Mirror Mirror (10cc album)

Last updated

Mirror Mirror
10cc mirror.jpg
Studio album by
10cc
ReleasedJune 1995
Recorded1975–1985, 1991
Length58:01 (14 track version)
65:22 (15-track version)
Label Avex UK
Producer Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Adrian Lee, Rod Gammons
10cc chronology
Alive
(1992)		Mirror Mirror
(1995)		 The Very Best of 10cc
(1997)
Singles from Mirror Mirror
  1. "I'm Not in Love (Acoustic Session '95)"
    Released: 6 March 1995
  2. "Ready to go Home"
    Released: 1995

Mirror Mirror is the eleventh and final album by British rock band 10cc released in 1995, 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.

Contents

Background and recording

Mirror Mirror again was recorded with just two of 10cc's core band members, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart, however the album was more a combination of two solo albums than a conventional 10cc production. Gouldman and Stewart played and produced together only one new track – an acoustic reworking of their 1975 hit, "I'm Not in Love", one of only three songs on the album that bore a Stewart-Gouldman joint songwriting credit. The other two Stewart-Gouldman songs were both taken from the sessions of the previous 10cc album ...Meanwhile . [1] Songs written by Stewart were recorded in France, while Gouldman's songs were recorded in London. Both Stewart and Gouldman co-produced their songs with Adrian Lee who also performed on most of the album's tracks.

Gouldman admitted the album was "almost like two-halves of an album", largely a result of the fact that he and Stewart began recording in separate countries:

Vaguely, we intended starting off these tracks and then bring them together, finish them together, which a lot of people do, but it never happened. We got so into what we were doing, we wanted to keep it pure. I don’t like to say we hoodwinked the people, but you could say it’s not quite what it appears to be, and anyone with any sense, who reads the credits, could see that. [2]

— Graham Gouldman

Mirror Mirror included appearances by 10cc's longtime collaborators Rick Fenn on one track and Andrew Gold on two tracks, touring members Steve Pigott and Gary Wallis on one track, and notable guest performances by Paul McCartney on two tracks: "Yvonne's the One" co-written by McCartney and Stewart in February 1985 during the sessions for Paul's Press to Play album, but remade and completed on this album, and "Code of Silence" which also started as a collaboration between McCartney and Stewart. [3] The album also included the new reworked mix of the original recording of "I'm Not in Love" from 1975.

One of Gouldman's songs, "Ready to Go Home", was written after the death of his father, Hyme Gouldman, in 1991. Gouldman later re-recorded the song for his 2000 album, And Another Thing... , when he observed in the liner notes:

It reflects my feelings at the time. I suppose I was trying to put a positive slant on his passing, remembering all the things we had done together and his artistic legacy to me. The last verse of the song best reflects my feelings on this. This song has been recorded by many artists and remains one of my favourites. Very emotional.

— Graham Gouldman

Following the tour to support Mirror Mirror, Stewart announced his departure from 10cc. Gouldman, however, has later continued with his own lineup for 10cc as a touring band.

Release

The album was released in several different variations. The original UK (Avex) and European (ZYX, Germany) release featured 14 tracks. For the US edition five tracks were excluded: "Yvonne's the One", "Margo Wants the Mustard", "Blue Bird", "Now You're Gone" and a 1995 acoustic rendition of "I'm Not in Love", but another song was added - "I'm Not in Love: Rework of Art Mix". The Japanese version of the album features 15 tracks, bringing together all of the songs from European and US editions.

Eric Stewart later included his songs from Mirror Mirror on his 2017 best of compilation Anthology. [4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Mirror Mirror charted only in Japan giving the band their highest chart position there, however the new acoustic version of "I'm Not in Love" released as a single charted at #29 [6] giving the band the highest position since "Dreadlock Holiday" in 1978.

Allmusic panned the album, commenting that the claim of "I'm Not in Love" being reworked is dubious, since the track has no noticeable differences from the original recording. They summarized the rest of the album with "songs flashing the group's trademark lyrical wit generally tend toward musical vaporware, while those revealing an occasional glimmer of instrumental creativity go nowhere fast on the songwriting." [5]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Yvonne's the One" Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart Eric Stewart, Adrian Lee 4:26
2."Code of Silence"StewartStewart, Lee5:39
3."Blue Bird"Graham GouldmanGraham Gouldman, Lee4:04
4."Age of Consent"StewartStewart, Lee5:24
5."Take This Woman"Stewart, GouldmanGouldman, Lee3:51
6."The Monkey and the Onion"Gouldman, Tim Rice Gouldman, Lee3:17
7."Everything Is Not Enough"StewartStewart, Lee4:28
8."Ready to Go Home" Andrew Gold, GouldmanGouldman, Lee4:37
9."Grow Old with Me"GouldmanGouldman, Lee3:22
10."Margo Wants the Mustard"StewartStewart, Lee3:54
11."Peace in Our Time"Gouldman, Steve PigottGouldman, Lee, Rod Gammons4:03
12."Why Did I Break Your Heart?"Stewart, GouldmanStewart, Lee5:18
13."Now You're Gone"GouldmanGouldman, Lee3:01
14."I'm Not in Love (Acoustic Session '95)"Stewart, Gouldman10cc, Gammons3:30

US edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I'm Not in Love (Rework of Art Mix)"Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman10cc5:51
2."Peace in Our Time"Gouldman, Steve PigottGraham Gouldman, Adrian Lee, Rod Gammons4:03
3."Ready to Go Home"Andrew Gold, GouldmanGouldman, Lee4:37
4."The Monkey and the Onion"Gouldman, Tim RiceGouldman, Lee3:17
5."Why Did I Break Your Heart?"Stewart, GouldmanEric Stewart, Lee5:18
6."Code of Silence"StewartStewart, Lee5:39
7."Take This Woman"Stewart, GouldmanGouldman, Lee3:51
8."Grow Old with Me"GouldmanGouldman, Lee3:22
9."Age of Consent"StewartStewart, Lee5:24
10."Everything Is Not Enough"StewartStewart, Lee4:28

Japanese edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I'm Not in Love (Rework of Art Mix)"Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman10cc5:51
2."Peace in Our Time"Gouldman, Steve PigottGraham Gouldman, Adrian Lee, Rod Gammons4:03
3."Code of Silence"StewartEric Stewart, Lee5:39
4."Take This Woman"Stewart, GouldmanGouldman, Lee3:51
5."Yvonne's the One"Paul McCartney, StewartStewart, Lee4:26
6."The Monkey and the Onion"Gouldman, Tim RiceGouldman, Lee3:17
7."Margo Wants the Mustard"StewartStewart, Lee3:54
8."Ready to Go Home"Andrew Gold, GouldmanGouldman, Lee4:37
9."Everything Is Not Enough"StewartStewart, Lee4:28
10."Blue Bird"GouldmanGouldman, Lee4:04
11."Age of Consent"StewartStewart, Lee5:24
12."Grow Old with Me"GouldmanGouldman, Lee3:22
13."Why Did I Break Your Heart?"Stewart, GouldmanStewart, Lee5:18
14."Now You're Gone"GouldmanGouldman, Lee3:01
15."I'm Not in Love (Acoustic Session '95)"Stewart, Gouldman10cc, Gammons3:30

Personnel

10cc
with

Weekly charts

Chart (1995)Peak
position
Oricon Albums Chart [7] 46

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10cc</span> British art rock band

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. The group featured two songwriting teams. Stewart and Gouldman were predominantly pop songwriters, who created most of the band's accessible songs. Godley and Creme were the predominantly experimental half of 10cc, featuring art and cinematically inspired writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Godley & Creme</span> English rock duo

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 with the 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Stewart</span> English musician (born 1945)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Gouldman</span> English musician (born 1946)

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.

<i>The Original Soundtrack</i> 1975 studio album by 10cc

The Original Soundtrack is the third studio album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1975 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The Original Soundtrack includes the singles "Life Is a Minestrone", and "I'm Not in Love", the band's most popular song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Not in Love</span> 1975 song by British band 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.

<i>Sheet Music</i> (10cc album) 1974 studio album by 10cc

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.

<i>Deceptive Bends</i> 1977 studio album by 10cc

Deceptive Bends is the fifth studio album by 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.

<i>Bloody Tourists</i> 1978 studio album by 10cc

Bloody Tourists is the sixth studio album by the English rock band 10cc, released worldwide by Mercury Records and in North America by Polydor Records in September 1978. Recorded at Strawberry Studios South in Dorking, the album was produced by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman.

<i>Ten Out of 10</i> 1981 studio album by 10cc

Ten Out of 10 is the eighth studio album by 10cc. It was released in two different versions, with the original edition coming in November 1981 and the US version coming in June 1982 respectively.

<i>Windows in the Jungle</i> 1983 studio album by 10cc

Windows in the Jungle is the ninth studio album by British rock band 10cc, released in October 1983.

<i>...Meanwhile</i> 1992 studio album by 10cc

...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.

<i>Strawberry Bubblegum: A Collection of Pre-10CC Strawberry Studio Recordings 1969–1972</i> 2003 compilation album by 10cc

Strawberry Bubblegum: A Collection of Pre-10CC Strawberry Studio Recordings 1969–1972 is a compilation of songs recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England, by the four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who in 1972 would form the British pop band 10cc, along with occasional guest vocalists.

<i>And Another Thing...</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Graham Gouldman

And Another Thing... is a third studio album by 10cc bass player Graham Gouldman released in 2000. The album is a mix of newly written songs and new versions of tracks from earlier stages of Gouldman's musical career. The album's title is a reference to Gouldman's first solo album, released in 1968: The Graham Gouldman Thing, which utilized the same concept.

<i>Greatest Hits ... And More</i> 2006 greatest hits album by 10cc

Greatest Hits ... And More is a 2006 compilation and video albums of songs by English pop group 10cc as well as pre-10cc and post-10cc work by its founding members, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart and Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, performing as Godley & Creme.

"I'm Mandy Fly Me" is a single by 10cc released in 1976. It was taken from the How Dare You! album, and reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Live and Let Live</i> (10cc album) 1977 live album by 10cc

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.

<i>Alive</i> (10cc album) 1993 live album by 10cc

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.

<i>Clever Clogs</i> 2008 live album by 10cc

Clever Clogs is a live and video album by 10cc released in 2008.

References

  1. ↑ Newton, Liam (2020). The Worst Band in the World. Rocket 88. ISBN   9781910978450.
  2. ↑ "10cc : A Pure Injection Of Pop". The10ccfanclub.com. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  3. ↑ "Eric Stewart on 10cc, Paul McCartney and his new two-disc Anthology". superdeluxeedition.com. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  4. ↑ Paul Sinclair (15 June 2017). "Eric Stewart / 10cc: Anthology – 2CD set". superdeluxeedition.com. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  5. 1 2 Parisien, Roch. Mirror Mirror at AllMusic. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ "10 C.C." officialcharts.com. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "Japanese Oricon charts archive". ukmix.org. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.