Editing 10cc (section)

==1977–1983: Second era==
After the departure of Godley and Creme, Stewart and Gouldman opted to continue as 10cc, working with drummer [[Paul Burgess (musician)|Paul Burgess]], who had up to that point been their tour backup drummer. Their first album as a three-piece band was ''[[Deceptive Bends]]'' (1977), named after a sign on the [[Mickleham, Surrey|Mickleham]] bends on the [[A24 road (England)|A24]] between [[Leatherhead]] and [[Dorking]] in Surrey.<ref>{{cite web |title=10cc Deceptive Bends Print Signed by Aubrey Powell - ST. Pauls Gallery |url=https://stpaulsgallery.com/product/10cc-deceptive-bends-print-signed-by-aubrey-powell/ |access-date=2023-06-18 |website=stpaulsgallery.com |language=en-US |archive-date=6 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206140054/https://stpaulsgallery.com/product/10cc-deceptive-bends-print-signed-by-aubrey-powell/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The album, recorded at the newly completed Strawberry South Studio in Dorking, Surrey, reached No.&nbsp;3 in Britain and No.&nbsp;31 in the US and also yielded three hit singles, "[[The Things We Do for Love (song)|The Things We Do for Love]]" (UK No.&nbsp;6, US No.&nbsp;5), "[[Good Morning Judge]]" (UK No.&nbsp;5, US No.&nbsp;69) and "[[People in Love]]" (US No.&nbsp;40). Stewart later said he and Gouldman felt vindicated by its success: "I was out to prove also that we could write a hit album without Kevin and Lol&nbsp;... we did!"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ericstewart.uk.com/questions12.htm |title=Questions and Answers |first=Eric |last=Stewart |author-link=Eric Stewart |work=ericstewart.uk.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525074543/http://www.ericstewart.uk.com/questions12.htm |archive-date=25 May 2006 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

In 1977, 10cc embarked on an international tour with guitarist [[Rick Fenn]], keyboardist [[Tony O'Malley (musician)|Tony O'Malley]] ([[Kokomo (band)|Kokomo]]) and an additional drummer [[Stuart Tosh]] (ex-[[Pilot (Scottish band)|Pilot]]) and recorded a live album, "[[Live and Let Live (10cc album)|Live and Let Live]]" (1977), which mixed the hits with material by Stewart and Gouldman from 10cc's career (alongside two songs written with Godley and Creme). Fenn, Tosh, Burgess and keyboardist [[Duncan Mackay (musician)|Duncan Mackay]], who replaced Tony O'Malley after the tour, were now full members of the band and performed on 1978's ''[[Bloody Tourists]]'', which provided the band with their international No.&nbsp;1 single, the reggae-styled "[[Dreadlock Holiday]]", also their third UK No.&nbsp;1. Both ''Bloody Tourists'' and "Dreadlock Holiday" were very successful around the world; however, additional songs released as singles became only minor hits, with the second UK single "Reds in My Bed", featuring lead vocals by Tosh, failing to chart.

The band suffered a major setback in January 1979 when Stewart was seriously injured in a car crash. Due to his injuries he was unable to work on music, and 10cc had to be put on hold. This led to the cancellation of part of a tour, and to other band members working on solo projects. Stewart later told the BBC:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |title=Stewart's BBC Radio Wales interview |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416190846/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{quote|text=It flattened me completely. I damaged my left ear, I damaged my eye very badly. I couldn't go near music. I couldn't go near anything loud and I love music and motor-racing. I had to stay away from both things for a long time, for about six months. And the momentum of this big machine that we'd had rolling slowed and slowed and slowed. And on the music scene, the punk thing had come in a big way. [[The Sex Pistols]], [[The Clash]], lots of things like that. So by the time I was fit again to play, I think we'd just missed the bus. It'd gone. And whatever we did after that, we got a few tickles here and there and we could continue touring forever on the strength of the past hits, but it didn't feel right again, we just didn't have that public with us.}}

Gouldman, too, considered the aftermath of Stewart's accident to be a turning point. In a 1995 BBC interview<ref name="Hayward">{{cite web |url=http://www.minestrone.org/wellabove.htm |title=Graham Gouldman interviewed by Justin Hayward, BBC2, 1995 |publisher=Minestrone.org |access-date=10 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312004538/http://www.minestrone.org/wellabove.htm |archive-date=12 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> he said:
{{quote|text=Really, after '78 things went downhill for us. I don't know what it was. We'd been doing it for so long, maybe we should have had a break then, rather than in '83 when we did have a break, or brought new blood in or done something. And even as the things were getting bad, we thought, 'Ah, it's gonna be all right, don't worry about it, it'll be great'.}}

While Stewart recovered, Gouldman recorded the title track to the film ''[[Sunburn (1979 film)|Sunburn]]'' with the help of some of the 10cc band members, which became a minor UK hit in 1979. Gouldman also recorded [[Animalympics (soundtrack)|the soundtrack]] to the animated film ''[[Animalympics]]'', which was originally intended as a 10cc project. Rick Fenn had great success touring with [[Mike Oldfield]] and recording with [[Nick Mason]], after being introduced to them by Eric Stewart, while Duncan Mackay took part in recording of the [[Kate Bush]] album ''[[Never for Ever]]''.

Filling the gap between 10cc releases, a greatest-hits compilation (''[[Greatest Hits 1972–1978]]'') was issued in late 1979, a single came out coupling "I'm Not in Love" with "For You and I", which failed to chart. As Stewart recovered, he recorded [[Girls (Eric Stewart album)|the soundtrack]] to the film ''[[Girls (1980 film)|Girls]]'', mainly working with Duncan Mackay, with other 10cc band members making guest appearances. The band signed with [[Warner Bros. Records]], producing a new 10cc offering entitled ''[[Look Hear?]]'' The lead single "One-Two-Five" failed to chart in their native UK, and the album proved to be less successful than previous 10cc albums. In the aftermath of the tour in support of it, Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman and the rest of the band members again embarked on a number of side projects.

Gouldman and Stewart then decided to continue 10cc as a duo with other members becoming session and touring musicians. The band returned to the Mercury label to record ''[[Ten Out of 10]]'' (1981) featuring Fenn and Burgess on a number of tracks. The UK release of the album (and its associated singles "Les Nouveaux Riches" and "Don't Turn Me Away") failed to chart. In a bid to inject an American flavour to the album and bolster its commercial appeal, Warner Bros. invited singer-songwriter [[Andrew Gold]] to contribute to a revised North American version of the LP. Gold wound up co-writing and playing on three new tracks which appeared on the North American release of ''[[Ten Out of 10]]''. This ultimately led to an offer from Gouldman and Stewart to officially join 10cc, an offer that Gold declined because of other commitments. Gouldman later admitted greater involvement by Gold might have lifted the band's early 1980s output from its mediocrity:

{{quote|text=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.<ref name="Goldmine10">{{cite web |url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/injection004.htm |title=10cc: A Pure Injection of Pop, chapter 10 |author=Dave Thompson |author-link1=Dave Thompson (author) |work=Goldmine magazine |publisher=The10ccfanclub.com |date=11 April 1997 |access-date=10 August 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100803002653/http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/injection004.htm| archive-date= 3 August 2010 <!--Added by DASHBot-->}}</ref>}}

Though revisions were made to the album for the North American market, ''[[Ten Out of 10]]'' did not chart in US, nor did any singles pulled from the LP. However, the single "Don't Turn Me Away" was a minor hit in Canada, reaching No.&nbsp;38. Ironically, this track was one that appeared on the original "less commercial" UK version of the LP, and was ''not'' one of the tracks that had been specially added to the North American release.

The band embarked on their 10th anniversary tour in early 1982, with Fenn, Burgess and Tosh joining Stewart and Gouldman, along with new keyboardist [[Vic Emerson]] of [[Sad Café]]. They released "The Power of Love", co-written with Andrew Gold, as a single, which did not chart. "Run Away", released as a single in June 1982, reached No.&nbsp;50 in the UK; "We've Heard it all Before" (October 1982) did not chart. All three of the singles were tracks from the revised North American version of ''Ten Out of 10'', and had not previously been issued in the UK. Stewart also released a 1982 solo album, ''[[Frooty Rooties]]'', with Burgess as a drummer and participation from Gouldman and Fenn on one track.

10cc began a UK tour in March 1983, coinciding with the release of the single "24 Hours". The song was made available both as a 7" and 10" single, with live versions of "Dreadlock Holiday" and "I'm Not in Love" on the B-sides. It failed to chart, as did a further single, "Feel The Love (Oomachasaooma)"/"She Gives Me Pain", issued in July 1983. "Feel The Love (Oomachasaooma)" was promoted by a tennis-themed video clip, directed by former 10cc members Godley and Creme, by now well into their joint careers as music video pioneers. The next 10cc LP, ''[[Windows in the Jungle]]'' (October 1983), used session heavyweights including drummer [[Steve Gadd]], but the album was dominated by Stewart; Gouldman only performed partial lead vocals on one song. It reached No.&nbsp;70 on the UK chart. The band toured the UK in October, with drummer Jamie Lane in place of Paul Burgess (who was working with [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]]). This turned out to be their last tour until they reformed eight years later.