How can anyone give this a "thumbs down"? This is great songwriting and musicianship. In this era one bought an album to get the "hit" and ended up with a lot of crappy filler. "Get The Knack" was an album full of great songs and zero turds.
+DreamcatcherMedia - You are so right. You bought an album for two, if you were lucky, good songs. The rest were shit. This was stacked top to bottom. They might have been better off spreading these songs out over two albums, because the pressure of out-doing the first album with the second led to the band's undoing. This music brings back memories of better times, though.
I remember listening to this song, off a 8-track tape player, while cruising in my neighbors '63 Chevy Impala - May 1980. We couldn't get enough of "The Knack", or drag racing, or pink champale, or skipping school. what a blast the late 70's and early 80's were.
One of the best songs by one of the best pop bands of all time. I played in a band during the reign of The Knack, and nobody in our group could understand how they could stay so TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT during an entire performance. This was when I was going to arena shows by Yes, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin--the biggest and the best--but I never go to see The Knack! The band first got hailed, then berated by the media, and went from an amazing start to a totally undeserved decline. Doug was a fantastic vocalist, Bruce and Prescott were like a timed nuclear bomb, and Berton's guitar work was in awe by every guitarist I knew. I got a cheap black Les Paul guitar copy just because Berton's was the coolest guitar look I had ever seen on an album cover's photos. If these guys came out today, and played the exact same songs, they would still be a huge hit!
A lot of people years and years later kept telling me The Knack were a total scam: they weren't. The record company bullshit was a scam, and the backlash against them was more press-created bullshit. I never got to see them in their heyday, I was quite young, I only wish I had. I think the backlash really got to them, and that second Knack album was simply not as strong as the debut, either. They had trouble keeping that momentum going with all that negative stupid shit being leveled at them since 1979. It's a crying shame. Anway I bought the debut album almost day of release in 1979, and I keep playing it all the time (the remaster CD).
Most of this album was recorded "live" in the studio by Mike Chapman (producer), with very few overdubs...great album, with a very "live" feel as a result....the "My Sharona" guitar solo (album cut) by Berton Averre is one of the hottest, scorching-est solos ever recorded by man!
Exactly! One of the most killer solos ever! 😎 And I only recently came across an interview with Averre from a few years back where he said that the way he played it on Get The Knack was sort of a work in progress! 😯 He kept refining it in live shows later on, and if you find concert footage from late 1979 or during 1980, he claims there are differences from the recorded version that are results of said refinements, and not mistakes or variations for the sake of being slightly different.
I remember laying on my parent's living room floor with head phones on while listening to this album on the RCA console. It was after midnight and the whole family was in bed.
I WAS AT THIS CONCERT IN MIAMI IN '79. WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE COMING OF AGE IN A CITY THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD HADN'T QUITE DISCOVERED YET. MIAMI IN THE 70'S AND EARLY 80'S FOR THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN RAISED THERE WAS HEAVEN ON EARTH. IT'S A SHAME THAT IT'S BECOME THE EAST COAST'S VERSION OF HOLLYWEIRD!!!
Back in the day my friends used to tease me for the music I listened to. Yea, I too was a Zepp and Van Halen fan but I was the only one who enjoyed the Knack (and later bands like the Beastie Boys, etc). I loved Kiss, Nazareth, Steve Miller and all of the other main stream bands but I also loved putting on the big Koss headphones and listening to The Knack, Missing Persons, etc. Now-a-days when my old classmates hear this music being played in a bar or at a gathering they all talk about the "good music" from the "old days". Its too bad it took them 25-30 years to appreciate bands like this.
The Knack, upon seeing all this great work, was a much better band than I remember. Impressed with the talent exhibited in live performances. They are just "out there", doing there thing. No pyro, no lighting, no set. Awesome performance of very real talent. Just a real treat to watch. Thank you for posting this work. I've also watched the UA-cam Mix for The Knack and honestly, there are some great songs in there that Knack fans may have never heard, but will love. Cue it up!
Got the album from the library because triggered by the freakish smiles on the cover...fan since the 80's because of the music. One of the best albums ever, I think.
Miami 1979, I was there. My GF and I had a blast just a fun concert, back then you went to 3 or 4 concerts a month. Back in the good ol days when there was no general admission, it was storm the stage, 1st come best seat. Used to tell my GF just hang on to my belt loop and follow me, we always had frony row seat to the classic bands. Sabbath, Purple, Floyd, etc.
Awesome song! At about 3:38 I was waiting to hear the words sung in that high voice, the lead singer just touched on it a short time. I always loved that part of the song towards the end. It is when they sing...she's gonna cut you down....she's gonna cut you down...taking turns singing it...listen to the original version.
The entire Get the Knack album kicked ass. Sadly, most folks never knew just how great the whole album was. One of the tightest bands in the studio, with hardly a retake. So sad the pressures of bettering themselves on the second album took such a toll on them. Endless strings of concerts and trying to follow up with the next album beat the crap out of them to the point that they couldn't take it anymore.
When I was growing up we used to hear about the payoffs to the radio stations for playing some music and not others -- or the critics had a tin ear. Still, so many people are still enjoying The Knack, even today!
Was a freshman in college when I bought this album in '79. Back then it was all about having your own setup "sound system" with an awesome turntable and of course an expensive phono cartridge and monster speakers (with maybe some shag carpet all over them LOL). Really great album to this day and it stood out being so fresh with a real/live "off grid" feeling to it. Definitely stayed in the rotation and the girls would even slow dance to (this song) after everybody got high. Good memories.
I remember THE KNACK from when I was a kid "My Sherona" made me wanna jump around and do things that made me look really stupid. It was a fresh new sound, the whole new wave thing was was fun and energizing. Watching all their vids now, they remind me of The Who, kinda raw, just being what they were
I recently read an interview with Averre from a few years back. He himself saw The Knack like The Who musically and like The Kinks in stage presence/performance.
They were critically hammered because they had the audacity to name this album Meet the Knack. How dare they compare themselves to the Beatles. At the same time Elvis Costello (my favorite) cops Elvis's name and Buddy Holly's glasses and the critics adore him. It is all so arbitrary and sad.
Sean Kane, The debut was actually titled, "Get the Knack". Still, I see your point. The Back Cover photo features a shot of the band playing live in a TV Studio, much like the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. The late Fieger stated this was supposed to be "tongue in cheek". It was a multiplatinum debut that some 'critics' just had to unjustly tear down.
Basically Peter I agree. Just about ANYTHING they recorded was better. However, without My Sharona there'd have been no airplay. Therefore, that song put them on the map, rock n roll-wise. Ruefully we must accept that.
Great song. Great band. So, so underrated. Bruce Gary's drumming is pure magic.
agree, mate! The drummer is awesome as well as the rest of a band1
I loved that first record..wore the grooves out..RIP Doug and Bruce
an absolutely brilliant song ... from a brilliant band...just amazing.. and a great performance.. thanks for uploading
Love this band. My first LP. Screw the critics.
100%....
How can anyone give this a "thumbs down"? This is great songwriting and musicianship. In this era one bought an album to get the "hit" and ended up with a lot of crappy filler. "Get The Knack" was an album full of great songs and zero turds.
All killer no filler!
All Killer no Filler ! That would be correct a great album .
+DreamcatcherMedia - You are so right. You bought an album for two, if you were lucky, good songs. The rest were shit. This was stacked top to bottom. They might have been better off spreading these songs out over two albums, because the pressure of out-doing the first album with the second led to the band's undoing. This music brings back memories of better times, though.
They've never recorded a bad song though. It was more other things that caused the end. @@charrb62
they are dumb asses....simply as that. and the band is awesome.
I remember listening to this song, off a 8-track tape player, while cruising in my neighbors '63 Chevy Impala - May 1980. We couldn't get enough of "The Knack", or drag racing, or pink champale, or skipping school. what a blast the late 70's and early 80's were.
I love you guys! 😘
From, Lucinda 👱♀️
One of the best songs by one of the best pop bands of all time. I played in a band during the reign of The Knack, and nobody in our group could understand how they could stay so TIGHT TIGHT TIGHT during an entire performance. This was when I was going to arena shows by Yes, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin--the biggest and the best--but I never go to see The Knack!
The band first got hailed, then berated by the media, and went from an amazing start to a totally undeserved decline. Doug was a fantastic vocalist, Bruce and Prescott were like a timed nuclear bomb, and Berton's guitar work was in awe by every guitarist I knew. I got a cheap black Les Paul guitar copy just because Berton's was the coolest guitar look I had ever seen on an album cover's photos.
If these guys came out today, and played the exact same songs, they would still be a huge hit!
A lot of people years and years later kept telling me The Knack were a total scam: they weren't. The record company bullshit
was a scam, and the backlash against them was more press-created bullshit. I never got to see them in their heyday,
I was quite young, I only wish I had. I think the backlash really got to them, and that second Knack album was simply not
as strong as the debut, either. They had trouble keeping that momentum going with all that negative stupid shit being
leveled at them since 1979. It's a crying shame. Anway I bought the debut album almost day of release in 1979,
and I keep playing it all the time (the remaster CD).
I had my heart shattered to pieces by someone named Lucinda, so this is perfect.
Same
Most of this album was recorded "live" in the studio by Mike Chapman (producer), with very few overdubs...great album, with a very "live" feel as a result....the "My Sharona" guitar solo (album cut) by Berton Averre is one of the hottest, scorching-est solos ever recorded by man!
Exactly! One of the most killer solos ever! 😎 And I only recently came across an interview with Averre from a few years back where he said that the way he played it on Get The Knack was sort of a work in progress! 😯 He kept refining it in live shows later on, and if you find concert footage from late 1979 or during 1980, he claims there are differences from the recorded version that are results of said refinements, and not mistakes or variations for the sake of being slightly different.
A great song from a great band
I remember laying on my parent's living room floor with head phones on while listening to this album on the RCA console. It was after midnight and the whole family was in bed.
This has such a great chilled funky feeling. The Knack always
Man I remember when I was a teen and purchased the Knack. Awesome memories
Drummer is just kicking ass here.
Agree
Bruce Gary kicked @$$ on everything. Check out every video of them during his tenure, especially live performances.
Knack was a big part of my life i love real music no autotune or tricks
I WAS AT THIS CONCERT IN MIAMI IN '79. WHAT A GREAT TIME TO BE COMING OF AGE IN A CITY THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD HADN'T QUITE DISCOVERED YET. MIAMI IN THE 70'S AND EARLY 80'S FOR THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN RAISED THERE WAS HEAVEN ON EARTH. IT'S A SHAME THAT IT'S BECOME THE EAST COAST'S VERSION OF HOLLYWEIRD!!!
Amen.
Back in the day my friends used to tease me for the music I listened to. Yea, I too was a Zepp and Van Halen fan but I was the only one who enjoyed the Knack (and later bands like the Beastie Boys, etc). I loved Kiss, Nazareth, Steve Miller and all of the other main stream bands but I also loved putting on the big Koss headphones and listening to The Knack, Missing Persons, etc. Now-a-days when my old classmates hear this music being played in a bar or at a gathering they all talk about the "good music" from the "old days". Its too bad it took them 25-30 years to appreciate bands like this.
Yep yep! All the bands I listened to and would draw on my book covers, have stood the test of time. Tom Petty, The Clash, The Knack,
So true..I remember being called new waver for listening to these guys..Everyones into Van Halen Styx etc etc..I liked The Knack
I like how they all, especially Doug F, seem to be genuinely having a good time and enjoying the music!
The Knack, upon seeing all this great work, was a much better band than I remember. Impressed with the talent exhibited in live performances. They are just "out there", doing there thing. No pyro, no lighting, no set. Awesome performance of very real talent. Just a real treat to watch. Thank you for posting this work.
I've also watched the UA-cam Mix for The Knack and honestly, there are some great songs in there that Knack fans may have never heard, but will love. Cue it up!
One of my favorite songs from of one of my favorite albums. Wish I had seen them live. Very tight.
love this song my name is Lucinda
Great tune! from a great album!!
Got the album from the library because triggered by the freakish smiles on the cover...fan since the 80's because of the music. One of the best albums ever, I think.
WOW! Thanks for posting this. The Knack was a great live band! God bless Doug and Bruce.
this band is one of the greatest!
Thanks for posting. My favorite song off the 1st LP. Pity, they never played it that often.
Impressive bassline, drum impressive, lead guitar, impressive, voice, impressive. One of the best live bands
never realized whata razor sharp band these guys were....
A GREAT pop band .... one of the very best!!!
what luck to get this footage...wish we had youtube in '79...
Miami 1979, I was there. My GF and I had a blast just a fun concert, back then you went to 3 or 4 concerts a month. Back in the good ol days when there was no general admission, it was storm the stage, 1st come best seat. Used to tell my GF just hang on to my belt loop and follow me, we always had frony row seat to the classic bands. Sabbath, Purple, Floyd, etc.
Anton Bellini u must of been cool
underrated band
Taotally agree!!!
Simply The BEST. THE KNACK.
thanks so much for posting this. what a great band.
I was going to post this is one of my favorites but the whole damn album is great.
Excellent sound quality!!!!!!!!!!!!
16 yrs later
Still miss the fuck out of Lucinda
I admit i am a fan. Sorry to hear of Dougs passing two years ago."(She's So) Selfish" was another good one from "Get the Knack".
Love it !
This album helped get through Ha Skrewell. Fantastic album....RIP Bruce and Doug. Youre both missed.
Awesome song! At about 3:38 I was waiting to hear the words sung in that high voice, the lead singer just touched on it a short time. I always loved that part of the song towards the end. It is when they sing...she's gonna cut you down....she's gonna cut you down...taking turns singing it...listen to the original version.
This was my second fave off the album behind Sharona of course
Wow I never knew Doug played the solo on that song!!!! I love the studio solo with the wah wah pedal.
R.I.P. Doug :(:(
The entire Get the Knack album kicked ass. Sadly, most folks never knew just how great the whole album was. One of the tightest bands in the studio, with hardly a retake. So sad the pressures of bettering themselves on the second album took such a toll on them. Endless strings of concerts and trying to follow up with the next album beat the crap out of them to the point that they couldn't take it anymore.
When I was growing up we used to hear about the payoffs to the radio stations for playing some music and not others -- or the critics had a tin ear. Still, so many people are still enjoying The Knack, even today!
Was a freshman in college when I bought this album in '79. Back then it was all about having your own setup "sound system" with an awesome turntable and of course an expensive phono cartridge and monster speakers (with maybe some shag carpet all over them LOL). Really great album to this day and it stood out being so fresh with a real/live "off grid" feeling to it. Definitely stayed in the rotation and the girls would even slow dance to (this song) after everybody got high. Good memories.
The band was so tight! That album is fantastic
One of my favorites of their's. Great live version. Of course I had this album in '79. Jangly power pop was just as important to me as progressive!
These guys were never given the respect due to them..BadAss Band so tight...Thanks Knack
Beautiful!
I WAS THERE FRONT ROW
I remember THE KNACK from when I was a kid "My Sherona" made me wanna jump around and do things that made me look really stupid. It was a fresh new sound, the whole new wave thing was was fun and energizing. Watching all their vids now, they remind me of The Who, kinda raw, just being what they were
I recently read an interview with Averre from a few years back. He himself saw The Knack like The Who musically and like The Kinks in stage presence/performance.
2:54 kicks onward kicks so much ass!
The band that saved the otherwise sterile '80s :):)
I totally forgot about this song.......really weird 30 years later I would name my daughter Lucinda.
Don't laugh our first born was a girl and we name her Lucinda and that was in 1982
AC/DC " Back in Black " 1980
My #1 favorite song. #2 Let Me Out.
Muy buena banda de los 80...!!!
❤️
mine too
oh! by the way, that '63 Chevy was indestructable
Great, but i miss the wah sound in the guitar solo
Je m'apel Lucinda ^^
That fucking drummer....
I wonder why Berton Averre dispensed with the wah-wah here...
I always thought this was one of their better songs.
Third actually after Let Me Out
The opening riff sounds similar to AC/DC Back in Black.
Doug always looks as if he is having the time of his life😅.
They were critically hammered because they had the audacity to name this album Meet the Knack. How dare they compare themselves to the Beatles. At the same time Elvis Costello (my favorite) cops Elvis's name and Buddy Holly's glasses and the critics adore him. It is all so arbitrary and sad.
Sean Kane, The debut was actually titled, "Get the Knack". Still, I see your point. The Back Cover photo features a shot of the band playing live in a TV Studio, much like the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. The late Fieger stated this was supposed to be "tongue in cheek". It was a multiplatinum debut that some 'critics' just had to unjustly tear down.
jasona9 fuck the critics
私は私の隣人「63 Chevyのインパラ- 1980年5月で巡航している間、8トラックテーププレーヤーを離れて聞くことを覚えているこの歌を。 私達は「技巧」の十分を得ることができなかったまたは競争するか、またはピンクのchampale、または省略の学校引張りなさい。 なんと送風70年代後期および1980年代初期がだったか。
Imo a better song than My Sharona
Basically Peter I agree.
Just about ANYTHING they recorded was better. However, without My Sharona there'd have been no airplay. Therefore, that song put them on the map, rock n roll-wise. Ruefully we must accept that.
My Sharona is amazing wtf
lionel messi the singer?
Muy buena banda de los 80...!!!