The Nerves are definitely one of those bands that, despite the countless nods they've received from punk celebs, critics and hardcore power pop nerds, have remained relatively unknown and under-appreciated to the general public. Its really not all that surprising considering the band only released one 4-song EP (1976, BOMP! Records) during their brief tenure as a band, but upon taking a closer look at the band's body of recorded work (released and unreleased) you start realizing that The Nerves were probably THEE best power pop band that ever existed. And what's really interesting about this band is that every member of the group was a gifted songwriter. See now... I always thought it was just Peter Case and Paul Collins who wrote all the songs- which would make sense because those were the two that founded their own successful groups afterwards (The Plimsouls and The Beat, respectively). But this is not true...their guitarist, Jack Lee, penned some of the bands most memorable tunes including 'Paper Dolls', 'Hanging on the Telephone' and 'Stand Back and Take a Good Look'. One Way Ticket, the band's first non-bootleg LP ever released, is an attempt to give The Nerves their due by showcasing not only their "hits", but also a good number of live recordings and demos as well. The result is nothing short of breathtaking. Nearly every single track on this LP is 100% pure power pop gold! Get it here.
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