1974 was a great year for pop music and the pop song. It was the year of Seasons In The Sun by Terry Jacks, Benny And The Jets by Elton John and the marvellous When Will I See You Again by the Three Degrees, one of my all time favourites. But it was also the year when 10cc released their second album Sheet Music, an album that is a very evident leap forward compared to their self titled debut album from the previous year.
Sheet music was recorded at Strawberry Recording Studios in Stockport Cheshire, simultaneously with Mike McGear´s album McGear, produced by his well known brother Paul McCartney and the same drum kit was actually used for both recordings.
Billboard concluded that the album had “some of the most innovative vocal techniques and instrumental arrangements around” and that is maybe most evident from the first single, the stiff but equally marvellous The Worst Band In The World. It´s fabulous to see how the band uses small, small means to create great and stunning effects – just listen to those bass lines!
Even though the single was a great failure, it´s one of the 10cc songs that has best stood the test of time. And those flares…
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