Even Serpents Shine

This CD replaces my old rather worn vinyl, which I bought at time of release. Except for the clicks & pops the vinyl sounds great so was concerned if this remaster would be as good. No worries there as Alan Mair and Ray Staff have done an excellent remastering job and SQ betters the vinyl, so money well spent.I first bought Serpents after seeing The Only Ones performing Another Girl Another Planet on a TV music interlude, something ITV occasionally did back in the day. I didn't know the name of the TV song at the time so was a bit disappointed to discover that AGAP was on their first album and not this one. Anyway, my disappointment did not last long as I absolutely loved Serpents, and still do. It's timeless and I've been spinning it on a regular basis since I first played it all those years ago and no doubt will continue to do so with the new CD.Oh, I picked up their first album shortly after buying Serpents in 79 and have just ordered the CD remaster of that.

Given that record companies have always tried to sell you stuff you've already got, and that frankly, Sony / CBS have up until now not treated The Only Ones catalogue with the respect it deserves, I am still nonethless left feeling slightly flat by the new versions of their three original albums. You can't knock the quality of the first two albums, and the uneven, lacklustre third album has its moments, but whose idea was it to utilise that idiot Rod Liddle to pen the sleeve notes? A fan he may be, but a person with anything interesting or illuminating to say about the Only Ones story he isn't. If you want decent, informative notes, and in fact, some tracks which aren't actually featured on these reissues ('This Ain't All', an alternate version of 'No Solution' the alternate mix of 'Oh Lucinda' for starters), track down a copy of the Edsel 'Why Don't You Kill Yourself' compliation of 2004. Like I said, can't knock the music, but eveything else - a missed opportunity.

I bought this on release (and on vinyl, obviously) having loves their debut album, which I was put on to by the music press (NME, I think)I as 21 years old and at Sussex University in 1979 and it became an instant favourite (even had the blue vinyl 45 of Out There in the Night - though it got lost somewhere along the way) - I even bought 5 tickets to their gig at the Dome and convinced friends to join me - great band then, although I was a little disappointed by their third album - but this one has remained a much missed favourite down the years, and I was delighted to find it had been released on MP3. Favourites are From Here to Eternity and In Betweens, but a great album, and I hope the band finally make some money out of a great contribution to a great time in British music

There were many other punk rock groups, but the only ones stand out for their high quality songwriting and delivery.This is a well-tailored album, and leaves one wondering why so few seem to be familiar with their work, Perrett showed his worth on their first (eponymous) album, and he does it again here, and Mike Kellie (ex-Spooky Tooth) does a great job on the drums. Both albums are well worth buying if you enjoy punk-flavoured rock. I am not a punk fan, but make an exception with these guys!

must have album. superb in every way John Perry plays intelligent solos that lead you like sonic sinews whilst Perrett sings his priceless wit with throw away ease perfect songs brilliant album.

At last! I've been hunting for this album for years on CD and finally stumble across it in Amazon while bored one Monday morning. This takes me back to renting dodgey flats and having no money, when the only important thing was deciding which pub to go to on a Friday night. If you've never listened to the Only Ones treat yourself to this album. I have no pretensions to be a music journalist so can only say the vocals are comforting in their homeliness and unsingery delivery. The riffs are simple with no showing off, and the lyrics insightful. Go on, treat yourself.

Many years are perceived as important/pivotal years in music. 1956 Elvis. 62-3 when The Beatles started releasing music , 1967 Summer of Love, Punk 76-77. I give you 1979. I defy you to come up with a better year for classic albums than this one . "Metal Box" by PIL,"Armed Forces" by Costello, Graham Parker's" Squeezing out Sparks" , Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures" , everyone's favourite double album "London Calling " ( prefer "Sandinista" personally but that's another discussion) "Tusk" by F Mac, "Entertainment "by The Gang of 4 . To name but a few.Which brings me to this little gem. Genuinely should have been a massive seller , still sounds fresh today, brilliant songs, immaculately played, poppy, slick and borderline proggy in parts. WONDERFUL. Purchase!PS . Maybe I think this is because I was 17 in 1979?!....

I allways liked The Only Ones and bought the LP "Baby's Got A Gun" then in the early 1990's I bought "The Immortal Story" compilation CD. When I noticed there were remastered original album CDs I bought all three. I think "Even Serpents Shine" their 2nd, is their finest album originally released in 1979. Peter Perrett's songs and John Perry's guitar not forgetting Alan Mair on bass & Mike Kellie on drums create a sound that still sounds contemporary. They were one of only a few bands in that era who could actually play their instruments well unlike many of the punk bands I saw. I thoroughly recommend this album to any serious comtemporary music collector.

Le premier album est mythique. A cause du tube "Another Girl Another Planet". Euh, pas un tube en fait... Un qui aurait dû l'être dans un monde idéal. Et alors, vu que les vrais tubes n'en sont pas, ce n'est pas gênant, voire logique, qu'il n'y ait pas de morceau de ce calibre sur ce deuxième album. Pas gênant et donc peut-être logique car voilà un album super cohérent. Chaque morceau est très bon et tous sont dans cette même veine urbaine et rampante, comme un Television concis (tous les morceaux ici sont courts et vont à l'essentiel). Que ce soit les compos, très bonnes donc, mais aussi la voix nonchalante et précieuse de dandy toxicomane de Peter Perrett et encore la production, sobre et électrique rendant cet album totalement intemporel, voilà donc bien un excellent album, riche et dense, pas loin d'une certaine perfection d'une certaine vision du rock. Alors d'accord, la pochette est hideuse (incroyablement raté). Pour le reste voilà bien un très grand disque de rock.

パンク全盛期に活動していたオンリーワンズの2ndです。一番の魅力は最初から自分はシンガーソングライターであったというピーターペレットのメロディーセンスあふれる曲たち。1stにあったパンキッシュな曲はなくなり、さらにメロディアスになっています。一回聴いたらくせになりますよ。