小简介
“10 CC”是1972年成军于曼彻斯特的英国艺术流行乐队。在几年前的一次采访中,他们为自己的怪名曾经这样解释:乐队的有个成员喜欢玩航模,在航模中,最主流的内部燃烧引擎的容积是10立方公分(10 cubic centimetres),缩写刚好是10 CC。
一种更为流行的观点是:在医学上,男性高潮时一次射出精液总量的平均值大约是9CC,而乐队叫做10CC则显而易见是想表达他们能力超乎常人的意思。显然,乐队认为这个自负、独特又聪明的名字比较利于向大众广泛传播,但这种解释被乐队在很多场合予以了否认。
而真正的故事很可能是这样的,这个名字其实来自于他们的唱片制作人乔纳森·金(Jonathan King)作过的一个美梦,梦里金旗下有一支乐队的专辑和单曲都冲上了排行榜的首席,他醒来以后依然清楚的记得这支乐队的名字叫做10CC,于是在乐队加入他的U.K. Record时,他把这个另类的酷名给了他们。
Deriving their name from the metric total of semen ejaculated by the average male, the tongue-in-cheek British art-pop band 10cc comprised an all-star roster of Manchester-based musicians: vocalist/guitarist Graham Gouldman was a former member of the Mockingbirds and the author of hits for the Yardbirds, the Hollies, Herman's Hermits and Jeff Beck; singer/guitarist Eric Stewart was an alum of Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders; and vocalists/multi-instrumentalists Kevin Godley and Lol Creme were both highly regarded studio players. Formed in 1970, 10cc began as a session unit dubbed Hotlegs; after establishing residence at Stewart's Strawberry Studios, Hotlegs scored a surprise U.K. smash with the single "Neanderthal Man," subsequently issuing an LP, Thinks: School Times and touring with the Moody Blues.
After signing to Jonathan King's UK label and rechristening themselves 10cc (a name suggested by King himself), the group backed Neil Sedaka before recording 1972's "Donna," a sly satire of late-1950s doo wop. The single reached the number two position on the British charts, establishing not only a long-running string of major hits but also the quartet's fondness for ironic and affectionate reclamations of musty pop styles. The follow-up, "Rubber Bullets," topped the charts in 1973, and both the subsequent single "The Dean and I" (a nostalgic look at academia recalling Jerry Lee Lewis' "High School Confidential") and an eponymously titled debut LP further solidified 10cc as a major force in British pop.
While 1974's Sheet Music and singles including the Brian Wilson-esque "Wall Street Shuffle," "Silly Love" and "Life Is a Minestrone" continued 10cc's dominance of the U.K. charts, they found the American market virtually impenetrable prior to the release of 1975's "I'm Not in Love," which topped the charts at home and climbed as high as number two in the States. After 1975's The Original Soundtrack and the next year's How Dare You!, Godley and Creme exited to focus on video production as well as developing the Gizmo, a guitar modification device the duo invented. In the wake of their departure, Gouldman and Stewart continued on alone, enlisting the aid of session men to record 1977's Deceptive Bends, highlighted by the perennial "The Things We Do for Love."
After recruiting guitarist Rick Fenn, keyboardist Tony O'Malley and drummer Stuart Tosh as full-time members, 10cc returned in 1978 with Bloody Tourists, which yielded the number one reggae nod "Dreadlock Holiday." Following a series of unsuccessful efforts, including 1980's Look Hear?, 1981's 10 Out of 10 and 1983's Window in the Jungle, the group disbanded; while Stewart produced Sad Cafe and worked with Paul McCartney, Gouldman supervised recordings from the Ramones and Gilbert O'Sullivan before joining Andrew Gold in the duo Wax. In 1992, the original lineup of 10cc reunited for the LP Meanwhile, while only Gouldman and Stewart remained for 1993's Mirror Mirror. — Jason Ankeny