Search - 10cc :: Live & Let Live

Some intriguing stuff here, but largely feels like a cash-in

Dave | United States | 07/08/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"10cc's live album "Live And Let Live" was originally released in late 1977 as a double LP. It has now been reissued as a double CD in July of 2006 on Mercury Records, supposedly a limited edition.



I find the very idea of this album being released in the first place to be suspicious. Was this intended as a slap in the face regarding Godley & Creme's departure from the band in 1976? Their departure left Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman as the only original members left in the band, and Stewart himself has admitted that he "was on a mission" to prove the band could carry on as a viable commercial and artistic force.



The live performances on "Live And Let Live" were recorded in June and July of '77. Their first post-Godley & Creme album, "Deceptive Bends", had just come out in May of that year, with "The Things We Do For Love" having already become a huge US hit single earlier in the year.



The commercial success seems to have gotten to Stewart and Gouldman's heads, and "Live And Let Live" feels largely like a cash-in attempt.



There's a lot to gripe about here. With Godley & Creme gone, 10cc end up ignoring a whole lot of their early classics, and the track listing relies almost entirely on Stewart/ Gouldman compositions, which is understandable and everything, but they end up leaning way, way too heavily on material from the highly-flawed and overrated "Deceptive Bends" which consists entirely of Stewart/ Gouldman compositions--apart from the brief "I Bought A Flat Guitar Tutor" ditty, they play every last track from that album; the 11+ minute "Feel The Benefit" suite wasn't so hot to begin with, and the even longer version here, with the ugly synthesized strings filling in for the real orchestra, is even worse, not to mention outright redundant. Apart from some extended jams, the boys barely bother making any alterations to the original studio arrangements, and considering how elaborately-produced the studio stuff is, it's just hard to really pull it off in concert--they even resort to using pre-recorded tapes for "I'm Not In Love" and on the intro to "I'm Mandy Fly Me"--making the record frequently unenlightening. Tony O'Malley, who wasn't with the band for "Deceptive Bends" and was already gone by the time of "Bloody Tourists", is bafflingly given a lead vocal spotlight, toothlessly staggering his way through "Art For Art's Sake" in place of Stewart.



Despite all that, the album does have considerable value. A couple of the "Deceptive Bends" tunes are given a new lease on life in concert--"Honeymoon With B Troop" is a lot of fun, less gimmicky than its studio counterpart; and "You've Got A Cold" ditches the cloyingly slick overproduction of the studio recording, and with the double drums of Stuart Tosh and Paul Burgess, it's transformed into a truly funky gem. There are other ear-catching moments scattered around, like Stewart's lilting vocal turn on "People In Love", a previously buried key line from "Ships Don't Disappear In The Night (Do They?") being brought more upfront and clearly audible, and Stewart does have some entertaining spoken banter with the audience. And you certainly can't accuse the guys of not being well-practiced--the performances are thoroughly super-professional, even though this sometimes results in the band sounding distressingly like they're on autopilot.



All in all, an interesting document for fans of this great band, with some stuff definitely worth salvaging, but don't get your hopes TOO high."

One of the best 'Live' CD's from any group

G. LeBlanc | Portland, OR | 03/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To me, a 'live' album really can tell the truth if a band can really sing or not, especially in the 70's. I say this as the 70's did not have all the digital gimmicks of today that can even make me sound good - LOL. I rank 'Live And Let Live' with the likes of 'Frampton Comes Alive', Ted Nugent's 'Live Gonzo' and Foghat's 'Live' albums in the way that you can listen from track one to the last track and still want more. No fillers and the overall sound quality and mixing is simply awesome. I can listen to this album over and over. Sure, I can comment on original members vs. who new members and maybe overdubs, etc.. and be highly critical of each song, but I would rather stick to the overall quality of this disc(s). The vocals sound great as do the rest of the band. How much do I like this album? I had and still have this album on 8-track, album (LP) and paid $50+ for this cd a few years ago when it was out of print and with no regrets. My cassette got played too much and got unplayable. Amazon's price is great and for anyone who loves 10cc, this is a must-have."

10cc Live and Let Live

Barney Fife | Reading,PA USA | 11/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had this album on 8 track about 30 years ago. I fell in love with the album. I do not like LIVE recordings in general. Not true with this album. It has some of the greatest renditions of great 10cc songs. The instrumental parts are just fantastic. I was without this album for about 20 years because of the demise of 8 track. I just found in on Amazon and paid a price that seemed a little out of line. However I just received it and it is well worth the price. It is like a long lost friend has been rediscovered. I could never find these versions on any other album. Thank you Amazon for making this possible...my soul is complete"