10 (The Stranglers album)

10
Studio album by The Stranglers
Released	March 1990
Recorded	1989-1990 the Netherlands
Genre	Post-punk
Label	Epic
Producer	Roy Thomas Baker
The Stranglers chronology
Dreamtime (1986) 10 (1990) Stranglers In the Night (1992)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

10 is the tenth studio album from The Stranglers and was the last to feature guitarist/lead singer Hugh Cornwell. The album was released in 1990. 10 peaked at No. 15 and spent four weeks in the UK Albums Chart.^[2]

There was a big band sound to this album, possibly due to the production work of Roy Thomas Baker and the continued use of a horn section. One of the highlights was the cover version of Question Mark & the Mysterians hit "96 Tears" (which reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart).^[2] Cornwell has expressed satisfaction with the way this album turned out, whereas the rest of the band, including live guitarist John Ellis, who joined the band on the next album, have all expressed negative feelings about 10.

The album sleeve shows the members of the band dressed up as ten of the most notable world leaders of the time (l-r: Yasser Arafat, Rajiv Gandhi, Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, George H. W. Bush, Fidel Castro, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Benazir Bhutto and Joshua Nkomo)

Despite the album's American-friendly sound and the moderate success of "Sweet Smell of Success" in America (reaching No. 5 on the US Modern Rock Chart), the band did not undertake an American tour. Cornwell, feeling the band had come to a halt in their artistic evolution, decided to leave the band following the last gig on the supporting tour.

Singles released in the UK for this album were "96 Tears" (peaked at No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart) and "Sweet Smell Of Success" (which peaked at No. 65 in the same chart).^[2]

Track listing

Side One

1. "Sweet Smell of Success" - 3:22
2. "Someone Like You" - 2:53
3. "96 Tears" - 3:12
4. "In This Place" - 3:38
5. "Let's Celebrate" - 4:16

Side Two

6. "Man of the Earth" - 3:22
7. "Too Many Teardrops" - 3:47
8. "Where I Live" - 3:32
9. "Out of My Mind" - 4:08
10. "Never to Look Back" - 4:18

Bonus Tracks on 2001 CD

11. "Instead of This"
12. "Poisonality"
13. "Motorbike"
14. "Something"
15. "You"
16. "¡Viva Vlad! "
17. "All Day and All of the Night"
18. "Always the Sun (Sunny-Side Up Mix)"

Personnel

The Stranglers

• Hugh Cornwell - guitar, vocals
• Dave Greenfield - keyboards, vocals
• Jean-Jacques Burnel - bass, vocals
• Jet Black - drums, percussion

Additional Personnel

• Alex Gifford - saxophone
• Sid Gould - trumpet
• Chris Lawrence - trombone
• Stuart Brooks - trumpet solo (1)
• Simon Morton - congas (1) ^[3]

References

1. Ogg, Alex. "The Stranglers: 10" at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
2. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
3. http://www.discogs.com/Stranglers-10/release/1618883