The Original Soundtrack by 10cc

The Original Soundtrack is a 1975 album by 10cc. It reached No.4 in the UK and No.15 in the US. The album was the first to be released by Mercury Records after signing the band for $1 million in February 1975. The catalyst for the deal was one song – I'm Not in Love. Stewart recalled: At that point in time we were still on Jonathan King's label, but struggling. We were absolutely skint, the lot of us, we were really struggling seriously, and Philips Phonogram wanted to do a deal with us. They wanted to buy Jonathan King's contract. I rang them. I said come and have a listen to what we've done, come and have a listen to this track. And they came up and they freaked, and they said "This is a masterpiece. How much money, what do you want? What sort of a contract do you want? We'll do anything, we'll sign it". On the strength of that one song, we did a five-year deal with them for five albums and they paid us a serious amount of money. The Original Soundtrack, which was already complete, was released just weeks later. It was a critical and commercial success and featured distinctive cover art created by the Hipgnosis team and drawn by artist Humphrey Ocean. It is also notable for its opening track, Kevin Godley & Lol Creme's Une Nuit A Paris (One Night In Paris), an eight-minute, multi-part "mini-operetta", its melody can also be heard in the overture to Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera. The jaunty single Life Is A Minestrone was another UK Top 10 placing, peaking at #7. Their biggest success came with the dreamy "I'm Not in Love", which gave the band their second UK #1 in May 1975. The song also provided them with their first US chart success when the song reached #2. A collaborative effort built around a title by Stewart, "I'm Not in Love" is notable for its innovative production, especially its richly overdubbed choral backing. Professional Reviews ★★★★☆ - AllMusic Rolling Stone ℗ 1996 Mercury Records Limited