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 )