The Only Ones
The Only Ones
1978
Album Summary
The Only Ones is the debut studio album by English power pop band The Only Ones, released in 1978 by Columbia Records. It was produced by the Only Ones themselves, with the assistance of Robert Ash and was mixed at Basing St., Escape and CBS. The album was re-released in Europe in 2009 on Sony Music Entertainment, featuring rare bonus content. The reissue was a CD which comprises 13-tracks. It includes the original album digitally remastered from the original 1/2" mix tapes; alongside three bonus tracks.
WikipediaHalf of it sounded like credit music for a forgotten 90's sitcom, and the other half felt like a promising demo that was never worked on afterword. It felt like it was almost good a lot of times, but then just fell kind of flat.
Regular ass 70s music lmao idk what to tell you. Songs to play in the background for sound that won't distract you too much if you're doing work but you want lyrics.
Not a bad album, just wasn’t my cup of tea. I still may have to give some of their other albums a listen.
Je pense que ce groupe a fabriqué cet album en visant le 3 étoiles sur le générateur et qu'il a plutôt réussi son pari. On peut citer dans ce sens le refrain du morceau "Another girl, another planet.": "♫ Nous tout ce qu'on veut c'est pas grand chose, qu'on nous donne la note de trois sur le générateur, on n'a pas tellement plus d'ambition, na-na-na-na-na-na, Hey Jude...♫"
I got excited when the opening track started... ooh this band's pretty solid, nice production, ooh tasty chord changes. THEN the dude started singing. Jesus H. Christ. I'd bet ya the members of his band thought he was total shite too, just learned to enjoy playing together and TRIED to turn his mic down bit by bit by bit by bit.
Awesome blend of classic late 70s punk (NY Dolls-ish) and 2nd wave alt (Violent Femmes). Brand new band for me.
Holy shit… that was awesome. This is exactly what I was looking for on 1001, bangers that were never on my radar. This album had a bit of Telivision, Roxy Music, Bowie, Violent Femmes and Of Montreal. First song was a good reforestation of the rest of the album, genre mashup, sounded like Roy Orbison mixed with Television. This album has everything I want, Proto punk, good breakdowns, solid recording and fidelity. What an impressive big sound and on top of that Horns and Keys, and in that way predicts and transcends punk and post punk. Loved it. Saved it. 5.
9/10, surprisingly great songs really diverse genres and very fun sounds great execution all around
There have been some great oblique paeans to heroin over the years (Golden Brown and There She Goes spring immediately to mind) but Another Girl, Another Planet is maybe the absolute best. I saw Peter Perrett live for the very first time only a few years ago and it gave me a warm glow to see that he'd not only survived his addictions but was also producing decent music in his bus pass years. Meanwhile, back in 1978, Perrett's New York nasal drawl belied his Camberwell roots and the Only Ones' blistering rockers aligned them with punk and new wave even though this is a real melting pot of an album with do-woopy and jazz-tinged flourishes and plenty of genuinely involving moments which sometimes bring Graham Parker and the Rumour to mind. I've never actually heard any of their other albums which is odd really because this one is enormously rewarding.
Nice find! "Interesting funk" My favorites are the least-popular (according to Spotify)
This has some of those lazy sparkle-pop vibes that bands in the 2010s were going for, and it definitely works. I like this, sometimes low-fi lite, sometimes psychedelic and surf-rocky, always with that classic 70s feel that it just can't shake.
I've always had a soft spot for So You Want To Be A Rock 'N Roll Star, with it's comically rolling bassline, Latin beat and sardonic lyrics. Have You Seen Her Face has a lovely vocal arrangement and is Beatlesque in the best sense. My Back Pages is a stellar Dylan cover. And the Byrd's harmonies are just gorgeous. At their best, the Byrds' combination of folk rock, country, psychedelia and pure pop is a delight. But I'm sorry to say that Younger Than Yesterday is not a very good album. The attempts at psychedelia here are amateurish and juvenile, ruining the otherwise fine C.T.A. - 102. Roger McGuin's attempts at lead guitar throughout are an embarrassment. And other than the first two songs and the Dylan cover, the songwriting is weak. Two stars for the three strong tunes mentioned, zero stars for the rest. 2/5
Never heard of this band before. Seemed pretty good after on listen. I didn’t realize that “The Whole of the Law” was their song; only familiar with Yo La Tengo’s version.
Me fue difícil, en momentos me pareció promedio, pero en momentos pensaba que para la época el disco es muy bueno. Lo tuve que escuchar varias veces, pero eso mismo fue lo que me orilló a darle 4 estrellas, si no hubiera pensado que valiera la pena no lo hubiera escuchado varias veces.
Pretty good! This the 8th album I've listened to for the 1001 Albums List, and it's the first one where I've just completely never heard of the band. I really enjoyed it though! Just some fun 70s punk music. I might end up going back to it sometime. Definitely glad I heard it, even though nothing completely blew me away.
Great album. I was only familiar with Another Girl, Another Planet Good punk music that doesn't make me feel too intimidated.
Great album. Can't believe I've never even heard of the band before. Nick Lowe vibes. Another Girl, Another Planet reminded me of something, but then I found out Blink182 covered it - seems right.
First time hearing of this band...enjoying the sound. Serious Television vibes. Seems like they would also have influence on future BritPop (Pulp esp.). 4/5
My heart and soul! Everything I love in rock in one album. Riffs, solos, fast tempos, punk, hard rock, and pop in one. Loved it. Great rock songs. Would only knock on the vocals, could have been more passionate.
Oh wow! Who turned up the drama to eleven?! That first track is terrible with those operetta voice and lovesick lyrics. Fortunately the balance of the album doesn't follow that first one "The Whole of the Law". I love the diversity of instruments used on the record, and the raw guitar with short breakouts like the one that opens City of Fun. However, please save us the 'my voice is awesome lemme show you my vibrao skills' crap. I don't care about any of that and I can't imagine any of your fans do either. I'm kind of a sucker for this era of intelligent lo-fi polished punk from the late 70s. I'd never heard of The Only Ones and happy to have been turned on to them.
Cool, a good find. Not all songs were great, but I enjoyed the punk vibes with good musicianship
Really good album, with a few brilliant songs. Another girl, another planet was the stand out for me, with The whole of the law, Creature of doom, and As my wife says, all very enjoyable. Not sure it's quite a five 🌟, but a solid 4 🌟 effort. I loved it
I'm used to the phenomenon where you can't really perceive any accent in (English-language) singing so it's always feels a little weird when someone sounds super British. Enjoyed the album tho
This is good, from a band iv never heard of. Recognised the song another girl another planet from the blink 182 cover. Good mix of punk and pop can see me coming back to this and having the potential to make my wider rotation.
There are just enough songs on here that are just a bit meh for me to give it 4 stars, but it's damn close. This is fun.
Just because one song is well known and popular, doesn't make the album good. It was just okay.
Kannte ich bislang überhaupt nicht! Für ne frühe Punk(?)-Platte erstaunlich differenziert und vielseitig. Launisch und auch angenehm weird. Gute Mischung aus Partytracks und Introversion. Jetzt weiß ich, wo sich z.B. Ezra Furman den Most geholt, aber bestimmt auch Steve Malkmus gut zugehört hat, und natürlich die Manics. Favourite Track nach zweimaligem Durchhören: The Beast. Fast schon The-Who-mäßig bombastig in manchen Passagen auch, hätte ich nicht erwartet. 3,5 gibts dafür gern!
3.8 - a solid entry in the androgynous David Bowie-inspired post punk catalog. Slinky and muscular guitar work, sneering vocals.
The only ones, wiec po tylu dniach wreszcie powrot na wyspy, tym razem cos nieznanego, bo nazwa bandy nie mowi mi nic, guglowanie wikipediowe wskazuje na bande ktora dosc szybko sie skonczyla, bo w ciagu 2 lat wydali 3 albumy, a potem malo o nich bylo slychac, material jest krotki, bo zaledwie 33 minuty, 41 w edycji deluxowej spotifaja, gdybym mial klasyfikowac gatunkowo, to strzelalbym w jakis luzny punk, ale discog podpowiada zeby nakierowac sie bardziej na power pop i ma to sens, bo material brzmi jak cos co juz sie slyszalo, nie jest to ciezki odsluch, a raczej przyjemnie dla ucha granie, gitarki daja rade, tak samo drumersy, pojawiaja sie takze wstawki klawiszowe, a nawet trabki, jak na the immortal story, wszystko brzmi tak jak brzmiec powinno, ale jednak nie czuc czegos co wyroznialoby ten material od X wyspiarskich punkowo popowych plyt, no moze wokal perretta, ktory gra takze na gitarce i klawiszach, te wokale wydaja sie byc rozciagane, wyrzucane z jakims brakiem entuzjazmu, a moze raczej rozmarzone, ale jednak jest to chyba rzecz ktora najbardziej zapamietam, bo niestety nie moge napisac tego samego na temat liryki, bo ciezko doszukac sie czegos glebokiego, o ile brzmieniowo ta plyta przypomina mi marquee moon, to lirycznie nie ma do niej startu, najlepszymi momentami na plycie jak dla mnie sa instrumentalne przerywniki, nawet nie koniecznie solowki, ale takie momenty jak koncowka wspominanego the immortal story, ktora pokazuje kunszt skillsowy calej grupy, kawalkami ktore wrzuce na plejke bedzie w pierwszej kolejnosci najbardziej popularny trak bandy, to jest another girl, another planet, ktory zdecydowanie wyroznia sie na plycie, a kawalek zyskal drugie zycie w 2k07 w takim stopniu, ze nawet banda sie reaktywowala i nastepne 10 lat koncerowala, kolejnym pickiem bedzie creature of doom, dziwny material z jednej strony dobrze sie go slucha, ale czuje ze szybko wyleci mi on z pamieci
"I used to have the notion I could swim the length of the ocean If I knew you were waiting for me" (The whole of the law)
I had in my mind that these guys were a one hit wonder.... after listening to the album my opinion hasn't changed
Ahh I remember I had another girl another planet saved on my ‘creative zen MP3 player’ it was 4GB and it broke in the first six months of ownership so you could only skip forwards and not back. So if you wanted to listen to a song you had to scroll all the way forwards until you finally reached the track. Sometimes you’d over shoot and have to start the whole process again. Luckily ‘another girl, another planet’ was at the start of the list because it begins with A
The English Television? Would've been funny if they called themselves the BBC. This album was pretty great, and it's too bad I kept thinking I should be listening to Marquee Moon instead. I wish I could temporarily erase all context and just enjoy this record in pure blank space. They're not that similar to TV anyways. The guitars are more classic rock here. The singer is more punk here. The songs are more straightforward. If Television didn't exist we'd all spend more time outside and this band would be The Only Ones doing this cool post-punk-alt-pop thing. B+
Surprisingly melodic guitar rock album often tinged with jazzy influences. There's some quite sophisticated musicianship here that help to elevate this above standard punk-rock fare.
Its quite good, but I think I'd only listen to it again for "Another Girl, Another Planet"
ja ik kan het weer appreciëren maar weer goed voor achtergrond en niet iets waar ik terug naar ga luisteren, hier en daar kwam er toch een lekker gitaartje tussen - zoals peter and the pets
very reminiscent of that friendly voice punk sound. easy to listen to, but maybe not as interesting for me.
that was interesting, for sure. i'd never heard of them, and my immediate reaction was to think the violent femmes had released a VERY early album. i liked it overall, although it kind of wore on as it went.
This was no too bad. Got a bit sick of the lead singers voice, but would listen to again.
Some great guitar and arrangements, occasionally cresting into jazz, ska, and other genres. Songwriting and lyrics are good, but the nasally drawl is more annoying and distracting than edgy and ironic. Seems like they would be a great live band where they could jam out at more length.
Never heard of these guys. A 1978 title album. The whole vibe is Bowie/Lou Reed for sure: vocals, saxophone and the like. The Whole of the Law - Slow love song, but, "whole of the law," makes me curious. He's in love. He had to contact this person, and that's the whole of the law? Another Girl Another Planet - I get a Cars vibe from these guys as well. A little reminiscent of the punk genre as well, but not fully in the punk vibe. I'm guessing the Cure was influenced by them too. This is their most Pop-accessible song for sure. Breaking Down - They bring a lot of music between the four guys. Speaking of "breaking down," I love that little Doors-esque breakdown in the middle. Good stuff. City of Fun - Good song. No real feeling about overall. The Beast - Feels like Donovan. Definitely about drugs. Some Beatles influence and Oasis definitely knew who these guys were. Creature of Doom and It's the Truth are kind of nothing songs. The music continues to be strong, but the songs don't really go anywhere at this point in the album. Language Problem - There's a theme of the line "talk to you," all over this album. Language and talking. Must be deliberate. No Peace for the Wicked - Complicated love song. Immortal Story - Oooh - got a Led Zepplin vibe in the opening. But the lyrics and vocals take away from it. These guys have a real musical talent no doubt. I definitely see these guys as very, very influential overall, and yet completely unknown to me. And what a finish!
they must be pleased with the later life royalties coming form that big hit from these days. none of the rest of the album really grabbed me but it wasn't terrible.
Pretty impressive for its time. It walked some fine line between punk, the doors, pop, surf music....with really good instrumentation throughout and some interesting songs. Very organ heavy. Not necessarily something i would listen to much, but noteworthy nonetheless.
Anyone notice how this album flips between power pop and punk with literally every song (up until the 3 three tracks which are all punk)? What's up with that? Album is coherent, with decent tracks, especially in the beginning or near the end. Middle tracks aren't very good. Nothing I'm particularly crazy about, but those first few songs are catchy, and the last few have that strong punk energy.
I liked the song I knew, the rest could take or leave. Feels like one of those bands you had to be there to appreciate
10/5 Fun punk songs, interesting voice but got a little grating as the album went on. Standout Tracks: The Whole Of The Law, Breaking Dowm, Language Problem, The Immortal Story
Sadly confirms my suspicion that Another Girl, Another Planet is their only great song. Average indie rock album, enjoyable.
Haven't listened to this album in an age. "Another Girl, Another Planet" is one of the all time great punk songs. Nothing else hits that high, but still a great album.
Whoa, didn't realize that Another Girl, Another Planet was this old. I've always loved the blink-182 version, and though it may be blasphemous, I prefer it to this original. Anyway, this is a decent album. Punk that isn't too aggressive--could this be proto-pop punk? There are a handful of cool songs on here. I like the quirky vocal delivery, and the riffs are pretty good. Nothing crazy, but not a bad ride. Favorite tracks: Another Girl Another Planet, The Beast, Creature of Doom, No Peace for the Wicked. Album art: Inauspicious band photo. Cool effect I guess, and the text is nice. Nothing special. 3/5
Decent post punk that is a bit quiet. However no son really sticks out, the music turns into background music rather quickly
This was fine. After Hunky Dory, I was honestly let down, unfortunately! However, this is perfectly okay background music and was pleasant enough for a single listen. I don't think any songs really stood out to me.
Well there was one stand out song obviously. Otherwise it was fine without being great.
It was alright mostly although didn’t think much of the singer’s voice in some of the tracks. 3*
Cest pas pire mais je ne reecouterai pas. Cependant ca secoute bien en travaillant et ce n’est pas trop 8mtrusif. Un peu fade pour d7 punk. Tres pop. 3
The missing link between pubrock and post-punk. More about PP here... https://deserter.co.uk/2020/09/only-one-peter-perrett/
A great opening track left me gagging for more sax but alas it did not come. Enjoyable record nonetheless
Ekki eins mikið pönk og Spotify textinn gaf til kynna. Oft skemmtileg lög sem minna smá á Television á góðan hátt. En ég er ekkert voðalega hrifinn af söngvaranum og það þýðir að ég mun líklega ekki hlusta aftur.
Having only heard Another Girl, Another Planet before, I was expecting a punkier album. There's actually a lot more variety on here than I'd expected - and on the strength of the first three tracks, they can actually pull it off too! City of Fun is just thrashy fun, but feels more earned after Breaking Down. It's a good album. Much more varied than I would have expected. Another Girl is the only truly essential song on it, but all in all, really good.
Loud and echoey, youth but with a little bit of somber. Unfortunately for me it's not sinister enough, so I doubt I will keep them in my favorite list.
Like every other Brit Rock album like this: good production, boring and shitty vocals. Overall a pretty boring album
Some pretty good 70s British shambly punkish poppy rock here. I liked it well enough and there are some good hooks. The deadpan vocal lead could have used a bit more variety for me to listen to a whole album. Maybe this is better enjoyed occasionally than in heaping portions.
Not really into this one…kinda just boring for me. It didn’t hurt me to listen, but it just blended into the background.
Another of the British list writers put bands only British people would know on list entry. I've never heard The Only Ones and after today I probably will never again. 1978 is an era during a time of great change in music, and the punk / post-punk sound is probably the most vibrant sound getting changed. The Only Ones sound like they're jumping on a popular bandwagon sound, and while there are many bands that are just as guilty (cough, Sex Pistols, cough) they don't excel at it. This freshman album is a good example of Neo-80s New-Wave-Post-Punk, but it's also forgettable and really makes me wonder what makes it's addition to a list of must listen albums. Overall it's okay. 3/5 for the album. 2/5 for its inclusion on the list.
Seeing as how the album started with a saxophone solo, this was never going to be a 5-star review but I really thought it would get four stars. At least, I did at first. But the vocals and lyrics, man. They're so bad. And they don't have to be. Look, I love the Violent Femmes. I really do. And Gordon Gano's (Violent Femmes) vocals have a lot in common with Peter Perrett's (The Only Ones) vocals. But, where Gano's vocals are raw and natural, Perrett's are definitely put on. "How could you possibly know that," you ask? Because, suddenly, at track 6 ("Creature of Doom") Perrett can sing. I had to double check to make sure they hadn't switched vocalists, the difference was so stark. No, that's definitely still the same guy which leads me to the only logical conclusion: the vocals up to this point were bad on purpose. And I can't excuse that. All that said, the musicianship is really good. The MUSIC of the songs is all just great. Perrett is the problem. The vocals are bad and the lyrics are, more often than not, just stupid.
Decent. Have heard 'Another Girl, Another Planet' and I think a couple other songs. This list seems biased towards British New Wave bands.
Standard pop punk here. No doubt the brilliance of another girl another planet. The rest of the album doesn’t quite live up!
An alright introduction. They get better throughout their career this is just okay. I honestly was expecting more.
Pretty solid early punk - it’s got the sneer and the occasional disregard for melody, but is otherwise structured, in turn, and polished.
U nekim trenutcima mi je top u nekima stvarno nije pa pada trojka. "I used to have a notion I could swim the length of the ocean if I knew you were waiting for me" awwww 🥺
The Only Ones lay down some great bones on their self-titled. I was surprised by how slurred and dark the songs ended up being. Most are short, many are Shaggs-like, but there's plenty of instrumental skill under the surface. On the vocal side, I'm not sure whether to read the lyrics and delivery as laconic or simply underworked.
Well it sounds interesting to me - the first two tracks are bangers but either this album is a grower or it’s bland - it felt a bit more like the latter but going to keep an open mind.
Sounds like this album heralded new wave and having heard and loving new wave this album fell flat for me.
Doesn't hold my attention enough to warrant a purchase, but still a good album. Reminds me of early YLT, Feelies, maybe like a Soft Boys. The Beast is good. Nothing turns me off. Some really cool guitar work. Maybe a little samey sounding song-to-song. Can't imagine I'll remember it enough to put it on unsolicited.
This would be an easy three-star album for me, except for one thing: the lead singer. I. Just. Can't. With his voice. I know that's a big part of the sound, and it's supposed to be that way, but it immediately grated on me as soon as he started on the first track, and it didn't let up through the end. As such, this very nearly fell into one-star territory, but I'm going to leave it with 2.
Loved Another Girl, Another Planet. Blink 182 did a cover of it that I loved as a kid. Rest of the album was good, but nothing stood out as great
I cannot get over this guy's voice. Maybe it's a Danny Brown thing where after you hear it a million times you start to love it, but I'm not going to stick around long enough to find out.
Erster Song vielversprechend, Rest durchweg generisch und langweilig, wobei die recht guten gniedeligen Soloparts ziemlich klar den Ursprung meiner Abneigung entlarvten: welch verkackt schnöselig unsympathische Gesangsart/-stimme! spoiled brat gives more than 2.1
Not keen on this. It did not sound very nice going into my ears. It did not sound very nice at all.
A pretty average album (couple of decent album tracks) with 1 magnificent single on it in "Another Girl, Another Planet" which actually seems pretty out of place on the rest of the album. Basically seems like the person making this list liked that one song so stuck the album on. 2/5 for an average album overall.
A deceiving album. On first listen I was very interested to delve in further and explore the vocals and music. On future listens I found myself questioning what it was that interested me so much. The vocals started to actually annoy me the more I listened and the music became bland. 2 Stars!
ok nice start. pls have a nice voice. uh. maybe i'll get used to it. well im done, didnt sound bad but quite boring, no stand out tracks.
The recording sounds off, and the style is not really talking to me. Interesting discovery, but I won't listen again, probably.
Afschuwelijke hoes. Matig album: De zang viel tegen, maar de gitaarpartijen waren wel oké. Dus aantal keren dat ik naar dit album zal luisteren: Only Once
It's fine. Think I've got a bit of 70s guitar album fatigue at the moment though - couldn't really get excited by anything on here except Another Girl, Another Planet, which might earn it a 2.5.
I didn't really like this. It sounds somewhat psych but not good, and more new-agey. The vocals were not enjoyable.
The voice sets the ceiling here and we’re on John Malkovich’s 7 1/2 floor. I do like a quite a bit of the music like Lovers Of Today. Frankly if the lyrics disappeared I would like this more as an instrumental album.
How many British bands with monotone lead singers do we have to listen to they all sound the same
2nd Listen. Standouts: Breaking Down, It's the Truth, No Peace For The Wicked. From the bonus material: Peter and the Pets 2 of 5. but it has potential
I might have enjoyed a song or two on their own, but the whole album really started to get on my nerves today. But I sense that it might have just been bad timing and that there might be the right day for some whiny British pseudo-punk, which sometimes just hits the spot. We'll see.
Liked Another Girl Another Planet, The Beast and City of Fun, but as a whole it felt way longer than 33 minutes (not counting bonus tracks). I wasn't a fan of the vocals and felt the guitar solos were too low in the mix as they were pretty decent. Nothing terrible but not a memorable experience.
2,5; very specific album, there are some songs that are very promising, but then it's kinda flat and generic, whole album wasn't unpleasant to listen, but I have an impression that I will forget all of it because there wasn't anything special, that could help differentiate the band from the other ones
Ne znam jel' do mene, al ovo mi je dosta dosadan album, nisam zadovoljan, čudi me zapravo, ima pokoja okej stvar, al mi je zaboravan.
Непримечательный альбом. Местами неплохой инструментал, но не более того. Совершенно не зацепило. 4 из 10.
The singing was annoying and the songs were not great. There is no need to listen to this album.
forgettable, but better than a lot of 2s I've rated, so I guess it's a 2.5 for being pleasantly forgettable.
I do not like the vocals in the intro track. Hope it’s not like this the whole album. Didn’t listen past 3rd song. Very pretty guitar but I couldn’t deal with the vocals
I think it was okay, this one just kinda washed over me and I don't recall much about it
Occasionally lush instrumentals with the vocals of a bored crow and the excitement of a lukewarm glass of water.
Proto-punk that will eventually lead to the Violent Femmes and plenty of Indie rock ala Modest Mouse much later--with plenty of genre influences strung in. Yet, I can't shake the clear 70's sound that lingers. An example of how this list often focuses on early creation points, not who did it best.
Annoying vocalist. Just okay music. Surprisingly heavy at some parts for a 60s album. Hard pass
Boo! Not, like "Boo! It's almost Halloween!" This is not an attempt to spook or scare. It is an indictment of The Only Ones. Peter Perrett's voice might be my least favorite so far, encapsulating everything that I find grating and annoying about a certain type of British singer. This thing was all over the place, and rarely in any kind of good way. Boo.
Damn, girl, it looks like he found you. Time to put another ocean between you and him, and let's hope he drowns this time.
People that are 20-30 and look 50 lol. I couldn't get past the first song for this one....my first 0 stars yay.
Música fresca y alegre para moverse