Ten is the second greatest hits and final album released by English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud, released in commemoration of the group's tenth anniversary. It was released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2012 through Polydor Records.[1][2] The album consists of fourteen of Girls Aloud's singles, including the number-one singles "Sound of the Underground", "I'll Stand by You" and "The Promise", and four new tracks.
Ten was the first album released by the group since their fifth and final studio album Out of Control (2008). After signing a three-album deal with Fascination Records in February 2009, the group announced in July of that year that they would be taking a year-long hiatus to pursue solo projects, and returning in 2010 with a new studio album, which didn't happen. In August 2012, Cheryl Cole confirmed Girls Aloud's reunion would occur in November.[4] A few days later on 31 August, Cole confirmed to BBC Radio 1 and Capital FM that the girls' new single would be released in November, teasing the lyrics "I just wanna dance". Prior to the album's announcement the group's official website, a countdown appeared a week beforehand, fuelling speculation started by Cole in August.[5] The album was officially announced on 19 October 2012, with all five members appearing at a press conference announcing the single to the public.[6]
Ten was released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2012.[8] The album is available in three editions. The standard edition features one disc containing eighteen tracks, including four new songs.[9] The deluxe edition features a bonus disc with a track listing voted by the group's fans.[7] The HMV release of the deluxe edition included exclusive badges.[10] A limited edition box set was made available on Girls Aloud's official website. The set is packaged inside a collector's box and includes the deluxe edition of the album with a gatefold cover, the never-before-released The Passions of Girls Aloud on a two-disc set, six exclusive art prints, and a golden ticket to win one of ten prizes.[11]
A documentary special entitled Girls Aloud: Ten Years at the Top aired on ITV on 15 December 2012.[17][18] The documentary explored the band's history, their individual successes, and their tenth anniversary reunion, also featuring behind-the-scenes access to their comeback preparations, culminating in their performance at the Royal Variety.[18] The documentary attracted 2.5 million viewers on ITV.[19]
On 21 February 2013, the group embarked on Ten: The Hits Tour. The tour was the group's first tour in four years and their first tour since they returned from their three-year hiatus.[20][21] It ended on 20 March 2013, with their final performance at Echo Arena Liverpool, which was followed by the official disbandment of Girls Aloud.
Singles
The lead single from the album, "Something New" was released on 16 November 2012. The song premiered on Capital FM on 16 October 2012. The song received generally positive views from critics, praising its unusual structure as well as the production.[22] The song was also the official single for Children in Need and it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart.[23]
Ten received positive reviews from music critics.[28] Ian Wade of BBC Music hailed it as "incredible proof of how perfect pop can be in the right hands", placed it "up there with Gold, Substance and Discography in terms of greatest-hits sets" and concluded by stating that "if it's the last long-player Girls Aloud put their name to, their legacy is assured."[37] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy awarded the album five stars out of five, praised the inclusion of the songs "Black Jacks" and "Memory of You" in the bonus disc tracklist and called Ten "a carefully-balanced collection that should please both casual and dedicated fans."[31] Simon Gage of the Daily Express wrote that Girls Aloud are "celebrating their decade with an album that includes greatest hits [...] and [...] a number of new tracks that are in the main pumped-up crowd-pleasing pop" and noted that "you’d have to be mad not to go with it."[30] Lee Williscroft-Ferris of So So Gay noticed that "Girls Aloud's success lies in having stuck with a winning formula to carve out a distinctive, instantly recognisable sound for themselves, while never becoming tedious or predictable", called Ten "an essential addition to anyone's music collection" and described it as "a true testament to Girls Aloud's prowess as a manufactured girlband, who have stood the test of time through a combination of clever marketing, wise adherence to a successful musical direction and the chemistry which binds the five individuals together as an act."[34]
David Edwards of Drowned in Sound praised the band's production team, Xenomania, for crafting "wondrous and weird, dirty and daunting, sexy and sublime songs" and noticed that Girls Aloud "for most of their career, [...] delivered blindingly good pop music." However, he criticised the choice of singles included in the album as well as the covers, while praising songs like "Call the Shots", which he described as "an impeccable piece of melodic layering and dynamic majesty" and "Biology", which he hailed as "their absolute masterpiece, [...] a beautiful Frankenstein's monster of modern pop." He eventually called Girls Aloud "the greatest British pop band of the past ten years."[32] Douglas Wolk of Pitchfork compared them to The Supremes and described them as "a group whose presence is all about charm and restraint, and whose behind-the-scenes powerhouse is a brilliantly original writing and production team." He highly commended the complexity of the songs "Biology" and "Love Machine", but felt that the covers and the new tracks, particularly "Beautiful Cause You Love Me", "just drag the album down." He went on to suggest that "they may have a second wave in them" and concluded by writing that "the virtue of Girls Aloud's best songs [...] is that the next part is always even better than the one you're listening to until, suddenly, they're over."[33] Commenting on the new tracks, Phil Udell of State felt that "they have managed to maintain the quality" and noted that the singles "Love Machine", "The Show" and "Biology" "still prove the highlight of their career so far, fizzing with an excitement and joy that's hard to beat."[35] Si Hawkins of The National wrote that Girls Aloud were "a breath of fresh air [...] back in 2002 [...] and have remained a guilty pleasure ever since", highlighted "On the Metro" as the standout new track and called Ten "a fine body of work."[38] In his review of the album, Andy Kellman of AllMusic noticed that "despite the amount of new material, some of which is not up to par with the earlier smashes and certain album cuts, this is a handy sampling of Girls Aloud's biggest moments."[29] Jon O'Brien of omg! praised the band's ability "to cram more hooks into each song than most of their rivals could manage in their entire career" and although he criticised all of the new tracks except "Something New", he eventually called Ten a "triumphant retrospective".[39]
Commercial performance
Ten entered the UK Albums Chart at number nine on 2 December 2012.[40] The following week, the album dropped seventeen spots to number twenty-six. It spent a total of fifteen weeks on the official UK Albums Chart.[41] As of 21 March 2013, Ten has sold 156,000 copies in the United Kingdom, according to the Official Charts Company (OCC).[42] Following the untimely death of Sarah Harding, the album saw a resurgence in popularity in September 2021 with chart sales increasing by 320% and the album entered the top 100 at 61 on 16 September 2021 (week ending).[43]
