Duncan Mackay

Colosseum II was a British band formed in 1975 by the former Colosseum drummer and leader, Jon Hiseman, following the 1974 demise of his band Tempest. Hiseman announced his plan to form the band eventually named Colosseum II in November 1974, but only Gary Moore was named as a member. Rehearsals were due to begin on January 1, 1975, but a permanent unit was not finalised until May 1975. Among musicians who almost made the group were Graham Bell, Duncan Mackay and Mark Clarke. The final line-up was completed by Don Airey, Neil Murray and Mike Starrs.

Look Hear? is the seventh studio album by 10cc, released in 1980. It reached No.35 in the UK and No.180 in the United States. The album, recorded at the band's Strawberry Studios South in Dorking, Surrey, was the first by 10cc since its 1976 split to include songs written by neither Graham Gouldman or Eric Stewart.

A new, larger version of Camel debuted on Nude, a concept album about a Japanese soldier stranded on a deserted island during World War II and staying there, oblivious to the outside world, for 29 years. More ambitious than the preceding I Can See Your House from Here, Nude is in many ways just as impressive…

Alan Parsons delivered a detailed blueprint for his Project on their 1975 debut, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, but it was on its 1977 follow-up, I Robot, that the outfit reached its true potential. Borrowing not just its title but concept from Isaac Asimov's classic sci-fi Robot trilogy, this album explores many of the philosophies regarding artificial intelligence – will it overtake man, what does it mean to be man, what responsibilities do mechanical beings have to their creators, and so on and so forth – with enough knotty intelligence to make it a seminal text of late-'70s geeks…

10cc's third album is their first after their break with novelty-minded pop impresario Jonathan King, and as a result, it's less cute and bouncy than either 10CC or SHEET MUSIC. This doesn't mean that the music is less melodic, or that the group's satiric intent is duller, but THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK is a more subtle, mature record…

10cc's fourth album, HOW DARE YOU, is the last to feature the original lineup of Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley. Godley and Creme left shortly after the recording of this album to explore the commercial and artistic possibilities of an instrument they invented, the Gizmo. The Gizmo's eerie drone is all over this record, slotting in beautifully with the multilayered vocal arrangements which were the band's other sonic trademark…

Displaying a command of pop styles and satire, 10cc showed that they are a force to be reckoned with on their first album. Hooks abound, harmonies shine, and instrumentation is dazzling without being overdone. Though charges of "self-consciously clever" could be leveled at the group, their command of witty, Anglo-styled pop is so impressive that even those criticisms must be weighed against the mastery of styles. All four members sing lead and are talented songwriters, and this leads to a wide variety of styles that add to their vision…

10cc's second album was the next phase in what guitarist Eric Stewart called the band's "masterplan to control the universe. The Sweet, Slade, and Gary Glitter are all very valuable pop," he proclaimed, "but it's fragile because it's so dependent on a vogue. We don't try to appeal to one audience, or aspire to instant stardom, we're satisfied to move ahead a little at a time as long as we're always moving forward." Sheet Music, perhaps the most widely adventurous album of what would become a wildly adventurous year, would more than justify that claim….

Live and Let Live was 10cc's first live album, released in the Autumn of 1977. It was recorded at the Odeon Theatre in London on 18th, 19th and 20th June 1977 and the Apollo Theatre, Manchester on the 16th and 17th July 1977…