This not not a knock on the Knack, (nor was that meant as a pun), but I have never, ever equated popularity with quality. Yes, oftentimes the 2 converge, but many times they don't.
Going through my Knack albums and I'm coming across absolutely fantastic songs, here's another from the ZOOM album...
I would agree with that statement in many instances, but The Knack is not one of them. They were quality at what they did (power pop for lack of a better term). If you don't like that kind of music, I get that, no problem at all. But as a 2 guitar, bass and drums rock group doing their own music, they were very talented musicians and a high quality band.
My Sharona was #1 as i entered frosh year of high school, the targeted buying public of 45s and imported EPs if necessary had a good beat and you could dance to it and the single cover art was enjoyed the song mixed great with that genre at the time including: Cruel to be Kind Let's Go Elvis Costello's early work The Police early work Driver's Seat I see that Good Girls Don't was #1 in Toronto for a few weeks, i forgot that couldn't come up with a 3rd single, MacLen didn't have this problem
who cared about the lyrics or the "worldview" for groups like KISS and Gene would have stared at the camera and said something not very kind if directly confronted
Not enough good songs. The same malady that brings down 99% of rock bands since the beginning of the genre. The Knack are the very definition of a one hit wonder.
But a great album from which two hits were taken. I tend to think of one hit wonders as having one good song.
I think that's part of the problem with a lotta these "Whatever happened to..." threads. An artist or group had 1-2 good sized hits, vanished for one reason or another, & people that remember them fondly fail to grasp that they lacked longevity for usually valid reasons. I mean, a favorite song of mine since it was released is "Couldn't Get It Right" by the Climax Blues Band. But, I can't tell you another song they did, & I don't care. However, they're still apparently a working band & released far more material than the Knack. There's nothing wrong with fondly remembering such artists, but I feel people tend to view them with rose colored glasses as they also mix in the other memories of the era in which they were popular. I think that sometimes tend to inflate an artist's importance in our minds.
I hate to be harsh, but a pop/rock band fronted by Pete Townshend's younger brother was always going to be a hard sell. They'd need a My Sharona quality song every album to stay popular.
Even for '79 power pop they were pedestrian and quaint. The Cars, Cheap Trick, Police, Devo, Blondie, Pretenders had so much more modern style and personality. As a young teen I didn't have enough time in the day to also bother with the Knack. They were a creepy Hermans Hermits. Caught lightning in a bottle with one song. So did Billy Ray Cyrus.
LOVE the Knack ! Tons of great tunes and underrated albums. All good stuff. Phenomenal players that could write great & catchy songs...what's not to like? And i fail to see what's wrong with the cover of their 2nd album....i see a mic stand on the right and a girl looking up in the air as if she's watching a band performing in concert...that's it what am i missing here??
I didn't think I'd ever had anything by the Knack, but I just discovered I have My Sharona on this comp:
Yep, I think Voodoo Soup is the only Hendrix cd with Bruce Gary on it. And my bad..It was not Jack Douglas that produced the Hendrix comp, But Alan Douglas.
