After scoring their commercial breakthrough with
"I'm Not in Love"
from 1975's
The Original Soundtrack
,
10cc
continued to build on their good fortune with
How Dare You
. It didn't spawn another massive hit like
"I'm Not in Love,"
but it is a well-crafted album that shows off
's eccentric humor and
pop
smarts in equal measure. This time, the hit singles were
"I'm Mandy Fly Me"
and
"Art for Art's Sake."
The first tune is the fanciful tale of a plane crash victim saved from death by the stewardess of his dreams that plays out a poppy mock-exotica musical backdrop while the second is a tongue-in-cheek parody of commercial-minded artists set to a rocking, cowbell-driven beat. Elsewhere,
pursues a similar mix of zany humor and
hooks:
"Iceberg"
brings its tale of a frigid romantic partner to life with an incredibly intricate and jazzy vocal melody, and
"I Wanna Rule the World"
is a witty tale of a dictator-in-training with enough catchy riffs and vocal harmonies for two or three songs.
loses a bit of steam on its second side when the songs' tempos start to slow down, but
"Rock 'N' Roll Lullaby"
"Don't Hang Up"
keep the listener involved through a combination of melodic songwriting and typically well-crafted arrangements. In the end,
never hits the giddy heights of
but it remains a solid album of witty
songs that will satisfy anyone with a yen for
. ~ Donald A. Guarisco