Ever since Cat Power's cover of the Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone" has reawakened my obsession with that song, I've been searching for a copy of That's Totally Pop!, the 1992 CD released by the French Revenge label, which includes the Nerves' first 7", Jack Lee's 1981 solo LP, a and Plimsouls EP.
If you have a copy or know where I can find one, please let me know by dropping a comment below. Many thanks.
UPDATE: Ask the Internets, and ye shall receive. I was recently in touch with someone who owned "That's Totally Pop!" and he offered to send me a copy for free. As if that weren't generous enough, today an anonymous donor or donors, known only as Friends of Power Pop, sent me a copy in the mail, entirely unsolicited. That's a little creepy, but it's a thoughtful gesture nonetheless, and I appreciate it.
I've been listening to it pretty regularly for a few weeks now, and...it's a mixed bag. The Nerves' EP is intermittently brilliant. "Hanging on the Telephone" seems to be the same version on the Come Out and Play comp, but it sounds richer somehow--making it merely the best version of the best pop song in history. I admit I'm probably imagining the enhanced sound--but don't even think that another pop song could come close. Just don't.
A live version of "Are You Famous?" sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a well, but I still find it unbelievably haunting and compelling. "Paper Dolls" and "Give Me Some Time" are near-perfect pop nuggets, and I know some people feel the same about "When You Find Out" (here in live and studio versions), but it's not really a personal favorite. Four other, lesser songs round out the EP--good, but not great.
The Plimsouls' songs are a smile-inducing time capsule from the early '80s. I wasn't listening to them back in the day, but their sound--rootsy power pop, with some jangly guitars and Farfisa thrown in for good measure--brings to mind any number of small, earnest, wonderful bands I loved back then. And although they never hit the heights scaled by the Nerves, every song's solid.
Tragically, the same can't be said of Jack Lee's "Greatest Hits, Vol. 1," the solo album that takes up nearly half of "That's Totally Pop!" Given how much I love the Nerves' best work, this was really disappointing. It has all the makings of a neglected classic--unfortunate band-breakup backstory, hubristic title, and a killer cover. It even has some potentially great songs, including four Nerves cuts, most notably a re-recorded "Hanging on the Telephone."
But it's simply not a good record--it's not really power pop and definitely not postpunk. It's just flabby, listless, boring rock. The soul-sucking '80s production hurts even the best songs--"Hanging on the Telephone" is a ghost of its former self. It's depressing, really. I'll always wonder what might have happened had Jack Lee, Peter Case and Paul Collins found a way to keep the Nerves together--hey, they could have been The Knack--but based on "Greatest Hits" it doesn't appear that Jack was cheated out of a great post-Nerves career.
So there you are. If you love the Nerves or the Plimsouls, track down a copy of "That's Totally Pop!"--it'll be worth your while. If you're just curious about Jack Lee's solo work, well, I'd let it go. But the guy did write the greatest song ever--a little respect, OK?
tags: nerves jack lee plimsouls peter case paul collins power pop
