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Though time soon proved that they weren't the next Beatles after all, the Knack didn't deserve the backlash wrought by the inescapable popularity of the chart-toping, million-selling "My Sharona." On its 1979 debut, this California quartet -- like the Fab Four -- took elements of what had come before (new wave and power pop) and added the polish of an undeniably accessible sheen. Tight, hook-filled, and catchy as all get-out, the Knack's songs were pure pop rock: Leader Doug Fieger's lyrics focused chiefly on classic Top 40 fare -- mainly girls, girls, and more girls -- while his sneering delivery and antagonistic attitude balanced the band's pop confections with just the right amount of bite. "Sharona" was only one of the girls Fieger named a song after (see "Oh Tara" and "Lucinda"), but she was inextricably implanted in the collective consciousness via a jumpy stop-start rhythm and a ridiculously simple, irresistible riff. Elsewhere, a relatively faithful cover of Buddy Holly's "Heartbeat" showed that the Knack's roots extended further than their new wave skinny-tie image would indicate. Jim Allen, Barnes & Noble