It's one of life's strange little ironies, because when The Knack and their scaled down power-pop emerged from southern California in 1978, they were hyped as the saviours of rock 'n' roll. They, along with other New Wave rock/pop bands of their era like The Cars, were expected to save the world from the syrupy string and horn sections of disco.

And The Knack did deal a major blow to disco. Their first single, My Sharona, was such a ubiquitous hit in 1979 that even regular disco club-

goers couldn't escape from it as it went on to sell about 10 million copies worldwide. There was just no avoiding that song on the radio, or hearing it blare from the stereo systems of pumped-up muscle cars on city streets and beaches.

But the quick success of My Sharona ultimately conspired against the band. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll says music critics slagged the popularity of what they saw as a sexist school-boy rock band, singing songs with titles like Good Girls Don't and That's What the Little Girls Do. Added to that was the fact the band refused to do interviews until 1981 -- leading some reporters to believe the band was hiding something during those early years.

Club-goers on the L.A. music scene were mad at The Knack as well, because they felt that better, more daring bands got less attention in the wave of My Sharona.

Quicker than you can say "crash and burn," The Knack disbanded in 1982 thanks to band in-fighting, poor management and unsuccessful attempts to shake a fan backlash caused by their image problems.

But now The Knack is back in the spotlight, and winning back fans, thanks mainly to the resurrection of My Sharona in the 1994 movie Reality Bites. Four years later, they have a new album called Zoom with a new drummer (ex-Frank Zappa skin pounder Terry Bozzio) on the L.A.-based nostalgia-oriented label, Rhino Records. The band stops at Barrymore's on Tuesday to promote that record, and play all the older hits.

And despite all indications to the contrary, lead singer/rhythm guitarist Doug Fieger, 46, feels the band never really lost the knack of drawing crowds.

"We had enormous success at the beginning, but we had continued success to now," he said from a cell phone as The Knack's tour van barrelled down Interstate 76 in Colorado, east of Denver.

"The third album (1982's Round Trip) was on the way to being a success when we broke up," he added. "Seven years ago we (got back together and) released a new album (Serious Fun) that had a Top Five track off of it (Rocket O' Love), and it was on its way to being very successful when our record company shelved it. So we had some bad luck, and we've had some bad experiences."

The band's early tour diaries, which are available through the Rhino Records web page on the Internet (www.rhino.com), seem to back up Fieger's statements about being at the mercy of other forces, including management.

For instance, there's this entry by lead guitarist Berton Averre:

Aug. 15, 1978 (Lancaster, California): "After our set, Scott Anderson, one of our managers, got into a shouting match with the owner of the (Wooden Nickel) Club, who wanted us to play a second set. On top of that, Scott got into a fight with Timmy Prior, our other manager, who thought we should play the second set. It became so heated, Timmy ended up quitting right there. It was a crazy night. I don't think I'm ever going to forget the club owner screaming at Scott, 'Do you really think this band is worth $ 150?' "

Or take this entry by bassist Prescott Niles:

Feb. 20, 1980 (Sapporo, Japan): "All of us are wondering why our management scheduled this second tour of Japan. The Grammy Awards aired tonight, and, because we're nominees in two categories, we probably would have played, but our management turned down the request! So, instead of being seen by millions of people on TV in America, we played before a few hundred people in Sapporo. ... Things feel wrong."

Things feel right now, Fieger said, noting that he still enjoys touring and rocking out almost 20 years after the band's heyday. (And, who knows, they might unknowingly help to stave off a new wave of disco, as the polyester era threatens to re-emerge. That's thanks to nostalgic new movies like 54 and at least one TV show -- That '70s Show -- glorifying that period's music.)

Fieger doesn't even mind stuttering out his trademark M-M-M-My Sharona after all these years.

"It's one of the biggest records of all time and it's certainly been very good to us," he said. "Because it is a phenomenon, and because it has been so successful -- and has been for so long -- it does overshadow all our other accomplishments.

"Sometimes (I feel) that's unfortunate and maybe unfair, but I certainly don't regret it in any way. I love the song and I love performing it. And I love the fact that people respond to it as well as they do, and have for as long as they have."

The Knack gained a new, younger fan base when My Sharona was used in Reality Bites, a Generation X romantic comedy. After the movie came out, the song re-entered the pop charts, becoming only the 10th former number-one song to do so.

Quentin Tarantino had also asked to put My Sharona on the soundtrack of Pulp Fiction during the film's controversial homosexual rape scene. Fieger said he loved Tarantino's work, but the band decided to put the song in the angst-ridden Reality Bites instead.

Fieger said he's upbeat about the new album, which has its share of straight-ahead rockers with a tinge of Byrds-style Rickenbacker 12-string guitar.

The album also marks a venture into new territory, with a few country-rock tunes tossed in. You Gotta Be There and In Blue Tonight feature Eagles-like harmonizing a la Take It Easy.

He thinks Zoom eclipses anything the band has done in the past -- even Get The Knack, their debut album, which sold six million copies worldwide and has you-know-what-song on it.

"I think the new album is the best record we ever made," he said. "I don't prefer it over (the older albums), I just think it's a better crafted record. We've improved as songwriters. Prescott is now writing, as well as Berton and I. I think we've improved as musicians. Terry Bozzio is a great addition to the band, and I think we do what we do better than we've ever done it."

He promises a good time for fans who may have lost touch with the band for the last 20 years or so. "We will rock your house, man."

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