Mirror Mirror (10cc album)

Mirror Mirror
Studio album by 10cc
Released	1995
Genre	Rock
Length	65:22 (15-track version)
Label	ZYX
Producer	Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Adrian Lee, Rod Gammons
Professional reviews
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10cc chronology
…Meanwhile (1992) Mirror Mirror (1995) The Very Best of 10cc (1997)
Singles from Mirror Mirror
"I'm Not in Love (Acoustic Session '95)" Released: 1995

Mirror Mirror is the 11th and last album by British pop band 10cc. It was released in 1995 and did not chart in the UK or US.

Again featuring just two of 10cc's core band members, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart, the album included performances by Paul McCartney on two tracks, Andrew Gold on two tracks and Rick Fenn on one track.

Mirror Mirror was more a combination of two solo albums than a conventional 10cc production. Gouldman and Stewart played together on only one track – an acoustic reworking of their 1975 hit, "I'm Not in Love". Songs written by Stewart, including one co-written with McCartney, were recorded in France, while Gouldman's songs, one of which was co-written with musical theatre lyricist Tim Rice and another with Gold, were recorded in London.

"I'm Not in Love" was one of only three songs on the album that bore a Stewart-Gouldman joint songwriting credit.

Gouldman admitted the album was "almost like two halves of an album", largely a result of the fact that he and Stewart began recording in separate countries. "Vaguely, we intended starting off these tracks and then bring them together, finish them together, which a lot of people do," he said. "But it never happened, we got so into what we were doing, we wanted to keep it pure. I don’t like to say we hoodwinked the people, but you could say it’s not quite what it appears to be, and anyone with any sense, who reads the credits, could see that."^[1]

One of Gouldman's songs, "Ready To Go Home", was written after the death of his father, Hyme Gouldman, in 1991. Gouldman re-recorded the song for his 2000 album, And Another Thing..., when he observed in the liner notes: "It reflects my feelings at the time. I suppose I was trying to put a positive slant on his passing, remembering all the things we had done together and his artistic legacy to me. The last verse of the song best reflects my feelings on this. This song has been recorded by many artists and remains one of my favourites. Very emotional."

At least three different versions of the album exist. The most common version of the album has 10 songs. A European version of the album leaves out one song ("I'm Not In Love: Rework Of Art Mix"), but also adds five new tracks: "Yvonne's the One" (Written by Eric Stewart and Paul McCartney, and first attempted in February 1985 during the sessions for Paul's Press to Play album, but remade and completed on this album, with Paul returning the favour by playing rhythm guitar), "Margo Wants the Mustard", "Blue Bird", "Now You're Gone", and a 1995 acoustic rendition of "I'm Not in Love". The Japanese version has 15 tracks, including all five new tracks, and the "Rework of Art Mix" version of "I'm Not in Love". The track listing below is based on that of the Japanese version.

Track listing (Expanded Edition)

1. "I'm Not in Love (Rework of Art Mix)" (Eric Stewart/Graham Gouldman) – 5:51
2. "Peace in Our Time" (Gouldman, Steve Pigott) – 4:03
3. "Code of Silence" (Stewart) – 5:39
4. "Take This Woman" (Stewart, Gouldman) – 3:51
5. "Yvonne's the One" (Paul McCartney, Eric Stewart) – 4:26*
6. "The Monkey and the Onion" (Gouldman, Tim Rice) – 3:17
7. "Margo Wants the Mustard" (Stewart) – 3:54*
8. "Ready To Go Home" (Andrew Gold, Gouldman) – 4:37
9. "Everything is Not Enough" (Stewart) – 4:28
10. "Blue Bird" (Graham Gouldman) – 4:04*
11. "Age of Consent" (Stewart) – 5:24
12. "Grow Old With Me" (Gouldman) – 3:22
13. "Why Did I Break Your Heart" (Stewart, Gouldman) – 5:18
14. "Now You're Gone" (Gouldman) – 3:01*
15. "I'm Not in Love (Acoustic Session '95)" (Stewart, Gouldman) – 3:30*

• (*) Songs not included on the standard 10-track version of the album.

Personnel

• Eric Stewart — vocals, lead guitar, keyboards, percussion
• Graham Gouldman — lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass guitar, percussion, mandolin
• Paul McCartney — rhythm guitar ("Yvonne's the One"), strings, electric piano, frogs, crickets, percussion ("Code of Silence")
• Adrian Lee — bass, programming, arrangements, keyboard, backing vocals, brass section, percussion, accordion, vibes, acoustic guitar
• Andrew Gold — lead vocal ("Ready To Go Home"), backing vocals ("Grow Old With Me")
• Rick Fenn — lead guitar ("Peace in Our Time")
• Ian Thomas — drums
• Steve Pigott — keyboard, drum programming
• Gary Wallis — drums, percussion
• Gary Barnacle — saxophone
• Peter Thoms — trombone
• Lise Aferiat and Nicola Burton — violin
• Chris Goldscheider — viola
• Andrew Hines and Patrick Jones — cello

References

1. ^ "10cc: A Pure Injection Of Pop" by Dave Thompson, Goldmine magazine, 11 April 1997.