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Liner Note Author: Phil Hendriks. Like labelmates Status Quo, 10cc's back catalog has been so poorly handled that it has cheapened its legacy. The bins have been flooded over the years with budget-priced compilations put together with no thought whatsoever. Whether it was intentional or not, this comp is actually different. Concentrating on the band's Mercury years, someone screwed up and left off the real big hits ("I'm Not in Love" and "Things We Do for Love"), but added some gems and rarities from the later period that normally don't show up on compilations ("Power of Love" and "We've Heard It All Before," both featuring Andrew Gold). Some of the band's other lesser hits are here, including "Dreadlock Holiday," "Life Is a Minestrone," and "Good Morning Judge," but there are also forgotten gems like "Feel the Love," "Take These Chains," "Survivor," and the title track to enjoy. With only a few songs from the Godley & Creme years (although they are pictured on the front), Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman's later years were never going to be as critically successful, but they remained master tunesmiths till the end. There is not a stinker in the bunch, but if you're looking for the perfect "hits" collection, this isn't it. 10cc was much more than a band with hits and it deserves more than an endless stream of budget compilations. Isn't it time for a proper box set? (For collectors, there is the single edited version of "One-Two-Five," which still leaves a good song behind, but removes some of the charm of the album version.) ~ Steve Schnee
