Only Life

Only Life
Studio album by the Feelies
Released	September 13, 1988 [1]
Length	39:17
Label	Coyote/A&M [2]
Producer	Steve Rinkoff, Bill Million, Glenn Mercer
The Feelies chronology
The Good Earth (1986) Only Life (1988) Time for a Witness (1991)

Only Life is the third album by the American rock band the Feelies, released in 1988. ^{[3] [4]} It was made with the same line-up that appeared on the band's previous album, The Good Earth . ^[5] The album contains a cover of the Velvet Underground's "What Goes On". ^[6]

The album peaked at No. 173 on the Billboard 200. ^[7] Jonathan Demme directed the video for "Away". ^[8]

Style

Only Life has been described as an "updated and mature form" of its predecessor, The Good Earth . It features fewer acoustic tracks, with a "greater focus on speedy jangle-strum rockers". ^[9]

Production

The album was produced by Glenn Mercer, Bill Million, and Steve Rinkoff. ^[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Robert Christgau	B+ [12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[13]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[14]
Pitchfork	7.6/10 [15]
Rolling Stone	[16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10 [17]

Magnet 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." ^[18] Rolling Stone 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." ^[16] Trouser Press praised the "amazingly exacting sound and performances" and "riveting songs of breathless electricity." ^[19] USA Today listed the album at number nine on its list of the ten best albums of 1988. ^[20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Glenn Mercer except where noted.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"It's Only Life"		3:01
2.	"Too Much"	Bill Million, Glenn Mercer	4:38
3.	"Deep Fascination"		4:07
4.	"Higher Ground"		4:38
5.	"The Undertow"		3:43
Total length:			20:07

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"For Awhile"		4:05
2.	"The Final Word"	Million, Mercer	2:23
3.	"Too Far Gone"	Million, Mercer	3:38
4.	"Away"		5:27
5.	"What Goes On"	Lou Reed	3:37
Total length:			19:10

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

1. Dupler, Steven (September 3, 1988). "The Eye". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 36. p. 48. ISSN   0006-2510. Coyote/A&M act the Feelies' new single, "Away," from the album, "Only Life," due out Sept. 13
2. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 415.
3. "The Feelies | Biography & History". AllMusic.
4. "The Feelies: Only Life & Time for a Witness". Relix Media. June 10, 2016.
5. Earles, Andrew (September 15, 2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Voyageur Press. ISBN   9780760346488 – via Google Books.
6. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 242.
7. "The Feelies". Billboard.
8. "FEELIES SAYING SOMETHING - Record Collector Magazine".
9. Earles, Andrew (September 15, 2014). Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981-1996. Yoyageur Press. p. 104.
10. Jenkins, Mark (September 14, 1988). "Records: The Feelies And Pere Ubu: Polished Power". The Washington Post: C7.
11. Ned Raggett. "Only Life - The Feelies | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved November 10, 2015.
12. "CG: feelies". Robert Christgau. March 26, 1991. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
13. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 419.
14. Moon, Tom (October 9, 1988). "A STRONG BAND THAT WINS WITH ITS INSTRUMENTALS". The Philadelphia Inquirer: G14.
15. "The Feelies: Only Life/Time For A Witness". Pitchfork.
16. "The Feelies: Only Life : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone . November 3, 2008. Archived from the original on November 3, 2008.
17. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 146–147.
18. "Essential New Music: The Feelies' "Only Life" And "Time For A Witness"". April 17, 2016.
19. "Feelies". Trouser Press. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
20. Gundersen, Edna (December 13, 1988). "The year in music: Only a few stand out in a so-so period for rock: In 1988, pop falls short on substance". USA Today: 1D.