BLOODY TOURISTS

"Bloody Tourists" is the 6th full-length studio album by UK pop/art rock act 10cc. The album was released through Mercury Records in September 1978. "Bloody Tourists" was commercially successful and spawned the hit single "Dreadlock Holiday" which reached No.1 in the UK charts in August 1978, prior to the album´s release in September.

"Bloody Tourists" is a continuation of the compositionally clever and lyrically "tongue in cheek" pop music that the band are known and loved for. It´s slightly less challenging than earlier releases or in other words more mainstream oriented. One of the things that always stood out on earlier releases was the sound production and this time around it´s no different. These guys are just as accomplished producers as they are musicians. The trademark vocal harmonies and choirs are there in abundance too. The slightly silly Caribbean/reggae influenced "Dreadlock Holiday" is a track that is sometimes much criticised, but looked upon objectively it´s a damn catchy, memorable and very well produced pop song. The same can be said about the rest of the material. Some of the tracks are sometimes lacking the compositional depth and oddball attitude of earlier material, but there´s nothing offensively bad or sub par on "Bloody Tourists".

Overall it´s an enjoyable release that might not quite reach the same heights of their best output, but certainly delivers entertainment on a satisfactory level. I´d say a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved.