''Ten Good Reasons'' is the debut studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Australian pop star and actor

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 millio ...

. It was released on 1 May 1989 by PWL (UK) and

Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival ...

(Australia). It became the biggest selling album in the UK that year, and yielded three number-one singles, " Too Many Broken Hearts", " Sealed with a Kiss" and a duet with

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

, " Especially for You". The album was reissued in 2010 as an expanded deluxe edition featuring B-sides and remixes. In 2016, the first CD of the 2010 reissue was reissued again as part of promotion for Donovan's ''Ten Good Reasons'' live shows. The album's title comes from a line in "Too Many Broken Hearts".

Critical reception

A review in Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' presented ''Ten Good Reasons'' like this: "Perfect music for eight to twelve-year-olds. Contains an interesting version of "Sealed With a Kiss" and the slushy duet with

. Massive sales are guaranteed but it remains to be seen how long young Jason will be around". ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' noted the tracks' similarities, stating: "As the SAW machine chums on, once again the songs remain the same... heysound like you've heard them before, but then that's why they sell. This formula is unlikely to fail". Tim Nicholson of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'' admitted that the album "has no surprise", but added that "every track takes its lead from what's gone before. It's what's called 'giving the people what they want', and if it makes us happy, where's the harm in it?" Retrospectively, in 2018, Mark Elliot of ''

Classic Pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

'' considered ''Ten Good Reasons'' as the 15th best album ever produced by

Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as the Hit Factory) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s throug ...

, considering it as a "hastily assembled pop confection".

Chart performance

''Ten Good Reasons'' entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

at number two, and then reached number one, staying there for four weeks. When his cover of

Brian Hyland Brian Hyland (born November 12, 1943) is an American pop singer and instrumentalist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He had a No. 1 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with " Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot B ...

's "Sealed with a Kiss" entered the UK Singles Chart at number one, Donovan became the first Australian male to hold both UK singles and UK Albums Chart number-one positions simultaneously. The album peaked at number three on the European Albums Chart established by ''

'' and spent 42 weeks in the top 100. In Australia, it peaked at number five on its debut on the

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

albums chart in June 1989, and became the 53rd highest selling album in Australia for 1989.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Discogs
{{Authority control 1989 debut albums Albums produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Jason Donovan albums Mushroom Records albums