Adrian's Album Reviews

The Only Ones



The Only Ones 9 ( 1978 )
The Whole Of The Law / Another Girl, Another Planet / Breaking Down / City Of Fun / The Beast / Creature Of Doom / It's The Truth / Language Problem / No Peace For The Wicked / The Immortal Story

Of course, people will always disagree. Without disagreement, the world would be a poorer place. This album is of course dominated by 'that song', but there is so much more on display here that it would take an essay in itself just to discuss the opener 'The Whole Of The Law', let alone the near hit, remember that, 'Another Girl Another Planet'. The reason the song is so held up in these modern times is word of mouth. Well, forget advertising campaigns, I always do, 'Another Girl Another Planet' has been passed down a couple of generations to be held up as a classic of its era and of any era. You can take the meaning of the songs a couple of ways. The very title is enough to places images in your mind. The introduction is distinctive and the voice, when it enters, immediately exciting. I always flirt with death, I look ill but I don't care about it. That line describes about ten years of my life, but then we are thrown into being in another world, in love, on another planet and being in a state of transendence. The guitar solo that comes in only seems to reaffirm this. Resolutely anti-punk, the opening tune is a delicate ballad complete with a trumpet player sounding lonely, as it turns out. Well, you couldn't exactly sound happy and fit in with the lyrics, all loneliness and pointlessness without any of the anger of the surrounding punk rock scene. I'd plumb the depths of every sea for you, i'll escape from my chains - it sounds like Pete and Kate.

'Breaking Down' immediately sounds modern, stange for a song nearly 30 years old. That musical progress naturally slowed down in the years following the sixties is perhaps natural, but music this old shouldn't really so outshine modern acts, yet it does so easily. 'The Beast' is another picturesque escape from reality, another song of disease and self imposed loneliness. You can't connect to anybody else and 'The Beast' provides no comfort, nor is it meant to. Don't listen to the hype, The Only Ones failures commercially can be seen to be not reaching out to people, not touching the base and lowest common denominator. Indeed, the accomplished and fine guitar lines from John Perry could even have been frowned upon by the punk brigade, suspicious of anybody that could play reasonably well. 'It's The Truth' opens up saying something's been going wrong but that we need to talk. Sounds resonable enough to me. The singer sounds low, embarassed and mumbles and slurs, yet there is a self confidence coming through that isn't exactly confident self confidence, yet there is clearly hope here. 'No Peace For The Wicked' only reaffirms the messages we've previously had and again contains playing far above and beyond the punk norm. Why can't I be happy like everybody else he sings, no peace for the wicked, except we never understand why. 'The Immortal Story' title track is upbeat, a pleasing winner yet we can only hope the less enlightened listener has lasted this long and not taken the lyrics too literally, Peter Perrett, lead singer, is still alive after all. A classic punk/new wave album and every home should have one.

Share Your Views?