The Only Ones
 The Only Ones emerged in 1977 with an independent single, Lovers
Of Today b/w Peter & The Pets, and a
swag of Velvet Underground-like songs of heroin addiction and the
futility of existence.
In 1979 the group recorded a bona-fide classic in Another
Girl, Another Planet, but although touted as a New Wave group,
the unit included several old lags - Mair had previously worked with
The Beatstalkers, while Mike Kellie had drummed with Spooky Tooth
and Peter Frampton.
Front man Perrett - with his leopard-skin jacket and Lou Reed
drawl - won considerable music press attention and the group's
self-titled debut album was very well received.
A second
self-produced collection, Even Serpents Shine, was also
distinctive, but internal group friction and disagreements with
their record company hampered their progress.
Producer Colin Thurston (Magazine, Duran
Duran, Human League) took control of their third album, Baby's
Got A Gun, which included a guest appearance by Pauline Murray
of Penetration, but the album lacked the punch of their earlier
work.
With sales dwindling, CBS dropped the group from their roster
and The Only Ones finally broke up in 1981, with Perrett by now in
the throes of desperate drug addiction.
Perrett's former band, England's Glory, would have their demos
released retrospectively (on the Skyclad label in 1989) after The
Only Ones' demise.
Peter Perrett's sons Peter Jnr and Jamie play in a band called
Love Minus Zero and were also (briefly) members of Babyshambles with
Pete Doherty.
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