Review Summary: Ignore the haters and give this one a spin, if you already haven’t done so hundreds of times.
GET THE KNACK is a finely crafted album of hard hitting Power Pop that I’ve been enjoying since I was 10 years old. At that age, I was blissfully unaware of all of the controversy surrounding The Knack. Despite its meteoric success in 1979, the band had many detractors who resented their inexplicably fast rise to the top, the tongue-in-cheek marketing nods to The Beatles and the seeming arrogance of their band in not allowing interviews. These controversies have already been more than adequately discussed elsewhere, so let’s focus on the music.
Musically, their energetic sound evokes the mid-60s with their cleaner guitar tones and emphasis on hooks. One early highlight is “Your Number Or Your Name”, which is propelled by the powerful drumming of the late Bruce Gary. His busy, but tasteful approach is quite similar to that of his idol, Keith Moon.
Doug Fieger’s slyly naughty lyrics pepper much of this album. His yearning (and often leering) sexuality makes him sound almost newly pubescent. In fact, some of his lines are quite profane, but his vocal delivery often obscures the actual message. Prime examples would include "(She's So) Selfish", “Siamese Twins (The Monkey & Me)” and the single “Good Girls Don’t”. Whether or not his bawdiness enhances or blemishes this album is a matter of taste.
The Knack will always be best known for their now immortal single “My Sharona”, which was Fieger’s declaration of (then) unrequited lust for a girl he’d known in high school. It’s Bruce Gary’s big beat drumming and the infectious octave skipping main riff that makes this song so unforgettable. Kudos to Berton Averre for his well played extended guitar solo on this track.
“Heartbeat” is a well chosen Buddy Holly cover that The Knack gives a slightly more aggressive rave up. “Siamese Twins (The Monkey & Me)” is Fieger’s strange tale of biologically paired brothers who complain of their plight and petition the listener for separation. Musically, it’s one of the more interesting songs. Another overlooked highlight is the understated “Lucinda” which is a beautiful and perfectly woven pop ballad. "Let Me Out" and "Frustrated" are recommended to those who enjoy the more frenetic songs.
All in all, this is a truly enjoyable Power Pop album which remains timeless to me . Ignore the haters and give this one a spin, if you already haven’t done so hundreds of times.
My personal faves: "My Sharona", "Your Number Or Your Name", "Siamese Twins" & "Lucinda".
