Get the Knack

1	Let Me Out 2:21
2	Your Number or Your Name 2:57
3	Oh Tara 3:05
4	(She's So) Selfish 4:31
5	Maybe Tonight 4:03
6	Good Girls Don't 3:09
7	My Sharona 4:55
8	Heartbeat 2:12
9	Siamese Twins (The Monkey and Me) 3:25
10	Lucinda 4:01
11	That's What the Little Girls Do 2:43
12	Frustrated 3:52

Barnes & Noble

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

All Music Guide

The Knack attempted to update the Beatles sound for the new wave era on their debut -- a good idea that was well executed, but critics cried "foul" when millions sold after Capitol's pre-release hype (it went gold in 13 days and eventually sold five million copies, making it one of the most successful debuts in history). Get the Knack is at once sleazy, sexist, hook-filled, and endlessly catchy -- above all, it's a guilty pleasure and an exercise in simple fun. When is power pop legitimate anyway? Includes the unforgettable hits "My Sharona" and "Good Girls Don't." Chris Woodstra