Nerves, The
One Way Ticket
Formed in 1975 by guitarist Jack Lee, bassist Peter Case, and drummer Paul Collins, the Nerves are one of the most influential garage/punk pop outfits to come out of the mid- 70's LA scene, and certainly one of the least documented... until now. Mostly remembered for their classic "Hanging On The Telephone," a Jack Lee composition which has been covered over the years by a myriad of artists from BLONDIE to L7 to CAT POWER, the Nerves were above all a high energy rock'n'roll band with all three members composing and singing. Playing fast, ear-catching garage pop songs, sometimes wearing matching suits, the trio had more than a bit of the stripped down street energy of the Los Angeles's early punk movement. They shared the stage with the Ramones and Mink Deville during their infamous US "Magical Blistering Tour," played the Punk Palace and the legendary Masque in Hollywood, and headlined shows with the Avengers, the Zeros, The Dils, The Screamers and Shock, to name just a few. After the band's break-up in 1978, Peter Case and Paul Collins formed The BREAKAWAYS, and later went on to front the legendary PLIMSOULS and The BEAT, respectively. Following the success of "Hanging On the Telephone," Jack Lee has mostly focused on his songwriting career, releasing an album in 1981. Both Peter and Paul are still recording and touring. Peter Case's latest album "Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John" (Yeproc 2007) was nominated in 2008 for a Grammy. This collection, approved for the first time ever by the three band members, features the band's 1976 EP, as well as previously unreleased studio and live recordings, and selected material from their post Nerves projects. All remastered and complete with notes and photos.