Godley & Creme's Consequences

Hi everyone.  It's been a while! Paul and Sean have been busy, of late...  We may have been embroiled in an uber-ambitious tribute gig, but secretly, Sean's just enjoyed not having to edit endless podcasts in the wee small hours these past few months! In the meantime, our good chum Panayiotis Bogdanos chimed in from San Leandro, California with a proposition: let's talk about 50cc...  We've missed the old chap, so we had to give in!  We really hope you enjoy our random snapshot of our lovingly-concocted live rendition of what this podcast has been all about.  Pany quizzes us on the genesis of the 50cc project, the concept and the crazy ideas, the songs we were dying to play, the challenges, the crushing disappointments and the surprising successes, and of course the extraordinary team that we suddenly found ourselves with on those two nights in Stockport on June 24th and 25th 2022. You'll hear lots of music clips here, including some outtakes that don't appear in the released video, but also a sample of how we attempted to capture Consequences, Godley and Creme solo and 10cc's eclectic career in three hours.  The full video download and YouTube stream can be found here:  https://www.seanmacreavy.com/50ccshop We truly hope you enjoy our efforts.  We've loved doing this, and the gigs were just the icing on the cake! This episode was (mostly) edited by Pany.  Cheers old boy!

Paul and Sean make no apologies for enjoying this conversation as much as we did!     Iain continues to give us fascinating insights into his eclectic and accomplished solo work, including last year's excellent ‘Lockdown' album Fly Away Home.  But it's inevitable that we're frothing at the mouth to hear more about his experience of playing in the touring carnations of 10cc with Graham, ELO with Jeff Lynne and Yes with Anderson, Wakeman and Rabin. His accounts are amazing, as is his musicianship.  Check out the many live clips on YouTube to see what we mean. Stepping into the late Chris Squire's shoes is no mean feat; nor is recreating the luscious vocal textures of Jeff Lynne's best production work.   We also discuss 10cc and Graham's recent publicity work for the new compilation LP, the thrilling unveiling of Natural Wonder and the new piece with Brian May.   Finally, we couldn't resist the temptation to include some of the joyous rabbit hole we dived down on immediate contact with Iain.  Before we'd even started to talk about 10cc, solo projects, ELO or Yes, we discovered a huge shared love. And indeed rabbited on about it for a while... For completists only, we suspect! ;- )   This will be our last podcast for a little while, as we really need to focus on 'getting on with IT'...

Paul and Sean had such a great time talking to established 10cc lead singer Iain Hornal. We fought and lost an uncontrollable urge to geek out about our shared love of The Beach Boys, but eventually got down to business!   Iain has immense musical talent.  The multi-instrumentalist came close with several bands before starring as Macca in the West End (alongside another friend of the show, Paul Canning). He later joined Jeff Lynne's epic live ELO touring band, stepped in to fill Chris Squire's shoes in the Anderson/Wakeman Yes line-up, and of course has spent nearly ten years as lead singer with 10cc.   We explore his 10cc journey,  hear lots of stories of his times with Graham and the band. We get somewhat giddy at his account of his octopus-like musical role!  He's done some cracking writing with GG as well of course, most notably their collaboration Say the Word (with Kevin Godley as guest vocalist) from his excellent 2017 solo album The Games Begins With the Lights Out. The song's an absolute corker, and has rightfully nestled in the 10cc live set.   There was just so much to talk about. We've cut our chat into two sections: this one mostly centred around 10cc and Graham, the next one all points North, South, East and especially West!  ;- )    

Sean and Paul are thrilled to welcome to the pod one Stuart Tosh, the ‘man at the back' who would join drummer Paul Burgess to share honours on 10cc percussion duties live and in the studio from 1977 to 1983.   But to describe Stuart as ‘10cc drummer' is akin to the tip of a musical iceberg, and this chat illustrates that!  There is so, so much more to discuss...  The first section focuses on one of the podcasters' beloved ‘70s bands: Pilot. Were they the Scottish 10cc, or were 10cc the English Pilot?  Discuss. ;- )  We talk about Stuart's musical beginnings in Scotland via EMI records, his discovery of the talent and technology being nurtured at Craighall Studios in Edinburgh, recording at Abbey Road and in Canada, and his whirlwind three albums and promo tours with his Pilot bandmates.  It's a treat to hear these stories (as well as some of their criminally underrated songs)!   His 10cc accounts are just as fascinating. We talk about his thoughts on members of the band, some extraordinary gigging adventures and of course special focus on one of his rare co-writes and lead vocals… The three of us compare muso notes on the unsung gem that is Reds in My Bed!   We had real fun delving further into Stuart's fascinating career, with some wonderful snapshots of his time working with Alan Parsons (as producer and band member), Camel, Cliff Richard, Rick Fenn and numerous other luminaries.  The great inter-connectedness of the 70s-70s music scenes is something that never fails to gobsmack us.

Wow. Simply put, this is nothing short of a coup. A decade ago, Charlie Thomas succeeded in landing an interview that Sean and Paul have been chasing unsuccessfully for two years!   A Lol-tastic 90 minutes then, with exclusive and breathtaking interview outtakes from Charlie's brilliant documentary, ‘I'm Not in Love: the 10cc Story'. These extracts have remained unheard - by anyone - since they were shot in 2012.   Thank you so much to Charlie, his production company Special Treats and to Lol for allowing us to share these amazing clips.  

You may not be familiar with this Sky Sports TV presenter, but you're almost certainly aware of some of Charlie Thomas's brilliant music documentaries. Paul and Sean focus on two of these today: ‘I'm Not in Love: The Story of 10cc' and the brilliantly quirky ‘XTC: This is Pop'. Both truly hit the nail on the head with their subject matter: respectful, sensitive and full of wonderful insights.   Charlie's accounts of his time sitting opposite Lol, Graham, Kevin, Eric, Andy and Colin are captivating.  None more so than Eric: this truly is the most revealing account we've ever heard about the complex person that is Eric Stewart. And while we're here, why don't we indulge Charlie with his fascinating ideas for re-sequencing three classic 10cc albums?  Great fun!   We're massively in debt to the films' production company Special Treats for access to this wonderful material.  Thank you. And sorry about the slightly weird and variable audio quality today, with some music clips coming in all over the place: schoolboy errors on Sean's part this week!  :- )   Next week is something very special indeed: Charlie's been very generous in sharing (and allowing us to share) some wonderful outtakes from his long and delightful conversation with Lol Creme.  We can't wait!

Paul and Sean were so glad to invite Henry back for another whistle-stop, rollicking ride through the rest of his career.   We kick off with The Christians, his best-known venture, with our analysis of their trademark harmonies, Motown influences and ‘gritty' messages. We have some tasty baked goodies to share with you too, notably a live performance from one of the band's very first gigs. We coo over two particular hits - both extremely beautiful and poignant. We listen heart in mouth as he describes the moment last December when he and the band completed a moving tribute to Iranian hostage Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The reworked Christians song 'Naz Don't Cry' created a stir on social media just before Christmas 2021.   Despite Henry's solo career not kicking off in earnest until the start the last decade - at the tender age of 53 - he has no end of fantastic stories about his prolific activity as composer, collaborator and producer in the 90s and 00s, including Take That's Mark Owen, no less.    Signing once again to Island Records for his acclaimed album “The Chronicles of Modern Life”, followed some years later by  “The Last Mad Surge of Youth” and "Six of One & Half a Dozen of the Other” (with Les Glover), all three records show an emerging wryness, warmth and self-deprecation, and Henry is hilariously honest about his outlook on life, his music and getting older!   As an absolute treat for fans of 10cc and Graham Gouldman, we're thrilled to be able to share with you some of a pile of demo tapes Henry's shared with us. All feature him and Graham in the throes of collaboration, and *no one* has heard these!  Many of these terrific songs were largely intended for inclusion in the hit West End show Dreamboats and Petticoats. Other tapes are one-off recordings with such collaborators as John Campbell from It's Immaterial. They're terrific, and we're really looking forward to hearing new versions of some of them featured on Henry's forthcoming album ‘Beautiful Ruins'.      

Welcome to the first of our two knockabout chats with the irrepressible Henry Priestman. Famous for being The Christians' songwriter, he's less well-known for his early work with cult Liverpool post-punk outfits Yachts and fellow Merseysiders It's Immaterial, his prolific songwriting with luminaries galore, or his roles as producer and, more recently, solo artist. His stories about his musical adventures are astounding and hilarious in equal measure.   One of his frequent collaborators of course is one Graham Gouldman. We have a lovely sneaky peek at demos of some of the lovely songs he and Graham penned, both for album projects and in a small bedroom at Huntsham Court, during their EMI songwriter weeks.  It's so great being a fly on the wall at the moment these songs are premiered to their illustrious peers!   We were so proud to be able to bake, restore and capture a huge box of tapes that Henry sent us last year.  Some of them feature never-before heard live and studio recordings by the Christians, but we'll have to wait until next week to hear those!  In this episode, we focus on some impossibly rare demos by Yachts.  Mark Kermode and Henry's other fanatical followers will be over the moon.   And of course we have to ask Henry about 10cc and *that* triple album!  Fun like this surely can't be referred to as ‘work'!          

Paul and Sean had the pleasure of meeting the highly affable Paul Canning at his merchandise stall after his delightful support spot at Graham Gouldman's Heart Full of Songs gig in Manchester last autumn.   He's a talented multi-instrumentalist and singer, prolific songwriter and extremely adaptable singer with 10cc.  We are of course dying to know what it's like to be given the onerous task of being Eric, Lol and Kevin live on stage, and Paul's stories are riveting! There's a lovely story behind him crossing paths with the rest of the boys, too. You can hear our ‘10cc envy' in every second of this pod!   Much of the pod though looks into Paul's eclectic, interesting and very enjoyable solo catalogue. And he's popping out albums at a furious rate! All of them are a proper fruit basket of tasty influences (right up our street) and the songwriting's top-notch. On top of this, Paul has forged a successful sideline in acoustic covers, which have had no small success.     

The only thing we can say is WOW. Being the go-to 10cc live drummer for just short of 50 years has been a surprisingly small part of Paul Burgess's drumming career. This is a journeyman and a half, taking in the likes of Invisible Girls, Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, The Hee Bee Gee Bees, The Christians, Icicle Works, Gloria Gaynor, Alvin Stardust, Engelbert Humperdink, Joan Armatrading, Gilbert O'Sullivan, The Blockheads, The Helicasters and dozens more. He's rubbed shoulders with members of many bands: Strawbs, Fairport, Wings and many other Folk, Rock, Pop and Prog luminaries. He also talks us through the later 10cc albums he *didn't* play on, and his much later reunion with Graham for 10cc mk 4. Been round the block, this lad!  And many thanks to Henry for laying his hands on that fabulous session tape.

Here's the second part of Carol Jason's funny and moving account of her summer of '67.   Will Black, Brown and Beige's dreams come true? Paul and Sean have loved this parable of the three Pop hopefuls. We hope you have too.   Some of the rare musical treats here are really unexpected and special.

We're pausing our sequence of three chats with Paul Burgess to feature someone with an even earlier, close association with the 10cc fold. Carol Jason was seventeen, and one third of folk-based outfit Black, Brown and Beige when, in 1967, for a white hot period of six months - her band found themselves right at the centre of the action. Managed by Harvey Lisberg and working closely with Graham Gouldman, they recorded at two legendary London studios, whilst jostling for songs penned by one of the biggest hit writers of the age (Graham). Ultimately. no recordings were issued and the band moved on to other things. However, as we shall hear, these formative experiences started Carol on a career as a professional musician that continues to this day. Carol's 1967 diary forms the basis of this episode, brought to life by her honesty and irrepressible personality, in this chat with Sean and Paul. We believe NONE of this story has been told before, or even known of - and it speaks well of Harvey, Graham and the Manchester music scene in general. It is an intimate and somewhat innocent portrait of another age. And speaking of age, how young the protagonists were - Carol turns 18 and Graham 21 during the course of the story.  But... there is more! Thanks to Carol's generosity, Sean and Paul have restored and brought back to life several unique acetate recordings, featuring Carol and her band, as well as a swathe of previously unknown Graham songs and recordings. These recordings - and Carol's reaction to hearing them for the first time in 55(!) years - make this a must listen episode. Enjoy.

Welcome to part two of Paul and Sean's conversation with 10cc's faithful stoolsman of 49 years!   We're sure this will be a riveting listen for any 10cc fan.  We look predominantly at the band's more turbulent times during the 1980s, after the heady honeymoon of Bloody Tourists. To his incredible credit, Paul B is diplomatic, tactful and fair in all of his accounts.  But it must be said that his thoughts on Eric's sad near-fatal car accident and the subsequent deterioration in the band's fortunes, and the relationship between Graham and Eric, are the podcast equivalent of 'page-turners'! There is one story, from Paul's last tour with 10cc mk III, that is toe-curling.   We're delighted to also bring you some audio snippets that have never been heard before - including a 1983 TV appearance, among others - for which we owe Dave Jarvis our thanks, as ever.   We'll be talking to Paul again very soon, and we're relishing the prospect of digging deep into the less well-known corners of his career.

It's been a long time coming, but the planets finally lined up to bring 10cc's second longest-serving member into the Consequences spotlight!   Paul Burgess has been the absolute backbone of the band's live line-up since their very first gig in the Isle of Man in 1973. He of course took over the drum stool for studio projects with Kevin's departure, and his contributions are exceptional. Hearing his modest explanation for his instinctive and improvisational approach to recording is quite something to hear.   In this, the first part of three-episode chat with Paul, we look at his early days as a jobbing drummer on the Manchester scene, his introduction to Strawberry Studios via David Rohl's band Ankh (later Mandalaband), and his associations with later 10cc members such as Rick Fenn in his 70s Prog Rock outfit Gentlemen. Manchester was a small world, indeed!   Paul takes us through his fascinating experience of 10cc Mk I and into the first post-Godley and Creme project, Deceptive Bends. 

We think today's pod will blow your mind!   Paul and Sean are really excited to share with you some extracts from two DAT tapes recorded over 20 years ago.  They consist of various mixes made from the original multi-track tapes of '24 Hours' (from 1983's Windows in the Jungle album) and ‘People in Love' (Voodoo Boogie)'.     The latter saw some kind of release in poorer quality form on the 'Tenology' box set. It was of course the very last recording made by all four of 10cc's original members. This fact alone makes this an important historical artefact! On one hand, a failed experiment that Kevin and Lol hated so much, it split up the band!  On the other, could there actually be some Strawberry magic hidden in its twenty four tracks?  Godley and Creme are certainly on typically creative and off-piste form here, so prepare for some amazing surprises! Eric and Graham's contributions are sterling too, of course.   Your two podcasters have discussed '24 Hours' and its accompanying album several times before, but we've never had an opportunity to look so closely at the excellent musicianship and beautiful sounds of the original multi-track.   A treat in store here then, promise!   With huge thanks to the two devoted individuals who retrieved the original studio tapes and mixed these tracks.  

Today, Sean and Paul are extremely excited to announce our unique tribute concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stockport's most famous band: 10cc! This is a two-night residency at Stockport's Garrick Theatre, on Friday 24th and Saturday 25th June 2022. Tickets for both shows can be booked using the link below.  It's going to be an ambitious homage to some incredible music, including *all* the great 10cc hits and a selection of stunning, classic album tracks and lost gems. 50cc will also be showcasing some of the wonderful solo songs written by Lol Creme, Kevin Godley, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart since the 1960s. These will include lesser-known classics by The Mockingbirds, Mindbenders, Herman's Hermits, Godley & Creme and Wax.  Some of these songs have never been performed live before! As a special and unique treat for fans of 10cc and Stockport's iconic Strawberry Studios, this concert will feature the first ever live tribute to Godley & Creme's epic 1977 debut album, 'Consequences'. Ticket link: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/50cc Hope to see you there!

Some people have had a disproportionately successful music career, having written, produced, engineered or played on a staggering number of sublime pop records.  One such person is Phil Thornalley.   Phil cut his teeth in the studio in the late 1970s with pop supremo Mickie Most before a precocious career engineering, producing and/or playing with The Cure, Prefab Sprout, Johnny Hates Jazz and Thompson Twins, among many others. His work on TT's ‘Into the Gap' earned him a Grammy nomination. Paul and Sean of course quiz him on his time working with Andrew Gold and Graham Gouldman on their second set of Wax songs, ‘Magnetic Heaven'. Since the ‘80s, he's enjoyed some spectacular success as a songwriter, most famously perhaps with Natalie Imbruglia's ‘Torn' and two number ones for Pixie Lott.  He's also worked with Bryan Adams.  So this guy has some pretty spectacular pedigree!   Phil's production style in the mid-late 1980s - along with that of his peers - could be dismissed lazily as dated or of-its-time, but closer examination reveals some delights. We were gobsmacked by his recycling of 10cc's pioneering tape loop techniques for his work on an ‘80s classic…. We won't spoil the surprise!   The biggest revelation though has been Phil's own ‘band' project: his two albums as Astral Drive.  Possibly Sean's favourite new discovery of the year! It's deliciously great pop, full of hooks, great melodies and 60s/70s sounds, and we have a lot of fun quizzing Phil on his obvious influences: Todd Rundgren features heavily!

This episode will be absolute music to the ears not just of Strawberry Studios enthusiasts, but all fans of the 80s and 90s Manchester ('Madchester'!) music scene.   Jonathan ‘Baz' Barrett, better known to this podcast as the Stage Manager for the wonderful Strawberry Studios Forever concert in Stockport in September, was a fully-fledged Strawberry recording engineer during its last six years, from 1987 to 1993. His fascinating stories paint a vivid picture of sessions and recordings involving some of Manchester's most iconic bands.  None more so than Joy Division, and we try to illustrate Baz's amazing account of Martin Hannett's pioneering production work on Love Will Tear Us Apart with some incredible isolated vocal and instrumental parts. We've even tried to re-imagine one of these, so apologies to Mr Hannett if we've got this completely wrong…   Other tales include Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Cocteau Twins, the BBC and some other less well-known bands such as The High, Mighty Force, Ashley & Jackson and his own band Rig.    This a real love letter to Strawberry's final years, and it's only fitting that we ask Baz to name his ‘pet' Strawberry sound of all time.  You won't be disappointed!

Welcome to the Consequences Podcast's first venture outside the 10cc universe! We'll still be dipping our toes back into the Kevin/Lol/Graham/Eric sphere as and when, but for now we present an extraordinary conversation with a true songwriting legend: Mr Dean Friedman!   Seen unfairly as a one hit wonder, Friedman's career spans nine eclectic albums and regular international tours. His loyal following is treated to intelligent, witty and beautiful songs. As a talented multi-instrumentalist, he really is the full package. Truly one of the most entertaining people we've ever met.   Much of this chat centres around his new album, ‘American Lullaby'. It's a characteristically eclectic affair, with all the usual high-octane wordplay, wit and melodic/harmonic beauty. This time though, he really packs a lyrical punch. Inspired (appalled?) by recent events in American politics, the pandemic and vicious culture wars, Dean's gloves are off. Prepare to be dazzled by his incredibly thoughtful analysis, honesty, moral and political compass and live performances here. One in particular is a comedy masterclass!   We also delve into other parts of his career, notably his underrated ‘Rumpled Romeo' album from the early 80s, which includes his most successful song, ‘McDonald's Girl'. There's also room for discussion on some of his less well-known songs, and of course we *had* to look at ‘Lucky Stars'. Why is it so misunderstood as a ‘guilty pleasure'?   And we ought to say at this juncture that we simply couldn't resist chatting about 10cc and Consequences in this chat! We just can't help ourselves.

Here's our attempt to condense the events of an incredible day into a single podcast!   On 18th September 2021, nearly five hundred people convened at the beautiful Stockport Plaza for Strawberry Studios Forever. Organised and hosted by the inimitable local music champions John and Rosemary Barratt (of Seven Miles Out fame), this was an incredible live musical tribute to one of the UK's most influential music hubs.   We hear short excerpts from every act, guest appearance or song performed by Peter Wadsworth, Selket (from Ramases), Derailer, Phil Mealey, 11 Hours, Eamonn O'Neal, Liv May & Billy Graham, Dr Uke, The Siders, The Sean and I (and Gizmo!), The Panamas, Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays) and Kashmere. The performed songs covered many of Strawberry's iconic recordings, by the likes of 10cc, Ramones, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Inspiral carpets, Stone Roses and others. Quite a list!   During and after the day, Paul and Sean interviewed a number of the participants, including John Barratt, Selket and Stage Manager Jonathan ‘Baz' Barrett. All three have unique and fascinating experiences of their time at Strawberry.   And the Consequences podcast just wouldn't be complete without Graham's contribution, would it?

Well folks, in the words of Graham Gouldman here:   'Wow.'   We'll just leave this one here. Unreleased joys and a reaction from this great musician to die for.  Enjoy!

As Paul says, 'there's no introduction necessary': Graham's umpteenth pod gig is a joy! We won't give anything away, but we had a lot of surprises here. Graham's 2020-2021 Lockdown project - 'No Words Today' - has been a massive technological leap for the so-called 10cc 'bassist'. Total solo artist, guitar virtuoso and self producer/engineer?  You bet. For those of you fortunate enough to have downloaded this sumptuous beauty already, you'll know exactly what we're talking about.  This is Gouldman firing on cylinders we (and he) didn't even know he had! And there's an awful lot more to come from this conversation... Coming to a pod near you anon.        

Paul and Sean were delighted to spend an hour and a half in the company of Mike 'McGear' McCartney. And what an entertaining and captivating chap he is! Any fans, like us, of 10cc's Strawberry Studios will of course know about Mike's memorable visits to Stockport. We give due airtime to the excellent 'McGear' album from 1974, as well as looking at its predecessor 'Woman' from two years earlier. And there's so, so much more. Mike is a consummate raconteur, and he has us in stitches with his anecdotes about the The Scaffold, Cavern, Abbey Road, celebrity interviews, Strawberry, football with the Pythons, and of course 'our kid', his older brother Paul (including our extraordinary recorded find a few weeks ago). There were a hundred questions we ran out of time - or simply forgot! - to ask. But we really hope you enjoy our attempt to do justice to the career of this underrated and hugely engaging artist.

Here's a real departure for us today folks. In the third of our ‘Great Alcester Bake-off' series, we've left the most unusual and surprising until last.   Strawberry Archive's Peter Wadsworth and author of ‘10cc: The Worst Band in the World' Liam Newton joined Sean in his Man Cave in Alcester to bake and play a dozen tapes. The rare, unearthed 10cc tapes were joy enough, but our anticipation for this one was intense! Labelled on the box as simply ‘Paul McCartney effects' tape, we already knew this must have been his creative preparation for some of the more unusual moments on his brother Mike's (and a proto-Wings') excellent album ‘McGear' in 1974, recorded simultaneously with 10cc's masterpiece, ‘Sheet Music'.   What we got though was more than that. But we won't spoil the surprise!   You'll hear most of our random musings and mutterings here, as we go on our little ‘voyage of discovery' to try to understand the weird and sometimes wonderful fragments on this extraordinary tape.  I'm sure you'll reach your own (correct) conclusions way before we did!   You can hear most of the audio from this (and our other 10cc discoveries) in superb 24-bit, 48k quality by becoming a subscriber to our podcast via the link below.  Thanks everyone.   https://consequences.podbean.com/e/consequences-10cc-podcast-subscribers-premium-exclusive-the-great-alcester-bake-off-tapes/    

Here's part two of our three-part series, reliving the fun Peter, Liam and Sean had in the Man Cave with a pile of priceless Strawberry studio tapes!   There are some really rare treats here, including four 1979 10cc demos for their ‘7th album'. There are also some lovely nuggets of tiny (or missing!) taped fragments that cast more light on this wonderful band's mysterious ways… The master copies of a few hit singles are marvellous, too.   You can access these wonderful audio files in 24-bit, 48k quality by subscribing here, via the shared ‘Goodies in the Pipeline' folder:   https://www.podbean.com/premium-signup/qiegf-220cbb/The+Consequences+10cc+podcast   Please note: we've deliberately interrupted some of the audio from the tapes here to discourage cheeky ‘bootlegging', but full audio will be available from this week, and we'll ‘release' all of the audio files after we premiere them on the podcast.  Hope that makes sense!   Videos of the tapes being captured (with pristine audio) will be made available via Sean's YouTube channel the day after the tapes are featured on the pod:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPtPyoGmdllLyIeQOIewN1w  

On 20th July 2021, Sean had the pleasure of welcoming Strawberry archivist Peter Wadsworth and ‘10cc: Worst Band in the World' author Liam Newton to his newly-refurbed Man Cave in Alcester, Warwickshire. He so wished Paul could have been there to experience the sound that came from a dozen tapes recently obtained by Peter. These tapes were duly baked in the food dehumidifier that served us so well with the 'Natural Wonder' tape at the tail end of last year.  Honestly folks, we really believe some of these will blow your minds!   We don't want to give away too much in the blurb here, but in this first episode of 'The Great 10cc Alcester Bake-off', we unearth two master tapes from the mid-70s that have never been heard before.  The quality is incredible, and the musical content breath-taking.   Sean has digitised all of the new tapes in 24-bit 48k sound quality, equivalent to BluRay, so about 50% better than CD. You can access these wonderful audio files by subscribing here, where you'll be given access to the shared ‘Goodies in the Pipeline' folder. Our subscription/donation fee is $25 per year:   https://www.podbean.com/premium-signup/qiegf-220cbb/The+Consequences+10cc+podcast   Please note: we've deliberately interrupted some of the audio from the tapes in this podcast to try to discourage cheeky ‘bootlegging' of less than perfect audio, but full versions of all the featured tapes will be available via the folder above from this week. We'll ‘release' all of the audio files after we premiere them on the podcast.  Hope that makes sense!   Videos of the tapes being captured (with pristine audio) will be made available via Sean's YouTube channel the day after the tapes are featured on the pod:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPtPyoGmdllLyIeQOIewN1w

What do you think of 10cc's most epic track?     Paul, Eric and Sean pore over this monumental work in their usual forensic fashion to make up their own minds once and for all. Unconditional love, or not so? Stunning musicianship and arrangement? A unique, orchestral triumph?  A tour de force, made for the stage? Eric Stewart's finest moments at the mic and on guitar?  But is the song itself a slight case of mutton dressed up as lamb, with too many incoherent parts? Just the formulaic third in a series of three-part 10cc songs with a Latin break in the middle? A muscle-flexing statement of independence after Kevin and Lol's departure?  Whatever 10cc fans' differing views, the three of us all have a tremendous admiration for it. And for the incredible talents of one Del Newman.   We hope you enjoy the harmonic piano insights of Mr Baumgartner, the numerous audio Easter eggs, the cheeky influences we've spotted, and the debate over the song's title and wordplay, which don't seem to have translated well across the pond!   Oh, and you're all in for a bit of a surprise too, just as Eric and Paul were!

Bienvenue tout le monde!  And a big welcome back to our New Best Friend and maestro Eric Baumgartner for what can only be described as a musical tour-de-force deep dive into 10cc's quirky 1975 masterpiece ‘Une Nuit à Paris'. Perhaps surprisingly, two out of three of us here are less than 100% in love with this track. Is there something unsatisfying about the song itself, and is it just too harsh on the ears?  All of us agree though that as a structured piece of theatre, it's a masterwork. Needless to say, Monsieur Baumgartner's musical analysis and dancing fingers are dazzling again, and Sean's hit a bit of a purple patch with some audio geekery - all just for a bit of fun!  (He should get out more). Paul treats us to some fascinating and funny anecdotes direct from the band members. We guarantee that you'll be hearing a dozen things that you've never known or noticed before. In a word - which we use many times during this podcast - MAGNIFIQUE!

Once again, Paul and Sean are completely indebted to friend of the show Dave Jarvis for a succession of early Godley and Creme recordings that are rarer than a really rare thing!   This pod acts as a kind of companion piece to episode #22 (‘I’m Beside Myself’). We won’t give away too much, but among the dozen or so tracks we listen to here, we have perhaps the earliest ‘proper’ recording the boys committed to tape: a limited edition promotional record for a hot Manchester night spot.  It’s a cracker.  Also featured are two of the very early songs Kevin mentions in his excellent autobiography ‘Spececake’, but which he can’t lay his hands on. Other delights are literally one-off acetates made from collaborations with Graham in the late 1960s, and an unidentified Kev/Lol/Graham track that turns up mysteriously tagged on the end of another band’s album in 1977.  And finally, a round-up of some of the tasty morsels on the excellent ‘Strawberry Bubblegum’ compilation that we didn’t get around to discussing on podcast #22. The last track we look at here is 10cc's final blueprint for their trademark sound, under the bizarre name ‘Grumble’.  It’s a wonderful prototype for the debut album, and just one of the many listening treasures in this episode.   Whether you agree with us on the relative merits of these musical curios, we’ll all speak with one voice in praise for Kevin Godley’s incredible vocals on the lion’s share of the tracks. Really brilliant.

Sean and Paul are once again under the spell of Atlanta's affable and twinkled-fingered musicologist, Eric Baumgartner! Not only that, but more than a year on from the start of the pandemic, we've finally found a way to record everyone in hi-fi sound... one of the many reasons why this is one of Sean's favourite episodes! Eric's musical understanding is second to none, as we journey around 10cc's unusual and ground-breaking adventures with harmony. Now, we're not talking about the bursts of 'oos' and 'aahs' here. This is about their all-important use of chords, and Eric plays us dozens of examples, first through other pioneering pop writers who influenced the Stockport foursome, and other great composers who used similar techniques. Now don't get worried here: we're not going to dazzle you with science. We're just going to let you hear what made 10cc's compositional chops so amazing! There are signature songwriting techniques being analysed here, such as 'slash chords', chromaticism and pedal points, and you'll giggle in recognition as Eric plays snippets from a huge array of 10cc classics. These guys were up to some clever and surprising tricks!  But for us the *real* treat is his discovery of 'Lol's Magic Chord'...  We won't give anything away, but suffice to say it's a real scoop!  Hilarious and beautiful with it. Thank you so much Eric, this was an absolute hoot!

Paul and Sean really enjoyed our second conversation with Rick Fenn. Once again, he’s incredibly honest and unassuming about his fascinating and hugely surprising career outside 10cc. He’s collaborated with many of Rock’s biggest names, as we shall hear.   Rick has been nothing short of prolific in his musical projects, since the temporary demise of 10cc in 1980. We look in detail at his stint in Mike Oldfield’s first integral band: as guitarist, later as keyboardist/vocalist, and as it turned out, co-writer. He tells some entertaining (and terrifying!) stories of his time on tour with the band. We briefly touch on 10cc’s Windows in the Jungle before hearing about his role in the joint project with Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason. The ‘Profiles’ album is proof positive of Fenn’s mastery of Prog-influenced keyboards as well as guitars. 10cc fans will love a clip of an Eric Stewart lead vocal that no-one has heard since the mid-80s!   A substantial portion of this podcast is taken up with Rick’s long-time collaboration with soulmate Peter Howarth, best known perhaps as the current lead singer of the Hollies. He’s a gifted singer and an underrated guitarist. Together they co-wrote a major West End musical, ‘Robin: Prince of Sherwood’, and the clips we play demonstrate both enormous vocal and instrumental versatility and a real talent for composition and lyric writing. They also ran the gamut of genres in their Pop writing too, with their listenable collection of self-penned songs ‘And Still I Fly’, available on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/album/0ks9w6MvgfvuVwPNAuacXt?si=KtMoq0xUQjegSRhZdvegig   Like us, you’ll no doubt be thinking that this Rick Fenn fellow is a proper dark horse! You’ll also hear some rarely-heard snippets from their sadly abandoned musical project ‘Androcles and the Lion’, and we’re so grateful to Rick for his generosity in sharing with us so many rare film and audio clips. 

Sean and Paul are thrilled to have spent three hours in the company of a 10cc legend in the past few weeks. Rick Fenn has, for no fewer than 45 years, been a core part of 10cc’s live set-up, as well as taking part in most of their post-Deceptive studio projects. A consummate musician. he sees himself as a guitarist, but his mastery of most other instruments is stunning: among them piano and synths, bass, even saxophone! Starting his musical career in Cambridge, he moved to Manchester in 1976, and our story starts with a remarkable TV appearance that sees Rick lock (Dorking) horns with someone who’s quite simply his musical opposite... The rest is history of course, but we won’t spoil the surprise!   Rick gives us so many remarkably candid insights into his time with 10cc.  His uncanny audition, the joys of the first tour and recording Bloody Tourists, the stark contrast with Look Hear, and the fall-out from Eric’s tragic accident in 1979, including the deteriorating relationship between Eric and Graham. We continue the story up until the Ten Out of Ten sessions, and we’ll pick up from here next time.   We hope (and expect!) that you really enjoy this episode.  We’re excited about the next pod too, where we explore Rick’s incredibly prolific career with other artists as session and live player, and his less well-known core business of commercial soundtracks and musical theatre composer. This chap’s truly been round the block!

Sean and Paul feel incredibly lucky and privileged to be able to share these incredible finds, courtesy of the Strawberry Archive. We feel like archaeologists coming back with the spoils! Here’s a deep-ish dive into those two other 10cc tapes we baked for The Great Stockport Bake-off.   This is really a live ‘listening party for two’ where we drool and speculate over three multi-track recordings: Hotlegs’ You Didn’t Like It Because You Didn’t Think of It and 10cc’s Survivor and Tomorrow’s World Today. The first two songs in particular have us raving! The first… well, you’ll have to listen to us change our minds, contradict ourselves and talk nonsense in real time before we wonder out loud about what we might have found. Elementary, my dear McNulty. Not.   Could we have accidentally stumbled across the very first recording that the four members of 10cc ever made together?  

'How ya doing? Your Disco King here to do his thing! I hope you have had a be-YOOTI-ful day. We are here to keep it that way!'   Paul and Sean are delighted today to have a very special guest: British radio legend Andy Peebles - a life-long champion and friend (in every sense) of 10cc.   Andy began his DJ-ing career in Bournemouth, before moving to Manchester to take up a residency at Hardrock, Rank’s huge and prestigious live venue and discotheque in Stretford, Manchester. After a stint with BBC Radio Manchester in the early 70s, he became one of the founding DJs on Piccadilly Radio a few years later. But most of us know him as a Radio One presenter, where he garnered a reputation for thoughtful interviews and sheer passion for music. Perhaps his greatest legacy is his famous and candid interview with John Lennon, taped just days before his death in 1980. He continues to broadcast to this day.   We hope you enjoy this entertaining whistle-stop tour through Andy’s career, and his frequent crossing of paths with Eric, Lol, Kevin and particularly Graham.   And did we mention that Andy was further immortalised by his cameo appearance on *that* triple album?  

Sean and Paul hope you enjoy this episode.  It's extremely long, but we think you'll find it extraordinary. As you all already know, 17th December 2020 was an amazing day for us: when we unearthed the lost magic of 10cc's beautiful recording of that 30-second advert...  This is our own sort of tribute to the contents of that incredible tape. We dive really deeply on this one, so hold onto your hats for our geekiest trip yet!  We examine every part committed to that tape and unearth some truly lovely discoveries.  But that's not all.  Atlanta, Georgia musician Eric Baumgartner is on hand to give a truly breath-taking musical analysis of every single 10cc musical trope audible in Natural Wonder. His musicality really is dazzling, and you're in for a real treat. The man's a genuine 10cc jukebox!  

Paul and Sean return to their ‘roots’ for our first pod about *that* triple album for over a year. Today, we talk to former BBC producer Giles Booth, who created Consequences history in the late 1990s with his excellent website, ‘Mr Blint’s Attic’. Mojo magazine even picked up on the story, as this was startlingly early for any website dedicated to one album, let alone a Marmite cult classic like this!     Giles has a lot to get off his chest as he admits that this is the first time he’s actually talked to anyone about said record since he was (yes) 17.  The result is the geekiest conversation any of us has ever had. And we loved every minute! Hold on to your hats as we race down dozens of joyous rabbit holes: dummy heads, the number 17, the musical play and its five characters, Peter Cook and Beyond the Fringe, mysterious tapes, the reissues, Kevin and Lol and their attitude to the album’s abject commercial failure. We also can’t resist throwing in some wild theories and fantasies, and we hope you enjoy our nerdy enthusiasm for this under-appreciated wonder!   Giles’s website can be found here: http://www.suppertime.co.uk/blint/. Check it out; it’s brilliant.   Paul and Sean will be performing some more ‘deep dives’ in the coming weeks, and we can’t wait. Thanks so much for listening!

Well, what can we say? This glitchy, very '2020' Zoom call marks the exact moment two members of the original 10cc got to hear three wonderful, historic tapes, one from 1970, the other from six and ten years later.  Their reactions and recollections (or lack of them!) are emotional and/or hilarious! 'The Great Stockport Bake-off' project was a joy from start to finish for the team - Paul and Sean, Peter Wadsworth, Liam Newton, Rob Salmon and David Jarvis - and we were gobsmacked and honoured to have Graham and Kevin join us for this chat. They've kindly let us put out the entire call. Please make sure you watch the film before you listen to this, if you haven't already, as the surprise element will be ruined! The link's at the bottom of the page. And if your geek diodes aren't too overloaded by this, you can read a bit more detail about the project on Sean's website here: https://www.seanmacreavy.com/tape-restoration-baking-mastering Thanks everyone,   Sean and Paul https://youtu.be/Rhjl6kibE_s    

Sean and Paul were commissioned by Record Collector magazine to produce a 4-page interview feature with Kevin Godley in its December edition - and we jumped at the chance! So we're releasing this podcast on December 17th (aaaa!), in synch with the much-awaited physical release of Muscle Memory. We won't give away any details or titbits here, but suffice to say that Kevin's on startling, brutally honest and hilarious form here. Much like his new record, if we're honest! While there's no I'm Not in Love among them, the eleven songs released in fortnightly intervals since the summer have proven once again that Godley is a brilliant lyric writer. His observations on the state of our society are savage and often very, very funny. We really hope you enjoy Kevin's account of them here. That's us done for this year folks. Thank you so much for sticking with us - there's more to come in the New Year of course, and today also marks the very day that we'll be attempting to unearth the contents of a 'lost' 10cc multi-track tape...  Our film 'The Great Stockport Bake-Off' will be coming very soon! Hope you all manage a lovely family time, take care, and see you very soon.

Paul and Sean are delighted to welcome one of Strawberry's highly talented studio engineers to the podcast this week. Mark Cockburn, initially recruited by Consequences engineering legend Martin Lawrence, took part in numerous sessions between the late 70s and early 80s. Mark gives us near-total recall on his experiences as an assistant engineer at Stockport's state-of-the-art facility. We know you'll find the level of detail about sessions incredible and fascinating. His first foray into studio life was with Scott & Batiche (featuring Alistair Gordon - later of Banks Statement - and Richard Darbyshire of Living in a Box), but soon he was working directly with (Graham's half of) 10cc on what would morph into the Ten Out of Ten album.  His stories about some of the tracks on that record are so illuminating and entertaining! There are numerous other sessions to savour here, including Sad Café, The Ramones and projects with the sonic luminary Martin Hannett.  This is a studio buff's dream - and Sean's really enjoying himself! You'll also hear a wide selection of clips from extremely rare and never-heard 10cc outtakes, experiments, sessions and demos. We won't spoil your surprise by listing them here... Thanks as always to our fine friend David Jarvis for these. Look out for a surprise pod coming on December 17th...

Sean and Paul are delighted this week to welcome Lol’s son Lalo Creme to the pod. He’s a hugely entertaining fellow, and he gives us some fantastic insights into not just his interesting career, but what it’s like growing up with one quarter of 10cc as your dad! Lalo quickly became a highly accomplished guitarist in his own right, within a very short time of picking up one of his dad’s impressive axes. His father’s best chum Trevor Horn was quick to exploit his considerable guitar chops in the studio. Most notably, the three of them were the backbone of the Glam Metal Detectives project in the mid-1990s. He’s still in awe of duelling with an all-time guitar hero on those sessions! He also tells a lovely tale about the origins of Lol’s hilarious promo video for Tom Jones’s If I Only Knew, which he stars in. But our main focus here is on Lalo’s not inconsiderable success with UK-based electronic/dance/rock outfit Arkarna. He teamed up with fellow Brits programmer, producer and singer Ollie Jacobs and guitarist James Barnett on a commercial and high-energy trajectory. The band quickly rose to prominence in South-East Asia and Australia, and Lalo has some funny stories about their encounters with foreign fans! Their second offering, ‘Family Album’ is a hugely engaging pop album. Lalo’s career has taken many, many interesting turns over the years, and we have a lot of fun chewing the fat about art and design, realty and his wacky promotional videos! We of course discuss Lalo’s dad, and what he has to say about Mr Creme Senior is fascinating. Did Lol teach him any of the old 10cc riffs? Was he on set for any of Godley and Creme’s iconic video shoots? What are his favourite 10cc tunes? And where is Lol these days? We’re sure you’ll really enjoy finding out.  

Sean and Paul are really pleased to welcome Sir Tim Rice to the podcast.  Tim is of course one of most successful and important songwriters of the past fifty years. Even before winning three Best Song Oscars in the space of five years (in the Nineties), he had revolutionised British musical theatre with Andrew Lloyd Webber courtesy of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. But there is also a strong 10cc connection, ranging from an early, almost, management deal with Harvey Lisberg and Kennedy Street enterprises through to his lyrics on one of the great late period 10cc songs ‘The Monkey And The Onion’. All in all, this is a fun conversation calling at all points on and beyond the 10cc map. Sean and Paul would like to thank Tim for his great contribution to British song in general and to our podcast in particular. ‘Tim One Nice!’ Don’t forget to listen to Tim’s excellent podcast ‘Get On To My Cloud’ https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/yz8vx-db121/Get-Onto-My-Cloud-The-Tim-Rice-Podcast  

As part of our ‘Looking for Lolagon’ push, we decided to recruit our friend and Consequences correspondent Paul Hamilton to explore the extra-curricular activities of Godley and Creme in the late 70s and early 80s. He’s the Co-author/editor of the brilliant 'How Very Interesting: Peter Cook's Universe and All that Surrounds it’, and boasts a prolific career 'writing and producing songs and videos that I hope will unite the whole world in actively hating’!   He brings us a tour-de-force here: an absolute Kevin and Lol trivia-frenzy, and a real hoot to boot.   This episode will make it clear that Kevin and Lol were involved in some really interesting musical projects, almost all of which were eye-wateringly obscure and sadly, commercial failures. Hamilton is keen to stress that the principal motive for chasing paid commissions was to pay the bills; for, unlike most other musicians, Godley and Creme had no revenue from live work. This is a very good point, and after all, the boys needed some paid gigs given the failure of their first three albums! Their first two outside ventures were perhaps the most substantial and interesting that we cover in this chat. 1977’s ‘Listen Now’ album by Phil Manzanera and Bill MacCormick's band 801 sees Kevin and Lol turn in some nice cameos on vocals and Gizmo on four tracks. A recorded gig in Manchester sees G&C make a rocking-horse-shittingly rare live appearance, and we’re delighted to say that these tracks have been added to our subscribers’ shared ‘Goodies in the Pipeline' folder.    Kevin and Lol were paid handsomely to produce Mickey Jupp’s 1979 album Long Distance Romancer. An eclectic departure for the Southend ‘pub rock’ Stiff Records artist, the album does give us some lovely thick wadges of G&C-ness. It’s tremendous to hear Kev’s drums and Lol’s guitar, especially, and like most of the projects we discuss here, our Dynamic Duo’s presence is so often almost over-bearing in its distinctiveness. This wouldn’t always endear Godley and Creme to their collaborators. Their production work on the Boomtown Rats’ V Deep LP from 1982 is a case in point.   Other musical dabblings are generally a mish-mash of obscure and/or unlistenable curios, and we dish up some super-rare clips courtesy of Hamilton and our good chum David Jarvis. These include cameos with Jona Lewie and The Clash, and production jobs for Blue Rondo A La Turk and Writz. One other venture behind the mixing desk is so rare that not even our usual helpers can find it! Almost as rare, you'll also hear a few painful snippets of their collaboration with 'The Photo Kid'. Not all works of genius then, but finally, on a much more positive note, we'll play you a terrific little advert jingle that you may well recognise. It's a treat.   We really hope you enjoy our chaotic romp through this patchy but fascinating stuff. Do check out Paul Hamilton’s tasty and entertaining music and video catalogue at https://bisonics.bandcamp.com/music.            

Sean and Paul have for months now being racking our brains about what to do about Lol Creme. He's long since stated that doing a podcast interview just isn't his thing.  So we'll just do a pod talking about his 70s and 80s 'extra-curricular' projects and solo career after Godley and Creme - easy, right? Well, not really. The more we've dug around to find him, the more elusive he's seemed to have got!  He's seldom been very audible, let alone visible, in these last 30 years.  This episode focuses on Lol's solo work, from his obscure Naughty Nola single in 1973 to the present day. Much of his work in that time has involved playing session guitar on established artists' records, and most of those as part of ace producer Trevor Horn's crack team. These musicians include the likes of Anne Dudley, Steve Lipson, Luis Jardim and Ash Soan - and more on these shortly. You'll hear many, many clips on this podcast from Lol's contributions to major and more minor artists' work, including Inga Humpe, Tom Jones, Cher, Tina Turner and Barry White, Robbie Williams and Olly Murs. An illustrious list, but in truth it's often difficult to pick out what Lol actually played on these records! Much more interesting are his more substantial contributions (as writer-performer) to three outfits: Glam Metal Detectives, Art of Noise and Producers (more recently aka The Trevor Horn Band). All of them are helmed by the ubiquitous Mr Horn, and display very different facets of the Creme gemstone. The former's playful wackiness shows off some terrific rock guitar playing from Lol and his son Lalo. Joining ZTT's established but shifting Art of Noise collective in the late 90s, he brought them some subtly beautiful and tasteful guitar layers we'd never heard from them before. Most interesting of all perhaps is the 2012 album Made in Basing Street by the Producers line-up of Creme, Soan, Lipson and Horn, which although falling short of the 'second coming' status its pedigree promised, contains a few wonderful songs and some spectacular moments. Not to mention an elusive lead vocal from our diminutive ex-10cc man! We've enjoyed picking through the bones of Lol's solo career here, but we're still feeling somewhat frustrated by how thinly its' spread across those decades. But, as Paul rightly says, 'it's our problem, not his.' Next time we're joined by hugely entertaining author Paul Hamilton, who'll be sharing his singular views on Lol and Kevin's non-Godley and Creme projects.     

2020's been a terrific year for 10cc fans, with exciting releases of Consequences, Modesty Forbids and Muscle Memory, and two books by Liam Newton and now Peter Kearns. Paul and Sean really enjoyed our conversation with the affable author, professional musician and New Zealander. The new tome is an excellent complement to 'The Worst Band in the World'. It catalogues every song, chronologically, that 10cc and Godley & Creme released officially between Hotlegs and Mirror Mirror. As a musician, Kearns discusses each track with a good deal of musical and lyrical analysis, as well as some interesting back stories and great insights. He tackles much of the material from different angles to where we've come from on the podcast; we learned a lot! Graham Gouldman and Kevin Godley helped with the research too, which gives the work added accuracy. Befitting the 160-page length, the author packs his prose tightly; there is a lot of detail here - some songs and albums much more than others of course.  The style is concise and punchy, which makes this a quick-fire and very informative reading experience. Occasionally, we glimpse Peter's own preferences. You can really taste the admiration he has for some of the four-piece's more off-the-wall work, particularly L and Freeze Frame. It's well worth the price tag! Peter's had varied and interesting musical and writing careers.  He's collaborated with Judie Tzuke and Norwegian Prog-rock band Gazpacho among many others, and has produced two other books in the 'on track...' series, featuring the work of Elton John and (soon to be published) Joni Mitchell. We recommend his album 'No Such Thing as Time', from which you'll hear a few tasty clips on the podcast. He gave us a typical succinct and spot-on appraisal of 10cc's historical standing: '10cc and Godley & Creme were artists who cared about music and cared about their contribution to it. They worked through a time period where their commitment to quality steadily increased, against the background of a mainstream that was moving in the opposite direction.'  Hear hear, Peter. 'On track... 10cc and Godley & Creme' is available worldwide, and is well worth your shekels.       

Paul and Sean bring to a close our five-episode dissection of all things Gouldman with a conversation attempting to do justice to Graham's post-2000 solo albums and the enormous number of songwriting collaborations that he has taken part in since Wax. Graham has been incredibly prolific, by any songwriter's standards. With his 'insider' access to the PRS database, Paul has unearthed just shy of 1000 songs attributed to Gouldman. Many solo, many co-written with a vast array of songwriters, some of the very highest pedigree. Today's podcast can only scratch the surface of this rich seam. We look in some detail at his excellent work with Claudio Guidetti, Kirsty Maccoll, Henry Priestman (of Christians fame), Suggs (Madness) and Chris Difford (Squeeze), all of whom he rubbed shoulders with at EMI's residential songwriter workshops at Huntsham Court. Once again, we're massively indebted to both Graham and his archivist David Jarvis for allowing us to play snippets of some of the wonderful live recordings and demos of songs that were born during these star-studded jaunts.  We hear some truly delightful clips from Graham's songwriting sessions with Gary Barlow (Take That) and Kevin Godley (for 'GG06'). Along the way, we touch on assorted projects with Andrew Gold, Roger Cook and less well-known but notable collaborators such as Barry Greenfield, Gordon Kennedy and Gary Burr. There are even some lovely revelations about his early Strawberry work with Neil Sedaka. Sadly, our efforts to shine light on some mystery compositions by Eric and Graham are in vain. Graham has no recollection of them, if they existed at all! Gouldman rekindled his solo career with several fine and enjoyable albums which seemed to capture the same warm, natural and personal touch exhibited by his songs on 10cc's 'Mirror Mirror. 'And Another Thing', 'Love and Work' and 'Play Nicely and Share' all receive a good and deserved delving here.  90 minutes were simply no time at all to try and encapsulate Graham's discography over this 25-year period. Waiting in the wings for discussion, with rare tape recordings to hand, were the likes of Lamont Dozier, Tony Hadley, Steve Piggott, Kevin Kennedy and several others. But we hope that with the cross-section we did manage to cover, we succeeded in conveying the simple fact that Graham Gouldman is an exceptionally prolific, productive and consistent songwriter. It's a joy to hear him recall these many, many musical journeys with such clarity and fondness. Thank you so much Graham and Dave, it's been a pleasure for us. 

This is one of our favourite ever episodes. Sean and Paul once again had the pleasure of Graham's company for a loving and hugely enjoyable tribute to his late friend and prolific songwriting partner Andrew Gold. Graham shows his massive admiration and love for this supremely talented multi-instrumentalist, who rose to prominence as musical maestro with Linda Rondstadt, among others.  He gives a comprehensive account of his involvement with Andrew, from his introduction to the Ten Out of Ten album in 1981, when the Californian was brought in at the behest of the U.S. record company. The spark was lit, and Gouldman sought him out soon after he and Eric parted ways. We hear the complete story of how the duo Common Knowledge was formed, in Graham's home studio, and we hear lots and lots of never-heard-before songwriting demos.  Once again, we thank Graham and David Jarvis for these wonderful recordings, spanning their collaborations from 1986 to 1997. With their second project, now named Wax, the pair had their breakthrough hit with with the storming Right Between the Eyes.  There was an infectious energy about this new music, all but completely missing from 10cc's post-70s output. We shine a torch on the highlights of all four of Wax's album releases: Magnetic Heaven, American English, A Hundred Thousand in Fresh Notes and Bikini. Sean even gets out his guitar to quiz Graham on a song he hugely admires: Wax's biggest UK hit, Bridge to Your Heart. So this is a candid, warm, funny and poignant appreciation of Andrew Gold the person and musician. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Sean and Paul have been trying to pin this man down for over a year. Thanks to Graham Gouldman, we finally did! Paul Gambaccini is arguably the best-known and respected Rock journalist in Britain. His career spans five decades. He was co-author of the Guinness Book of Hit Singles and countless articles, notably for Rolling Stone. Amazingly, he has presented primetime shows on four of the BBC's major stations: Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4, as well as Classic FM. He's presented the Ivor Novello Awards since 1990. His face and voice are continually familiar to fans of Pop and Rock documentaries. Yep, he's a legend. Ostensibly, Paul and Sean invited him on the podcast for his insider views on the Consequences sessions. It is his diary that we read in the booklet after all! And what about his cameo as the Bad Samaritan on Godley and Creme's 'This Sporting Life'? Also, we were keen to hear his unique take on 10cc's artistic merits and early success (for which he greatly helped their cause in the States, with his important piece for Rolling Stone, '10cc - The Hottest Band in Britain'). What we got from this conversation was predictably much, much more than that...  Don't expect this to be solely focused on the world of 10cc! This is akin to a masterclass in after-dinner speaking: a series of fascinating, funny and surprising tangents, anecdotes and details, taking in dozens of the major artists he's known, reviewed and rubbed shoulders with over fifty years. His account of the Consequences launch in Amsterdam features a classically surreal Peter Cook episode... So our advice here is to pour a large cup of tea (or three) and relax into the experience of hearing a Pop and Rock guru-cum-raconteur at work! Next week we're joined again by Graham Gouldman for a hugely enjoyable romp through his work with Andrew Gold.    

Paul and Sean are incredibly excited about this episode.  Not only did Graham give us two hours of his thoughts on 10cc's entire career, from his first song with Eric to the current touring band, he's given permission for us to include clips of a whole slew of unreleased tapes. We thank Graham's archivist David Jarvis for his generosity in letting us hear and restore these wonderful artefacts! You'll hear snippets from songwriting sessions and original demos with Graham and Eric - a real treat, in other words. We've also tried to include lesser-known live recordings of many of the tracks, and Sean's done his best to isolate and process moments from some of our beloved 10cc album tracks to highlight the hidden genius and inventiveness on display. Graham gives honest and often highly detailed insights into 10cc's 48-year history, covering every album.  Some of his views will startle you! He has his guitar on hand again, and his live demos of some of our favourite melodies and chords are wonderful to hear!  We learned so much from this conversation, as you will too, and we were surprised by his sheer openness and candour. We'd love to know your thoughts on this episode. It took a long time to put together. Thanks.  

Welcome to the 50th Consequences podcast!  Paul and Sean are delighted to welcome Graham Gouldman for his second interview with us. This time, we focus on his meteoric songwriting work in the 60s. Graham's on tremendous form here, giving us a joyful whistle-stop tour of many of our favourite corners of his early career. It's so good to hear him talking so fondly and frankly about his dad Hymie's massive contribution to his canon, with many insights that are new to these ears. We press him on his time at Olympic Studios, including the excellent tracks on his solo debut arranged by John Paul Jones. We even ask him to give us some live demos on his guitar, which he dutifully does, to beautiful effect. We of course don't stick to the hits - we're keen to know more about such forgotten gems as Behind the Door, Nowhere to Go, Getting Nowhere and some of the early Strawberry Super K material, and we find out so much. The keen-eared listeners among you will notice that we're including audio clips of at least three recordings that have never been released before, bootleg or otherwise. Huge thanks to David Jarvis and Graham for these treasures. Oh, and there are revelations about I'm Not in Love thrown in for good measure too! A real treat for all of us 10cc fans. Tune in next week for Graham's account of 10cc, from Alpha to Omega.

Paul, Sean, Liam and Pany continue our epic four-hour conversation from last week with this exhausted hour tackling Eric Stewart's last musical offerings: Do Not Bend (2003), Viva La Difference (2009) and Anthology (2017). It's a joy to hear Liam's account of his eight hours in Eric's home studio in France, hearing brand new tracks from the album slated originally as 'My Dear Friends'. This gives a key insight into the premise of the 2003 follow-up to Frooty Rooties.  They're ostensibly songs written and recorded about - and for - his friends and neighbours: Norman, Fred, Audrey, Yves, Nettie et al. Perhaps this is why the album struggles to work in a wider public context? But we highlight two songs in particular which do translate better in the world outside Templar Studios. Sleeping With the Ghosts and Set in Blancmange have some real saving graces. Three of us agree that the follow-up, Viva La Difference, is more successful. This is in no small part down to Eric returning to social commentary for some of his lyric inspiration. 10cc fans will sense familiar territory here, with targets that include financial corruption, injustice, homelessness and racism.  Opener Gnomes Sweet Gnomes is perhaps the most successful at hitting its targets, odd as they are. Sixties Prime Minister Harold Wilson coined the 'gnomes' tag to refer to the Swiss bankers who were manipulating the currency market at the time. Eric is both snarling and having fun with this track, we sense. Down By the Palace tackles the gulf between the luxury of the ruling classes contrasted with the poverty of the homeless living in the same borough. The title track champions racial diversity. So in many ways this album is a partial return to form, and this is certainly true of the highlight track We Are Not Alone. Musically, there are echoes of the more interesting production touches of 1982's Frooty Rooties. And this is not just a shallow 'Close Encounters' premise; Eric is pondering big existential questions here, his place in the universe and the depths of his emotions, the macro and the micro. Ultimately, most questions are left unanswered. You won't be surprised to hear that Sean has a lot to say about Eric's production choices here, especially on the 2017 compilation. He feels that Stewart has simply been a bit over-eager to tinker and tweak at the knobs. Suffice to say that Paul and Sean have really struggled with these two records. We're hugely grateful to Pany and Liam for their positivity and objectivity; we genuinely think that this episode tries to give a balanced view, and praise where praise is due. Next time round we're thoroughly excited about our conversation with Graham Gouldman about his lesser-known 60s exploits, with his 10cc episode coming quickly on its heels.  Happy days!

Once again, Paul and Sean are joined by the expertise and insights of Liam and Pany for a lengthy look at Eric Stewart's outside collaborations from 1979 through to the 90s. In the late 80s Eric was on fire in the recently launched Strawberry Studios South. Hot on the heels of the huge success of Deceptive Bends and Bloody Tourists, as well as his film soundtrack for 'Girls', he took on the task of giving Sad Cafe their first hit album. 'Facades' is a cracking production job: full of fresh, edgy pop sensibilities, eclectic but commercial. The band, fronted by the excellent Paul Young, and featuring future 10cc keysman Vic Emerson, the album yielded a number of sizeable hits, including the classic Everyday Hurts. But what happened shortly after the album was recorded changed the trajectory of Eric's career. We'll never properly know how Eric's horrific car accident affected his mental and physical powers, but it's true to say that nothing seemed the same in its wake. Certainly, his production of Sad Cafe's follow-up album was a poor reflection of the previous release. His album 'Frooty Rooties', though not exactly chocked with classic hits, was perhaps his last notable production work. However, this is the point at which he began a hugely important collaboration with long-time friend Paul McCartney. After lending his vocal skills to the wonderful vocal blend on the 'Tug of War' album, Eric forged a more substantial role in the Macca set-up, effectively surplanting Denny Laine. This culminated in the two co-writing many of the songs on 1986's 'Press to Play' album.  Other projects followed, with Stewart at the knobs for a range of artists famous and less so. Most notable was an album with ABBA's Agnetha Faltskog, which although a big hit in northern Europe, leaves Sean very cold indeed! We close the episode waxing lyrical about two particular songs from Eric's guest gigs with Alan Parsons. A beautiful and fitting coda to Eric's extra-10cc work. Next week, we feature the second half of this epic conversation, by rounding up his musical career in focusing on the mixed bag that are his two final albums, 'Do Not Bend' and 'Viva La Difference'.