one reef knot, two grannies
and we were bound to stay together for life
10cc, the slightly offbeat British band, was formed by three childhood friends. Lol Creme, Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman grew up in Manchester and regularly attended — and later performed at — functions at the Jewish Lads’ Brigade, a local youth group. Budding rockers Godley, Creme and Gouldman formed The Mockingbirds. Eric Stewart, a friend of Gouldman’s, was looking for a new gig after the demise of his band, The Mindbenders. The foursome united and became 10cc. The combination of Gouldman’s pop sensibilities (he had written “Groovy Kind of Love.” “Heart Full of Soul,” “For Your Love” and “No Milk Today) paired with Godley and Creme’s theatrical leanings and skewed outlook made for a winning — if not unlikely — partnership.
10cc were far more popular in their native England than in the United States. They scored a few charting singles, including the lush, moody hit “I’m Not in Love,” but they never really hit “the big time.” In 1976, after the release of their fourth album “How Dare You,” Godley and Creme announced theri displeasure with the way Gouldman and Stewart were steering the band. They left 10cc to work on their epic “Consequences” concept album and to focus on production and the development of the “Gizmo,” a music-altering guitar effects attachment.
Gouldman and Stewart soldiered on, determined to release a hit album without Godley and Creme. And, sure enough, they did with “Deceptive Bends” with yielded the Number 5 single “The Things We Do For Love.”
10cc released several more albums and went through several personnel changes before calling it quits in the middle 1990s. Most recently, Graham Gouldman has assembled a crew of musicians and toured under the guise of 10cc, despite being the sole original band member.
The quote from “Honeymoon with B Troop” — one reef knot, two grannies and we were bound to stay together for life — is ironic, as the band was not bound to stay together for life.