THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - 10cc

YEAR: 1975

LABEL: Mercury

TRACK LISTING: Une Nuit a Paris, I'm Not In Love, Blackmail, The Second Sitting for the Last Supper, Brand New Day, Flying Junk, Life Is A Minestrone, The Film of My Love

IMPRESSIONS: One more iconic childhood album from my parents' record collection I listened to endlessly; primarily due to the presence of one of the greatest songs ever written: the incredibly complex 8 minute "mini-operetta" which opens the album called "Une Nuit a Paris (One Night In Paris)". The melody to this song was actually lifted by Andrew Lloyd Webber for his overture to his 1986 musical "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA". Side One continues with the monster hit everyone knows "I'M NOT IN LOVE" which shockingly only reached #2 on the US charts (though it made #1 in England). Side One concludes with the wonderfully sleazy "BLACKMAIL"; a perfect first album side. Side Two is not as strong but it does contain the hilarious album closer "THE FILM OF MY LOVE" and the minor single "LIFE IS A MINESTRONE" which was inspired by Eric Stewart and Lol Creme mishearing (in true mondegreen fashion) a BBC radio announcer say something which sounded like "life is a minestrone" but most probably wasn't anything close.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Une Nuit a Paris, I'm Not In Love, Blackmail, Brand New Day, The Film of My Love

FACT SHEET: THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK is 10cc's third album and the first on new label Mercury; who signed the group for $1 million five album deal on the strength of one song: "I'M NOT IN LOVE". The album reached #3 in the UK and #15 in the US. The intricate album art was drawn by Humphrey Ocean and finished by Hipgnosis. 10cc consists of the quartet Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart. And no, this album is not the soundtrack to anything; that's just the title, mate.