KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR

Sixty minutes of live 10CC music, recorded for the famous US radio programme "King Flower Hour".

This is actually almost a live version of "Sheet Music" (seven songs out of ten from this album are featured).

But there are two fundamental problems with this live set.

The first one being that it was impossible for the band to re-create their studio performances on stage. Remember, this was taped in 1975 and the technology was somewhat different as it is nowadays. Their gorgeous studio effects, their great arrangements aren't available here.

We get very nice and crafted vocals of course. 10CC must be the sole band in the music history to have ever featured FOUR great vocalists.

The second major problem would be that several songs are uselessly extended.

"Baron Samedi" and "Rubber Bullets" clocking at twenty minutes all together is not the best as one could have expected from the band.

I like very much live albums but I am not that keen on : either long and dull solos (which is not the case here) or repeated and endless instrumental sections (like during "Rubber Bullets".

I should have attended their next tour for "The Original Soundtrack" (in 1976). But the concert was cancelled at the Brussels university because the décor wouldn't have fit into the concert hall.Typical Belgian story, I'm afraid. This is the reason why I have never attended a 10CC concert.

But anyway, I believe that this band is more a studio one, so I just consolated myself while listening to "Sheet Music" or "The Original Soundtrack". And I recommend you to do the same.

Three stars for this live recording which was released more than twenty years later than the effective performance. Better late than never, right !

This is a nice live album/cd. They advertise this as the "original members of 10cc live" but on the first or second tune the lead singer says, "I want to introduce to you one of the greatest drummers in rock" Paul Burgess. He's also mentioned on "worst band in the world".

I think that this is good stuff but of course the thing thats missing is the inventive crazyness of the studio and the effects and tricks that made the songs delightful. So for myself i was a litle disappointed by this overall.

So its cool that this gets pretty high ratings on other sites and features the original members of 10cc but thats not quite right. Some of the vocals are a bit off here and there. Why extend "rubber bullets"? it was a nice hard hitting rocking little ditty and they drag it out for 12 minutes!

If you can't reproduce the music well from a studio setting then how do you present a live concert? Many bands have not done well in that regard Led Zeppelin being one, Although the Zep had to resort to long blues jams and questionable tightness and feel night after night. The focus changed from Zep layers of guitars tight arrangements in the studio to a whole different approach on stage. !0cc try this on the last track but overall again its not very good.

i think 10cc should have stuck to their songs strengths which is good quirky melodies and very good playing and good singing.