DECEPTIVE BENDS

This was the first album released by the band after the departure of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. Many wondered at the time if the remaining half, Gouldman/Stewart, could pull off a decent album or would it be a let down. When it came out I rushed out to buy it, hoping it would be pretty good. Well, it was more than pretty good! It's one of their best. Augmented by Paul Burgess on drums, who had already worked live with the band, Graham and Eric managed to make it sound as if Kevin and Lol had never left! 'Good Morning Judge' was a hit in the charts, and is typical 10cc. Clever lyrics are again present and nice guitar from Eric Stewart. Because the original four had quite similar voices at times, it wasn't too hard to replicate the classic sound here. Graham Gouldman can sound quite like Kevin Godley when he sings deeply, and Eric Stewart can do a falsetto almost as well as Lol Creme. The second track, 'The Things We Do For Love' was a decent chart hit, and already heard and known before the album came out. Listening to it, you would swear it was the original four on the record. In fact, before I got the album, I wondered if the track had had the benefit of all four singing on it, because the songs for this album were being written and recorded whilst Godley and Creme were commencing work on their debut opus, 'Consequences'. I thought maybe they had sung on this before they had left the band. However, they hadn't. 'Marriage Bureau Rendezvous' is sung by Graham. A nice, quite romantic song really, with a good melody and gentle satire in its lyrics, it is instantly hummable.The story, about a man going to a marriage bureau to meet his Mrs Right, only to end up with the girl trying to fix him up with a date, is quite moving, without being mawdling. 'People In Love' is a nice ballad, the type this band were expert at writing when the mood took them. Eric sings this one and it's a straightforward song with minimal satire. 'Modern Man Blues' is sung by both Eric and Graham, and has a superb twist when it comes to the chorus. The verse seems to bemoan the fact that the hero of the song has had his wife walk out on him, but the chorus sees him celebrating, now that he is free and able to do what he likes! Classic 10cc. 'Honeymoon With B Troop' is quite short and very funny, with classic lines abounding, such as: 'So, don't touch her...' and then the backing vocals sing: 'bum, bum, bum, bum,bum,bum,bum,bum,' before the next line: Oh, it's so fine, and you know what's mine is mine.' One of my favourites on the album. 'I Bought A Flat Guitar Tutor' is even shorter, and very, very clever. The lyrics contain various references to guitar chords, such as: C what I'm going through, A to B with you, in A flat, by the C. Again, a fave of mine. And the tune is catchy too, with nice guitar work from Eric, reminding us how well the man can play. 'You've Got A Cold' is probably my least favourite here, but it's still good. It's a song about, yes, you've guessed it, someone with a cold. Plenty of vocal interplay on this one. Solid stuff. Finally comes the magnum opus, a three part epic called 'Feel The Benefit'. I played this track again and again when I first heard it. Eric takes the main lead here, though Graham contributes too. Lyrically, it's quite poignant. The first part is slow paced, the middle part has an infectious rhythm, and the third part reprises the first, ending with a superb guitar solo from Eric. Brilliant stuff! This was the last what I would call 'classic' albums from the band, although the next, Bloody Tourists, has its merits too. This deserves four stars, easily.