Golden oldies | 8 November 2012

Old blokes make records too; they just take their time over it. Graham Gouldman of 10cc has one out, his first for 11 years. Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra has two out, but they’re his first for 11 years too. Donald Fagen’s new one is his first for six years, but he may be in a bit of a hurry. How long have any of them got left? How long have any of us? It’s a race to the line, for each artist and his audience. Because I doubt that any of these three are adding many young people to their fanbase. We are all ageing together. It’s a little low on dignity, but there are worse ways of living your life.

Graham Gouldman is the last man standing in 10cc. Godley and Creme left in 1976, so long ago that even they probably can’t remember why. Eric Stewart and Gouldman carried on for a few more years, with diminishing artistic and commercial returns. (I bought every record, and each was worse than the last.) But Gouldman still tours regularly, playing all the wonderful songs he wrote in the 1960s for Herman’s Hermits and the Yardbirds, in the 1970s for 10cc, and in the 1980s with Andrew Gold as Wax. He was always the most traditional of the four 10cc songwriters, but craft is a muscle that needs to be exercised if it’s not to atrophy completely. Damon Albarn, asked for the 3,000,000th time whether Blur would record again, said it would be easy for him and Graham Coxon, as they are ‘daily musicians’, but the other two simply aren’t any longer. Gouldman’s album is fittingly entitled Love And Work (Rosala), because at the age of 66, what else is there? (I am reminded of my all-time favourite album title, by Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time: Keep Going.)