Thanks to Gerry Ransom for this excellent review in the new edition of Vive Le Rock!
Issue #100 with Dance Craze on the cover, available in your local WH Smith now
“crammed with enough detail to stand as a primer on the glorious chaos of the band’s brief career”
Thank you Alastair McKay @ Uncut (May 2023)
April 2023 issue (on sale 23rd March) – #543 (probably The Who on the front cover)
The Only Ones
“Ahead of the publication of Simon Wright’s It’s The Truth: Making The Only Ones, we zero in on the writing and recording of the punk/new wave band’s unutterably great Another Girl, Another Planet single.”
The four-page article is extracted and modified from the chapter in It’s The Truth on the writing and recording of Another Girl, Another Planet.
The magazine costs £6.25 and is widely available in the UK with stockists including WH Smith. In the US I believe Barnes & Noble stock the title
My thanks to Paul, Johnny and Bruno at Record Collector for helping make this happen.
Release date is April 1st but you can pre-order now from:
Paperback and eBook versions are both available
.
Thank you Gerry Ranson and Vive Le Rock!
See it here
https://vivelerock.net/blogs/news-1/the-only-ones-celebrated-in-new-book
Reekus Records RKCD 148 (also available on limited edition black and blue vinyl)
Order from info@reekus.com
This release is a labour of love from Elvera Butler, who with her husband Andy ran The Downtown Kampus in Cork from 1977-1981. Formerly The Arcadia Ballroom on Cork’s Lower Road, the Kampus was the music venue of University College Cork. Over four years the Kampus showcased many major English bands such as The Cure, The Specials, UB40, The Beat, the Albertos, John Otway, XTC and The Only Ones (twice). What made the Kampus special was the support it gave to Irish bands, big and small. U2 and Rory Gallagher both played there but so did Nun Attax, Mean Features, Micro Disney and Urban Blitz. These last four bands featured on an EP, recorded live at the Kampus on August 30th 1980 with the express purpose of getting these bands more exposure – sort of a live demo tape.
Micro Disney disliked the choice of ‘National Anthem’ but it was the only song they played that night which had recorded properly: Reekus redress the balance by adding to this CD re-release four additional Micro Disney songs, specially recorded at Dublin’s Windmill Studios in 1981. The other less well-known bands are equally worthy of your attention, especially the legendary Nun Attax. Three of the bands went on to have careers in the UK. Mick Lynch, the vocalist with Mean Features, went on to form Stump, Nun Attax were signed to a couple of labels including Creation and Micro Disney signed to Rough Trade and then Virgin, before Sean and Cathal parted to form The High Llamas and Fatima Mansions respectively.
Accompanying the CD is a 16 page fanzine packed with evocative pictures and fascinating stories from musicians and fans reminiscing about the four ‘golden years’ that the Kampus brought to the Cork music scene. An exemplary document of a fascinating time.
@ Rough Trade West, London W11 early evening on April 6th, book signing and Q&A with band members
More here https://link.dice.fm/W44946c1e532
Wow! Thank you Rough Trade!
Official release date is April 1st 2023, but you can pre-order a signed copy now exclusively from Rough Trade using this link
January 18th 2023
New Book: “It’s The Truth – Making The Only Ones” by Simon Wright
The Only Ones were the most important band to emerge in 1977, artistically if not commercially. Their eponymous first LP presents a wonderful sense of possibilities and excitement, of a band standing on the verge of something fantastic. And the presence of Another Girl, Another Planet – ‘arguably the best rock single ever recorded’ according to Allmusic.com – illustrates how not being a hit can extend the shelf life of a song.
Working from new interviews with the band members, Simon Wright documents the formation and early days of this enigmatic group and explains why they never achieved the massive success they deserved. Illustrated with previously unseen photographs, it’s an account of how four musicians from very different backgrounds made an exhilarating LP which grafted punk attitude onto rock ‘n’ roll rootstock. Odds-on that your favourite musician has this LP in their collection: read this book to find out why.
Publication Date: April 1st 2023
Rsp: £12.99
Format: Paperback, 152 pages, 42 illustrations
ISBN 978-1-7392549-0-2
Publisher: Shakspeare Editorial
Quotes from the band about It’s The Truth
‘The long summer of 1976 and the drearier winter of 1977 went past in a flash as we rehearsed the songs and organised the band. Within seven days of meeting Alan Mair we were in the studio, putting down tracks that still sound good today. Simon’s book is a tour d’horizon of a fascinating time in London and the Only Ones place in it.’ John Perry
‘A fascinating look at how The Only Ones got together and in-depth account of recording our first album. Exciting times!’ Alan Mair
‘The best (only?) account of how we formed The Only Ones and recorded our debut LP. Highly recommended.’ Peter Perrett
Biography of Simon Wright
Simon Wright has been a secret punk rocker since 1975 when he was knocked sideways by an early Sex Pistols gig. By day a successful consultant working with sustainable food and drink (and chocolate), by night he is a prolific blogger and vinyl fiend. His previous two books were academic textbooks on the manufacturing and marketing of organic and Fairtrade food and drink. He lives in Wandsworth, where he is part of an urban cider collective.
ENDS
Only Rock 'n' Roll 