Get the Knack

Last updated

Get the Knack
Get The Knack album cover.JPG
Studio album by
The Knack
ReleasedJune 11, 1979 (1979-06-11)
RecordedApril 1979
StudioThe Record Plant (New York)
Genre
Length40:58
Label Capitol Records
Producer Mike Chapman
The Knack chronology
Get the Knack
(1979)		 ...But the Little Girls Understand
(1980)
Singles from Get the Knack
  1. "My Sharona"
    Released: June 18, 1979 [3]
  2. "Good Girls Don't"
    Released: August 1979

Get the Knack is the debut album by American rock band the Knack, released in June 1979. At the time, the album was one of the most successful debuts in history, selling over one million copies in less than two months and spending five weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Contents

The lead single from the album, "My Sharona", was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks and number one on Billboard's Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. The follow-up single, "Good Girls Don't", reached number 11 on the Hot 100 and followed "My Sharona" to number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. In Billboard magazine's year-end charts, Get the Knack ranked at #16 for 1979, [4] and #72 for 1980. [5]

Background

The Knack formed in Los Angeles in May 1978, and after shopping their demo tape to various record labels without success, the band began playing the local club circuit beginning in June, playing over 50 gigs in the next six months. The band quickly gained a following as word of mouth spread about their energetic shows and musicians such as Ray Manzarek, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen came to their shows and joined the group on stage. By December, thirteen record labels, including some that previously rejected them, were offering recording contracts and the group signed with Capitol Records in January 1979. [6]

Recording

Get the Knack was recorded in just two weeks at a cost of only $18,000, an extremely quick and inexpensive recording at a time when many established artists were spending months and several hundred thousand dollars to record an album. The album was produced by Mike Chapman, who had written hits for Sweet in the early 1970s and most recently produced Blondie's breakout album Parallel Lines . [7]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Smash Hits 5/10 [10]
The Village Voice B− [11]

Get the Knack was released in June 1979 and became an immediate success, thanks in part to an intense promotional campaign by Capitol Records. The Knack's image was largely influenced by the Beatles. The album cover imitates the Beatles' first Capitol LP, Meet the Beatles! , and the back cover photo depicts a scene from the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night . To complete the Beatle imagery, the 1960s Capitol rainbow label adorned the LP, a detail the band had written into its contract. The album obtained a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in just 13 days, becoming Capitol Records' fastest selling debut LP since Meet the Beatles! in 1964. In August, the album reached number one on the Billboard 200, where it remained for five weeks, and was certified platinum by the RIAA for one million copies sold. The lead single, "My Sharona", also met with immediate success, becoming Capitol's fastest selling debut single since the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and staying at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. [12]

A backlash against the Knack's overnight success formed among critics who found the band's image too contrived and their attitude too brash. San Francisco conceptual artist Hugh Brown, who had designed the Clash's Give 'Em Enough Rope album cover, started a "Knuke the Knack" campaign complete with T-shirts, buttons and bumper stickers. Some music writers began to criticize the band for what they perceived as arrogance, hype and a misogynist attitude expressed in their songs. [13] [14] The band's refusal to do interviews was also viewed negatively by the music press. One entertainment weekly, Scene magazine, refused to publish a review of the Knack's concert in Cleveland due to what it called "attempts at censorship" by the band's management. [15]

Robert Christgau of The Village Voice was critical of the album's misogynistic themes and remarked that if the Knack "felt this way about girls when they were unknowns, I shudder to think how they're reacting to groupies." However, Christgau countered critics who had dismissed the band on "purely technical terms", arguing that "if they're less engaging musically than, say, the Scruffs, they have a lot more pop and power going for them than, say, the Real Kids." [11] Billboard critic Dick Nusser was particularly complimentary of tracks such as "Let Me Out", "Maybe Tonight" and "That's What the Little Girls Do", while noting that the pleading song "Oh Tara" indicates that the Knack "aren't strict girl haters." [16]

Legacy

In a retrospective review, AllMusic critic Chris Woodstra wrote that the Knack's attempt to "update the Beatles sound for the new wave era" was "a good idea that was well executed", describing Get the Knack as "at once sleazy, sexist, hook-filled, and endlessly catchy – above all, it's a guilty pleasure and an exercise in simple fun." [8] Trouser Press noted the negative portrayal of the female protagonists of certain songs and singled out "Maybe Tonight" as "bottom-of-the-barrel sap", but praised "My Sharona", "Let Me Out" and "Frustrated" as "tight guitar pop." [17] In 2016, Paste ranked Get the Knack at number 39 on its list of the 50 best new wave albums. [1] Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain listed Get the Knack as one of his 50 favorite recordings. [18]

Re-issues

When the album was initially released on CD in 1989, [19] the song "(She's So) Selfish" had vocals different from the original release, with lyrics like "coming from the quaalude scene" changed to "...lame'o scene". Capitol Records used a censored, alternate version of the track which was requested in certain countries.

The album was re-issued on CD in 2002 as a remastered version true to the original vinyl release. This version included bonus demos of "My Sharona" and "That's What the Little Girls Do", as well as a rehearsal take of "Maybe Tonight". It also included a cover of Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town outtake "Don't Look Back", which the Knack recorded in 1979 but was left off the Get the Knack LP, and a cover of Nick Lowe's "I Knew the Bride". [20] [21] [2] A subsequent CD re-issue was remastered by Iconoclassic Records in 2011. Unlike the previous remaster, the 2011 release contains no dynamic range compression.

In April 2017, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab released an audiophile version of the album on hybrid SACD. [22] This release, like the 2002 Capitol and 2011 Iconoclassic versions, utilizes the original, un-censored mixes.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let Me Out" Doug Fieger, Berton Averre 2:20
2."Your Number or Your Name"Fieger, Averre2:57
3."Oh Tara"Fieger3:04
4."(She's So) Selfish"Fieger, Averre4:30
5."Maybe Tonight"Fieger4:00
6."Good Girls Don't"Fieger3:07
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."My Sharona"Fieger, Averre4:52
8."Heartbeat" Bob Montgomery, Norman Petty 2:11
9."Siamese Twins (The Monkey and Me)"Fieger, Averre3:25
10."Lucinda"Fieger, Averre4:00
11."That's What the Little Girls Do"Fieger2:41
12."Frustrated"Fieger, Averre3:51
Total length:40:58

Personnel

The Knack

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1979–80)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [23] 1
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [24] 1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [25] 36
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [26] 24
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [27] 2
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [28] 39
UK Albums (OCC) [29] 65
US Billboard 200 [30] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1979)Position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [31] 34
Billboard Magazine (USA) [4] 16

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [32] Gold20,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [33] 4× Platinum400,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [34] Gold7,500^
United States (RIAA) [35] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Knack</span> American band

The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, "My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979.

<i>The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl</i> 1977 live album by the Beatles

The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl is a live album by the Beatles, released in May 1977, featuring songs compiled from three performances recorded at the Hollywood Bowl in August 1964 and August 1965. The album was released by Capitol Records in the United States and Canada and on the Parlophone label in the United Kingdom. It was the band's first official live recording. A remixed, remastered, and expanded version of the album, retitled Live at the Hollywood Bowl, was released on 9 September 2016, on CD for the first time, to coincide with the release of the documentary film The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, directed by Ron Howard.

<i>Meet the Beatles!</i> 1964 studio album by the Beatles

Meet the Beatles! is a studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released as their second album in the United States. It was the group's first American album to be issued by Capitol Records, on 20 January 1964 in both mono and stereo formats. It topped the popular album chart on 15 February 1964 and remained at number one for eleven weeks before being replaced by The Beatles' Second Album. The cover featured Robert Freeman's iconic portrait of the Beatles used in the United Kingdom for With the Beatles, with a blue tint added to the original stark black-and-white photograph.

<i>The Beatles Second Album</i> 1964 studio album by the Beatles

The Beatles' Second Album is the second Capitol Records album by the English rock band the Beatles, and their third album released in the United States including Introducing... The Beatles, which was issued three months earlier by Vee-Jay Records. Following its release in April 1964, The Beatles' Second Album replaced Meet the Beatles! at number 1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the US. The album was compiled mostly from leftover tracks from the UK album With the Beatles and the forthcoming UK Long Tall Sally EP, which are predominantly rock and roll and R&B covers, and rounded out with several Lennon-McCartney-penned non-album b-sides and the hit single "She Loves You". Among critics, it is considered the band's purest rock and roll album and praised for its soulful takes on both contemporary black music hits and original material.

<i>Something New</i> (Beatles album) 1964 studio album by the Beatles

Something New is an album by English rock band the Beatles, released in 1964 for the North American market only.

<i>The Early Beatles</i> 1965 compilation album by the Beatles

The Early Beatles is the Beatles' sixth album released on Capitol Records, and their eighth album overall for the American market. All eleven tracks on this album were previously issued on the Vee-Jay Records release Introducing... The Beatles, released in January, 1964. The front cover photo for this album features the same back cover photo for the British LP Beatles for Sale.

<i>Cool for Cats</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Squeeze

Cool for Cats is the second studio album by the English new wave group Squeeze, released in 1979. Cool for Cats contains four UK hit singles, more than any other album the band has issued. The album peaked at number 45 in the UK Albums Chart, spending 11 weeks in that listing.

<i>Street Hassle</i> 1978 studio album by Lou Reed

Street Hassle is the eighth solo studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in February 1978 by Arista Records. Richard Robinson and Reed produced the album. It is the first commercially released pop album to employ binaural recording technology. Street Hassle combines live concert tapes and studio recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Bologna</span> 1979 single by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"My Bologna" is the debut single by American musical parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic, originally released in December 1979. It is a parody of the Knack's hit song "My Sharona". Yankovic originally wrote the lyrics while he attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California; the original version of the parody was recorded in a bathroom across the hall from the campus radio station, KCPR, at which Yankovic had worked as a DJ. The title refers to Bologna sausage, specifically the Oscar Mayer brand popular in the United States. Yankovic sent "My Bologna" to Dr. Demento, who aired the song on his nationwide radio program, The Dr. Demento Show. The song was a hit on the program, and eventually gained the number one spot on Dr. Demento's "Funny Five" countdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Please Mr. Postman</span> 1961 song by the Marvelettes

"Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well. "Please Mr. Postman" became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when The Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100. "Please Mr. Postman" has been covered several times, including by the British rock group the Beatles in 1963. The 2017 song "Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man draws on "Please Mr. Postman" and includes a credit for Brian Holland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Sharona</span> 1979 single by the Knack

"My Sharona" is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, Get the Knack. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, where it remained for six weeks, and was number one on Billboard's 1979 Top Pop Singles year-end chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Band on the Run (song)</span> 1974 single by Paul McCartney and Wings

"Band on the Run" is a song by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, the title track to their 1973 album Band on the Run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Fieger</span> American singer-songwriter

Douglas Lars Fieger was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the rock band the Knack. He co-wrote "My Sharona," the biggest hit song of 1979 in the U.S., with lead guitarist Berton Averre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Girls Don't</span> 1979 single by the Knack

"Good Girls Don't" is a 1979 hit single written by Doug Fieger and released by the rock band The Knack, off their album Get the Knack. It was the follow-up to the group's number-one hit single, "My Sharona". "Good Girls Don't" was a No. 1 hit in Canada. It reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 in Record World, and #11 in Cash Box, as well as No. 66 on the United Kingdom chart. It also reached No. 20 in New Zealand. The song has since been covered by a number of artists, including The Chipmunks, Ben Folds, The Chubbies, and The McRackins.

The Beatles experienced huge popularity on the British record charts in early 1963, but record companies in the United States did not immediately follow up with releases of their own, and the Beatles' commercial success in the US continued to be hampered by other obstacles, including issues with royalties and public derision toward the "Beatle haircut".

<i>...But the Little Girls Understand</i> 1980 studio album by the Knack

...But the Little Girls Understand is the second studio album by power pop/new wave group the Knack, released by Capitol Records in February 1980. The album reached the number 15 spot on the Billboard 200 album chart in 1980. The singles "Baby Talks Dirty" and "Can't Put a Price on Love" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 38 and No. 62, respectively. The song "Mr. Handleman" was released as a single in some countries, such as New Zealand. Guitarist Berton Averre has stated that "Mr. Handleman" was the first song he and lead singer Doug Fieger wrote together. The RIAA certified the album as Gold on April 14, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baby Talks Dirty</span> 1980 single by The Knack

"Baby Talks Dirty" is a 1980 Top 40 single written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre from the Knack's second album, ...But the Little Girls Understand. Like the album it was taken from, "Baby Talks Dirty" fell short of the success of its predecessors.

Rarities is the name of two separate and unrelated compilation albums by the English rock band the Beatles. The first was released in the United Kingdom in December 1978, while the second album was issued in the United States in March 1980.

"(She's So) Selfish" is a hit song written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre that was first released by the Knack on their #1 debut album Get the Knack in 1979. It also appeared on a number of live and compilation albums. It was intended for release as a single, but was prevented by its "scatological" lyrics. It was inspired by the same woman who inspired the band's #1 single "My Sharona." It was praised by critics for its hooks and style, but criticized for its nastiness and sexism.

"Your Number or Your Name" is a song written by Doug Fieger and Berton Averre that was first released by the Knack as the second track on their No. 1 debut album Get the Knack in 1979. It also appeared on a number of live and compilation albums.

References

  1. 1 2 "The 50 Best New Wave Albums". Paste . September 8, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide. Not Lame Recordings. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-9797714-0-8.
  3. ↑ ""My Sharona" - the Knack".
  4. 1 2 "Top Album Artists of the Year". Billboard Magazine. 91: TIA-12 (insert). December 22, 1979.
  5. ↑ "Number One Awards: Pop Albums". Billboard Magazine. 92: TIA-12 (insert). December 20, 1980.
  6. ↑ McKenna, Kristine (December 3, 1978). "The Knack and How to Do It". Los Angeles Times . p. 94.
  7. ↑ McCullaugh, Jim (August 4, 1979). "Knack Rides Charts with $18,000 Album". Billboard . Vol. 91, no. 31. p. 62. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Woodstra, Chris. "Get the Knack – The Knack". AllMusic . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Nelson, Chris (2004). "The Knack". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  462–63. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ↑ Starr, Red (August 9–22, 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits . Vol. 1, no. 18. p. 25.
  11. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (September 3, 1979). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  12. ↑ Atkinson, Terry (October 18, 1979). "The Knack: yesterday...and today". Rolling Stone . pp. 32, 35–37.
  13. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (July 29, 1979). "A Knack on the Door for L.A. Rock". Los Angeles Times . p. L1.
  14. ↑ McKenna, Kristine (July 29, 1979). "Knack: A Dissenting View". Los Angeles Times . p. L64.
  15. ↑ Ed (October 11–17, 1979). "Live Wire". Scene .
  16. ↑ Nusser, Dick (July 28, 1979). "The Knack: Get the Knack". Billboard . Vol. 91, no. 30. pp. 52, 66. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  17. ↑ Robbins, Ira; Sandlin, Michael. "Knack". Trouser Press . Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  18. ↑ Cross, Charles R.; Gaar, Gillian G.; Gendron, Bob; Martens, Todd; Yarm, Mark (2013). Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. p. 56. ISBN   978-0-7603-4521-4.
  19. ↑ "CD Album - The Knack - Get The Knack - Capitol - USA". 45worlds. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  20. ↑ Woodstra, Chris. "Get the Knack [Bonus Tracks] – The Knack". AllMusic . Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  21. ↑ Guterman, Jimmy (2005). Runaway American Dream: Listening to Bruce Springsteen. Da Capo Press. pp.  109–110. ISBN   978-0-306-81397-9.
  22. ↑ "The Knack – Get The Knack (Numbered Hybrid SACD)". Music Direct. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  23. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). Australian Chart Book. p. 169. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  24. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4411a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Knack – Get the Knack" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Knack – Get the Knack" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Knack – Get the Knack". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Knack – Get the Knack". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Billboard 200". Billboard . August 11, 1979. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1979 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand . Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  32. ↑ "International Dateline - Australia" (PDF). Cash Box . September 15, 1979. p. 57. Retrieved December 1, 2021– via World Radio History.
  33. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – The Knack – Get the Knack". Music Canada . Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  34. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – The Knack – Get the Knack". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  35. ↑ "American album certifications – The Knack – Get the Knack". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 4, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.