Only Stars Can Last

Filk Album
Album Title:	Only Stars Can Last
Producer:	the producers of the zine Contact
Type:
Date:	1979
Medium:	cassette tape
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Performer(s):	Omicron Ceti Three
Other:
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Only Stars Can Last is the second album by Omicron Ceti III.

The first one was The Colors of Love.

Its content, along with the content of Omicron Ceti III and Friends, was published a year later in Starsong.

About

From an ad in Scuttlebutt #13:

"[It consists of] original ST-inspired music preformed by Kathy Burns, April Valentine, Rodney Bonds, and Russ Volker. The songs create a 'futuristic folk' sound which captures the spirit of Star Trek, the relationships of its characters, and the camaraderie among the fans."

From an ad in A Companion in Zeor #2:

"Fans have now created at least six or seven songs set in the Sime/Gen universe, including unpublished ones by Cindy McQuillan, Lexie Pakulak, and T'Pat. We've heard most of these songs, and they're all lovely and very moving. The first song, "Two Kinds Of Man", will be available on the Omicron Ceti Three's new album Only Stars Can Last....The other songs on the record deal with ST-related themes.) Winston Howlett has expressed interest in producing a cassette of Sime/Gen material. Encourage him. Let him know you like the idea, make suggestions, and tell him how much you would pay for such a cassette."

From an eBay seller:

"Private press out of Baltimore Maryland of Star Trek based basement nerd folk & soft rock from 1979 ...Comes with typed lyrics & info sheet. Surprisingly enjoyable, interesting & well done beyond the kitch. I'll throw the keyword Waxidermy in here cause...yeah."

Content

• Only Stars Can Last April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("This duet by [April] and Kathy has been called a 'song of success', but it was originally written as a protest song when we thought the movie was not going to live up to the ST dream. The lyrics point out that it's the fans who make that dream live.")
• Changes April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) (Performed by Rodney and Russ, "Changes" was originally printed in the fanzine, THRUST, and was written to express the theme of the zine, the changes that evolve in a relationship.)
• Future Dream April Valentine (lyricist, composer) ("Dedicated to today's space shuttle, named 'Enterprise', the lead on "Future Dream" is performed by [April]").
• Going Home April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("In another duet, [April] and Kathy sing of the doubts and the hopes that going home--to the ST universe--means.")
• Night Song April Valentine (lyricist, composer) ("Inspired by "Nightjourney" by Susan K. James and Carol Frisbie, "Night Song" expresses Spock's dedication to a blinded James Kirk.")
• Jonah April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Based on "All the King's Horses, All the King's Men" by J. Emily Vance, Kathy's solo shows the plight of a broken Dr. McCoy, what happened to him during the earlier Vance story, "The Rack", and of the friendship he later finds with its sequel's protagonists, Collin Patrick and Brent Stevens.")
• Once Again April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("The voyage to the stars is again a reality, but it wouldn't be the same without everyone. "Once Again" expresses both the miracle.")
• Star Lady April Valentine (lyricist, composer) ("This one is dedicated to the finest starship in the fleet, the U.S.S. Enterprise.")
• Don't Destroy April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Russ' solo was inspired by a sequence in "Balance of Terror", the conversation between McCoy and Kirk in which the doctor tells the human, "Don't destroy the one named Kirk.")
• Two Kinds of Man April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Inspired by Jacqueline Lichtenberg's novel, House of Zeor set in her Sime universe), this song expresses the feelings of both Sime and Gen in a world where both kinds of man need each other to survive.")
• Realms of Gold April Valentine (lyricist), Kathy Burns (composer) ("Keats said, "Much I have travelled in the realms of gold..." This song is dedicated to ST fandom, for the joy, the feeling of belonging, it gives to all of us.")

Reactions and Reviews

[zine]:

Omicron Ceti Three improved vastly in technical quality with "Only Stars Can Last," as compared to Colors of Love," their first record, and began to experiment with a rock tempo in their music. However, despite the competent playing of [April Valentine], and Kathy Burns, there's energy missing in their overall sound. "Star Lady" overcame this to be a good rocker, but the title piece didn't. Later, when OC3 return to the softer sound which popularized Colors of Love and "Song for the Angel" on the first record, they sound more at home. "Future Dream" and "Going Home" aren't in the folk style but are listenable. "Jonah" has a good rhythm and is singable, and I recommend you sing it.

OC3's other drawback is their habit of drawing song subjects from Contact, for example. In concert, [April Valentine] can explain why McCoy is the subject of the song, but this leads to diverting the audience from the music in concert; there ought to be more comprehensive album notes.

The best part of "Only Stars Can Last" is the vocals. [April Valentine] and Rodney Bonds and Kathy Burns blend well and harmonize well, and the dictation is clear, so the listener can understand the lyrics. The lyrics are included in Starsong, also available from "Contact." "Only Stars Can Last," despite flaws coming from experimenting with style, is worth buying for the many hours of pleasure.