Your voice across the line gives me a strange sensation

Friday is usually the time on Hot Rox when I post a few mp3s for my dozen of readers. Today is Friday, but I'm here and my songs are there, so I can't really post any songs. but with the help of youtube, I will post a few of my favorite versions of one of my favorite songs ever: "Hanging On The Telephone", originally by The Nerves.



The Nerves - Hanging On The Telephone (1976, s/t EP)
The Original version and still the best. The Nerves only released one four song EP during their time together, but it was one of the blueprints for modern (post-punk) power pop. The band included Peter Case (future Plimsouls leader), Paul Collins (future Beat leader), and Jack Lee (mostly known as the guy who wrote "Hanging On The Telephone").

Paul Collins & Peter Case - Hanging On The Telephone (live 2007)
Performed earlier this year at an in-store at Antones Records in Austin, TX during SxSW. This shows that Peter and Paul may be a little wider around the middle and thinner on top thirty years after the Nerves, but they still know how to Rock.

Blondie - Hanging On The Telephone (1979, Dutch TV)
The most famous and best known version of "HOTT" is the hit version by Blondie. This was the first song on the first side of Parallel Lines (1978), an album that will always remind me of those awkward junior high years. It's great how "HOTT" can be covered by a chick singer without any gender modifications.

Cat Power - Hanging On The Telephone (2005, Cingular ad)
Even Chan Marshall couldn't mess up "HOTT". This sounds like a cover-of-a-cover based on Blondie's version. This was supposed to come out on Cat Power's new album of covers (hasn't she already done one or two of those?) but isn't listed on the tracklist. The ad is no longer in rotation since Cingular (the company) no longer exists (they're the new AT&T), so this version is probably lost forever, which is too bad.

Def Leppard - Hanging On The Telephone (2006)
Really? Def Leppard covered this song? Yeah they did, on last year's album of covers, and it's pretty good. The other selections on that album also look interesting, even though no one should be allowed to cover "Waterloo Sunset" without a written recommendation byRay Davies.

Bonus clip - How to play "Hanging On The Telephone"