The Original Soundtrack

The album was recorded and produced by the band at Strawberry Studios in 1974 with Eric Stewart engineering and mixing. The album was the first to be released by Mercury Records after signing the band for $1 million in February 1975. The catalyst for the deal was that the record executives had heard one song – "I'm Not in Love". Eric Stewart recalled:

{{quote|At that point in time we were still on Jonathan King's label, but struggling. We were absolutely skint, the lot of us, we were really struggling seriously, and Philips Phonogram wanted to do a deal with us. They wanted to buy Jonathan King's contract. I rang them. I said come and have a listen to what we've done, come and have a listen to this track. And they came up and they freaked, and they said, "This is a masterpiece. How much money, what do you want? What sort of a contract do you want? We'll do anything, we'll sign it." On the strength of that one song, we did a five-year deal with them for five albums and they paid us a serious amount of money.{{cite web |url=http://www.the10ccfanclub.com/htm/esiwts.htm |title=I Write The Songs |access-date=15 January 2014}}}}

The rest of the album, which was already complete, was released just weeks later.

The artwork was designed by Hipgnosis and illustrated by artist Humphrey Ocean.

The album has been reissued on several occasions with bonus tracks including b-sides and single edits and has been remastered.

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{AllMusic | class=album | id=the-original-soundtrack-mw0000180171 | title=The Original Soundtrack | first=Mark | last=Deming | accessdate=10 April 2020}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2Score = D+{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|publisher=Ticknor & Fields|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: T|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=T&bk=70|accessdate=15 March 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}

| noprose = yes

}}

The Original Soundtrack was a critical and commercial success reaching No. 3 in the UK{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/10%20c.c./ |title=10 C.C. |publisher=The Official UK Charts Company |accessdate=15 January 2014}} and No. 15 in the US{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/10cc-mn0000502163/awards |title=10cc Awards |work=AllMusic |accessdate=15 January 2014}}

Ken Barnes gave the album a rave review in Rolling Stone, commenting, "Musically there's more going on than in ten Yes albums, yet it's generally as accessible as a straight pop band (though less so than the two preceding 10cc LPs)." He particularly praised the album for being ambitious without being excessive or pretentious, and for its lyrical content.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thetemptations/albums/album/251362/review/6210348/the_original_soundtrack |title=Album review |last=Barnes |first=Ken |date=19 June 1975 |magazine=Rolling Stone |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201103123/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thetemptations/albums/album/251362/review/6210348/the_original_soundtrack |archivedate=1 December 2008 }}

Village Voice critic Robert Christgau panned the album, remarking of the song "I'm Not in Love": "stretching your only decent melody (a non-satirical love song) over six tedious minutes, is that a joke?"

The first single "Life Is a Minestrone" was another UK Top 10 for the band, peaking at No. 7. Their biggest success came with the song that sold the album, "I'm Not in Love", which gave the band their second UK No. 1 in June 1975, staying there for two weeks. The song also provided them with their first major US chart success when the song reached No. 2.[http://www.billboard.com/artist/431837/10cc/chart 10CC Hot 100 chart history], Billboard. Retrieved 13 October 2013.

{{Track listing|

| headline = Side one

| total_length = 19:16

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title1 = Une nuit a Paris"

1. "One Night in Paris"
2. "The Same Night in Paris"
3. "Later That Same Night in Paris

| writer1 = {{flatlist|

• Lol Creme
• Kevin Godley}}

| length1 = 8:40

| extra1 = Stewart, Creme, Gouldman, and Godley

| title2 = I'm Not in Love

| writer2 = {{flatlist|

• Eric Stewart
• Graham Gouldman}}

| length2 = 6:08

| extra2 = Stewart

| title3 = Blackmail

| writer3 = {{flatlist|

• Stewart
• Gouldman}}

| length3 = 4:28

| extra3 = Stewart, Creme, Gouldman, and Godley

}}

{{Track listing|

| headline = Side two

| total_length = 22:28

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title4 = The Second Sitting for the Last Supper

| writer4 = {{flatlist|

• Stewart
• Creme
• Gouldman
• Godley}}

| length4 = 4:25

| extra4 = Stewart

| title5 = Brand New Day

| writer5 = {{flatlist|

• Creme
• Godley}}

| length5 = 4:04

| extra5 = Godley and Stewart

| title6 = Flying Junk

| writer6 = {{flatlist|

• Stewart
• Gouldman}}

| length6 = 4:10

| extra6 = Stewart

| title7 = Life Is a Minestrone

| writer7 = {{flatlist|

• Stewart
• Creme}}

| length7 = 4:42

| extra7 = Creme

| title8 = The Film of My Love

| writer8 = {{flatlist|

• Creme
• Godley}}

| length8 = 5:07

| extra8 = Gouldman

}}

{{Track listing|

| headline =

| total_length = 48:22

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title9 = Channel Swimmer

| writer9 = {{flatlist|

• Godley
• Gouldman}}

| length9 = 2:50

| extra9 = Gouldman

| title10 = Good News

| writer10 = {{flatlist|

• Godley
• Creme}}

| length10 = 3:48

| extra10 = Godley with Creme

}}

{{Track listing|

| headline =

| total_length = 56:16

| extra_column = Lead vocals

| title11 = Life Is a Minestrone (Single edit)

| writer11 = {{flatlist|

• Stewart
• Creme}}

| length11 = 4:08

| extra11 = Creme

| title12 = I'm Not in Love (Single edit)

| writer12 = {{flatlist|

• Stewart
• Gouldman}}

| length12 = 3:46

| extra12 = Stewart

}}

Adapted from the liner notes of the album:{{Cite AV media notes |title=The Original Soundtrack |others=10cc |year=1975 |type=liner notes |publisher=Mercury |id=9102 500}}

; 10cc

• Eric Stewart – lead (1–6) and backing vocals (1, 3–5, 7, 8), electric (3–8) and steel guitars (1, 3), Fender Rhodes electric piano (2, 4, 6), piano (3, 4, 6), organ (8), percussion (8)
• Lol Creme – lead (1, 3, 7) and backing vocals (all tracks), piano (all but 3), Fender Rhodes electric piano (1, 7), organ (3), Moog synthesizer (5), percussion (1, 4, 7, 8), electric (4, 7) and acoustic guitars (6), Gizmo (3, 5), vibraphone (1), violins (5), autoharp (6), mandolin (8)
• Graham Gouldman – lead (1, 3, 8) and backing vocals (all but 8), bass guitar (all tracks), electric (2–4, 7, 8) and acoustic guitars (6, 7), percussion (1), double bass (5), autoharp (6), mandolin (8)
• Kevin Godley – lead (1, 3, 5) and backing vocals (all tracks), drums (1, 3, 4, 6, 7), bass drum (5), timpani (1, 5), marimba (5), timbales (7), bongos (8), percussion (1, 4, 6–8), Moog synthesizer (2), cellos (5)

; Technical

• 10cc – production
• Hipgnosis – cover design
• Humphrey Ocean – cover illustration

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=The Original Soundtrack|artist=10CC|type=album|relyear=1975|certyear=1977|region=Australia|award=Gold|certref=

{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-10-29.pdf|title=Australian Gold for 10cc|magazine=Cash Box|via=World Radio History|page=89|date=29 October 1977|access-date=25 November 2021}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=10cc|title=The Original Soundtrack|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=1975|certyear=1975|id=7198-39-2|access-date=30 November 2021}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{10cc}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Original Soundtrack, The}}

Category:10cc albums

Category:1975 albums

Category:Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis

Category:Albums recorded at Strawberry Studios

Category:Mercury Records albums