The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 524

Number 524

The Only Ones

"Another Girl Another Planet"

(1978)

Genre:Punk

Ok.......... its been a while, well 36 days to be precise. I bought a new house in a different suburb with my ISP (xtra) guaranteeing immediate service to the new address. NOPE. After moving in, this is the response i got from XTRA when i discovered no internet connection. Excuse 1: Sorry, but your wiring is old & we will need to send a technician. (Still waiting for that one to happen) Excuse 2: Oh sorry, there are no spare ports at the demark for you, this could take 6 months for a spare one to come available. WTF? 6 months? what happened to the initial guarantee of connection? There is more to this story but frankly, it would bore you as much as it has me. In short i need broadband and i cant get it from any ISP provider because Telcom own the entire network in New Zealand. Monolopy? Hell yes, but its not accused of this because Telecom was deregulated a few years ago to stop this, now we have about 20 or more ISP's, but here is the moot point ............. Telecom own all the lines it leases to their opposition.

Matapouri NZ

Funnily enough, i am on holiday in a remote spot of New Zealand called Matapouri which has no cell phone coverage ....... but wait, it has streaming broadband. Its enough to make a grown man cry. I live in a city of 1.4 million people and i cant get broadband, yet here im laxing with a pop. of 200, go figure. Mind you, Matapouri has been harrowing with people needing saving from drowning, but probably the worse moment was watching someone die 3 days ago saving his grand daughter. Click here for the story or here. Me whakahoki koe.

So, i dont know when i will be back to write and continue the countdown, but i cannot deal with dial up anymore, it has to be broadband. So till then have a great 2008 and hope to be back soon oneday. ~ crowbarred

The Only Ones

Led by the raffish and slightly scuzzy romance-obsessed Peter Perrett, the Only Ones were one of the punk era's most underrated bands. Not as confrontational as the Sex Pistols, as politically indulgent as the Clash, or as stripped-down as the Ramones, the Only Ones played not-so-fast guitar rock that sounded deeply indebted to the New York Dolls and other mid-'70s proto-punks. Singing his intelligently crafted pop songs in a semi-tuneful whine of a voice and backed by a band that effectively combined youthful exuberance with gracefully aging veterans (non-punk drummer Mike Kellie had done time with early-'70s clod-rockers Spooky Tooth, bassist Alan Mair was nearly 40), Perrett was an astute chronicler of the vagaries of modern, dysfunctional love. Despite a career that lasted from 1978-1981 and one certifiable "hit" song to their credit (the brilliant "Another Girl, Another Planet"), the Only Ones became the archetypal contenders that never broke big, despite assurances from fans and critics that they couldn't miss.

Only Ones cira 1978

Although they split up in 1981 after only three records, the Only Ones, due in large part to "Another Girl, Another Planet," became more influential than one would have guessed. Listen to Paul Westerberg and you'll hear more than a little Peter Perrett (in fact, the Replacements covered "Another Girl"); look at the number of Only Ones releases over the past decade (a half-dozen at least) and you soon realize that a significant cult surrounding the band grew after their breakup. Ironically, it was the posthumous release of the sessions for John Peel's BBC show that, more than any of the proper studio releases, accurately displayed the muscle and smarts of this fine band. There have been many rumors surrounding Perrett's life after the Only Ones, many of them involving an alleged heroin addiction. Perrett did continue to record and release solo projects during the '80s, including a project known as the One in the mid-'90s. ~ John Dougan, [All Music Guide]

Rolling Stone have no view on The Only Ones (g*a*s*p)

For the Clash see Number 999

Artist Fact File

Name:Only Ones....................Related to³:Spooky Tooth

Yrs Active:1977 to 1981...........Site:http://www.theonlyones.biz/

Best Song¹:Another Girl ..........#1fan:http://www.theonlyones.co.nr/

Best Album²:The Only Ones.........Grammy Awards:0

Albums Sold:Unknown...............Next best thing:New York Dolls

¹Number of downloads WINMX ²Artistdirect choice ³Associated acts or collaborations

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Oh your'e back?) and the Album ranked at (God save Rolling Stone then)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 74.5 out of 108 pts