''Even Serpents Shine'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by English

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band

The Only Ones The Only Ones were an English 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 music ...

, released in 1979 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. It was produced by Peter Perrett and

Alan Mair Alan Mair is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. Mair's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the co-founder and bass guitarist for the English rock band the Only Ones, co-producing ...

. The album was re-released in the United Kingdom in 2009 on

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

, featuring bonus content. The reissue was a CD which comprises 14-tracks. It includes the original album digitally remastered from the original 1/2" mix tapes; alongside three bonus tracks.

Critical reception

The album has consistently been praised by critics. In a retrospective review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, critic Mark Deming wrote that "''Even Serpents Shine'' doesn't boast an out-of-the-box classic tune along the lines of '

Another Girl, Another Planet "Another Girl, Another Planet" is a song by English rock band the Only Ones. It is the second track on their debut studio album, ''The Only Ones'', released in 1978. The song is the band's most successful and has since been covered by several oth ...

' from the self-titled debut, but in many respects, this is the more consistent album, achieving a similar degree of thematic and melodic variety while generating a more coherent sound and feeling," adding that "they were one of the very few bands of their time and place who inarguably beat the sophomore slump." Reviewing the album for

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

, Chris Jones wrote, "Musically the band were always a step ahead of the pack.

Mike Kellie Michael Alexander Kellie (24 March 1947 – 18 January 2017) was an English musician, composer and record producer. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Kellie was a member of the rock bands the V.I.P.s, Spooky Tooth and the Only ...

and Alan Mair – both seasoned pros on drums and bass – never falter, allowing John Perry's guitar to fly; while John 'Rabbit' Bundrick's organ adds just the right dollop of

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. ...

-isms."

Track listing

Personnel

;The Only Ones * Peter Perrett – lead and background

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, guitars * John Perry – guitars, keyboards *

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

s *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

;Session musicians *Adam Maitland – keyboards, saxophone *

John "Rabbit" Bundrick John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick (born November 21, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is an American–English rock keyboardist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roge ...

– keyboards *

Koulla Kakoulli Koulla Kakoulli ( gr, Κούλα Κακουλλή) (September 1961 – 2 or 3 August 2018) was a British musician, dominatrix and bodybuilder. Born in Forest Hill in London, she died in Brighton in August 2018. Background As a musician, she sang ...

– backing vocals ;Production *Peter Perrett –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

*Alan Mair – production *Andy Lyden –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

*Kevin Dallimore – engineering *Michael Beal – cover,

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

, design

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1979 albums The Only Ones albums Albums produced by Alan Mair Columbia Records albums