THE KNACK is BACK! - By Rob Nagy

First came the Beatles then came “The Knack”. Not really, but for 18 months from the summer of 1979 to the spring of 1980, it sure seemed that way. The Knack had come out of nowhere with their smash “My Sharona” which was quickly followed by a string of hits all off their now classic debut “Get The Knack”, selling over 6 million copies world wide catapulting the group to the top of everyone’s play list. Dressed in their simple yet tasteful black pants, white shirts and black ties, this foursome cranked out one amazing pop song after the next. Simple to the ear at first listen but very complex when delved into deeper. Like any great artist “The Knack” made it all sound so simple, the key to their success and, eventually, their downfall.

Originally from Los Angeles, where they were a huge draw in the club circuit, “The Knack”, consisting of lead singer Doug Fieger, lead guitarist Berton Averre, bassist Prescott Niles and drummer Bruce Gary, broke the barrier of the offensive in your face punk era and made it commercially tasteful. By the fall of 1978, thirteen record labels fought tooth and nail to sign the band with Capitol Records winning out in the end. While many of the well established acts were spending huge sums of money to record, “The Knack” produced “Get The Knack” in less than two weeks for a meager $17,000. All twelve tracks were recorded with the band playing live rather than using the standard method of numerous overdubs. Capitol Records exposed the album with lots of fan fair and hype. With this kind of major support and a hypnotic style “The Knack” were destined for success. Rolling Stone Magazine went as far as to refer to them as “The New Fab Four” playing off the musical and fashion similarities of the Beatles when they first arrived on American soil. “A lot of people that listen to our music would say it is deceptively simple”, says Fieger. “It’s really complex and especially to play it well is very, very difficult. Just like classical music, if you alter one little part it doesn’t work. Everything has to be perfect.” “Get The Knack” went gold in only thirteen days and subsequently Platinum in only seven weeks making the album one of the all time fastest records to do so. “My Sharona” flew up the charts reaching number one by August where it remained for over six weeks earning yet another honor when Billboard Magazine named “My Sharona the number one single of 1979. Sold out concerts throughout the U.S. and abroad made superstars of the group. “ I always thought that the band was a good band”, says Fieger. “ I believed we were lucky and blessed, takes a bit of luck but we’ve also never given up. I think that’s the most important thing.” Follow-up singles “Good Girls Don’t” and “Your Number or Your Name” continued to gain “The Knack” lots of airplay. It wasn’t until Led Zepplin came out with their album “Presence” that “Get The Knack” was knocked out of the number one position. The rock-n-roll press was a big part of this blitz, building a momentum that appeared to be unstoppable. America couldn’t get enough of “The Knack”. The bands sophomore effort, “But The Little Girls Understand” was released, instantly achieving Gold status and yielding a top 40 hit “Baby Talks Dirty” finding the band back on tour through the spring of 1980. It wasn’t until a year later that “The Knack” went back into the studio to record their third album “Round Trip”, considered by some to be their most creative and interesting work. By now things were not going well for “The Knack”. The media continually condemned their, one time, heroes finding fault in everything they released following “Get The Knack”. A movement was even started called “Nuke The Knack”. A blatant attack on a band that was so undeserving of this backlash. By 1982, “The Knack” was in disarray and overwhelmed with disdain for an industry that had now become their biggest enemy. “I always thought the band was a good band”, says leader singer Doug Fieger. I wasn’t surprised by what we were able to accomplish. I was surprised, I guess because I was young and naive, and disappointed by how vehement the press became. There always seems to be a certain segment out there that as soon as somebody gets successful they want to tear it down and hurt it for their own sick reasons. It doesn’t say anything about the band, it does say a lot about the people who were doing that and still are.” Three weeks into their 1981 fall tour the band broke up on New Years Day 1982.

Photo and caption by Rob Nagy: The Knack played Philly’s World Café on November 7th along with fellow 1980’s alum Marshall Crenshaw and Naked Eyes. A live high definition video was shot for TV and will be released on DVD. The Knack played to a modest but enthusiastic audience. Included in their 75 minute set were Knack classics “My Sharona”, “Oh Tara”, “Frustrated”, “Your Number Or Your Name” and a reworked rendition of “Tequila” segwaying into the Doors “Break On Through”. Following their show the band signed autographs and met fans .The Knack will hit the road again in the spring 2006. For more information on the band and what they are up to see www.knack.com

All four members went off in their own musical directions some working with a variety of well known musical artists, with Fieger also exploring the production end of the business while dabbling in television. The Knack made an attempt to re-group several times between the mid 80’s and into the 90’s yielding a couple more studio albums, which did little to regain the success they had achieved in earlier years. It wasn’t until the 1994, when “My Sharona” started making noise again after being used in the film “Reality Bites” soundtrack. Without a new record to support and relying on their track record, “The Knack” hit the road playing several dozen cities to hugely enthusiastic crowds and exposing their witty pop songs to a whole new generation. “The Knack” was back, older, wiser and doing what they loved, playing to their hardcore fans, who, continued to hold the band in high esteem. In 1997 “The Knack” did a show at the infamous “Viper Room” in Hollywood catching the attention of Rhino Records. A deal was cut and the band was, again, on a national record label releasing the album “Zoom” and would later put out a greatest hits package “The Very Best Of The Knack”. In spite of their most recent success Fieger is a realist when asked of the state of the record business. “There is no music industry anymore”, says Fieger. “Not in any sense that I can see. We are in a situation and continue to be that a lot of bands of our vintage are in. Record companies don’t find it sexy to market bands of a certain vintage and we’re one of them. There’s this industry that manufactures and markets velveeta cheese. I hear very little music.” Over the next three years two more albums were released “Normal As The Next Guy” in 2001 and “Live From The Rock-n-Roll Funhouse”, the following year. In 2004 a DVD/ documentary was released in honor of the 25th Anniversary of “The Knack” We’ve been doing this for a while”, says Fieger. “We’re pros and know how to do it. Being around 27 years after the band started means something” Fieger jokingly added, “I’m actually starting to hear some improvement. We continue to do this for our fans. This is why we do it. When it is no longer fun I will walk away.”