If you've just clicked on to this op and expected to read about some wonderful new cleaning solution that comes in handy 10cc bottles (and wondered what it's doing under 'music'), I apologise. You've been had. Still, now you're here...read on.

In their glory days 10cc were a foursome. Three (including guitarist Eric Stewart, ex- Mindbenders, best remembered for 1966 hit with 'A Groovy Kind of Love') were a studio-based team, who had joined forces and appeared from out of nowhere in 1970 with the jokey 'Neanderthal Man', released under the name Hotlegs and a No. 2 hit, thanks to saturation radio play. Two years later they linked up with bassist Graham Gouldman, who had written smashes for the likes of the Hollies, Herman's Hermits, and the Yardbirds.

Nevertheless it was rhythm guitarist Lol Creme and drummer Kevin Godley who were initially the most high profile members of the group, on their 1972 doo-wop debut 'Donna' and the less successful 'Johnny Don't Do It'.

10cc had several things going for them. All four shared lead vocals and songwriting duties, usually in collaboration with at least one of the others; they had an uncanny ability to ape vintage 50s and 60s classic pop styles, and add clever, often ironic lyrics. They could be arty, literate, sarcastic, perhaps even too clever for some tastes, but with tongue always firmly in cheek. Like the best of the Beatles' stuff, their singles sounded like deceptively simple pop songs while being quite intricately constructed. Ever tried to work out the chords to a 10cc song on guitar? Not easy.

Having failed totally with their second single, the third, 'Rubber Bullets' – initially banned by the BBC as they thought it was a protest song about police heavy-handedness in Ulster – took them to No. 1 in the summer of 1973. With its exuberant tune, Beach Boys-like harmonies, and storyline str
aight out of Elvis' 'Jailhouse Rock', it was one of the great singles of the summer. And right in the middle of glam rock, they bucked the fashion trends by wearing the same shirts and jeans as they probably wore to do the weekend shopping in. Further success followed with songs like 'The Dean And I', 'Wall Street Shuffle' and 'Silly Love', the latter containing a lyrical gem "Ooh, when romance depends on clichés and toupees and threepees."

They peaked in 1975 with their third album, 'The Original Soundtrack', which spawned the 9-minute extravaganza 'One Night In Paris', the lyrically daft yet fun 'Life Is A Minestrone' (remember the chorus, “L I A M, Served up with Parmesan cheese, Death is a cold Lasagne, suspended in deep freeze”?), and the extraordinary 'I'm Not In Love', the first of their singles to feature Stewart on lead vocal.

What the Beach Boys' ground-breaking 'Good Vibrations' was to the 60s, 'I'm Not In Love' was to the 70s (well, at least until 'Bohemian Rhapsody' appeared a few months later), with an ethereal sound built up from over 200 vocal harmony overdubs. Luckily all those hours of studio time paid off, as it gave them a second No. 1 hit, gave them the long-coveted US chart breakthrough, and has since become one of the most heavily-played songs of all time on oldies radio stations. And was it really a slushy, romantic love song? Judging by the number of times it was played as 'the last dance' for the next few years, you might think so, until you really listen to the lyrics - notably the line which gives this op its title above.

There was to be one more album from the group's classic line-up, 'How Dare You', which spawned the Top 10 hits 'Art For Art's Sake', and the softer 'I'm Mandy – Fly Me'. Later in 1976 Godley and Creme left, partly t
hrough musical differences, partly to do their own thing(s), including a monumentally self-indulgent triple album, hit singles as a duo several years later, and eventually video production. Stewart and Gouldman recruited three new members for two more hit albums, plus a moderately successful live set, and more hit singles, 'The Things We Do For Love', the more funky 'Good Morning Judge', and the cod-reggae 'Dreadlock Holiday'. The last gave them a final chart-topper, but was their last major chart success.

Stewart and Gouldman always had the melodic flair, but without the more quirky, inventive input of Godley and Creme, the balance was lost. Moreover Stewart was sidelined by a severe car crash in 1979 which left him with impaired hearing. After three poorly-selling albums and diminishing interest they disbanded in 1983. Thereafter Stewart worked with Paul McCartney, Sad Cafe and Agnetha Faltskog (from Abba), and Gouldman formed the duo Wax with Andrew Gold.

During the 90s there were half-hearted attempts to reform the band as they recorded two new albums, plus a remake of 'I'm Not In Love', which restored them briefly to the Top 30 in 1995. But once it's gone, it's gone. 10cc were one of the 70s' premier bands, one of the very few who could sound clever and radio-friendly at the same time, who could take vintage pop styles and put their own individual twist on them.

For a Consumer's Guide to 10cc, the following are recommended (all prices taken from Amazon):
 'The Very Best of 10 cc' (7.99) – all the group's hits, plus 'One Night In Paris', all three Godley and Creme chart entries from the 80s, and 'Neanderthal Man'
 'Two From Ten' (8.99) - reissue of first two albums, plus several B-sides, double
 'The Original Soundtrack' (8.99) - their finest non-compilation album