10cc was the combination of the talents of four songwriters from Manchester. Their greatest album is probably How Dare You! from 1976. It was the last album that would feature all four original members (Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, Eric Stewart, and Graham Gouldman) and it's a wonderful listening experience for many reasons. First, they were a band that was most at home in the studio - they've been compared to Steely Dan in that regard - and their records demonstrate a proficiency in both playing and recording that makes them luxurious, sonically-speaking. This album features nine songs that were all written by either two or three members, in six different combinations, but never all four, and it's interesting to try to determine which parts of each song were the likely contributions of the different writers. The album showcases their senses of humour as well: "I Wanna Rule the World" and "Iceberg" are two good examples. It's not only the lyrics that show their wit - the music does as well. The title of their previous album was The Original Soundtrack (1975), and it was an appropriate one because the most apt description of their music might be "cinematic". Tomorrow, I'll write about the song that is the album's center-piece.