Amplifier #31, July/August 2002

The Knack
Get the Knack
But the Little Girls Understand
Round Trip
Serious Fun
EMI Capital

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It's a Knack four-pack: EMI has reissued the band's first four albums, 1979's Get the Knack, 1980's But the Little Girls Understand, 1981's Round Trip, and 1991's Serious Fun. The original albums have been remastered, and bolstered by the inclusion of four to five bonus tracks each.

Given what has been released in the intervening 20+ years (Eminem, anybody?) the outrage over the lyrical content of Get the Knack seems rather misplaced. In hindsight, Doug Fieger and company weren't misogynistic-they were simply horny and frustrated. Get the Knack was-and remains-a near textbook definition of power pop, no more, no less; the remastered sound only serves to underscore the punch and power behind the band's classic two guitars, bass, drums approach. The "My Sharona" writing demo, included as a bonus track, proves the unstoppable power of that relatively simply riff-even performed here on an acoustic guitar, it is utterly irresistible. "Don't Look Back," a gift from Bruce Springsteen to the band (that Jon Landau ultimately refused to allow to be included on the original Get the Knack LP) is a rock and roll tour de force.

But the Little Girls Understand had three strikes against it upon its release: the growing "Knuke the Knack" backlash; the fact that it followed Get the Knack by a mere eight months; and its close musical resemblance to its predecessor. In retrospect, while the album suffered by the inevitable comparisons to Get the Knack, it is a cohesive, solid work in its own right. Two of the four bonus tracks-"Soul Kitchen" and "Alabama Song/Whiskey Bar," both recorded live with guest Ray Manzarek at L.A.'s Troubadour-highlight the Knack's heretofore hidden penchant for extended blues jams.

Round Trip was, indeed, a change of pace musically for the band; sadly, by that point the damage had been done. Which is truly a shame, because Round Trip featured some transcendent moments: the neo-Buddy Holly pop and roll of "Just Wait and See," or the pseudo-Steely Dan jazz/pop of "Lil' Cal's Big Mistake," for example. "Go Away, Stay Away," included here as a bonus track, is an unapologetic, if sugarcoated, kiss-off to an ex-lover.

Finally, Serious Fun, recorded with drummer Billy Ward replacing Bruce Gary, found the band striving for a heavier sound, with mixed results. "Rocket of Love" and "One Day at a Time," however, rank with the best of the band's previous work. Bonus track "A Prayer" finds Doug Fieger doing his best Freddy Mercury imitation (and very nearly pulling it off.) Serious Fun would be the last heard from the Knack until 1998's Zoom-which will itself be reissued later this year.

-- Rick Schadelbauer