The Only Ones - Baby's Got A Gun

Famed for a single song but increasingly influential, there's much more to The Only Ones than Another Girl, Another Planet

Some bands will forever be associated with, and even trapped by, one single defining song. In the case of South London’s The Only Ones, it’s their star-surfing drug anthem Another Girl Another Planet which the All Music Guide called “the greatest rock single ever recorded”.

This timelessly magical one-off, where everything sits right and lift-off guaranteed after those first distinctive, stuttering chords, was the tip of a musical iceberg which went against the grain in the punk-dominated late 70s. The band was older and heavily influenced by psychedelia, from John Perry’s Hendrix-influenced guitar to Perrett’s doomed Syd Barrett twang. Demoing his songs of love, hate and drugs since 1972, Perrett formed the group in August 1976 after being introduced to Perry, line-up completed by former Spooky Tooth drummer Mike Kellie and bassist Alan Mair from 60s Scottish giants the Beatstalkers. Their first single, Lovers Of Today, was released on the independent Vengeance label, stoking enough buzz to gain a deal with CBS. Another Girl Another Planet was their maiden voyage with the label, elevating their standing with critics and those looking for deeper musical content but not translating into sales (Although they gained a fan in kindred spirit Johnny Thunders, whose immortal You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory was blessed with Perrett’s backing vocals, while Kellie played drums at his 1978 Lyceum show). The Only Ones’ eponymous first album was released in 1978, followed the next year by Even Serpents Shine, then 1980’s Baby’s Got A Gun. While punk was driven by amphetamines, The Only Ones were imbued with the growing heroin presence which infused their songs with narcotic allure which inevitably started palling once the drug’s more numbing effects started kicking in. It was once stated that Perry’s sound dramatically changed after he hollowed out his guitar to smuggle drugs through customs while on tour. Critical acclaim and fans like David Bowie showing up at their Rainbow Theatre headliner didn’t sell the records and the Only Ones imploded in 1982, leaving a band out of time still waiting for their moment to come. Also inevitably, their influence and cult status became increasingly astronomical with subsequent generations and bands, including the Libertines and Nirvana. Perrett returned in 1996, his Woke Up Sticky album showing his songwriting still an undimmed rewarding source for those prepared to dig beneath current fads, while Perry played sessions for the likes of Evan Dando and Marianne Faithfull, also writing several well received rock biographies. After the Vodafone resuscitation, the band continued gigging through 2008 and 2009, recording new songs such as Black Operations and Magic Tablet (still yet to be released). Their last appearance was at 2012’s Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. One-song wonders? Try these for size. Tellingly, their albums have never been deleted.

Ripped from their 2009 expanded remaster to MP3

The Only Ones; Baby’s Got A Gun

1.      The Happy Pilgrim
2.      Why Don’t You Kill Yourself?
3.      Me And My Shadow
4.      Deadly Nightshade
5.      Strange Mouth
6.      The Big Sleep
7.      Oh Lucinda (Love Becomes A Habit)
8.      Re-Union
9.      Trouble In The World
10.   Castle Built On Sand
11.   Fools
12.   My Way Out Of Here
13.   Baby’s Got A Gun
14.   The Big Sleep (Session)
15.   Your Chosen Life

More from the loins of The Only Ones here