Pitchfork

Photo by Patty Heffley

L.A. power pop trio the Nerves are best known for writing "Hanging on the Telephone", which was famously covered by Blondie (and, later, L7 and Cat Power, among others). The Nerves were only a band for a few years (from 1975-1978), and that-- plus the fact that their only recorded output is a four-song, self-titled EP-- has led them to be largely overlooked in the discussion of proto-new wave pop music.

Alive Records has decided to bring the Nerves back into the public consciousness by unearthing their 1976 EP and supplementing it with a bunch of lesser-known tracks by the Nerves and the members' other bands on a compilation called One Way Ticket. The collection includes demos, previously unreleased live tracks, and tunes by guitarist Jack Lee and post-Nerves acts the Breakaways and the Plimsouls, all remastered for this release.

One Way Ticket is out now in a limited vinyl edition (with the first 1,000 copies on yellow vinyl), and in CD and digital formats bundled with two bonus tracks. Each version of the release features different cover art.

One Way Ticket:

01 One Way Ticket
02 Paper Dolls
03 Hanging on the Telephone
04 When You Find Out
05 Working Too Hard
06 Give Me Some Time
07 The Breakaways: "Walking Out on Love"
08 The Plimsouls: "Thing of the Past"
09 Jack Lee: "It's Hot Outside"
10 Many Roads to Follow (demo)
11 Are You Famous? (live, "Magical Blistering Tour")
12 Why Am I Lonely? (live, "Magical Blistering Tour")
13 You Won't Be Happy (live, "Magical Blistering Tour")
14 Any Day Now (live, "Magical Blistering Tour")
15 Letter to G. (live, "Magical Blistering Tour")
16 Come Back and Stay (live, "Magical Blistering Tour")
17 I Need Your Love (live, "Magical Blistering Tour")
18 Stand Back and Take a Good Look (demo)
19 Are You Famous (demo) *
20 Letter to G. (demo) *

* CD/digital bonus track