Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

A confession. I don't actually own a copy of Piper At The Gates Of Dawn !

Although my brother had "Relics", a compilation of singles, B-sides and unreleased tracks released in 1971, I only started to get into Pink Floyd in 1975/76, and gradually acquired their back catalogue, until the only album left was Piper.

When I went to my local record store to buy it, I noticed that "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" was double the price of "A Nice Pair", the double album consisting of Floyd's first two albums, "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" and "A Saucerful Of Secrets", which was released in 1973 to cash in on the success of "Dark Side Of The Moon". As I already had a copy of "A Saucerful Of Secrets" I ummed and arred for a few minutes, before I decided to buy "A Nice Pair", and the following week sold my copy of "A Saucerful Of Secrets"to a classmate at school, so it was a win-win !

I was already familar with some of the tracks on "Piper At The Gates of Dawn". "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Bike" had been included on "Relics" and an eight minute live version of  "Astronomy Dominie" was on "Ummagumma". The other eight songs were all new to me.

Floyd recorded "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" in the studio next door to the one where the Beatles were recording "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and the two bands reportedly regularly sat in on the other's recording sessions. Consequently, many critics have made comparisons between the two albums and their LSD psychedelia.

Pink Floyd's singer, song-writer and guitarist was Syd Barrett, who had composed their catchy first two singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play", both of which were Top 20 chart successes. 

"Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" consists of two distinct types of music, being either mostly instrumental experimental pieces, or Syd's childlike, whimsical melodic pop songs, which covered wide ranging subjects from a cat, a fairy story of a king told by his mother, sitting in clouds, a gnome, a scarecrow, his bike and a mouse named Gerald.

Shortly after the release of Piper, Syd Barrett suffered from what is today referred to as "mental health issues" and was replaced in the band by Dave Gilmour.

"Astronomy Dominie" is the first of the experimental tracks and was probably the start of Floyd being labelled "space cadets". The live version on Ummagumma contains substantial instrumental sections additional to the studio version, which commences with NASA astronaut communication talk and Morse code in the intro before the jerky guitar comes into. The song does have a notable spaced out guitar break. For me it is the most interesting song on the album. "Jupiter and Saturn, Oberon, Miranda and Titania. Neptune, Titan, Stars can frighten.WOOO-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo!!"

"Pow R. Toc H" begins with some weird vocal sounds "Pum, pum, chi chi" and "Doi Doi" but then launches into jazzy piano and tribal drums, and is essentially an instrumental. The middle section has a short guitar piece that might typically come from a Western movie, and organ and guitar in the fade out until a climax of a guitar imitating someone being shot.

The final experimental number is "Interstellar Overdrive", a nine minutes long instrumental with a memorable riff before meandering off into free form jamming. It has featured in a couple of episodes of "Heartbeat", usually when there is a car chase !

Of the more straight-forward Barrett material, "Lucifer Sam" has a 1960s detective series guitar style riff but is actually a song about his cat ."That cat's something I can't explain". After "Astromony Dominie" it is my favourite song on Piper.

The fairy story of a king told by his mother is "Matilda Mother" which is slow and dreamy, with an organ intro and a psychedelic organ break. The backing harmonies are annoying and it now sounds like a bit of a dirge.

In contrast "Flaming" has a childlike, joyously happy melody with some nice keyboards in the middle break-out. "Alone in the clouds all blue, lying on an eiderdown. Yippee! You can’t see me But I can you"

"The Gnome" is a childlike nursery song with mostly acoustic guitar, drums and bass, although chiming keyboards enter later. 1967 was a good year for Gnomes, with David  Bowie also writing The Laughing Gnome"..... "I want to tell you a story, 'bout a little man, if I can. A gnome named Grimble Gromble, and little gnomes stay in their homes. Eating, sleeping, drinking their wine".

"Chapter 24" is a slow dirge, with psychedelic keyboards, but nice backing vocals from Richard Wright. The lyrics are deep and meaningless. " All movement is accomplished in six stages, and the seventh brings return".

"The Scarecrow" is a forgettable song dominated with percussion and tinny keyboards whilst "Bike" is a whimsical song about Syd's bike, his old coat, a mouse named Gerald, gingerbread men and room of musical tunes. It finishes with about a minute and a half of weird clockwork sounds and  music box noises, before the sounds of squawking geese to finish.

"Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk" is the only non Syd Barrett composition , written and sung by Roger Walters. It's not particularly any good but the guitar break is quite manic.

In conclusion, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn hasn't aged particularly well. That is not to say it isn't an important album, and there are some inspired moments, but when it comes to childlike whimsy, and rock n'roll for the under 5s, Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers did it so much better !

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Astronomy Dominie
2. Lucifer Sam
3. Matilda Mother
4. Flaming
5. Pow R. Toc H
6. Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk

Side Two :

1. Interstellar Overdrive
2. The Gnome
3. Chapter 24
4. The Scarecrow
5. Bike

Released 1967
UK Chart Position : 6

 

The Pixies - Doolittle

 

I had no idea who The Pixies were but their single "Monkey Gone To Heaven" topped the Indie Singles Chart and seemed to be in top 5 for ages, even if it didn't crack the mainstream Top 50. I had never heard it ! When I finally got to hear it I thought it was really good, so I took a punt on buying the album which included it. 

Being a big fan of The Cure I had always liked music where the bass was to the fore, so naturally I took a liking to Doolitte.

Doolittle contained numerous great bass patterns and backing vocals from Kim Deal, a formula subsequently copied by The Lemonheads on their "It's A Shame About Ray" and "Come on Feel The Lemonheads" albums.

The album had 15 short songs, so if you don't like one there would be another one along soon. However, I thought every track was brilliant !

The term Grunge hadn't been coined at the time. If it had, it probably would have been applied to The Pixies, especially as Nirvana were heavily influenced by them. As it was, Doolittle had a mixture of styles. Whilst much of it could be labelled alternative rock or indie, there were also moments of pop, surf, screeching guitars, new wave, punk and even spaghetti western !

Regardless of the genre, Doolittle showcased The Pixies habit of having soft, quiet verses and loud choruses. Or slow, slow, quick, quick slow as one critic dubbed it.

I didn't really listen to the lyrics so I had no idea of the themes on the album, I just liked the sound. Only later did I learnt that the emphasis was on religion, violence, torture and death !

I thought Doolittle it was a tremendous album and thought songs such as "Debaser", "Wave of Mutilation", "Here Comes Your Man", "Monkey's Gone To Heaven", "Mr Grieves", "Hey" and "Gouge Away" were outstanding. 

Looking at the track listing now there were only four tracks I couldn't remember, so this was going to be an enjoyable re-listen.

Side one begins in some style with "Debaser" which has a bass intro, a great guitar line, shouty vocals,some thrash and a great tune. I later saw it refereed to as punk/surf which seems to be a good description.

"Tame" is next and is possibly the most typical of the quiet verse, loud chorus song performances of The Pixies. It has a bass and drums intro, then a whispered vocal until the thrash comes in.

 "Wave of Mutilation" is another strong tune whilst "I Bleed" is slow and has joint vocals from Frontman Black Francis and Kim Deal.

"Here Comes Your Man" is a great toe tapping pop song. I love the guitar riff and overall pacing of the song.

"Dead" has some screech guitar, funky bass and shouty vocals. A great guitar break bursts through the noise.

"Monkey Gone To Heaven" closes side one. Another slow, quiet verse with bass and strings before a , glorious chorus and then a guitar break similar to the one on The Cure's "Strange Day". The lyrics "if Man is five, and the Devil is six, then God is seven, this monkey's gone to heaven" are at the core of the song.

Side two opens with "Mr Grieves" which has an almost ska guitar intro, a slow verse, then switches to fast punk/hillbilly before slowing down again. "Hope everything's all right"

"Crackity Jones" is frantic noise but a tune breaks out.

 "La La Love You" has a crooning vocal from drummer David Lovering. There's a drum intro, some whistling, great guitar, and acoustic guitar at the end

 "No 13 Baby" is another track with toe-tapping bass, a stressed vocal, screeching guitar and a long outro, with bass and acoustic guitar and then a superb guitar line. It is actually track 11 on the album, and I've no idea what No 13 means in the song !

"There Goes My Gun" has the type of beat that would be in a Western film, and even has a spaghetti western style guitar break.

"Hey" has a lovely switch from verse to the chorus. There is more great bass and tender guitar lines "Hey, been trying to meet you".

"Silver" the only Kim Deal song on the album. It's very slow, conjures up images of a deserted town in a Western film. Deal even plays the slide guitar. "In this land of strangers, there are dangers, there are sorrows"

The album finishes with the excellent "Gouge Away", which has more great driving bass leading into fast chorus, then back to slower beat. It is perhaps the ultimate Pixies track. "You can gouge away, stay all day if you want to".

In summary, I really enjoyed listening to Doolittle again and it remains a fantastic album !

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Debaser
2. Tame
3. Wave of Mutilation
4. I Bleed
5. Here Comes Your Man
6. Dead
7. Monkey Gone To Heaven

Side Two :

1. Mr Grieves
2. Crackity Jones
3. La La Love You
4. No. 13 Baby
5. There Goes My Gun
6. Hey
7. Silver
8. Gouge Away

Released 1989
UK Chart Position : 8

Singles :

Monkey Gone To Heaven ( No 60 - 1989 )
Here Comes Your Man ( No 56 - 1989 )
Debaser ( No 23 - 1997 )

 

Tom Petty And the Heartbreakers - Dam The Torpedoes

Dam The Torpedoes was the third album released by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. There had been a long gap between this and their second album due to contractual issues with his record label, with Petty being sued for breach of contract, who in turn declared himself bankrupt. In the end Petty won a much improved deal, and when the album was finally released it was well worth the wait.

I thought it was terrific, packed with brilliant songs, towering hooks and a big production which firmly moved the band from new wave to mainstream rock, if there was ever any doubt beforehand.

Surprisingly there album spawned no hit singles in the UK, but "Don't Do Me Like That" and "Refugee" made the top 15 in the US. I particularly liked the first four songs on side one and "Louisiana Rain".

"Refugee" opens side one starting with soaring organ and a biting guitar intro. The slow, almost spoken verse bordering on subdued rises to a glorious chorus.

"Here Comes My Girl" again has a spoken verse leading into a melodic chorus. There is more organ and jangle guitar.

"Even The Losers" begins with a train effect drum and bass, then a women's voice "it's just the normal noises in here" before launching into an infectious tune. It has another big chorus with swirling organ and a searing guitar break.

"Shadow Of A Doubt ( Complex Kid )" has a big intro and mid tempo toe-tapping verse, and a terrific guitar solo. "She likes to keep me guessing, she's got me on the fence.With a little bit of mystery, she's a complex kid".

"Century City" is a standard R&B rocker but it's all slightly a little bit derivative. It's the only weak track on the album

Side two begins with "Don't Do Me Like That" full of piano plinks and swirling organ.

"You Tell Me" has a  menacing slow tempo with the piano to the fore. It clearly inspired Sheryl Crow 15-20 years later.

"What Are You Doin' In My Life" is Southern Boogie, with rock n'roll piano and a slide guitar solo.

The album closes "Louisiana Rain" which has slow Pink Floyd style keyboards to start with before stopping. A country flavoured ballad then starts. There is more slide guitar and a harmonica break.

Dam The Torpedoes remains a very good album

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Refugee
2. Here Comes My Girl
3. Even The Losers
4. Shadow Of A Doubt ( A Complex Kid )
5. Century City

Side Two :

1. Don't Do Me Like That
2. You Tell Me
3. What Are You Doin' In My Life
4. Louisiana Rain

Released 1979
UK Chart Position : 57

Singles :

Don't Do Me Like That ( - 1979 )
Refugee ( - 1980 )
Here Comes My Girl ( - 1980 )

 

 

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Tom Petty And The Hearbreakers

 

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' first album disappeared without a trace when it was first released in the USA in 1976. It was only when they toured the UK in Spring 1977 supporting Nils Lofgren and then moving on to become a headline act in their own right that they came to people's attention. They were incorrectly seen as being part of the new wave explosion, when actually they were just a very good new band from the USA. They were not angry and were not going to change the world, but they had a few decent songs !

Two songs on the LP, which would later go onto become American classics but without ever being hits in the USA, made the lower fringes of the UK charts. "American Girl" probably initially owes its reputation in the US to being featured in "Silence Of The Lambs" whilst "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" was probably associated with the UK new wave invasion of the US. Ironically, the breakthrough hit in the USA was a re-release of the mellow "Breakdown", which failed to chart in the UK.,

The album came in at barely 30 minutes, and at times seemed more like an audition or demo for bigger things, yet still contained two classic songs. I thought there wasn't a bad track on it, but at the time I thought it was all a little bit rushed and with a bit more time or better production good songs could have become killers.

Unusually, looking at the track listing I could just about remember all of them bar "The Wild One, Forever".

"Rockin' Around ( With You )" opens side one with a drum intro and a toe tapping bass before it drifts into something from the 1960s Surf or The Byrds.

"Breakdown" has a slow, jazzy feel, dominated by the keyboards but with a guitar motif. The song has an air of tension to it.

"Hometown Blues" is a jaunty rockabilly number whilst "The Wild One, Forever" is a bit bland, but actually hints at "Free Fallin" !

"Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" has a Rolling Stones style guitar riff, driving bass, an anthem chorus, and a  cliched guitar solo, but it works !

Side two starts with "Strangered In The Night" which reminded me of another song and it took me a while to come up with it, but it sounds a lot like "Stuck In The Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel !

"Fooled Again ( I Don't Like It )" has a slower pace,again with the organ to the fore. The strained vocal hints at "Refugee" from Damn The Torpedoes.

"Mystery Man" is another slow number that has a strong country flavour with a gently strummed guitar and there is also some Hawaiian guitar.

The slow and moody "Luna" comes next with keyboards and drums for the intro but there are lively breaks with strong drumming with the keyboards.

The album closes with "American Girl" which begins with jangly guitars then the booming bass joins in. I love the tentative mid-tempo break before it all comes rushing back in for the big finale.

In summary, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers has stood the test of time, and still sounds like a very good album.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Rockin' Around ( With You )
2. Breakdown
3. Hometown Blues
4. The Wild One, Forever
5. Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll

Side Two :

1. Strangered In the Night
2. Fooled Again ( I Don't Like It )
3. Mystery Man
4. Luna
5. American Girl

Released 1976
UK Chart Position : 24

Singles :

Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll ( No 36 - 1977 )
American Girl ( No 40 - 1977 )
Breakdown ( - 1977 )

 

Orchestral Maneouvres In The Dark - Architecture And Morality

 

Hailing from Liverpool, Orchestrial Maneouvres In The Dark had initially made their name with dance electronica/punk tracks such as "Electricity", "Messages" and "Enola Gay", all of which had given them chart success.

Their third album "Architecture and Morality" was something different, with three hit singles, all of which were slow and melodic, as they moved into more ambient music territory perhaps more associated with Brian Eno.

I paid £3.49 for the LP, presumably from a record store in Cardiff, and I had mixed feelings about it. I really liked the three singles, plus "She's Leaving", which probably would have been another hit had it been released. However, I didn't really get into the other songs, so the album didn't get played all that much, and didn't really understand why they kept banging on about Joan of Arc !

Looking at the track list now, I had no recollection of the other five songs.....

The first track on side one "The New Stone Age" immediately gives the indication that something different is happening with this album, but in a very misleading way. Instead there are clicking sounds to begin with, then some badly played out of tune guitar the like of which I might have been heard playing, before some dark, haunting synths give it a ghostly feel. It's very odd and quirky, and listening to it now I really liked it !

"She's Leaving"is a beautiful song and still my favourite on the album, The rhythms would later become familiar in songs by The Cure and the synths in mid-1980's New Order.

"Souvenir" remains OMD's highest chart placing single and features a rare lead vocal from Paul Humphries. Slow, with a gentle melody and a chorus played on synth without words.

Side one closes with "Sealand" which has a slow intro and Germanic electronics a la Neu or Kraftwerk. The keyboards are similar to those on The Cure's "Funeral Party" and the Faith era generally. It's nearly four minutes before the vocal is introduced, but I didn't like the crazy drumming/hammering around the 6 minute mark, although the synths to finish are tender. Overall though, the track is too long at nearly eight minutes,

"Joan Of Arc" opens side two and has been described as early 80 synths meets medieval romanticism. It has a gorgeous melody. "I gave her everything that I ever owned, I think she understood but she never spoke. She should have not tried to be that way, she shouldn't have to go there ever again, without me. Without me"

"Joan Of Arc ( Maid of Orleans )" is in 6/8 time and is a faux Waltz. The Mellotron is notable and the drumming is fantastic. "If Joan of Arc had a heart, would she give it as a gift.

"Architecture And Morality" is an eerie instrumental with pulse like bass and Georgian style chant backing vocals, but ultimately it's a bit on the dull side.

"Georgia" is a lively top tapper which I had totally forgotten. The Mellotron is reminiscent of the sounds on Depeche Mode's "Construction Time Again", which came a year later, and I couldn't distinguish what the long wave radio samples were. "Well, here we are again".

"The Beginning And The End" is another slow number, with a melancholic synth intro, and then some more rare guitar.

Listening to it now, "Architecture and Morality" has gone up in my estimation although "Sealand" and the title track are the low points. "The New Stone Age" was unexpectedly good, and "She's Leaving" remains a stand out.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. The New Stone Age
2. She's Leaving
3. Souvenir
4. Sealand

Side Two :

1. Joan Of Arc
2. Joan Of Arc ( Maid Of Orleans )
3. Architecture And Morality
4. Georgia
5. The Beginning And The End

Released 1981
UK Chart Position : 3

Singles :

Souvenir ( No 3 - 1981 )
Joan Of Arc ( No 5 - 1981 )
Maid Of Orleans ( No 4 - 1982 )

Orange Juice - Rip It Up

 

The sticker on the cover shows I paid £5.49 for the album in WH Smith. I bought the album after liking the "Rip It Up" and "Flesh Of My Flesh" singles. I hadn't previously heard the first single "I Can't Help Myself" but I thought it was terrific and it was my favourite track on the album. I also liked the almost tender "Louise, Louise".

However, I didn't like the rest of the LP and rarely played anything other than the 4 songs I thought were excellent. Looking at the track listing now, these were the only four I could recollect.

"Rip It Up" is noted for its Chic style guitar lines but also includes a synth bassline, handclaps, a burst of sax and its glorious chorus. I thought it was an amazing breath of fresh air when it was released, a catchy, infectious Indie dance classic. "I hope to god I'm not as dumb as you make out".

Written by drummer Zeke Manyika, I have no idea what language is being sung in "A Million Pleading Faces", presumably Shona as he is from Zimbabwe ? The chorus though is in English, and the song is a lively Afro-pop toe-tapper, with a bit of slide guitar thrown in for good measure.

"Mud In Your Eye" is a soothing, mid-tempo song with organ and guitar for the intro. It has a lovely counterpoint vocals for the second verse and pretty violin/strings in the fade out. "And to those who are snide, and to those who connive. I say love cannot be contrived, love cannot be denied". I was surprised I couldn't remember this as I now found it to be very good !

"Turn Away" is song from guitarist Malcolm Ross and has a violin intro before launching into something funky, but overall it is pretty ordinary.

Side one ends with the slower tempo "Breakfast Time" which has a nice guitar motif, but melody is pretty dull and I thought the drumming was annoying. The long guitar fade was OK though.

The brilliant Motown influenced "I Can't Help Myself" opens side two. "Just like the Four Tops, I can't help myself !" It also has a great sax solo in lengthy outro.

"Flesh Of My Flesh" is a bouncy pop number with hesitant horns a la Haircut 100. "A stitch in time saves nine or ten".

"Louise Louise" has a gentle strummed guitar to begin with and I love the change of pace after the second verse and the guitar solo before slowing down again.

The funky "Hokoyo" is over 5 minute long and features more singing in Shona by Manyika, and although there is a nice switch to English chorus sung by Collins, it goes on far too long.

"Tenterhook" is another 5 minute long track and begins with softly strummed guitar, but overall its pretty awful and is the worst song on the album. "You and I could have changed the world".

In conclusion "Rip It Up" was a lot better listening to it now than what I thought over forty years ago. However, it is still a bit of a mixed bag with the fantastic tracks being offset by a couple of fillers.

 

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Rip It Up
2. A Million Pleading Faces
3. Mud In Your Eye
4. Turn Away
5. Breakfast Time

Side Two :

1. I Can't Help Myself
2. Flesh Of My Flesh
3. Louise Louise
4. Hokoyo
5. Tenterhook

Released 1982
UK Chart Position : 39

Singles :

I Can't Help Myself ( No 42 - 1982 )
Rip It Up ( No 8 - 1983 )
Flesh Of Flesh ( No 41 - 1983 )

The Only Ones - Baby's Got A Gun

 

As "Even Serpents Shine" was one of the best albums I had ever heard, any follow-up would be on a hiding to nothing, and that was indeed the case with "Baby's Got A Gun". It wasn't that it was a bad album, or there wasn't a number of good songs on it, it was just that overall it failed to reach the incredibly high standards of its predecessor. The sticker on the cover shows i paid £4.99 in John Menzies for the album.

Looking at the track list on the back cover there were half a dozen tracks I couldn't remember.

The album starts with "The Happy Pilgrim" which is essentially a pop song with a bouncy bass line and a good guitar solo but lacks a memorable hook."I'm gonna give it to you, all the love that's in my heart".

"Why Don't You Kill Yourself" is one of the best songs on the LP and I love the guitar break after the first verse. The bass and drums are also excellent. "This ain't some missionary speech, just some friendly advice. Why don't you kill yourself? You ain't no use to no-one else".

The nearly 6 minutes long "Me And My Shadow" utilises the Bo Diddley riff and has backing vocals from Pauline Murray of Penetration but I found it to be very dull.

"Deadly Nightshade" has an intro of acoustic guitar and bass, and later has what sounds like bongo drums and a hint of Duane Eddy style guitar. It has a chilled out feel, and isn't bad !

"Strange Mouth" is the most punkish song in this collection but the production makes is feel rather lightweight. It could have been much better......

"The Big Sleep" is nearly five minutes long. The beat is slow and menacing and there is a decent guitar solo but otherwise it just drones on and on.

On the surface the side two opener "Oh Lucinda ( Love Becomes A Habit )" is a pretty, gentle love song although some of the lyrics hint at something a little more sinister. "You gotta learn to live again, that's the final twist. I really hate to see my friend cease to exist. (Aha) The enemy we're fighting, he's inside of you and me. (Aha) Please stop crying, I know you used to smile before. I know it's not impossible"

"Re-union" has a 70s rock riff, and a catchy chorus "All about our union, the things we did together". It's a bit of a toe tapper.

"Trouble In The World" is another highlight of the album, and the single version, which had girly backing vocals in the chorus in an attempt to break the charts, is noticeably different to that on the album . I prefer the stripped down version on the album. "If you do happen to be stronger, it only means you're gonna take longer to go under. That's the trouble in the world".

A gurgling baby starts "Castle Built On Sand" but the song has a dominant bass, soft organ and the guitar low down in mix. It lasts less than two minutes. "Standing at the Traitor's Gate masked men on horses wait, for their chance to infiltrate, and take the castle built...built on sand".

"Fools" is a cover of a country song by Johnny Duncan which Peter Perrett sings as a duet with Pauline Murray. It's nice, but seems a very odd choice, but there was probably more pressure from the record label to come up with a hit single.

The album closes with "My Way Out Of Here" and is the third highlight of "Baby's Got A Gun". The lead vocal is sung by bassist Alan Mair, who wrote the song, and a times sounds uncannily like Perrett.. There is an exceptionally strong, great bass and drums, and another brilliant guitar solo. "Now you see what you're doing to me. You don't know if it's up to you or me, to find, find a way out of here".

Listening to "Baby's Got A Gun" 44 years after its release it is now clearly noticeably how much the production sound is way inferior to "Even Serpents Shine". It might have a lighter feel, and is more pop rather than New Wave but for most of the time the guitar is low in the mix except for the solos.

Whereas everything on Serpents was brilliant, this LP has three outstanding songs, four very good, three OK but the two longest tracks are the worst.

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. The Happy Pilgrim
2. Why Don't You Kill Yourself
3. Me And My Shadow
4. Deadly Nightshade
5. Strange Mouth
6. The Big Sleep

Side Two :

1. Oh Lucinda ( Love Becomes A Habit )
2. Re-union
3. Trouble In The World
4. Castle Built On Sand
5. Fools
6. My Way Out Of Here

Released 1980
UK Chart Position : 37

Singles :

Trouble In The World (  - 1979 )
Fools ( - 1980 )

The Only Ones - Even Serpents Shine

 

I'm not sure how I got into The Only Ones. I think I may have heard the single "You've Go To Pay" on Nicky Horne's late night show on Capital Radio or maybe read a good review in Sounds or The New Musical Express. Whatever it was, after purchasing "Even Serpents Shine" I loved it straight away, and would play the album several times a day at home. 

It didn't sound like anything I had heard before, and I thought every track was brilliant. However, after playing the album in the School 6th form common room I discovered The Only Ones were an acquired taste and I was the only one who had acquired it, everyone else hated it !

Whereas The Only Ones' first album was a mixture of musical styles, "Even Serpents Shine" easily fitted into the new wave tag with a consistent set of brilliant songs, intelligent lyrics and brilliant playing dominated by virtuoso guitar of John Perry. Peter Perrett enhanced his persona of the elegantly wasted romantic poet of new wave with his distinctive vocals, which often drew comparisons with Lou Reed.

I thought the opening four numbers where just about perfect, and the standard didn't falter over the over 7 tracks

The album commences with the stunning "From Here To Eternity", a mid-tempo song with great drumming and a superb guitar solo for the fade out. Some of the lyrics are brilliant too and is where the album title comes from. "Such a tender age to sell her soul for dreams that don't come true. She's like a woman whose whole life has dissolved, she's the living proof that all that glitters is not gold and even serpents shine. Ah, she got bitten then, she'll get bitten again while I'm sitting here watching the tide come in" & "I got us into this, I've gotta get us out now. It's you and me all the way. From here to eternity it's you and me all the way"

"Flaming Torch" is a lively toe tapper with a dreamy organ line. "It's a crime I'm always in the wrong place at the wrong time"

"You've Go To Pay" has a jerky staccato rhythm for the verse and a great chorus with backing vocals from Koulla Kokoulli.

"No Solution" is much faster pace, notably for its driving bass playing but the mode slows with "In Betweens" opening with the sound of waves and seagulls noises from Perry's guitar. Again the drums and bass from Mike Kellie and Alan Mair are fabulous together with languid guitar solos, and there is a big finish for the end.

Side one closes the jaunty "Out There In The Night" which I thought was song of lost love, but later I read it was written after Perrett's cat went missing ! Kokoulli provides more vocals and there is another killer guitar solo.

The slower paced "Curtains For You" opens side two and has an ominous, menacing guitar intro.

"Programme" is played at a manic pace, and I can now see a hint of The Buzzocks, and X-Ray Spex when the sax comes in.

"Someone Who Cares" is a change of pace with some lovely piano and finishes with some organ notes which wouldn't be out of place on New Order songs circa 1986-89. "I'm scared of losing the most precious thing I own, wake up one day to find the bird has flown"

"Miles From Nowhere" is an uptempo number and has a beautiful guitar break. "I wanna die in the same place I was born, miles from nowhere".

"Instrumental" as the title suggests, it's an instrumental until near the end line when "Baby, you're just instrumental, just instrumental" is sung twice in echo. It starts with an almost oriental acoustic guitar before the melody is played by an electric guitar backed by the bass and drums. After a searing guitar break the lyric is sung again but this time in clear focus.

In summary, "Even Serpents Shine" sounds just a brilliant now as it did in 1979 !

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. From Here To Eternity
2. Flaming Torch
3. You've Go To Pay
4. No Solution
5. In Betweens
6. Out There In The Night

Side One :

1. Curtains For You
2. Programme
3. Someone Who Cares
4. Miles From Nowhere
5. Instrumental

Released 1979
UK Chart Position : 42

Singles :

You've Go To Pay ( - 1979 )
Out There In The Night ( - 1979 )

The Only Ones - The Only Ones

 

I only purchased The Only Ones debut album after playing to death the fabulous "Even Serpents Shine", their second release. I knew the critically acclaimed "Another Girl, Another Planet" but hadn't heard any of the other tracks before. I thought it was a good album, but not a patch on "Even Serpents Shine" and at the time I thought "The Whole Of The Law" was the best track on the album. 

Because of the "Another Girl, Another Planet" single, The Only Ones, led by singer/song writer Peter Perrett were considered to be punk/new wave but this album had a wide range of musical styles with very little that was punk rock. Instead, there was some lounge lizard jazz, samba beats and three gentle, slow numbers. It was simply a collection of very good songs, which lyrically tended to be either about suffering in love, or warnings over the danger of drugs. 

The stunning "The Whole Of The Law" starts the album with sensuous sax, gently strummed electric guitar, terrific bossa-nova drumming and an emotional vocal. There is also a great sax outro to finish. It's a song of rare beauty, in just under two minutes.

"Another Girl Another Planet",  the hit single that never was, follows. Despite being re-released several times and hailed as a classic by most critics, it was never a Top 50 hit, but regularly features on the "Best Of...." punk/new wave compilations., It has a super intro, an out of this world guitar solo, a memorable chorus and great lyrics, and is rightly considered to be a rock anthem. "I always flirt with death, I look ill but I don't care about it." & "Space travel's in my blood, there ain't nothing I can do about it, long journeys wear me out, but I know I can't live without it".

"Breaking Down" has a much slower tempo, with jazz overtones until the chorus and the girly backing vocals. The electric piano solo though can only be described as jazz.

"City of Fun" is an uptempo 60s style rocker but is a bit of a filler, and the weakest track on the album.

Side One closes with the epic "The Beast" which weighs in at nearly six minutes long. It begins slowly, beginning with gentle guitar and cow bells but ends with some guitar pyrotechnics for a big finish. The beast in this instance is heroin. "Run from the beast, there's danger in his eyes. He's been looking for you for a long time, you might think this is funny, but I'm not laughing, I know it couldn't happen to me" & "'I've tried to show you your whole life in print, you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink, think about it! All you gotta do is think about it, there's no cure".

"Creature Of Doom" has a slow, grand opening before launching into a jerky rhythm before a glorious chorus. It's another song about the danger of drugs "I know something that you don't know".'

"It's The Truth" is a gentle song with the intro being just the lead vocal, acoustic guitar and girly backing vocal. It's another brilliant melody, and the second verse has an understated organ accompaniment. The song finishes with a short, tender guitar solo. "I gotta talk to you but it's the last time I'm ever going to".

The tone changes with the frantic "Language Problem" which is probably the closest The Only Ones get to sounding like punk on the album.“My parents told me that love don't exist just for pleasure so I guess I'll throw in some pain for good measure.”

The gentle tone returns with "No Peace For The Wicked" which is semi acoustic, semi samba, and has a killer guitar break.“Why do I go through these deep emotional traumas ? Why can't I be like I always wanted to be, carefree?”

The album closes with "The Immortal Story", another contender for the best track on the album award. A lively romp, with some more samba flavoured keyboards, a call-and-answer vocal by Perrett leading into a cacophony of guitar histrionics and feedback from John Perry to end the album. “I used to dream of this. I'd lay awake at night imagining this" & "Travelling down the road that leads to to fame and glory, this really is the immortal story".

Listening again to "The Only Ones" 46 years after its release it still sounds very good, and I liked two slow numbers "It's The Truth" and "No Peace For The Wicked" more now than I did back then !

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. The Whole Of The Law
2. Another Girl, Another Planet
3. Breaking Down
4. City Of Fun
5. The Beast

Side Two :

1. Creature of Doom
2. It's The truth
3. Language Problem
4. No Peace For The Wicked
5. The Immortal Story

Released 1978
UK Chart Position : 56

Singles :

Another Girl, Another Planet ( No 56 - 1992 re-release )