Album Review

Dave Thompson [allmusic.com]

A straightforward rendering of, indeed, 10cc's greatest hits is drawn from both their UK and Mercury label catalogs, and rides seamlessly, too, across the creative divide ignited by the departure of co-founders Kevin Godley and Lol Creme in 1976. Early singles -- the sequence that runs from the doo wop pastiche "Donna" to the drug anthem "I'm Mandy, Fly Me" -- are, of course, superlative; how could any catalog that includes "Rubber Bullets" and "I'm Not in Love" not be so? The collection's greatest attribute, however, might well be its insistence that the dynamic duo's departure did not initially harm the band in the slightest. "Good Morning Judge" might sound a little "obvious" today, but "The Things We Do for Love" is a gorgeous anthem in any era, while "Dreadlock Holiday" -- a U.K. chart-topper in 1978, and the band's final major hit -- is a pun-packing masterpiece, as convincing a slice of white pop-reggae as you'll find this side of the Clash. Elsewhere, "Life Is a Minestrone," "The Dean and I," and "Wall Street Shuffle" all capture the band's penchant for irresistible pop, rendering the entire collection an absolute joy. In fact, of the myriad 10cc collections on the market, it remains the only one that truly gets to the heart of the band. Their hits really were the greatest.