Deceptive Bends

Deceptive Bends is the sound of 10cc reasserting themselves with clarity and momentum. Released in 1977, the album marked a pivotal moment for the band, arriving as their first record following the departure of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. Rather than retreat, Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman leaned into a more direct, streamlined approach, sharpening their songwriting and reaffirming 10cc’s pop instincts with confidence.

The album emerged from a period of transition. Early sessions in late summer 1976 reflected a band at a crossroads, but once Stewart and Gouldman regrouped as a duo, the focus snapped into place. Songs like “Good Morning Judge” and the hit single “The Things We Do for Love” set the tone, pairing emotional immediacy with elegant construction. The material is purposeful and uncluttered, favouring strong melodies and clear sentiment over studio excess.

Recorded at the newly built Strawberry Studios South, Deceptive Bends benefits from a sense of forward motion. Stewart later described the process as unusually fast for the band, fuelled by determination and belief in the songs themselves. That urgency gives the album its lift. With drummer Paul Burgess completing the line-up, the performances feel tight, assured and focused on communication rather than complexity.

Visually, the album continues 10cc’s collaboration with Hipgnosis, whose cover design complements the record’s themes of perception and misdirection. The title itself, borrowed from a road sign on the A24 in Surrey, neatly captures the album’s understated cleverness, a simple phrase loaded with implication.

Deceptive Bends stands as a confident reinvention. It shows 10cc embracing change without losing identity, delivering a record that is warm, accessible and quietly resilient. A moment where craft, conviction and clarity meet, it remains one of the band’s most immediate and enduring statements