The Knack - Get the Knack

The summer of 1979 belonged to The Knack. Produced by Mike Chapman who was half of the infamous dynamic "Chinnichap"duo with Nicky Chinn. Mr. Chapman had an ear for candy and by gum (bubble gum, baby!) with The Knack he managed to catch lightning in a bottle. The album would go double platinum in the States, and in Canada it would move over 400,000 copies. 

The album was a big deal.

Or so you'd think.

The reality is a little more complicated.

Going back to my teenage years "My Sharona" was the song that propelled the band into the stratosphere. Kids everywhere could play the opening riff, and like "Smoke on the Water" it gave the song a sense of simplicity that belied the song's complex structure and numerous changes. It's a mini masterclass in musical excellence and there are no bum notes or wasted space. You don't even have to hear all of the opening riff to "name that tune." I ate it up until it made me sick, and so did an awful lot of other kids ... the ensuing backlash was swift and unrelenting. From delight to derision "My Sharona" now sucked. Of course I still secretly liked the song, and really liked "Good Girls Don't" a song that should have been huge ... but wasn't.

Of course as a kid with a practically non-existent budget, and rather myopic tastes, the number of records I bought with my practically nonexistent cash was pretty limited - I suppose I could have just said, "I never heard the album back in the day." It's true, I'm only now just hearing it. Truly hearing it.

From the opening track "Let Me Out" penned by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre, who penned seven of the twelve tracks, with Doug writing the rest, except for the band's cover of "Heartbeat" written by Bob Montgomery, Norman Petty and most famously recorded by Buddy Holly the patron saint of power pop, the album races along at a clip dropping one solid song after another.

This isn't what I expected ... I'm not sure what I expected. I suppose I expected a lot of directionless filler ... everything was so good. These guys had something special. The first side closes out with one of my favourite songs ever, "Good Girls Don't" a song that still gets me. Berton's guitar work is stellar on this one, and the riffs here are just perfect. Heck even the simple harmonica part is pure awesomeness.

Flipping the album over "My Sharona" opens with the big drums and riffs, and over time the song that was once derided and overplayed has come full circle and is once again cool and jaw dropping. The guitar work on this song is so tasty, and frankly Berton doesn't get enough credit for carrying so much of the song. For most of us this was the standalone reference point for The Knack. However having listened to the first side, the songs now take on a deeper feeling in context with the other tracks. The first side was so good, and then the band found another gear and didn't seem to be letting up.

Of course, the reality is "My Sharona" is the centrepiece here, and rightly so - but it should never have become the tsunami that swamped the band. It should have been the high tide that floated the band ever higher. Which is what should have happened. I mean, there were millions of people who had heard the album and they must have known how good the band was, even if the single was played to death. 

They should have known better.

Success is a fickle thing.

Time though has a way of sometimes healing old wounds and putting things in their proper place, and with The Knack, the band is now recognized for their contribution to power pop and are viewed much more favourably in hindsight than they were in real time.