10cc

Among the most inventive and influential bands in the history of popular music, 10cc arise one of the very few acts to have achieved commercial, critical and creative success in equal measure. 

Testament to 10cc’s ongoing appeal, the band can count a generation straddling array of fellow artists, from Axl Rose to Sophie Ellis Bextor and Chrissie Hynde to The Feeling’s Dan Gillespie among their millions of fans. 

I’m Not In Love, written by Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart, features prominently in the soundtrack to the 2014 blockbuster film Guardians of the Galaxy, which spawned a No 1 album. Meanwhile, a key element of the soundtrack to 2010’s The Social Network, about the creation of Facebook, is Dreadlock Holiday, which also became the Sky Sports cricket theme in Australia.

10cc has sold more than 30 million albums around the world and the band’s longevity is testament to their timeless songs, as is their continuing to traverse the globe and play countries as disparate as Iceland and South Africa, Latvia and Japan, as well as across Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the US. 

Founder member Gouldman attributes 10cc’s lasting appeal to the quality and individuality of the band’s songs. “They don’t seem to date; they are original, we never followed any trend we simple wrote for our own pleasure. The fact that the songs are being played as often on the radio today as they ever were shows how true that is,” he says. 

10cc ruled the pop world at a time – the 1970s – when the charts were dominated by some of the most creative and colourful artists in pop history. 

Unlike David Bowie, Queen, Elton John or Rod Stewart – all of whom they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with for a decade  – 10cc’s energies were not centered on image or celebrity-status, but on creating highly sophisticated rock masterworks with mainstream appeal.

Early influences on the band included The Beatles and the Beach Boys, but their palate proved wide.  Says Gouldman, “For me it was people like Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Jimmy Webb, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. Eric [Stewart] was more rock ’n’ roll, the blues and R&B; while Kevin [Godley] and Lol [Creme] were into more artistic and avant-garde acts including Jacques Brel. It’s what happened when we put all those things together that made 10cc.”

A career in music was inevitable for Robin Taylor Zander. It’s in his heart, his soul — and his very DNA. “RTZ,” whose father is the founding frontman for iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Cheap Trick, steps out with his debut solo album, The Distance. A versatile multi-instrumentalist, Robin is now a full-time member of Cheap Trick, a seamless utility player on guitar, bass, drums, and backing vocals.

The Distance is awash in smoothly textured instrumentation and soaring, layered vocal harmonies and pop melodies. Robin melds together the influence of the Beatles and Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Move and the Who and so many others, in a sonic palette that’s Robin’s own. Writing all the songs and recording guitar, bass, drums, and vocals for his solo debut, Robin reveals his exceptional musical chops, range, and versatility.

Growing up in a house filled with musical instruments, recordings, and memorabilia, Robin’s own musical journey goes back to the age of 3, when he got his first ukulele. He graduated to guitar when he was five, followed by drums, bass, and piano, and singing in his school chorus. “When I was little, I would take a record and try to learn the bass part or the guitar part, then the next day try to learn the drum part and piano part. Then I’d sing it and I’d be able to record it in my own.”

If there’s anything he’s learned since picking up that ukulele 25 years ago, it’s that there’s always something to prove, whether it’s in the studio or on stage. As Robin readily acknowledges. “The one thing I know is this is exactly what I want to be doing — and what I’ve always wanted to be doing.”

Confidential Records NYC is the record label of legendary producer Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick). Jack has had the honor of producing five bands inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.