10-23-12 10cc – The Original Soundtrack
Boozoo Chavis born 1930, Dwight Yoakum born 1956.
Having been a neophyte progressive rock devotee, I “missed” 10cc the first time around. I read about them, saw their records in the bins; I never cared for their big hit (“I’m Not In Love”), so…I never heard “The Original Soundtrack” until about a decade ago.
“The Original Soundtrack” is probably their best known LP, largely due to the massive hit single – but it is a snappy “Excellent 1975 Rock Music” album, despite “I’m Not In Love”. My suggestion: Do what I did recently, program that song out of the playlist!
LP ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, THE MERCURY US SRM-1-1029
1975 8 TRKS insert
LP ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, THE re-issue MERCURY EU 753129586
1975 8 TRKS “Back to Black” 60th vinyl annv. Issue
CD ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, THE (SHM-CD Kami) MERCURY JPN UICY-93814
1975 12 TRKS (’08 issue) (4 x bonus tracks)
SA ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK, THE (SHM-SA-CD Kami) NH UNIVERSAL JPN UIGY-9033
1975 8 TRKS non-hybrid SA-CD (’10 issue) kami sleeve
I’ve got a selection of listening options available, for this title; original U.S. LP, or a new-fangled Euro LP pressing, in the “Back To Black” series. In the digital sweepstakes, I am not hurting: I have a Japanese paper sleeve SHM-CD (2008 24bit re-master) and an SHM-SA-CD (“Single Layer” 2010 DSD re-master).
Why have two different Japanese CD’s of the same album? Well, there’s no denying that the SHM-SA-CD sounds absolutely spectacular – those Manchester guys really knew their stuff, when writing and recording this one. Sharp stuff! I don’t even wonder about the Steve Hoffman re-mastered “Gold Disc” anymore – the SHM-SA-CD chumps everything but the mixed master tape!
But…the regular SHM-CD ’08 re-master has 4 x bonus tracks not found on the glorious ’10 SHM-SA-CD!
9. Life Is A Minestrone (Single Edit)
10. Channel Swimmer
11. I’m Not In Love (Single Edit)
12. Good News
Maybe I should also do a shoot out with the divergent LP versions I have? Naw, as I am missing a Mercury UK LP original pressing – I bet that’s mastered pretty hot. Still, my phonograph can really surprise me. But I bet I don’t need to even play my US LP; the quality of the pressing will doubtlessly leave something to be desired.
Maybe I should make a version of the CD (to listen in the car) that replaces “I’m Not In Love” with one (or both) of the B-Sides?
Ronkanefiles's Blog 
I used to have a US Mercury pressing of this title. As I recall, it sounded absolutely fabulous, though that may have been just me hearing the calibre of the amazing production. It was not an album that sounded like 1975. It sounded like 1985! It was that far head of its time in terms of production. Even “I’m Not In Love” sounded like “sampling” or Art of Noise to me with the sound of the Gizmo [presumably]. I traded my US pressing off in the Great Vinyl Purge [Mk. I] with the thought that I would eventually obtain a CD of this title. Not yet, though. “One Night In Paris” sounded like a perfect mashup of Queen and Sparks to me. Queen writing and Sparks performance. Skirting the “issues” I had with Queen, which were all performance/production oriented.