Ten Out of 10

For the song by 2pm, see 10 Out of 10. For the song by Paolo Nutini, see 10/10.

1981 studio album by 10cc

Ten Out of 10

Studio album by

10cc

Released| 27 November 1981;
June 1982 (US version)
Recorded| November 1980 – July 1981 (UK Version)
Studio| Strawberry Studios South, Dorking, Surrey;
Strawberry Studios North, Stockport
Genre|

* Progressive rock
* art rock
* pop rock
* art pop

Length| 44:32 (UK release)
Label| Warner Bros./Mercury Records
Producer| Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman
10cc chronology
| Look Hear?
(1980)  | Ten Out of 10
(1981)  | Windows in the Jungle
(1983)

|
|

Singles from  Ten Out of 10

1. "Les Nouveaux Riches" b/w "I Hate to Eat Alone"
Released: May 1981
2. "Don't Turn Me Away" b/w "Tomorrow's World Today"
Released: Nov 1981
3. "The Power of Love" b/w "You're Coming Home Again"
Released: Mar 1982
4. "Run Away" b/w "Action Man in Motown Suit"
Released: Jul 1982
5. "We've Heard It All Before" b/w "Overdraft in Overdrive"
Released: Oct 1982

Ten Out of 10 is the eighth studio album by 10cc. It was released in two different versions, with the original edition coming in November 1981 and the US version coming in June 1982 respectively.

## Overview

[edit]

After two albums from 10cc as a six-piece lineup, Ten Out of 10 was a return to the core duo of Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart. All other contributors were session musicians; these included two who had played on the band's previous album, 1980s Look Hear?: drummer Paul Burgess, who played on all but three tracks, and guitarist and singer Rick Fenn, who was credited on two tracks but who actually played on all other tracks, though uncredited. Another session musician was pianist Vic Emerson of Sad Café, who also joined the band on tour. The album credits identified Gouldman and Stewart as "Graham" and "Eric", as on previous albums, with other musicians credited with their full names. The only band member photos on the album were those of Gouldman and Stewart.

The album marked the first involvement with 10cc by American singer-songwriter Andrew Gold. Gouldman said the band's label in the US, Warner Bros. Records, wanted more of an American flavour to the album:

> They were keen for us to work with an American producer or writer. Well, we hadn't had any big success since '78, and we wanted to get hot again. When they suggested Andrew Gold, I was over the moon. I'd always adored his work, and I reckoned he would be a kindred spirit ... I felt really we needed some new blood, but it didn't work out. Andrew was doing so much stuff in America that it just wasn't practical, although he really wanted to do it."[1]

Gold was invited to record with the band by Lenny Waronker, head of A&R at Warners. Gold explained:

> He was of the opinion that, although the album was very strong, it might benefit the US audience to have a few additional cuts tailored more for the American ear. As he knew I was an Anglophile, we might hit it off well. Soon I was in the UK, co-writing and co-producing three tracks for the album, which was a blast to do and turned out very well.

Andrew Gold was also invited to join the band but declined because of other commitments:

> During the course of my three-week stay, Eric, Graham and I fell in love, as it were, and soon they asked me to join the band, which was an extremely exciting offer. For various reasons, which now seem dumb to me, and after great consideration, I demurred in favour of pursuing my own career and returned to America.[1][2]

Recording was split between the band's two studios, Strawberry Studios South at Dorking, Surrey, and Strawberry Studios North at Stockport, Greater Manchester. The recording of the album was interrupted by Eric Stewart's contributions to Paul McCartney's Tug of War and Graham Gouldman's production of The Ramones' Pleasant Dreams in the first half of 1981.

Unlike the band's previous cover designs which were done by Hipgnosis, the cover for Ten Out of 10 was designed by Visible Ink Ltd, which also created the cover for ABC's The Lexicon of Love (1982). To create the image, model-making techniques similar to those used in cinema were used - the façade of the building is actually a miniature placed in front of the camera,[3] with the people posed behind it.

## Release and reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [4]

The album was released in two variations: the original edition in 1981 for all markets except the US and, in 1982, a rather different version, exclusively for the US. The US edition of the album included three new compositions co-written by Andrew Gold: "The Power of Love", "We've Heard It All Before", and "Run Away", along with "Tomorrow's World Today", which was originally a b-side to the "Don't Turn Me Away" single, and a different mix of "Memories". The new songs replaced "Action Man in Motown Suit", "Listen with Your Eyes", "Lying Here with You" and "Survivor".

The album was preceded by the singles "Les Nouveaux Riches" b/w "I Hate to Eat Alone" (UK only release) and "Don't Turn Me Away" b/w "Tomorrow's World Today" (except US). "Memories" b/w "Overdraft in Overdrive" was later released in The Netherlands and Australia only. It was also scheduled for UK-release in February 1982[5] but a month later "The Power of Love" was released instead. New compositions recorded with Andrew Gold were all released as singles in 1982: "The Power of Love" b/w "You're Coming Home Again" (released with "Action Man in a Motown Suit" as the B-side in some countries), "Run Away" b/w "Action Man in a Motown Suit", "We've Heard It All Before" b/w "Overdraft in Overdrive" (UK only release).

Ten Out of 10 failed to chart in the UK and despite the revisions to the album made for the North American market, it did not chart in the US either. Like the previous 10cc album Look Hear?, Ten Out of 10 performed better in Europe and Canada. The single "Don't Turn Me Away" was a Top 40 hit in Canada, reaching #38, while "Run Away" managed to peak at #50 in the UK, the band's first charting single since "Dreadlock Holiday" in 1978.

Gouldman later admitted that greater involvement by Gold might have lifted the band's early 1980s output from its mediocrity:

> We should either have tried to change direction, which we didn't, or got someone else in the band, which we almost did. The albums weren't really bad, there was always the integrity, and the production values, but in retrospect, I find them rather dour, rather lacklustre. That's why I thought we should have got someone else in, to kick us up the arse. We didn't see what was going on around us, maybe we should have got a producer at that point."[1]

Following Ten Out of 10, the band ended the stint with Warner Bros. Records in the US which had started with their previous album Look Hear? (1980).

The album was reissued on CD in Japan in 2006 with the original UK-tracklisting, adding the US version tracks, b-sides and single versions as bonus tracks. It was reissued in the SHM-CD format in 2008 (again a Japanese exclusive release) in 2008. Both the 2006 and 2008 reissues were packaged in mini-LP replica artwork.

On 25 August 2014, the album finally received a UK release. It features the same track listing as the 2006 deluxe edition; however, it is packaged in a jewel box with a booklet. The 2014 version was mastered by Andy Pearce. The album received a U.S. release on CD the following week on 2 September 2014.

## Track listings

[edit]

### UK version

[edit]

Mercury – 6359 048[6][7]

Side oneNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Don't Ask"| Graham Gouldman| Gouldman| 4:02
2.| "Overdraft in Overdrive"| Eric Stewart, Gouldman| Gouldman| 3:24
3.| "Don't Turn Me Away"| Stewart| Stewart| 5:03
4.| "Memories"| Stewart, Gouldman| Stewart| 4:31
5.| "Notell Hotel"| Stewart, Gouldman| Stewart| 4:56

Side twoNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

6.| "Les Nouveaux Riches"| Stewart| Stewart| 5:11
7.| "Action Man in Motown Suit"| Stewart, Gouldman| Gouldman and Stewart| 4:45
8.| "Listen with Your Eyes"| Stewart, Gouldman| Stewart| 3:10
9.| "Lying Here with You"| Gouldman| Stewart| 3:22
10.| "Survivor"| Gouldman, Stewart| Gouldman| 5:46

### US version

[edit]

Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3575[8][9]

Side oneNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Don't Ask"| Gouldman| Gouldman| 4:01
2.| "The Power of Love"| Stewart, Gouldman, Andrew Gold| Stewart and Gouldman| 4:14
3.| "Les Nouveaux Riches"| Stewart| Stewart| 5:12
4.| "Memories" (US Mix)| Stewart, Gouldman| Stewart| 4:27
5.| "We've Heard It All Before"| Stewart, Gouldman, Gold| Gouldman and Stewart| 3:48

Side twoNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

6.| "Don't Turn Me Away"| Stewart| Stewart| 5:03
7.| "Notell Hotel"| Stewart, Gouldman| Stewart| 4:56
8.| "Overdraft in Overdrive"| Stewart, Gouldman| Gouldman| 3:22
9.| "Tomorrow's World Today"| Gouldman| Gouldman| 3:14
10.| "Run Away"| Stewart, Gouldman, Gold| Stewart| 4:07

### Bonus tracks on the 2006 CD reissue

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Lead vocals| Length

|
|
|
|

11.| "The Power of Love"| Stewart, Gouldman, Gold| Stewart and Gouldman| 4:11
12.| "Memories (U.S. mix)"| Stewart, Gouldman| Stewart| 4:28
13.| "We've Heard It All Before"| Stewart, Gouldman, Gold| Gouldman and Stewart| 3:37
14.| "Tomorrow's World Today"| Gouldman| Gouldman| 3:10
15.| "Run Away"| Stewart, Gouldman, Gold| Stewart| 4:02
16.| "Les Nouveaux Riches (Single Mix)"| Stewart| Stewart| 4:47
17.| "You're Coming Home Again"| Stewart| Stewart| 4:29

## Personnel

[edit]

10cc

* Eric Stewart – lead vocals, synthesiser, guitars, bass, slide guitar, pianos, percussion, synthesiser strings, rock snare
* Graham Gouldman – lead vocals, bass, guitars, percussion, double bass, sitar
* Rick Fenn – guitars, fretless bass, backing vocals ("Don't Ask" and "Action Man in Motown Suit" only), backing vocals on all other tracks-uncredited, guitars on various tracks uncredited
* Vic Emerson – Synclavier, string synthesiser, piano, electric piano ("Don't Ask", "Lying Here with You", "Survivor" and "Tomorrow's World Today" only)
* Paul Burgess – drums, percussion (except "Lying Here with You", "Survivor" and "Run Away")

with

* Marc Jordan – organ, piano, backing vocals, electric piano ("Don't Ask" and "Action Man in Motown Suit" only)
* Lenni Crookes – sax on "Don't Turn Me Away"
* Simon Phillips – drums on "Survivor" and "Tomorrow's World Today"
* Keith Bessey – maracas on "Survivor"
* Andrew Gold – vocals, bass, guitar, piano, electric piano, synthesiser, vocoder, percussion ("The Power of Love", "We've Heard It All Before" and "Run Away" only)

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1981)  | Peak
position

|

Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] | 49
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] | 17
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] | 24
Chart (1982)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] | 70
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[14] | 31
United States (Billboard 200)  | 209

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "10cc : A Pure Injection Of Pop," chapter 10, by Dave Thompson, "Goldmine" magazine, 11 April 1997
2. ^ Liner notes on Wax's "ComonKnowledge.com" album Archived 20 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ Shepherd, Mike. "Mike Shepherd Images | About Mike". mikeshepherdimages.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
4. ^ Schnee, Stephen. 10 Out of 10 at AllMusic. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
5. ^ Liner notes of Greatest Songs and More (Great Box)
6. ^ "10cc - Ten Out Of 10 (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs. 1981. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
7. ^ "Images for 10cc - Ten Out Of 10". Discogs. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
8. ^ "10cc - Ten Out Of 10 (Vinyl, LP)". Discogs. 1982. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
9. ^ "Images for 10cc - Ten Out Of 10". Discogs. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – 10cc – Ten Out of 10" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
11. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – 10cc – Ten Out of 10". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
12. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – 10cc – Ten Out of 10". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
13. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 307\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
14. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0491". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 6, 2017.

* v
* t
* e

10cc

* Graham Gouldman
* Paul Burgess
* Rick Fenn
* Keith Hayman
* Iain Hornal

* Eric Stewart
* Lol Creme
* Kevin Godley
* Stuart Tosh
* Tony O'Malley
* Duncan Mackay
* Vic Emerson
* Gary Wallis
* Mike Stevens
* Mick Wilson

Studio albums|

* 10cc
* Sheet Music
* The Original Soundtrack
* How Dare You!
* Deceptive Bends
* Bloody Tourists
* Look Hear?
* Ten Out of 10
* Windows in the Jungle
* ...Meanwhile
* Mirror Mirror

Live albums|

* Live and Let Live
* Alive
* Clever Clogs

Compilations|

* 100cc
* Greatest Hits 1972–1978
* Changing Faces – The Very Best of 10cc and Godley & Creme
* The Very Best of 10cc
* Strawberry Bubblegum: A Collection of Pre-10CC Strawberry Studio Recordings 1969–1972
* Greatest Hits ... And More

Box sets|

* Greatest Songs and More (Great Box)

Singles|

* "Donna"
* "Johnny, Don't Do It"
* "Rubber Bullets"
* "The Dean and I"
* "Headline Hustler"
* "The Worst Band in the World"
* "The Wall Street Shuffle"
* "Silly Love"
* "I'm Not in Love"
* "Life Is a Minestrone"
* "Art for Art's Sake"
* "I'm Mandy Fly Me"
* "The Things We Do for Love"
* "Good Morning Judge"
* "People in Love"
* "Dreadlock Holiday"
* "One-Two-Five"
* "Feel the Love"

Related articles|

* Discography
* The Magic Lanterns
* The Mindbenders
* Hotlegs
* "Neanderthal Man"
* Thinks: School Stinks
* You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think of It
* Godley & Creme
* Wax

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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