Description

Rare dvd release sold by the band on their website and on their 2007 reunion tour

The Only Ones were an influential British punk rock band formed in London in 1976, whose original band members are Peter Perrett, Alan Mair, John Perry and Mike Kellie, they first disbanded in 1982. They were associated with punk rock, yet straddled the musical territory amidst punk, power pop and hard rock, with noticeable influences from psychedelia. The Faster Than Lightning is the only official visual record of The Only Ones first incarnation (1977-1981) and it combines footage from live television performances with CBS promos, the songs being linked by interviews with laconic frontman Peter Perrett. This was originally released under dubious circumstances on vhs video in 1991 and then finally released on dvd in 2008. Some minor edits means that the dvd appears to flow better than its video predecessor. The audio re-mastering work done by bass-player Alan Mair has paid off and the sound is considerably improved over the video release. Picture quality is marginally improved throughout and is significantly better on the four live tracks recorded for Dutch cable TV. The improved sound emphasises the crispness and economy of the band on-stage, emphasising that the Only Ones are first and foremost a live band. The band’s individual fashion sense delights throughout. Peter Perrett favours a hippy-punk-waif combo, all cheesecloth and leather jeans whilst John Perry moves from Bond villain (mirror shades, cream blazer and a red rose) to rocking the gentleman farmer look (tweed suit and Fair-Isle sweater). Alan Mair looks dapper throughout as does drummer Mike Kellie. No wonder the punks never knew what to make of them. But whatever the Punks of the 70s thought of them this dvd demonstrates that the bands songwriting and performance abilities are timeless. The band were also awarded with the Cult Hero award by Mojo in 2007.

Track list:
1. Lovers Of Today
2. Another Girl, Another Planet
3. Someone Who Cares
4. No Peace For The Wicked
5. Another Girl, Another Planet
6. Out There In The Night
7. You Got To Pay
8. No Solution
9. From Here To Eternity
10. Miles From Nowhere
11. Programme
12. The Big Sleep
13. The Immortal Story
14. Trouble In The World
15. The Beast