THE NERVES - BEST COLLECTION Anthology Set for Release on Third Man Records

Third Man Records has announced the release of THE NERVES – BEST COLLECTION, a definitive anthology from power pop pioneers The Nerves, timed to the 50th anniversary of the Los Angeles-based trio's self-titled 1976 EP, the only official release of their brief lifespan. The collection gathers 66 minutes of studio, live, and demo recordings, compiled in close association with surviving members Paul Collins and Peter Case along with the late Jack Lee's daughter Cynthia.

Unlike previous anthologies that often relied on secondary copies or rips from vinyl and CDs, Third Man located The Nerves' original source recordings, now newly mastered or remastered by Warren Defever at Third Man Mastering in Detroit, especially for this release. As a result, THE NERVES – BEST COLLECTION features the definitive versions of these tracks as they were originally intended, many of which have not been heard since the day they were recorded.

Highlights include Case's chiming classic 'When You Find Out' – later reimagined by Case with The Plimsouls and covered by such artists as Graham Coxon and Peter Bjorn and John – which premiered today at all DSPs and streaming services alongside an official music video featuring rare archival footage streaming now on YouTube.

THE NERVES – BEST COLLECTION arrives digitally via Third Man Records and on CD and limited-edition 2xLP colored vinyl, both with exclusive new liner notes by Peter Case, on Friday, October 23. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now.

'We were making a big, loud, exciting racket, doing our own songs. It sounded strange and familiar all at once, and we were high on it.' – Peter Case, The Nerves

Formed in San Francisco by the late Jack Lee (guitar), Peter Case (bass), and Paul Collins (drums) in 1974 and later based in Los Angeles, The Nerves proved – for but a brief, shining moment – to be one of the most exhilarating and influential bands in the annals of power pop, bridging proto-punk energy and jangly melodies with a fierce DIY spirit. Boasting three incredibly gifted songwriters, the band made rock 'n' roll history with their eponymous 1976 EP, released on Greg Shaw's iconic Bomp! Records label and featuring four now-classic tracks including Lee's 'Hanging on the Telephone,' made famous, two years later, by Blondie on their breakthrough third album, Parallel Lines.

Without any record company support, The Nerves took the bull by the horns and booked their own national tour – unheard of in those days – and traveled across America playing shows with such peers as Devo, Pere Ubu, DMZ, and the Ramones. 27,000 miles later, the band returned to L.A. and recorded what would've been their next single, 'One Way Ticket' and 'Paper Dolls,' but that old demon, creative differences, interceded and The Nerves called it a day before the punk and new wave explosion that might've made them household names.

Case and Collins carried on as The Breakaways, recording a number of songs originally intended for The Nerves and included on THE NERVES – BEST COLLECTION before themselves imploding. All three founding members of The Nerves went on to lead their own singular careers, Lee as a songwriter and solo artist, Case both with The Plimsouls and his own acclaimed solo body of work, and Collins as frontman of The Beat and The Paul Collins Beat.

Now, five decades after leaving their fleeting but everlasting mark, THE NERVES – BEST COLLECTION does long overdue justice to a landmark canon of rock 'n' roll songs, finally remastered and united on Third Man's definitive edition. THE NERVES – BEST COLLECTION is set for release Friday, October 23, 2026 via Third Man Records.

Tracklist

Side A

Hanging on the Telephone

When You Find Out

Give Me Some Time

Working Too Hard

Are You Famous

Letter To G

Side B

Day In and Day Out

You Won't Be Happy

Stand Back and Take a Good Look

Many Roads to Follow

Why Am I Lonely?

Come Back and Stay / I Need Your Love

Any Day Now

Will You Come Through?

Side C

One Way Ticket

Paper Dolls

Walking Out on Love

House on the Hill

Little Suzy

Radio Station

Everyday Things

Do You Wanna Love Me?

Side D

Things Of The Past

I Don't Fit In

USA

Let Me Into Your Life

I Need Your Love

One Way Ticket

Paper Dolls

Photo Credit: Paul Collins Archives / Download Hi-Res Image

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