Plugging our box set (the perfect Christmas present) - lousy interview failing to puzzle out quite why 10cc fell apart so early and so tragically.

I would say, of course, the reason was losing their 5th member (me) when greed for cash replaced creative energy.

But, then, I'm biased.

But then again, you probably hired your own specialized music business lawyers to fine tune the small print on their contracts!

True - which is why I'm still making money from christening them and helping the first half of their career; but that's sensible business.

I'm talking creative energy and fine tuning the tracks - as I did with early Genesis - being constructive and tweaking the music and, most of all, adding the chemistry, sorting out arguments and disagreements, directing all that positive enthusiasm in the right direction and suffocating the negative vibes.

If I'd remained the fifth member of 10cc, they would still be together today as the biggest band of the 70s. And they'd be much happier.

It was their management who organised the jumping of the ship was it not? They reneged on a deal with Virgin whilst the band were travelling did they not, which hastened the disillusionment of Kevin & Lol?

That's a media story and not accurate. They couldn't break the contract with me but Branson said he'd take the risk and let us sue him, so we agreed the far bigger deal with PolyGram when the band decided they wanted that.

Just out of interest, how do music biz lawyers work out their fees? Do they take a percentage of the profits, or may a cut of the artists' advance? Or maybe they confuse everyone - including the record label bosses - so long as the everyone believes they're getting enough.

Wonderful band. I'd love to know more about Lol Creme, who always seemed such a clever creative spirit. He's the one who seems least inclined these days to associate himself with the various celebrations about the group. I hope he thinks fondly of them anyway, he played such a big role in their best music.

MBL - straight fees (per hour)... my lawyer Robert Lee was with Harbottle and Lewis, under studying Charles Levison and John Stutter... I asked him to run UK Records; he wisely declined and went independent. I was his first client: Brian Ferry his second. Lee and Thompson is now the top show biz legal firm; I was filming there (courtesy of their splendid new board room) last week.

Lol Creme - the beauty of 10cc, in my mind, was the varied talents of all FIVE members; Lol was artistic (he designed our logo); Kevin had the best voice; Graham was the best writer; Eric the producer/engineer - and JK the ruthless but creative tweaker (less solo; more humour; here's your name; huge promo on Rubber Bullets etc).

I still believe, if we'd removed the greed for cash element, they would have been ten times bigger in the 70s and still together today.

Thanks for getting them started JK. I can still see in my mind's eye the UK logo as I first picked up Rubber Bullets as a kid!

You don't know how to play the game
You cheat
You lie
You make me wanna cry

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Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil
Today

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I think my favourite ever 10cc track is "We're the worst band in the world and we don't give a shit". Pure genius.

A 10cc hit still waiting to happen? Waterfall. I'd put that out as a "single" to promote the Box Set if I was running Universal.

4% of something.

Unusual title for a song.

4% of something. Must have been quoted directly from the small print in their recording contracts?

BIG print - and often quoted by me to them in words followed by "is better than 100% of Nothing".

Of course, had they been starting out in the business today, they could have done it all by themselves using the Alex Day model, and then gone on to keep 100% of nearly everything!

But like Alex they would still have needed an invaluable mentor.

If you knew how many people turned down Donna before they found a mentor and a name...

Tenology is a bit of a let down. One disc was devoted to bland post-Creme and Godley 5cc also-rans, another was supposedly devoted to the singles but several were different versions and, bizarrely, 'I'm Not in Love' was only included in a clumsily edited 3 and a half minute version. The lyric sheets are full of errors, as if they've been transcribed by some cloth-eared twit on work experience. The DVD of TV clips is nice to have, but it would have made more sense just to do remastered albums to accompany it. 10cc was a crucial group in the 70s and it's sad they always seem to get this kind of slapdash treatment.