does have merits. I rate this one just barely a 3. social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Wednesday, February 20, 2013 Review this album Report (Review #916364)
"Bloody Tourists" was released in 1978, but new member O'Malley was ended up being replaced by keyboardist Duncan Mackay for the recording of this album. The original half of the band, Gouldman and Stewart, would write almost all of the music for the album, even though they had proven on "Deceptive Bends" that they were not necessarily the strongest half of the original foursome. However, this time around, they would put together a better album with stronger songs than the previous one.This is proven immediately with the tongue-in-cheek humor returning most brilliantly in the reggae-tinged "Dreadlock Holiday" which would become their 3rd international top 10 hit. It seems that the songwriting duo might have learned some things and spent more time with the songs this time around. This song was inspired by actual events that happened to Stewart and also Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues singer). Interestingly, the single didn't do so well in North America, even though I remember hearing it on the radio and loving it. The band suspected the reason it didn't do so well is that some radio stations in America refused to play reggae of any kind, which could be true. Either way, it is a fun song. "Just You & I" comes next and was the 4th single that the band released from the album. This song and the other singles didn't do so well as they didn't really chart anywhere interestingly enough. However, this track is a great follow up to the opening track, a bit slower in the verses with an upbeat chorus with an infectious hook and a nice, almost haunting instrumental break. It had everything it needed to be a hit, but my guess is that by this time most people probably had the album. "Take These Chains" begins with more guitar, which was noticeably missing on the previous tracks, but comes back here to provide nice introduction and rhythmic jangle through the track. Tempo changes keep it interesting and yet it is quite accessible and bright throughout, almost seeming like ELO at some points. "Shock on the Tube" has a pensive beginning and a Beatle-esque style once the faster rockish tempo kicks in. This also reminds me of some of the earlier 10cc songs and that is a good thing, especially with the smart guitar solo break in the middle and the almost honky-tonk sounding piano riffs that drive the song forward. "Last Night" tends to lean more towards a less interesting more pop-centric track, co-written by Rick Fenn and Gouldman. It's okay, but not really that memorable and would fit better on the previous album with it's more mediocre style. The album threatens to drag at this point, however, it is quickly saved by the next track. This side ends with "The Anonymous Alcoholic", the longest track on the album at over 5 minutes. It's a cool, moderately slow blues number with some great guitar and low register vocals to match the tone of the songs topic, presented with the trademark 10cc humor. They even make fun of the disco craze in the middle section as our drunken hero in the lyrics tries to show off on the dance floor. Again, one is reminded of 10cc in their better days. After the extended middle section, we return to the original slow, crawl as reality sets back in for the alcoholic to come to a hilarious ending.Six more tracks fill the 2nd side of the album. So, yes there is a threat that things might end up becoming mediocre. It starts off with the 2nd attempt at a single "Reds in My Bed" co-written and co-sung by Tosh and Stewart. It's quite obvious why this one didn't score so well as a single as it is quite forgettable and doesn't really hit the mark along with the fact that it is lyrically heavy and not strong enough melodically. "Life Line" goes for a more acoustic style and is a nice track that provides bit of variety to the album plus a return to a soft, reggae-vibe in the chorus. "Tokyo" is more of a soft ballad, a love song of sort to the titular city. It's not as accessible as some of the other tracks, but that is the thing that is appealing about it. There are some nice dreamy keyboard and guitar interplay in the instrumental break, plus it hints at progressive style. "Old Mister Time" is co-written by Mackay and Stewart, the third and last track on the album co-written by the new members of the band. It seems that the songs co-written by the other members of the band are the weaker ones, but thankfully they don't drag things down too much. That being said, this is the most interesting of the three as it is also a bit more complex. But, again, it just doesn't hit the mark and actually drags a bit. This is all saved by the excellent "From Rochdale to Ocho Rios" with somewhat tropical beat, funny lyrics and a sing-a-long chorus that should have been one of those concert favorites. The steel drums are a nice touch, but a little bit more of an exaggerated tropical beat would probably have been the thing to send this track over the top. Finally, the closer is "Everything You've Wanted to Know About!!! (Exclamation Marks)". More tongue-in-cheek humor about misinterpreting signals between the sexes. For me, this would be the 3rd excellent album from the band. Not quite as great as their self-titled album or "The Original Soundtrack" album, but definitely one of their best and it shows Stewart and Gouldman's songwriting talents much better that "Deceptive Bends" did, though the thing that brings the album down a notch is the three songs that are co-written by the "other" members of the band. As much as I respect the band, though, none of their other albums do much for me (except for the two previously mentioned albums and this one), but this is one that I love even though there is very little progressive style in it, it's still very enjoyable and fun and one I would recommend. 4 stars. social review comments Review PermalinkPosted Friday, March 12, 2021 Review this album Report (Review #2523778)
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