Only Life

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]

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)

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
6.	"For Awhile"		4:05
7.	"The Final Word"	Million, Mercer	2:23
8.	"Too Far Gone"	Million, Mercer	3:38
9.	"Away"		5:27
10.	"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