''Only Life'' is the third album by the American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
the Feelies, released in 1988. It was made with the same line-up that appeared on the band's previous album, ''
The Good Earth''. The album contains a cover of
the Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...
's "
What Goes On".
[
The album peaked at No. 173 on the ''Billboard'' 200. ]Jonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker, whose career directing, producing, and screenwriting spanned more than 30 years and 70 feature films, documentaries, and television productions. He was an ...
directed the video for "Away".
Style
''Only Life'' has been described as an "updated and mature form" of its predecessor, '' Crazy Rhythms''. It features fewer acoustic tracks, with a "greater focus on speedy jangle-strum rockers".
Production
The album was produced by Glenn Mercer, Bill Million, and Steve Rinkoff.
Critical reception
''Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
'' wrote that "the songs grapple with apprehension and the longing for comfort, which the music delivers in the form of indelible hooks and transcendent rave-ups." ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' wrote: "Driven by the interlocking guitars of Mercer and Bill Million, the band constructs waves of beautiful hypnotic drone, with subtle tempo shifts and percussion accents that ripple through the arrangements."Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' praised the "amazingly exacting sound and performances" and "riveting songs of breathless electricity." ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' listed the album at number nine on its list of the ten best albums of 1988.
Track listing
Personnel
* Glenn Mercer – lead, rhythm and slide guitars, lead vocals, keyboards
* Bill Million – electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals, e-bow
* Brenda Sauter – bass, backing vocals
* Stan Demeski – drums, percussion
* Dave Weckerman – percussion, drums
References
{{Authority control
The Feelies albums
1988 albums
A&M Records albums