|
The Knack
| Biography |
Even with the hindsight and clarity of over 20 years, it's difficult to describe the impact The Knack had on radio, fashion and rock 'n' roll. The story is all too familiar. An overnight success several years in the making. Songs that would ultimately find their way onto their multi platinum debut turned down by a host of record labels.
But the Knack found their time.
The record buying public and the music industry have always longed for the next big thing. In 1979 they found it. Culminating with a riotous sold out performance in New York City's legendary Carnegie Hall in the summer of 1979, the Knack was unavoidable. It seemed as if every stereo and car radio reverberated with the thunderous hook of their No. 1 smash "My Sharona".
Founding members Doug Fieger, Berton Averre, Bruce Gary and Prescott Niles sculptured a sound which was irresistibly familiar but at the same time unlike anything else which was playing on the radio. Their tightly woven musical craftsmanship earned them many rave reviews in the local press.
A huge draw in the LA club scene, the Knack played incessantly throughout California in the late 70s. They revitalized live music in many of the older establishments which had been converted to disco dance halls, such as the Troubadour and Starwood with sellout crowds. Rolling Stone magazine followed the still unsigned band through several high profile performances with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, The Doors Ray Manzerak, Stephen Stills and Eddie Money.
By November of 1978, 13 record companies engaged in a fierce bidding war for the bands services, eventually won by Capital Records. The selection of a record producer was the source of much speculation. Even "Wall of Sound" architect Phil Spector was anxious to participate. The job went to songwriter and member of the hitmaking band Sweet, Mike Chapman, who had enjoyed a successful career as a producer, racking up an impressive run of No. 1 records for Exile, Nick Gilder and Blondie. The Knack and Chapman entered the studio, eager to capture the energy of their live performances. The Knack performed the songs "live" with minimal overdubs. Chapman basically hit the record button and let the band play. Originally, a double album was considered, but the final track listing focused on the mainstays of their stage show.
Capitol Records introduced the record with the kind of fanfare not seen since the first wave of the British Invasion. With marketing support from Capitol and a cadre of infectious pop tunes, the record flew off the shelves. Rolling Stone magazine heralded them as "the new fab four", an obvious reference to The Beatles. Gold certification took 13 days. Platinum certification came in less than seven weeks, making Get The Knack one of the fastest to gold / platinum debut albums of all time. "My Sharona" entered the Hot 100 on June 23, 1979 and reached No. 1 nine weeks later on August 25, 1979 where it remained for six weeks. Billboard named it the number one single of 1979. Today, it still ranks as one of the biggest selling singles of the rock era. A sold out world tour followed the albums release.
The bands second effort, But The Little Girls Understand (released less than eight months after their debut) was recorded in two weeks, immediately went gold and sported a top 40 single "Baby Talks Dirty". Even as a "Knuke The Knack" campaign sprung up by an enterprising profiteer from San Francisco, industry peers nominated the boys for two Grammy awards. The band carried on, released another single "Cant Put A Price On Love" and continued to tour into the spring of 1980, before taking a much needed break.
A year passed before the band returned to the studio in late 1981 for their third album. Round Trip was directed by veteran producer Jack Douglass, fresh from his work on John Lennons Double Fantasy. This record was a much more polished effort than The Knacks first two outings and clearly showcased a wide variety of songwriting styles without straying from The Knack "sound". The initial single "Pay The Devil" was supported by a media blitz and a club tour designed to take the band back to their roots. Three weeks into their tour, on New Years Day, the band broke up. The constant drubbing from some quarters of the musical press and self styled opinion makers had taken their toll on the band. The energy which had introduced the band to the world had been depleted as the band had to defend their success to a press corp wary of their "instant" fame.
Fieger, Averre, Gary and Niles went their separate ways. Fieger went on to act (Roseanne), produce and contributed songs for the Manhattan Transfers Grammy award winning effort Brazil. Averre played with Bette Midler. Gary drummed behind Bob Dylan, Jack Bruce and Bette Midler as well as producing with Alan Douglas a series of albums from guitar legend Jimi Hendrix. Niles worked with Josie Cotton ("Johnny Are You Queer) and continued with session and performance work.
The band regrouped in 1986 / 87 for a tour but failed to release an album despite enthusiastic reactions from fans to their new material. In 1991, a revised lineup (Billy Ward replaced Bruce Gary on drums) released the Don Was produced album Serious Fun. The first single "Rocket Of Love" was Top 10 AOR and the band received significant media attention but the label unexpectedly shelved the record and promotion for the album disappeared even as a second single "One Day At A Time" was being pressed for release.
In 1994, the popularity of "My Sharona" was reaffirmed when the song again entered the Hot 100 after appearing on the soundtrack for the hit movie Reality Bites, one of only 12 songs in chart history to do so. A successful promotional tour exposed the band to a whole new generation of fans.
In 1997, the band surfaced on two tribute albums. Come And Get It: A Tribute To Badfinger, brought the original four members back into the studio to record "No Matter What". This Badfinger classic had been a staple of The Knack's live show for years and was a natural for inclusion. The bands fiery rendition was a highlight of the disc and garnered radio airplay in selected markets. Capital Records released a two disc record of Bruce Springsteen covers. The Knack gladly offered up their version of "Don't Look Back", previously only available on the band's Retrospective.
In April of 1997, the band performed to a capacity crowd at Hollywood's Viper Room. Among the audience was Harold Bronson, President of Rhino Records. The set included expected Knack standards, along with a handful of new songs. The audience response was overwhelming. Bronson, a long time fan, immediately brought the band to Rhino to commence recording a new CD. The result was the release of Zoom, in 1998. The 14 classic compositions were produced by Richard Bosworth (Don Henley, Steve Perry) and features the drumming of Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa, Missing Persons). Demonstrating their commitment to the band, Rhino has also issued Proof: The Very Best Of The Knack. This CD contains remastered versions of Knack classics and four new tracks not available on any other release. Doug Fieger's solo record "First Things First" was released to greet the new millenium.
The final chapter of The Knack’s history has yet to be written. |
|
|
|
|
