NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Sony Music) - The Only Ones are a rare example of that magical 'thing' that bands sometimes possess, which encapsulates the whole myth and legend of Rock'n'Roll. Their appeal owed a lot to the charismatic lead singer songwriter
Peter Perrett, whose innate decadence and hedonistic nature propelled The Only Ones into a sublime area of myth and legend.
Between 1978-81 they released three quality albums, a signature tune in the brilliant 'Another Girl, Another Planet' and then rounded it off with a drug addled disaster of a US tour that involved a drive-by shooting and Perrett fleeing the country on an attempted murder charge.
The Only Ones engaged the power of Perrett's songs - all beautifully laconic, languid vocals, alongside John Perry's Hendrix meets West Coast guitar lines, whilst the rhythm section of rock solid drummer Mike Kellie and the powerful and melodic bass of Alan Mair made them a formidable force, unlike a lot of other punk/new wave acts from the time, The Only Ones became a big draw on the live circuit.
The Only Ones debut came in 1977 with the self-financed single 'Lovers Of Today' (now added as a bonus track to the new issue of their self titled classic debut LP) that was lauded by rock critics upon its landing earning rave reviews and went on to shift 25,000 copies.
1978 saw the arrival of The Only Ones self-titled first album that featured the dazzling anthem 'Another Girl, Another Planet'. A 3 minute sonic masterblast, it was ignored by a lot of British radio DJs for alleged drug references but in New York it became a big airplay favourite, enabling The Only Ones to sell out every venue in the city for a subsequent tour.
The follow up - 1979's 'Even Serpents Shine' is often cited as the band's best studio work. Well received by critics and produced by Mair & Perrett, its dark lovelorn themes was superbly augmented in the songs 'No Solution', 'Miles From Nowhere' and 'From Here To Eternity'.
The final album, 1980's 'Baby's Got A Gun', featured two glorious Perrett compositions - the beguiling 'The Big Sleep' and 'Oh Lucinda' but it was a difficult record - CBS brought in a big name producer - Colin Thurston (Duran Duran).
In true Only Ones style, the proverbial dung hit the fan during the band's infamous 1980 US tour which included dates opening for The Who and The Only Ones finally disbanded in 1981.
But the story took a dramatic turn when in 2006 Vodafone used 'Another Girl, Another Planet' for a massive ad campaign. Sounding as great as it did originally and clearly an influence on bands like the Libertines, interest in The Only Ones re-ignited. Their songs were being covered by acts as diverse as Blink 182 and Belle & Sebastian, whilst in 2007 Mojo Magazine bestowed them with a place on the Mojo Honours List.
Triumphant appearances at All Tomorrow's Parties and Later With Jools Holland have brought things full circle. Now with the three albums superbly re-mastered, you can hear why they are such an important band.
The Only Ones in their full original line-up are delighted to announce some tour dates for 2009.
2009 Tour Dates:
(Dates and information subject to change.)
23rd January - York, The Duchess
24th January - Manchester Academy
25th January - Sheffield Academy
31st January - Southampton, The Brook
1st February - Cambridge, The Junction
6th February - Shepherds Bush Empire
The Only Ones 3 studio albums re-mastered from the original tapes and now expanded with previously un-issued material. Re-issued, re-mastered and extended. Set for release by Sony Music February 2nd 2009.
