The MARK’S VINTAGE VINYL page features something from Mark’s collection of recordings from over the years. Most of it is on vinyl – hence the name – though there will be a few entries from his CDs (remember those?).
Get the Knack, by The Knack
- Debut album by the band The Knack, released in the summer of 1979.
- The album was controversial to some who resented the fact that the cover photo was the same pose as the Beatles’ first LP by Capitol Records, Meet the Beatles! And, the back cover photo was the same pose as a scene in the Beatles movie A Hard Day’s Night.
- There was no apologizing about the Beatles rip-off. In fact, Get the Knack was issued by the same record company, Capitol Records, and it sold half a million records in 13 days – the fastest selling debut record for Capitol since – you guessed it – Meet the Beatles! Ultimately, it sold over 2 million copies.
- The album hit #1 within two months of its release, and it remained there for 5 weeks. The single My Sharona hit #1 on the singles chart, and it remained #1 for 6 weeks. The follow-up single Good Girls Don’t peaked at #11 in the U.S. To me, this song sounds very much like a Beatles song.
- This album was huge, one of my favorites. I still remember the summer between my freshman and sophomore years at college, when My Sharona hit the airwaves. Everyone was drawn to beat of the song – one of the early new wave records of its time, as the new wave sound was just getting established. Singing along was absolutely required. And the lyrics to Good Girls Don’t … very naughty for its time, I suggest you go find the unedited version if you’re not familiar with them.
- Alas, The Knack will never reunite. Doug Fieger, the frontman for the band, died of cancer in 2010 at the age of 57. Here’s the My Sharona video – go ahead, try not to sing along.