The Only Ones

Led by the raffish and slightly scuzzy Peter Perrett, whose obsession with romance shaped every lyric, the Only Ones emerged during the punk era as one of its most consistently overlooked acts. Their sound avoided the outright aggression associated with the Sex Pistols, the political grandstanding favored by the Clash, and the minimal arrangements typical of the Ramones, instead favoring a mid-tempo guitar-based style clearly rooted in the New York Dolls and other mid-'70s proto-punk acts. Perrett delivered his sharply written pop songs through a voice that hovered between tunefulness and a persistent whine, while the rhythm section fused the energy of younger players with the seasoned presence of older musicians: drummer Mike Kellie, whose background lay outside punk in the early-'70s clod-rock outfit Spooky Tooth, and bassist Alan Mair, who was approaching forty. Through these performances Perrett mapped the shifting terrain of contemporary, often damaged relationships with notable precision. Active only between 1978 and 1981, the group secured a single recognized hit in the form of the brilliant “Another Girl, Another Planet,” yet remained the classic example of a band widely expected to succeed that nevertheless failed to reach mainstream audiences despite repeated predictions from supporters and reviewers.

Although the Only Ones disbanded in 1981 following the release of three albums, the enduring impact of “Another Girl, Another Planet” far exceeded initial expectations. Echoes of Perrett’s style surface clearly in the work of Paul Westerberg, and the Replacements later recorded a version of that same song; meanwhile, the steady appearance of at least half a dozen Only Ones reissues over the subsequent decade signaled the growth of a devoted following that flourished only after the breakup. Among these later releases, the sessions originally cut for John Peel’s BBC program proved especially revealing, capturing the band’s combination of force and intelligence more vividly than any of their studio albums. Persistent rumors about Perrett’s post-Only Ones existence frequently centered on a supposed struggle with heroin addiction. He nevertheless issued solo material throughout the 1980s and, in the mid-'90s, fronted a project called the One.