...Meanwhile is the tenth studio album by the British rock band 10cc, released in 1992. It was the band's first in nine years and marked the brief comeback of the original 10cc members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme.
[Changing Faces] did really well and we all met up again for a lunch. It was to be presented with these fabulous platinum discs. Also round that time our record company made us a very nice offer that we couldn't really refuse, and the fact that we'd all come together again ... we'd sort of resisted working together again and it seemed like a nice thing to do.[2]
—Graham Gouldman
Initially, the project looked promising with Stewart and Gouldman entering the studio with a stockpile of 22 songs:
We had some good songs, so we felt confident that we could still do it. Polydor were pleased with the demos, and so we did the album.[3]
—Graham Gouldman
At the request of the band's label, Polydor, 10cc became involved with the producer Gary Katz who was known for his strong association with Steely Dan, a band with which 10cc was often compared. Their relationship did not work out in terms of production and the use of session musicians for which both Gouldman and Stewart expressed their regrets:
Our record company wanted an American producer, they thought it would help break the American market, and once you start to follow things like that, it's the slippery slope.
We got to the studio, and we had problems with our producer. There wasn't always harmony and I think it created a very one dimensional album. It's also got this darkness to it that I don’t like. Some of the songs, particularly 'Welcome to Paradise', which were brilliant when you hear the demos, didn't translate into the studio.
That and other things combined to make an album which could have been a lot better. There were two things that were wrong for me, I didn't like his idea of bringing in session men; they weren't our players, they weren't our band. Jeff Porcaro was one of the finest drummers in the universe, Freddie Washington the finest bass player. But anyone could have them and I was against this. Gary wanted to use his people, though. He'd always used them, he was very secure with them.[3]
—Graham Gouldman
I love the Meanwhile tracks, but wish we hadn't gone to Gary Katz for production. At the time it was thought by Polyglot that we needed 'new blood' to produce us in a different way. I really enjoyed working with other musicians though, especially Jeff Porcaro on the drums, but in retrospect the production mess we got into leaves a bad taste in my mouth."[4]
—Eric Stewart
The album also did not capture the actual reunion of 10cc: Godley performed lead vocals on "The Stars Didn't Show" and backing vocals on two songs, while Lol Creme supplied backing vocals on six songs. Neither contributed to the recording process of the album.[3]
I wasn't involved with the making of this album at all so I know very little about how it was put together. I was simply asked to sing lead vocal on one song and was flown to New York to record it. The three of us had a lovely reunion breakfast on day one. As I recall all the basic tracks had already been recorded so it was myself, Graham, Eric and producer Gary Katz for two vocal heavy days.[citation needed]
—Kevin Godley
In a 2006 interview, Godley recalled the tension in the studio as he participated in the recording of the album:
I do recall a strange atmosphere in the studio. An intangible awkwardness. Everything sounded 'great', everyone got on 'great', but there was an essential ingredient missing. I also sensed G and E growing apart. Gary Katz was acting as a political as well as creative buffer keeping personalities as well as music on course. I've never actually heard the complete album, although I did enjoy singing "The Stars Didn't Show".[5]
—Kevin Godley
Both Gouldman and Stewart point to the experience of making ...Meanwhile as the beginning of the end of their partnership and 10cc.[citation needed]
Apart from Godley's vocals on "The Stars Didn't Show" and a B-side "Don't" with Gouldman singing lead, all of the album's lead vocals were sung by Stewart. Session musicians Jeff Porcaro and Freddie Washington, who were hired by Katz, were on all tracks on drums and bass guitar respectively. Notable appearances on the album include Andrew Gold, who had collaborated with 10cc and Gouldman in the past, and the blues pianist Dr. John. The album's closing song, "Don't Break the Promises", was co-written by Stewart and Paul McCartney during the sessions for McCartney's sixth solo studio album Press to Play (1986) and was later finished by 10cc for the album.[6]
The album's liner notes included the line: "In memory of Hyme "The Rhyme" Gouldman (1908–1991)". Gouldman, an amateur playwright, was the father of Graham Gouldman.
By the time the album was completed and ready to release there had been changes at Polydor and the new regime did not believe it would be a hit, and spent very little to promote it. In a hospital radio interview in 1993, Gouldman said, "Polydor spent £750,000 to make it and £7,500 to promote it."
The album narrowly missed the Top 75 album chart in the UK (though it made No.66 in the Network chart– an alternative to the official chart). Two singles were released from the album. The first was "Woman in Love" backed with the non-album track "Man with a Mission". The single included the album version of the track rather than the single edit that was issued to radio. It reached No.110 in the UK singles chart selling less than 2,000 copies. The second single, "Welcome to Paradise", a favourite of both Stewart and Gouldman, followed and included the album version of the title track, with two further non-album tracks, "Don't" and "Lost in Love".
Stewart and Gouldman said that there were additional songs planned as singles from ...Meanwhile. Gouldman was interviewed by Mark Wardle on Tarka Radio– a hospital radio station– in 1993 and said that "Don't Break the Promises" would have been the third single, and then "The Stars Didn't Show" and "Wonderland" as fourth and fifth possible singles. Due to the lack of success of the first two singles, these were cancelled. The album was not released in the US.
Later that year, Polydor, which the band had signed a five-album deal with, did not take up its option and dropped the band.
The album was reissued in 2008 with single edits and B-sides as bonus tracks.
10cc are a British rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians — Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme — who had written and recorded together since 1968. All four members contributed to songwriting, working together in various permutations. Godley and Creme’s songwriting has been described as being inspired by art and cinema. Every member of 10cc was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and producer. Most of the band's records were recorded at their own Strawberry Studios (North) in Stockport and Strawberry Studios (South) in Dorking, with most of those engineered by Stewart.
Godley & Creme were an English rock duo formally established in Manchester in 1977 by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing music as a duo after their departure from the rock band 10cc. In 1979, they directed their first music video for their single "An Englishman in New York". After this, they became involved in the production of videos for artists such as Ultravox, the Police, Yes, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Huey Lewis and the News and Wang Chung, as well as directing the groundbreaking video for their 1985 single "Cry". The duo split at the end of the 1980s. Both have since been involved in music videos, TV commercials, and sporadic music projects.
Eric Michael Stewart is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, best known as a founding member of the rock groups the Mindbenders with whom he played from 1963 to 1968, and likewise of 10cc from 1972 to 1995. Stewart co-owned Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, from 1968 to the early 1980s, where he recorded albums with 10cc and artists including Neil Sedaka and Paul McCartney. Stewart collaborated with McCartney extensively in the 1980s, playing on or co-writing songs for McCartney's solo albums Tug of War (1982), Pipes of Peace (1983), Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984), and Press to Play (1986). Since 1980, Stewart has released four solo studio albums.
Graham Keith Gouldman is an English singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the co-lead singer and bassist of the art rock band 10cc. He has been the band's only constant member since its formation in 1972. Before 10cc, Gouldman worked as a freelance songwriter and penned many hits for major rock and pop groups, including the Yardbirds, the Hollies, Herman's Hermits and Ohio Express.
Hotlegs was a short-lived English band best known for their hit single "Neanderthal Man" in 1970. The band consisted of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and – briefly – Graham Gouldman. In 1972, the band re-branded themselves as 10cc.
"I'm Not in Love" is a song by British group 10cc, written by band members Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. It is known for its innovative and distinctive backing track, composed mostly of the band's multitracked vocals. Released in the UK in May 1975 as the second single from the band's third album, The Original Soundtrack, it became the second of the group's three number-one singles in the UK between 1973 and 1978, topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. "I'm Not in Love" became the band's breakthrough hit outside the United Kingdom, topping the charts in Canada and Ireland as well as peaking within the top 10 of the charts in several other countries, including Australia, West Germany, New Zealand, Norway and the United States.
How Dare You! is the fourth album by British band 10cc. Released in 1976, it included UK hit singles "I'm Mandy Fly Me" and "Art for Art's Sake". The album was the band's third to have cover artwork by the Hipgnosis creative team.
Sheet Music is the second album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1974 on UK records, and yielded the hit singles "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love". The album reached No. 9 in the UK and No. 81 in the United States.
Deceptive Bends is the fifth studio album by the British rock band 10cc, released in 1977. It was the first album released by the band after the departure of founding members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme and produced the hit single "The Things We Do for Love".
Look Hear? is the seventh studio album by 10cc, released in 1980.
Windows in the Jungle is the ninth studio album by British rock band 10cc, released in 1983.
Mirror Mirror is the eleventh and final album by British rock band 10cc, released in 1995 and re-titled I'm Not in Love for the 1996 re-release. The album was their first not to be released on a major UK label, this time working with Japanese label Avex following the poor performance of their previous album ...Meanwhile in UK and its relative success in Japan.
Thinks: School Stinks is the only studio album by English pop band Hotlegs. The album, featuring the band's hit single "Neanderthal Man", was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport near Manchester and engineered by the studio's co-owners, Eric Stewart and Peter Tattersall.
Solitaire is a 1972 album by American singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka.
"The Dean and I" is a song by the art rock/pop band 10cc, from their 1973 eponymous debut album, written by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley. The song was released as the fourth single from the album in August 1973 and peaked at #10 on the UK Singles Chart. The single reached the top of the Irish Singles Chart on 20 September 1973.
Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme is a compilation album that included the hits of 10cc and Godley & Creme, the first album to include both bands.
Live and Let Live is 10cc's first live album, released in the Autumn of 1977. It was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London between 18 and 20 June 1977 and the Manchester Apollo, Manchester between 16 and 17 July 1977.
"Life Is a Minestrone" is a 1975 song by 10cc released as a lead single from their third album, The Original Soundtrack.
Alive is a live album by 10cc released in 1993. It was recorded in Japan during the opening nights of the band's comeback tour following the release of the album ...Meanwhile.
Clever Clogs is a live and video album by 10cc released in 2008.
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