10

by Alex OggOver an illustrious history (and don't let those so-called punk historians tell you that they either weren't punk or weren't important) the Stranglers actually released very, very few bad albums. 10, sad to say, is one of the few, and it's an absolute stinker. Having creaked into the '90s, this proved to be the final album from the original lineup (who'd been together for 15 years), their tenth studio album giving them the inspiration for the title. The truth is, there was barely concealed hatred percolating between main men Jean-Jacques Burnel and Hugh Cornwell. Yet rather than produce any kind of edge, the tensions inexplicably resulted in this meager fare of dislocated pop and half-assed R&B. There really are no discernible redeeming features.