A little odd but plenty talented, the English pop group 10cc left a novel and unconventional imprint on 1970s music. Their hits were imbued with inventive but skillful sound and they quickly charmed the public the world over.

The band members—Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman—were no strangers to the realm of pop music. Eric Stewart owned a recording studio and had played guitar with Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders; Graham Gouldman was a successful songwriter, collaborating with the Hollies and the Yardbirds; Kevin Godley and Lol Creme were veteran session musicians in their own right. The former two provided the commercial impetus while the latter duo brought more experimental sounds to the table.

Their first UK hit came in 1972 and was a parody of the popular 50s and 60s doo-wop sound—the song was called, aptly enough, Donna and peaked on the #2 spot in the charts. Another single entitled Rubber Bullets which climbed all the way to #1 in the UK the following year satirized Jailhouse Rock. Their second LP, Sheet Music, was the breakthrough album for 10cc and included songs like The Worst Band in the World and The Wall Street Shuffle. Obviously, the four lads weren’t lacking in the humor department.

10cc’s biggest hit, I’m Not in Love, climbed to #1 and #2 in the UK and US charts, respectively and secured a million-dollar record deal for the band with Mercury Records. The song made them an international sensation and remains their best-known piece today.

The band eventually split up as bands are wont to do but the individual members continued writing and performing the same brand of quirky music that made them famous. Godley and Creme smoothly reinvented themselves as music video directors and Stewart and Gouldman continued to collaborate with musicians like Alan Parsons and Paul McCartney.