He's one of the nation's most accomplished songwriters and will be performing some classic pop songs at Weymouth Pavilion next weekend. 10cc's Graham Gouldman tells Joanna Davis what the audience can expect from the gig.

FLICK through many a music lover's record collection and chances are that Sheet Music by 10cc will be among it.

You may be in love and you may just like cricket, not love it, but the seminal songs from these seventies alt-pop pioneers, notably I'm Not In Love and Dreadlock Holiday, cannot be denied their place in pop history.

The band's greatest hits and Sheet Music, the album which remains a masterclass in the composition of popular music, will be performed at Weymouth Pavilion next weekend.

Graham Gouldman, now the only original member of 10cc, may be unassuming in appearance and softly spoken on the phone, but it is his songwriting that speaks for itself.

He penned the band's number one hit I'm Not In Love, featured in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and the 2014 blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy.

Rubber Bullets was another number one hit, as was the song about loving cricket, Dreadlock Holiday, used in The Social Network (2010), about the founding of Facebook.

It is only surprising that it took until 2014 to induct Graham into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame - alongside such luminaries as Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John.

Graham tells me: "It was an honour to be inducted into the hall of fame - what can I say?

"To be recognised for my work was incredible. They put up a seven minute video of my life, it was really awesome."

Prior to forming 10cc in 1972, Graham penned hits for a variety of artists including For Your Love and Heart Full of Soul for The Yardbirds, Bus Stop and Look Through Any Window for The Hollies and Tallyman for Jeff Beck.

In recent years he has continued to write hits for the likes of Gary Barlow, Tim Rice, Paul Carrack and Chris Difford.

Graham and the band - Rick Fenn, Mick Wilson, Paul Burgess and Mike Stevens - will perform a show of two halves at Weymouth Pavilion on Sunday September 25.

He said: "The first half of the evening will be Sheet Music in its entirety. We'll be doing the tracks in the order of the album.

"I love performing Sheet Music. It's my favourite album of 10cc. If there's one album that shows what 10cc is capable of it's that album.

"There's some stuff that some people will be unfamiliar with but they will enjoy it nevertheless."

Graham is promising an authentic evening for music lovers - complete with a pause for the symbolic turning of the vinyl album.

The second half of the evening will feature a comprehensive spread of the band’s 11 Top 10 hits and more.

Graham is looking forward to making a return to Dorset, having most recently played a 10cc concert in Bridport.

He said: "I used to go to Wimborne to visit a little record shop there. It's a lovely little shop that I like to frequent.

"It's a shame that we don't get more time to spend in the places we perform at but it's very much in and out, there is a chance to get up early and have a little walk around but we usually end up going to bed late and we're the last ones at breakfast in the hotel in the morning."

Thinking about the recording of Sheet Music brings back some fond memories, Graham said.

"It was our second studio album. The first one was put together very quickly and Rubber Bullets was a big hit so we needed to get an album out quickly. We didn't think too much about it. We just did it."

The critical reception to Sheet Music was completely unexpected, Graham said.

"We never expected anything like it. We were all just doing what we do. Everything we did was always for ourselves."

Graham is hoping that a touring show including an album performed in its entirety will encourage more people to fall in love with albums again and reverse the trend of downloading singles.

"I hope people can remember how good albums are because there's more to songs than singles.

"An album is created to be involving. You can sit people down and have a 40 minute experience then it's something special.

"I love singles and I love pop music but what I do is the aim of a complete immersive experience. I do hope the art of the album isn't lost."

Although he has been asked many times, it is impossible to put into words how his individual songwriting process has changed over the years, Graham said.

"Some of the songwriting has been wonderful and some less so. I love the process of it. There's something very mysterious about it.

"I don't try to analyse it too much and try to keep the mystery."

In 2012 Graham released his solo album Love and Work and is in the process of recording more new solo material.

"This one's not going to be a full 12 track CD, I'm planning to put them out online.

"I also wrote one with the American songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman. I've really written the sort of album that I want to listen to."

Graham is very much a fan of contemporary artists and singles out Nelly Furtado and Sia as having written some of his favourite material in modern times. Paul Simon, who is about to embark on a UK tour, is also a favourite.

And how does Graham like to relax and unwind to clear his head of the perplexity of songwriting?

"If I'm at home I like to cook. I'm not a fan of baking and that bake off programme, I like to use a Delia Smith recipe.

"She came to one of our gigs and made me a cake, I'm a big fan of hers."

*10cc are in concert at Weymouth Pavilion on Sunday September 25. Contact the Weymouth Pavilion box office for tickets.