Sheet Music is the second album by the English rock band 10cc. It was released in 1974 on UK records (No: UKAL 1007), and yielded the hit singles "The Wall Street Shuffle" and "Silly Love". The album reached No. 9 in the UK and No. 81 in the United States.
10cc have about fifty ideas per track, some of which work. A lot of them are irritating, however, and their kitchen sink approach gets in the way of creating fun, memorable songs people might actually enjoy. The guitar tones are aggressively shitty, and something about these guys always feels slightly racist?
I was up late last night watching a documentary about why birds fly in a V formation and it occurred to me that I've hated 10cc for most of my adult life. In contrast to the birds trying to conserve energy, I was wasting mine with unfathomable hatred of this band. I kicked a cat to death after I heard them on the radio, I pushed a little girl off a swing after I heard her humming...I raped a elderly cancer patient I an unrelated incident. I need to conserve energy now and end the hate. Having said that, I just listened to this album today and have strangled a toddler to the point they turned blue.
Glad I didn’t skip this one. I was not expecting this at all. Such a fun and strange style of rock...or pop...or idk what it is. It’s very good and considering the year (74) i was surprised by the sound.
Really like 10cc and think they are underrated. Love how they work experimentation and humor into pop music. Fav track is worst band in the world.
Absolutely bizarre record with like 8 different vibes simultaneously. Absolutely baffled at the fact that this could be contemporary with other bands from the 70s and that it didn't drive past everyone else in the field.
Sheet Music by 10cc (1974) This what you might call zany British pop, nostalgic for some, perhaps, but if you’ve never heard it before (like me), you’re likely to not like it. It’s very experimental, and most of the experiments fail. It’s hard to take a record seriously that seems to laugh at itself. “We’re the worst band in the world”, they giggle. They exaggerate, of course, but that’s part of the joke. 1/5
Very cool. Laughed out loud at parts.
This must be what schizophrenia is like
2 means “it wasn’t totally offensive, but I have no idea why it belongs in this list…”
J'ai d'abord écouté cet album alors que je roulais sur mon skateboard en direction de la poste pour y déposer une lettre RAR. Autant vous dire que le bruit des roues sur le bitume a totalement pris le dessus sur ce qui sortait de mes écouteurs. J'ai donc réécouté le projet une fois rentré chez moi. Croyez-le ou non, mais je n'ai pas le moindre souvenir de ce qu'il contenait.
The best part was reading the wiki about how they felt the presence of Paul McCartney is his drum kit they used to record with.
Got the sense that 10cc we're trying to do lots of different things here, but none of them are interesting. The lyrics are also bad. I took against this album from the opening line: "Do the Wall Street Shuffle, Hear the money rustle". Jesus. 1.5/5.
What a strange album. I've heard of 10cc, but in my mind they were a hard rock band. For some reason in my head I have them associated with Thin Lizzy. But this is more like a rock opera, reminiscent of Meatloaf, Alan Parsons Project, or Queen. With maybe a little Steely Dan mixed in. So it was very surprising, but I can't say I enjoyed it much at all. Too cutesy and clever, but ultimately not very satisfying. 2 stars.
Beyond wack pop rock boat dad bullshit
Awful. Sounds like a parody the Boosh or Conchords would do, without the irony.
Great fun, super inventive
ooh this was consistently so cool. “Somewhere In Hollywood” = BestTrack. catchy n chill. great voices and a great 70s album 😇
Wow. And I only knew 10cc for “I’m Not in Love”. That was great!
Wow, where to begin with this album. I fucking love it, it doesn't take itself too seriously, but the instrumentals and composition are fantastic, and transitions really well like with "Old Wild Men" and "Hotel", this is one brit rock band that I loved and had never heard of them, NO NOTES!
Brilliant.
Wow! Why have I not listened to 10cc before? I had in my head that they were cheesy soft rock, which they kind of are. But this has great, quirky new wave energy. Musicianship and songwriting are solid throughout, and the whole thing is fun without being flimsy. It's like XTC doing hard rock covers of the Beach Boys. 5/5 what a revelation.
It's fucking weird and I love it! Not one bad song on the album. It has a zany quality that you don't see everyday. I'm definitely buying this. Way ahead of their time.
One of the best albums I owned in the 70s
TOPÍSSIMO
Brilliant album.
This album really exposes the problem with the 5 star system. It's better than all the other 4s, but is it a stone cold classic 5/5 album? It's very silly, funny, excellently performed and recorded and is very prescient about the Hollywood casting couch 40 years before #metoo. It had me bopping and smiling the whole way through. It was fucking good. 5 stars, damn.
Брит-рок в духе времени. Классные так-то
Classic from my teens
This feels like an antecedent for so many things. I love how it's both lush and trippy.
Fantastic! Spontaneous and random but exiting and fun!
Brilliant as usual for 10cc
I loved this, it was a really fun listen and reminded me of some of my favorite bands. Also it was a treat finding out that “worst band in the world” was the sample used in J Dilla’s “Workinonit”
I had never heard of this band nor any of the songs. The album is relatively short. It is rock music, but the music tries to be like the Beatles at points. The music is eccentric. I don't think I need to listen to any of the songs again. It is better than a two but not quite a three. I will round up.
10cc album that was new for me - mainly know their later albums and had ecpected one of those. However, this album turned out to be great after a few listens.
Really cool! A bunch of different vibes and yeah I loved it! would listen to it again for fun!
26-Oct-2022 Where has this album been all my life? I knew this band for Dreadlock Holiday, but always assumed they were a bit of a one hit wonder. This album is great throughout on first listen though; well written, great performances, and quite funny in places! I enjoyed hearing the origin of J Dillas "Workinonit" samples in "The Worst Band in the World". "Silly Love" and "Clockwork Creep" were also great and reminded me of Sparks, who I only discovered recently also. The second half of the album maintains the quality and weirdness with "Sacro-illiac" and "Oh Effendi", the abrupt end of the latter left me wanting more. The only songs I didn't really enjoy were "Old Wild Men" and "Baron Samedi", but I didn't dislike them either. This is one of my best discoveries so far from this app. Far from the worst band in the world! 9/10
When I saw this come up I thought to myself "aren't 10cc the guys who did 'I'm not in love'?", but didn't really think much more about it until I was actually listening to them. Well. I really enjoyed it. Couldn't even begin to describe the music, other than catchy, innovative and really well constructed. Having enjoyed it, for no other reason than absolutely no reason, I mentioned to my sister that I'd listened to it and really enjoyed it. Turns out my sister knows a guy who's good mates with Graham Gouldman, who is actually in 10cc. OK, so that means nothing to you, reading this review, but I thought it was pretty neat!
This was really good, I really enjoyed listening to it
Avant guard for 1974! WOW!
What the hell? What even was this, and why is it so good?!?! There haven't been many albums on this list where I'm sad when they end, but the silence after "Oh Effendi" made me go, "Awww." Every single song was interesting and enjoyable. I'll be returning to this for sure.
light and fun!
Okay wow this was one of the greatest surprises I’ve had yet! This was awesome and wacky in all the right ways. It’s just genius progressive pop rock. So many clever and interesting hooks. I can’t believe I’d never heard it before. The production is so good I can’t believe it came out in 1974. Awesome album. I am surprised it is ranked as low as it is
Aaaaa this really could be a 5 Yup
10CC were one helluva band, and this their second album isn’t even their best. Sheet Music is brilliant, demonstrating an array of styles into its 10 tracks. Hell, “Silly Love” is a hard rocking song which must have influenced messers Jones & Lydon. Maybe one of the reasons they aren’t revered in the same way as many other seventies band is the wide ranging styles contained in any album. 10CC didn’t stick to a script, they let the music go wherever it wanted. Classic and essential.
Alfa vocals, alfa harmonies, alfa instruments. Weird while still being super catchy, love it.
jesus christ this is so pretentious… JUST WHAT I LIKE! one of my new all-time favorite albums so bizarre and silly — a prog rock masterpiece it’s like if Queen was actually good, it’s like if Steely Dan and Genesis had a child who got addicted to meth at age 7 it’s sonic perfection, but it’s also so fucking messy, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was the only person to give this five stars
albums good. apparently its progressive pop. i dont really know wtf prog pop is still but this album is poppy and it is pretty progressive so i can kinda get it. theres a lot of sudden stylistic switch-ups and weird song structures here, probly best illustrated in the opening three tracks (which is also my fav stretch of the album). the first two are filled with all sorts of different stylistically clashing sections that are really interesting together, and the third one is just kind of a breezy beachy tune with a long ambient intro. pretty much every track is unique. cool stuff! this sorta 70s classic rock sound is growing (back) on me tbh. im sure ive mentioned it before but i rly appreciate this site for like actively forcing me to listen 2 this shit lol
1974: The Wall Street Shuffle, The Worst Band In The World
Funky and weird. Went from sounding like The Who to sounding like The Beatles. Really great recommendation.
Cool!
Not a band I was very familiar with - but it's good. Feels like it would be the most pop rock album during its time, but now it's just a fun rock. Has an almost manic energy in a way that's similar to Les Claypool (Clockwork Creep). Somewhere in Hollywood has a riff used in a Bond film theme. The Sacro-Iliac almost has crosby, stills, nash, & young harmonies. Really enjoyed this album
Reminded me of Rush or other prog rock
Part-Paul McCartney Beatles, part-Frank Zappa lunacy. Every song was really unique and frankly bizarre? The best 70s album so far. "Hotel", "Clockwork Creep" and "Oh Effendi"
Nice and relatively varied, great album
I had not listened to this album before. I like the band10cc. From this album I only knew the song The Wall Street Shuffle. Some songs surprised me positively. But the 10cc sound was already there and was recognizable. The album was nice to listen to.
Short, fun, nice music and lyrics.
Some of these songs are idiotic I the best way, "Worst Band..." "Hotel". Some excellent guitar sounds. It sounds like they are having fun. I enjoyed it, and it made me curious to listen to more from these guys. From Wikipedia, sounds like they were really in stride for about 5 albums in the 70's.
Pleasant surprise. Lots of irony and different perspectives in the lyrics, experimental music choices. I expected some dated generic rock like Deep Purple, but this had spunk. 3.5 but rounding up to 4 on the rating because I expected this to suck so much and it didn't.
Like Tally Hall did an album in 1974. Goofy, but melodious. These guys are just having a laugh. The highlights are Hotel and The Worst Band in the World
ttssss mamalonsh
At first, I loved the music and hated the vocals and lyrics. As the album went on, it grew on me. I really enjoyed this by the end of it. "Hotel" is fun. This was a pleasant surprise. Listening to it made me think these guys had a lot of fun making this album.
We’ve had one yes. But what about second time signature change per song.
.
A weird and fun album. 0RS
Good
Early 70s was a hell of a time. I wonder how much this influenced later mgmt albums. Baron Samedi is like 10cc saw Soul Sacrifice by Santana at Woodstock and were like “let’s do that but add some boring parts so we don’t get sued.” Oh Effendi = lynyrd skynyrd I wonder if the Runaways jacked the opening of Silly Love for Cherry Bomb
Enjoyable album full if surprises
Cet album des Beatles était excellent, et ce malgré un nom de groupe absolument ridicule et je suppose peu évident à porter au quotidien.
I really like it but it is 70s so like I am more likely to enjoy it Final Thoughts: 4/5
Too clever - maybe. But this album is great fun. Playful lyrics, good harmonies and bold chunky guitars.
lol this is so stupid, i love it beach boys parodying others with stupid lyrics shmock flopera
Kinda thriving actually. Reminds me of something my step-dad would listen to in a good way. Hotel gave me lower pitched beach boys energy for some reason (i hope you guys are appreciating my notes because i like writing them hehe)
Comedy? Humorous anyways. Definitely interesting, feels like a precursor to some of the more off the wall things that Queen was executing later in the decade.
Some really fantastic production. 10cc always seem to have fun and this album was no different. They don’t take themselves too seriously and I think that opens up some creative fun that turns out really good sometimes. Highlights were Hotel and Old Wild Men.
I am a fan of 10cc so this album was fun to listen to. My favorite from the album was “The Wall Street Shuffle” everything was well played but not typically something I would add to a cue very often.
This was an interesting one! I liked Wall Street Shuffle, Worst Band in the World, and Old Wild Men best.
Solid album to own on vinyl
Hard to decide between a 3 or a 4 for this one, but this was so much better than I expected.
It was pretty good. A lot more enjoyable than I thought a 10cc album would be. The songwriting was really fun, and I enjoyed the instrumentation. Highlights: 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6.
Really enjoyed this one. Had elements of a rock opera and felt really high quality for the year it was produced.
Personally, I prefer the albums that come after this. However, this album isn't bad in its own right. It's got an overall loud, bombastic feeling to it, but each song brings something different to the table while keeping that impression. Favorite track: The Wall Street Shuffle
This is great. It's super funky and happy. I'm really grooving. Wow, what a revelation. I really liked how this record blended poppy and experimental. I find that there's usually one or two songs on albums this old that really do not age nicely, but I didn't feel that with this one.
This album really snuck up on me. I found myself enjoying the diverse sound and having a really good time with it. I honestly really liked this.
Art rock at its finest. Maybe too clever for its own good.
I enjoyed this a lot, although James has now highlighted terribly problematic lyrics. But before I knew this music wise it was good fun
Albumdeki cesitlilik asiri iyi, sevdim.
I dig the humour these guys use in their tunes, cheeky wordplay, musical gags and the like. Obviously very skilful musicians. I'm a huge fan of their eerie song 'I'm not in Love', so got excited when their band turned up on my list here. I enjoyed the ride. Definitely a band I need to investigate further.
Big J Dilla sample
Oddly, I know the cover for this album was photographed 5 minutes from my old home, just off Wood Green high street in North London, despite never having listened to it! I know Wall Street Shuffle and The Worst Band in the World. Both are very arch, and tight musically. I like both of these things, so they are off to a good start! Hotel is also great - like Dreadlock Holiday, years ahead of its time at laughing at cultural appropriation, while culturally appropiating. Old Wild Men is a little less good, very nice sounding but lacking the fun bite of the first three songs. Silly Love is just okay. Somewhere in Hollywood has a very OTT, musical type energy to it. Again, that works for me. And then goes to some dated, but undeniably funny gags about how shady Hollywood is. Actually, given Weinstein et Al, possibly not that dated. However, the fact it's followed by the embarrassing exoticism of Baron Samedi, which is possibly one degree less awkward than Ian Fleming's writing about the same suggests that parts of this album's humour, which is largely a blessing, have aged like urine rather than wine. Thankfully it picks up again for the last two tracks, especially Oh Effendi, which manages to both satirise and be better than the Eagles at their own game. This could easily have been a five star album had it not aged so badly (and possibly if I didn't view 10cc as a slightly less good Sparks). I may be harsh hear, but bear in mind that I have only given one 70s album more than three stars so far, and this is the first to do this well. A lot of the supposed 'canon' of the 1970s is bloated and dull, and this is very much not. Tight, fun and punchy.
Weird and inventive, in a very fun way.
Very impressive and idiosyncratic art rock album. You can hear The Beach Boys influence and pop songwriting elements that would be incorporated into much of Paul McCartney’s early to mid 80s output. This band has both a pop sensibility and an avant garde sensibility that blend quite well on this album.
Good!
Every song is different. And that's what I respect.
Though this is more of a pop record, it has the kind of creative songwriting I wish was more prevalent in prog. Would probably give it a 5 if I was more familiar with it.
4/5 - Pretty good!
Did not know what to expect but I ended up adding three songs to my favorites. Especially loved Oh Effendi, Baron Samedi, and Clockwork Creep.
Kolejny albumik sluchany z fona, ale znowu sluchany wczesniej, wiec raczej przypomnienie niz zglebianie nowego materalu, 10cc, to jedna z tych band ktora potrafila stworzyc krazki z popowym brzmieniem, a jednoczesnie przemycic na nim tyle eksperymentalnego brzmienia i orginalnej warstwy lrycznej, bo taki wlasnie w skrocie jest sheet music, ktory przypomina mi brzmienie steely dana, swoja dbaloscia o szczegoly produkcji, a obie bandy tworzyly w tym samym okresie, wiec wzajemna inspiracja mogla miec tutaj miejsce, songi na plejke openingowy the wall street shuffle i clockwork creep
Previously unfamiliar with this band, until I got to Worst Band in the World and immediately recognized the Workinonit sample J Dilla used! Love when that shit happens! Anyways, the music is not typically "my thing", but its fun, almost self aware hokiness makes it a rather enjoyable listen. It veers all over the place in the best way an album from a British band in the 70s could only pull off this well and have it still feel like a cohesive album. The album seems to get more interesting the deeper you get into it or maybe it just suffers from having such a shuffley blues groove song to open it, but that is of the time, I suppose. Probably, wanted to open with something that wouldn't scare folks off right away with something too "weird" and unfamiliar. I'll delve into more of their stuff for sure.
After the first two tracks, I'm amused and enjoying this. Funny, musically interesting (if not super original), and quite enjoyable so far. Got some laughs and got my feet moving at the office. A few more tracks in and really enjoying this. Some inventive stuff here, vocals and instruments and styles. Humor and seriousness but in a light vein. Read some of the history of the band, I get where some of this stuff came from. It's great. Clockwork Creep is hilarious and dark. I really enjoyed this album, every tune.
Really interesting.