The Nerves: Best Collection (2LP, red marble vinyl) [THIRD MAN]

Why you'll love it

Two LPs of red marble vinyl from Third Man, billed as the definitive anthology of The Nerves. It starts with the original 'Hanging on the Telephone', the song Blondie took into the charts on Parallel Lines, and runs to 29 tracks of demos and rarities.

This edition

• 2LP set
• Red marble vinyl
• 29 tracks, including demos of 'One Way Ticket' and 'Paper Dolls'

About the album

The Nerves lasted from 1975 to 1978 and put out exactly one record in that time, a four-song EP they put out themselves. Jack Lee, Peter Case and Paul Collins all wrote and sang, Collins also drummed and booked the gigs, and between them they toured the US and Canada, sharing stages with the Ramones along the way.

It doesn't sound like much on paper, but the songs travelled. Blondie covered Lee's 'Hanging on the Telephone', Case went on to front the Plimsouls and Collins the Beat, and the band became a cornerstone of the Los Angeles power pop scene that gave us the Knack. This set gathers the EP with everything else worth hearing, which turns out to be quite a lot for a band that barely got out of the garage.

Tracklist

Listen

Out October 23, 2026 on Third Man Records (cat# TMR1167LPC1).