The Making of "I'm Not In Love"

[John Ludlow]

Several years ago there was a thread on the making of 10cc's classic song from 1975, "I'm Not In Love" (which I could not find using the search function - so I'm starting over). If the song pre-dates you, it was the first time that massively parallel voice recordings were combined into a more limited number of tracks (in this case, the limitation was an 8 track tape recorder) and then the resulting tape was physically stitched into multiple loops, each associated with one of their recorders 8 track's and the mixing desk itself was 'played' simultaneously, in realtime, by several of the members of the band to result in the final mix. I remember distinctly the first time I heard the song because I had never heard anything like it. There's one section that is alternately liquid and brooding, and then airy and soaring, that I have listened to over and over and over throughout the decades.

Warren Huart is an engineer and producer who has been involved in countless albums, with both unknowns and also some better known (like Aerosmith). When he's not making 'records', he also is the talent behind the truly excellent 'Produce Like a Pro' YouTube channel. But here, he describes in historic detail how the song was made. As I mentioned, we've discussed it before. But, Huart seems to know so much more about it and presents it really well. Well worth your time, I think.

https://youtu.be/U7-nOTw6BuQ

[RobertV]

Thanks for sharing this, one of my all time favorite bands.
There is a YouTube around with a montage of black and white photographs accompanying the "one night in Paris" song.
Really gives me the feel of Paris (if there is such a thing - Have not been there that many times!)
(one memory is driving through Paris (on way to Le Mans) in peak hour in a Lotus 7 without a cooling fan trying to stop it overheating.
looking for a Pharmacy to buy (you guessed it "French Letters")
True story, the year was 1967

Come to think of it - are we talking about the same song?

Cheers

[John Ludlow]

Hmmmm... I'm not sure why, but somehow that experience does sound Parisian. In a cool, sixties-era, British sports car, that isn't working today in a brand new way, on a desperate, yet hopeful, mission of lust. When you read it you think, "Nope - that's not Buffalo".

But, no. Not the same song. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgJckGsR-T0

For some reason, the original album track isn't on YouTube. I didn't know that ever happened. In my memory, the payload was longer. Now I'm going to have to hunt up my vinyl.

To tell the truth, 10cc was never one of my favorite bands. I was disappointed with the rest of that album and didn't buy another. I think of them as a one hit wonder - but of course, they weren't.