Producer: Mike Chapman.

Reissue producers: Doug Feiger, Lee Lodyga.

Originally released on Capitol (11948). Includes liner notes by Scott Schinder.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Personnel: Doug Fieger, Berton Averre (guitar); Bruce Gary (drums).

Audio Remasterers: Doug Fieger; Ron McMaster.

Liner Note Author: Scott Schinder.

Photographer: Randee Saint Nicholas.

Fans had been getting The Knack on the West Coast with frenzied live performances long before GET THE KNACK seemingly took over the world for that brief moment in 1979. What attracted the fans and the stars for that matter (Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Eddie Money all jumped onstage with the band in the late '70s) was the absolute hedonism of the band's percolating power pop. The Knack has no underlying message. It trumpets no social agenda. In short, The Knack promises nothing except joyous bursts of three-minute pop songs.

The six million copies that GET THE KNACK sold is an inarguable testament that the rest of the world wanted to join the fun too. Drawing from the power pop bedrock of Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Who, and the Kinks, the album charges with a gust that deflates the self-important sails of nearly every overblown '70s progressive rock monolith. The hammering "My Sharona" became the band's signature single. Full of relentless tension and adolescent lust, it is the template of the group's approach. However, the lesser known "Good Girls Don't" mines the same hormone-driven territory with the same, if not more effective, aplomb.

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." [The remastered edition of Get The Knack is roughly comparable to Beat Goes On's two-on-one CD of the group's first two LPs, although the BGO version would have to get the nod -- albeit not by much -- in terms of sound quality. The 24-bit remastering here is superior to the old CD version, but BGO does more with what they've got, for a lot more presence and a hotter sound. Then again, the bonus tracks on this disc kind of make it essential for serious fans of the group, especially in the absence of a career-defining collection. The highlights include the songwriting demos for "My Sharona" and "That's What the Little Girls Do," essentially unamplified run-throughs of the lyric and basic chords, plus the group's rehearsal of Nick Lowe's "I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll," which missed making the album by inches.] ~ Chris Woodstra & Bruce Eder