Fact #192317
When:
Short story:
10cc, the original line-up reformed after almost a decade, release their tenth album, Meanwhile, on Polydor Records.
Full article:
Graham Gouldman (10cc) : 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.
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 (Gary Katz). 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.
(Source : 10cc : A Pure Injection of Pop. The10ccfanclub.com.)
Eric Stewart (10cc) : It was like trying to reheat a soufflé. And to be honest with you, ...Meanwhile was more of a contractual thing. It was the deal to get Godley and Creme out of their contract with Polygram. They said, 'If you work with Eric and Graham again we'll let you go.' So, that's what we did and, sadly, it was all a bit of a compromise, in spite of having Jeff Porcaro on drums throughout, and Dr John's piano and vocals on one track.
(Source : https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-10cc-not-love)
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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 (Gary Katz). 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.
(Source : 10cc : A Pure Injection of Pop. The10ccfanclub.com.)
Eric Stewart (10cc) : It was like trying to reheat a soufflé. And to be honest with you, ...Meanwhile was more of a contractual thing. It was the deal to get Godley and Creme out of their contract with Polygram. They said, 'If you work with Eric and Graham again we'll let you go.' So, that's what we did and, sadly, it was all a bit of a compromise, in spite of having Jeff Porcaro on drums throughout, and Dr John's piano and vocals on one track.
(Source : https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-10cc-not-love)