10 (The Stranglers album)

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.

Contents

• The stranglers sweet smell of success from the album 10
• The stranglers where i live from the album 10
• Track listing
• Personnel
• Songs
• References

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). 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).