The Beach Boys, Live at the Piece Hall, and 10cc

“That's Why God Made The Beach Boys” - These words were lifted up in the air on a huge sign, in the middle of the concert, by some fans in the first row. From the third row, I agreed: breathtaking music, miraculous sounds and stunning atmosphere, reviving the joy of the first Beach Boys years. Definitely the beach, the car radio and the US would have been so poor without them. Hundreds of fans, irrespective of nation, continent, age or colour of the floral shirt, came to see them in Milan. What they all had in common was the thrill of the expectation, the gorgeous smile of being there and the lyrics in mind, waiting to be sung on every chorus. Minutes before the beginning of the concert, some oldies songs were played, as a beautiful anticipation of a sensational concert. I was enthralled to hear my favourite song - "Be My Baby" - said to be considered by Brian Wilson "the perfect song"- and "In The Still of the Night" by The Five Satins. Moreover, during the concert, I was impressed to hear fantastic covers sang by The Beach Boys, such as the one and only "Why So Fools Fall In Love", the classic "Rock and Roll Music", the colourful "Do You Wanna Dance?" and "California Dreaming". The band was high above expectations and surely beyond words! Brian, Mike, Al, David and Bruce smiled, danced and flirted with the mesmerized audience, as if they were back in the '60s California again. All the fans were excited to discover the fresh and vivid Beach Boys, eager to share their sparkles of joy, their blissful music and sunny dreams with the public. From beginning to end, everyone, regardless of age, danced, shouted and waved arms. The night was young and so were we. I was thrilled to hear the tunes I love, but also discovering new releases worthy of being playlisted. I was impressed by how many Italian people perfectly knew and sang all the lyrics, as if America was their mother country. Song after song, the ecstasy grew. Surfin' melodies ("Surfer Girl", "California Girls"), shinny beats ("Wouldn't it be nice", "I Get Around") and emotional songs ("Then I Kissed Her", "Good Timin'", "Heroes and Villains"), all mingled in an exceptional sensorial experience. Personally, I was touched by the flute in the delicate "God Only Knows", by the saxophone on the tunes of "Kokomo" and by the serenity of "Don't Worry, Baby!". I simply loved "Good Vibrations" and "I Get Around"! After 2 and 1/2 hours, brilliant rhythms and rounds and rounds of ecstatic applause, The Beach Boys offered another tribute to the fans shouting "We want more!": three of their greatest songs - "Kokomo", "Barbara Ann" and "Fun Fun Fun". Still, we all wanted more. Still, it was the best concert ever. This review is also available on my personal website: http://www.oldiesmusicblog.com/

I am an absolute sucker for power pop. The 70s, particularly the early 70s, was a decade that was flooded with this style of music. T.Rex, Big Star and The Raspberries were dominating the pop charts at that time; however, 10cc as talented as they were have -to an extent- been unjustly overlooked. They are group who approached their songwriting with sharp wit and acute self-awareness. They knew what type of music sold and weren't necessarily shy about exploiting budding trends. Having been studio musicians and writers of hit songs for band like the Yardbirds and Herman's Hermits they were knowledgeable on the process of creating pop masterpieces.
Considering 10ccs is comprised of studio musicians it goes with out question they are excellent live performers. Their shows are precisely coordinated and well mixed. The sound is tight. The drums are compressed and well maintained, the bass lays nicely in the mix, and the guitars are crystal clear. During the dreamesque interludes in their performance the keyboards, guitars, and vocals start to loose their definition and flow into unison with each other.
10ccs are very enjoyable to watch live because they not only play their soft rock hits such as "Not In Love" but they also delve straight into more progressive and interesting styles of music. The song "Dreadlock Holiday" is a reggae sort of jam teeming with wild percussion, swirling keyboard riffs, upstroke guitar chucks wetted with flange and a grooving dub bass line. The group might even show their prog rock side with songs like "Art for Art Sake" presumably a reference to the 19th century philosophy of aestheticism. In this song they really show off their technical skills indulging in dual guitar solos, keyboard improvisations and divergences into weird time signatures. 10ccs constantly prove to their audience that their concerts can be just as exciting as they are relaxing.