10

10 is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Stranglers, released in March 1990 by Epic Records. It was the last to feature guitarist/lead singer Hugh Cornwell. 10 peaked at No. 15 and spent four weeks in the UK Albums Chart. 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. Singles released in the UK for this album were "96 Tears" and "Sweet Smell of Success" (UK No. 65). "Man of the Earth" was due to be the third single from the album, however, Epic decided against it. Background Since the Stranglers last album Dreamtime, released in October 1986, the band had toured extensively until the end of 1987, released the 1987 single "All Day and All of the Night", and the 1988 live album All Live and All of the Night. The band had begun recording 10 in bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel's newly-built 16-track home studio in Cambridgeshire in 1988. By 1989, with help from local engineer Owen Morris, the band had recorded around 20 tracks which they delivered to their label CBS/Epic for a late 1989 release. The label's A&R man Muff Winwood, however, was unhappy with the production and suggested re-recording the album with producer Roy Thomas Baker, aiming for the American market. According to Hugh Cornwell in his 2001 book The Stranglers: Song by Song, the band had never heard of Baker before but were told he had produced various successful Queen albums. "Roy was sold to us on the basis that he could produce the sound that the Americans wanted," Cornwell said.