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Post by jrmugz on Apr 3, 2016 13:01:32 GMT
Firstly, no, that's not an oxymoron title for this thread, believe it or not. Outside of their famous hits, they have some amazing stuff that nobody has to feel guilty for enjoying. ha ha
Secondly, OK 21 songs is a lot, but there were so many good ones to choose from, and since it's probably the only Knack one I'll ever do, and trust me, there is no boring songs here at all, ...
And plus, in acknowledgement that those who enjoy the Knack's two or three famous songs should probably be 21 or over. ba-doomkshhh!!!!
Thirdly, all of our congratulations to Doug Feiger for the world's most crap-eating smile on a famous album cover award, for their infamous first album "Get the Knack", which probably coupled with their raunchy lyrics, and disdain for the reporters, and massive radio overplay, contributed to making the subsequent "Knuke The Knack" campaign so successful in bringing them down after their "Get the Knack" album that went platinum six times over, thanks primarily to one Ms. Sharona.
Fourthly, for my review, the general is below, and might give a song by song on a subsequent post.
Star Rating: 4.5 out for 5 Prime Cuts: "Disillusion Town", "Oh Tara", "One Day at a Time", "Can't Put a Price on Love" Bottom Line: To me, they lived up to The Beatles as far as their good clean songs, which to me are second to none.
For their famous first album "Get the Knack", I have zero use for "My Sharona", or any of the songs past the third song. OK, of course I admit I enjoy the guitar solo of "My Sharona" like everyone else, but other than that, I absolutely completely hate that song, as I do their other couple famous songs. ("Good Girls Don't", "She's So Selfish")
Likewise, on their other albums, for my personal listening, I pluck out all the golden good clean gems (and there an a LOT of them), and can give a crap less about any filthy songs (and there are usually at least 2 or 3 of those on their albums, thankfully (for my tastes) not quite as prevalent as on their first album, it seems like).
"Can't Put a Price on Love"
"Let Me Out"
"Oh Tara"
"Sweet Dreams"
"One Day at a Time"
"You Gotta Be There"
"Love Is All There Is"
"Everything I Do"
"Pop is Dead"
"Ambition"
"Just Wait and See"
"Africa"
"Another Lousy Day in Paradise"
"Don't Look Back" (written by Bruce Springsteen)
"Disillusion Town"
"Normal as the Next Guy"
"Man on the Beach" (a tribute song to Brian Wilson, written by Knack guiatarist Berton Averre)
"World of My Own"
"Seven Days of Heaven"
"End of the Game"
"I Want Ya"
Bonus song, way too awesome to pass up: "You're Number or Your Name"
Jim
PS The documentary is fasicniating, and interesting to me. Starts out with Sharona herself and all about that song, and goes on to be a great documentary. Craziest story of any band ever from going to the most loved to the most scorned band both overnight.
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Post by queenofthehours on Apr 3, 2016 18:36:02 GMT
I'm a bit behind in my reviews so hopefully I'll hear this soon.
I only know about one Knack song so this should be interesting.
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Post by dillwyn on Apr 3, 2016 18:51:26 GMT
I've bought the two singles (my sherona and good girls don't) when they first came out .... these guys fell off the radar almost immediately from uk and i know there is a backstory to that ...which maybe that documentary will help fill in.
most of these videos aren't playable from where I am ... i think I only got through to about 5 of them.
I've only played them once so will hold my review (and not the documentary) until I've listened more ...so far very very tight energetic band... great great drummer from these 5 already.
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 3, 2016 22:58:31 GMT
Yeah, dillwyn, the documentary mentions how he (Bruce Gary) was one of Rock's greatest drummers. He really was amazing, and a sheer delight for a lot of Knack songs. Jim
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Post by Chippa on Apr 4, 2016 16:49:18 GMT
Jeff Lynne and Doug Fieger were good friends, up until the time of Doug's untimely death. Attachment Deleted
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 4, 2016 21:16:27 GMT
I think him and Ringo were buddies too, I don't know if maybe from one of Ringo's all star gigs or something; but I got the idea they were close from something I read once.
Feiger was a great tunesmith, especially he and Berton Averre combined. But a tune like "Oh Tara", just amazing, that he wrote by himself, same with "Sweet Dreams", great Lennon imitation on that one.
Jim
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Post by 88keys on Apr 7, 2016 2:39:12 GMT
21 songs is quite a marathon, but I'll give these a roll pretty soon.
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 7, 2016 3:30:04 GMT
21 songs is quite a marathon, but I'll give these a roll pretty soon. No such thing as a boring Knack tune, so have no worries. Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 7, 2016 21:16:49 GMT
Hey guys, here is a cheat sheet for your review, since 21 songs is obnoxious. Ha ha. Jim 01. "Can't Put a Price on Love" - 02. "Let Me Out" - 03. "Oh Tara" - 04. "Sweet Dreams" - 05. "One Day at a Time" - 06. "You Gotta Be There" - 07. "Love Is All There Is" - 08. "Everything I Do" - 09. "Pop is Dead" - 10. "Ambition" - 11. "Just Wait and See" - 12. "Africa" - 13. "Another Lousy Day in Paradise" - 14. "Don't Look Back" (written by Bruce Springsteen) - 15. "Disillusion Town" - 16. "Normal as the Next Guy" - 17. "Man on the Beach" (a tribute song to Brian Wilson, written by Knack guiatarist Berton Averre) - 18. "World of My Own" - 19. "Seven Days of Heaven" - 20. "End of the Game" - 21. "I Want Ya" - bonus, 22. "You're Number or Your Name" -
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 7, 2016 21:36:03 GMT
OK, here is my breakdown of the songs. Looking forward to everyone else's feedback as well. 01. "Can't Put a Price on Love" - Awesome "Beast of Burden" type tune with great hooks and bridge. I can see John Mayer covering this one brilliantly, he really should. 02. "Let Me Out" - Killer opener track to their first album. 03. "Oh Tara" - Love this one way better than "My Sharona". I am an "Oh Tara" type of Knack fan, not a "My Sharona" type of Knack fan. Killer guitar solo break on this one. 04. "Sweet Dreams" - Awesome Lennon imitation, great unique song. 05. "One Day at a Time" - Fantastic AA song and applies to relationships as well; great stuff, very inspiring awesome Knack tune. 06. "You Gotta Be There" - Very nice ballad about how love is spelled T-I-M-E. Love it. 07. "Love Is All There Is" - This one has Beatles and Badfinger written all over it, with Berton Averre doing his magic on a beautiful guitar solo. Like the vocal harmonizing. 08. "Everything I Do" - Yes! Beatles forever, they really carry on the tradition here, very McCartneyesque. 09. "Pop is Dead" - Just love the guitar rhythm on this one. Great stuff. 10. "Ambition" - Power tune, with a killer chorus. Love the chorus, strong tune written by Doug Feiger and Stan Lych of Tom Petty fame, I believe. 11. "Just Wait and See" - There they go again, sounding like The Beatles in a believable way for this unique fun pop song. Like the unique guitar solo. 12. "Africa" - Is the guitar solo in this one better than "My Sharona"? Maybe not as spontaneous, but maybe better. Like the tropical feel of this one, and if I had a radio show, there is no question the opening of this song would be my bumper music. Perfect bumper music for a talk show, surprised nobody has used it for that yet. 13. "Another Lousy Day in Paradise" - Fun song with a deep lyric of how fame is fleeting, something they had certainly experienced by the time this one came out on their third album, "Round Trip". 14. "Don't Look Back" (written by Bruce Springsteen) - Just a good as you would expect a Knack song written by Bruce Springsteen to be. Great rock track. 15. "Disillusion Town" - I think this one is my favorite song by them, because it's so hooky with the guitar, and the lyric goes down as a very sincere prayer, to me. 16. "Normal as the Next Guy" - Nice comedy break, love the "Let me in Wilma..." part at the end, hilarious stuff. 17. "Man on the Beach" (a tribute song to Brian Wilson, written by Knack guiatarist Berton Averre) - Nice piano ballad tribute to Brian Wilson, can hear the Mike Love and "Surf's Up" influences in it. 18. "World of My Own" - Whatever it is about this song, the chorus is really catchy! 19. "Seven Days of Heaven" - Perhaps their most Beatlesque song; a really great one on their last album "Normal As the Next Guy". 20. "End of the Game" - Fun blistering rocker from their second album. Love it. 21. "I Want Ya" - Also from their second album, I really like the tribute to "Not Fade Way", when he sings "love isn't fade away", kind of like "love is real, not fade away". As in, the imperfect grammar gives it a unique effect. 22. "Your Number or Your Name" - Very fun song, where the symbol percussion just bashes through the whole thing. Sheer delight. Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 7, 2016 21:37:28 GMT
Come on, who is going to join the fun with a review first? Jim
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Post by Chippa on Apr 9, 2016 18:52:35 GMT
01. "Can't Put a Price on Love" - A little like an old Squeeze song. Cool R&B flavor. 02. "Let Me Out" – Definitely has the late 70’s/early 80’s new wave thing going on in droves. Where’s my skinny tie…..? 03. "Oh Tara" – Not memorable, but it’s okay. 04. "Sweet Dreams" – The song has a very obvious Lennon influence, with some George Harrison-like guitar thrown in for good measure. 05. "One Day at a Time" – Almost sounds like that Heart song “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You”, especially since the lead vocals sound like a female singing. 06. "You Gotta Be There" – Decent ballad, with a sweet melody. Good vocals, too. 07. "Love Is All There Is" – More melodic power pop, with some Beatle-fueled chords. 08. "Everything I Do" – I think I’ve heard this. Really nice McCartney style balladry. 09. "Pop is Dead" – Pop isn’t dead, it’s just got the sniffles. Interesting lyrical idea. Ok song, overall. 10. "Ambition" – A little bit generic, honestly. 11. "Just Wait and See" – This is the first song that actually sounds like The Knack of “My Sharona” fame. Also, a bit of The Raspberries thrown in. 12. "Africa" – Not the Toto song, but another song titled “Africa” that sounds like mid-80’s British blue eyed soul/ new wave meets Steely Dan. 13. "Another Lousy Day in Paradise" – Good backing vocals. But the song itself is just kinda there. 14. "Don't Look Back” – Definitely has that arena fist-pumping anthem feel to it. 15. "Disillusion Town" – Good chorus. But overall, not something I’d listen to again. 16. "Normal as the Next Guy" – Sort of hearkens back to some 70’s Alice Cooper. Very clever lyrics, with some funny pop culture references. Never thought I’d hear Shaq and Eugene O’ Neil referenced in the same song! Definitely not boring. 17. "Man on the Beach" – Yeah, this is obviously a Brian Wilson homage. Nicely done, even if the faux Beach Boys thing sorta makes me cringe sometimes. 18. "World of My Own" – Catchy. Takes a bit to get going, but it’s a fun pop song. 19. "Seven Days of Heaven" – Fun 60’s throwback. Good chords. 20. "End of the Game" – The slide guitar is cool. Otherwise, it’s just an ok song. 21. "I Want Ya" – Another typical Knack song. Not that that’s a bad thing…..
22 . "You're Number or Your Name" – A good song with a fun chorus, but a somewhat boring verse.
Ok.This was a lot to get through, but I did it. It helps that most of the songs were, at the very least, catchy. Overall, I give this a 6.5/10. The Knack were really more than a one hit wonder, and I think this collection proves that.
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 10, 2016 2:19:39 GMT
... 12. "Africa" – Not the Toto song, but another song titled “Africa” that sounds like mid-80’s British blue eyed soul/ new wave meets Steely Dan. .... Ah, good point, I should have caught the Steely Dan influence. Maybe I overlooked it because another song on the same album, has a much more obvious Steely Dan influence, especially at the break.
... 16. "Normal as the Next Guy" – Sort of hearkens back to some 70’s Alice Cooper. Very clever lyrics, with some funny pop culture references. Never thought I’d hear Shaq and Eugene O’ Neil referenced in the same song! Definitely not boring. ... Now that you mention, yeah, Alice Cooper would've done something like this, would have fit in perfect on his "Lace and Whiskey" album, anywhere on it. ... 20. "End of the Game" – The slide guitar is cool. Otherwise, it’s just an ok song. ... Are you kidding me man, that song is a blast. Ha ha, that's OK, to each their own....most of the songs were, at the very least, catchy. ...The Knack were really more than a one hit wonder, and I think this collection proves that." Yeah, I agree; and I would also add top notch musicians, the drummer, bassist, and guitarist were among the best in the business, and Doug Feiger was a master tunesmith. So it was an amazingly winning combination, IMHO. Jim
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Post by Platypus on Apr 10, 2016 5:08:26 GMT
I think I'll simply have to admit that this style of rock doesn't appeal to me or interest me at all. I didn't like My Sharona etc, so I have been completely unaware of any of The Knack's other songs. 21 was indeed a marathon, thanks for the challenge jrmugz! I've listened through most of each one - the only one that really disappoints me is Man on the Beach.
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Post by dillwyn on Apr 10, 2016 10:50:42 GMT
Given the number of tracks here it is clear you have a big respect for these guys and normally I would try to find other copies but having spend an hour on the documentary, I had kind of had my fill. Having such a huge hit would have been incredibly difficult for anyone to follow it after such over exposure, and they are just one more many many examples spat out by the music business. They had both brilliant mgt (to get them there) and although i'm not sure those so called poor choices once at their peak weren't necessary fair except with 20/20 hindsight. It is clear they were trying to drive them to be a global act not just us market. The singer wasn't very likeable even thought he clearly understood that. They are obvioulsy a superb set of musicians. i read an article a while back on the bbc on these guys, the documentary didn't really talk much about the 27 year old singer and 16 year old school girl Sharona but there must have been fall out around that. for the music style it is ok, i myself like the cars, fountains of wayne, even weezer all similar in style so I can see the attraction but for me although likeable they seem mostly forgettable (apart from the globe stomping hit and album of course which will always be played).
01. "Can't Put a Price on Love" - not playable in my region 02. "Let Me Out" - ok new wave style 03. "Oh Tara" - nice pop song doesn't go anywhere too different so i lost interest by the end 04. "Sweet Dreams" - not playable in my region 05. "One Day at a Time" - not playable in my region 06. "You Gotta Be There" - not playable in my region 07. "Love Is All There Is" - not playable in my region 08. "Everything I Do" - not playable in my region 09. "Pop is Dead" - not playable in my region 10. "Ambition" - not playable in my region 11. "Just Wait and See" - not playable in my region 12. "Africa" - not playable in my region 13. "Another Lousy Day in Paradise" - not playable in my region 14. "Don't Look Back" (written by Bruce Springsteen) - not playable in my region 15. "Disillusion Town" - not playable in my region 16. "Normal as the Next Guy" - not playable in my region 17. "Man on the Beach" (a tribute song to Brian Wilson, written by Knack guiatarist Berton Averre) - not playable in my region 18. "World of My Own" - not playable in my region 19. "Seven Days of Heaven" - not playable in my region 20. "End of the Game" - good song 21. "I Want Ya" - best of the bunch that I've heard here bonus, 22. "You're Number or Your Name" - good song
Thank you for posting this, although I'm not sure i would buy any of their stuff
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