The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet: The Best Of

The intergalactic love song that gives this disc its title has featured on two Peel compilations and in two TV ads this year, but only ever hit the lower reaches of the charts in 1992, more than a decade after the group split. Its undeniable durability aside, it’s just one of a legion of smart ‘new wave’ ditties that warrant rediscovery. The Only Ones combined the Buzzcocks’ pop charm with the glam-addled sleaze of The New York Dolls. Sometimes a little too clever for their own good, Peter Perrett’s lyrical wit was always welcome, and probably influenced many of his contemporaries (Edwyn Collins, Roddy Frame, Lloyd Cole). No Peace For The Wicked succinctly forecast the ennui of the slacker generation, while Oh Lucinda (Life Becomes A Habit) is a fabulous ode to talking a friend down from the ledge. Words like ‘cult’ and ‘seminal’ get bandied about way too often, but they fit The Only Ones better than most bands of the time, and this collection should introduce them to a whole new generation of young Turks picking up a guitar for the first time.