Hotlegs

Hotlegs was a short-lived English band best known for its sole hit single "Neanderthal Man" in 1970. The band consisted of Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. In 1972 the band was joined by Graham Gouldman and changed its name to 10cc. Stewart had earlier enjoyed success as a member of the 1960s pop band The Mindbenders and had delivered the vocals for that band's best-known track, "A Groovy Kind of Love".

Stewart had earlier enjoyed success as a member of the 1960s pop band The Mindbenders and had delivered the vocals for that band's best-known track, "A Groovy Kind of Love". The Mindbenders disbanded in 1969 and Stewart teamed with fellow Mindbender and aspiring songwriter Gouldman to become part-owners of a Stockport recording studio which in 1969 was renamed Strawberry Studios (after the Beatles hit "Strawberry Fields Forever"). The pair, along with Godley and Creme, longtime friends of Gouldman, gained work writing and performing bubblegum songs under a variety of band names for US producers writer-producers Jerry Kasenetz and Jeff Katz of Super K Productions.
German cover of "Neanderthal Man"
German cover of "Neanderthal Man"

"Neanderthal Man" was created by the trio of Stewart, Godley and Creme as they dabbled with recording equipment at Strawberry Studios, perfecting drum layering. The song consisted primarily of the chant "I'm a Neanderthal man/You're a Neanderthal girl/Let's make Neanderthal love/In this Neanderthal world", backed by Stewart's and Creme's acoustic guitars and a lumbering drum rhythm provided by Godley. The song was released as a single under the moniker Hotlegs (a name chosen in honour of a secretary at the studio[1])and reached No.2 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1970 and No. 22 in the US, ultimately selling two million copies worldwide.

The band recorded a follow-up album, Thinks: School Stinks, for Philips before branding themselves as Doctor Father in August 1970 for a new version of "Umbopo" on Pye Records.
Italian cover of "Neanderthal Man"
Italian cover of "Neanderthal Man"

The song was one they had originally recorded for Kasenetz and Katz for release under the name Crazy Elephant. Doctor Father's version failed to attract airplay or sales. Reverting to Hotlegs, the trio cut two more singles, "How Many Times" (1970) and "Lady Sadie" (September 1971), both of which failed to chart.

Thinks: School Stinks was repackaged for US release as Songs by the Philips label and again in Britain in 1975 as You Didn't Like It Because You Didn't Think Of It with two additional songs. The title song of the British repackaged album had originally been the B-side of "Neanderthal Man"; part of it had also been reworked to become "Fresh Air For My Mama" on the 1973 debut album by 10cc.

In 1972 Hotlegs was relaunched as 10cc.