* En anglais uniquement
They could've been contenders had they stayed together long enough, but
the Nerves, despite their brief existence, were one of the most exciting bands in power pop. Formed by
Jack Lee,
Peter Case, and
Paul Collins in 1975, their career was over by 1978, but they produced a great EP that featured the power pop classic "Hanging on the Telephone," which was later recorded (and brilliantly so) by
Blondie. Ultimately, having three talented songwriters in one band hurried the demise of
the Nerves, and all three principals found greater happiness and success with their new bands; although
Jack Lee (arguably the most talented songwriter of the three) had the shortest career and eventually dropped out of sight after a fine solo record (Jack Lee's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1) in 1981.
Case went on to form
the Plimsouls, who recorded two good records and a transcendent pop song, "A Million Miles Away." After breaking up in 1984,
Case recorded as a roots rock solo act for the rest of the decade and into the '90s.
Collins would later go on to form the Beat (also known as
Paul Collins' Beat). ~ John Dougan